The Touch MBA Admissions Podcast

Latest Episodes:

#140 RSM MBA Program & Admissions Interview with Brandon Kirby Aug 27, 2018

Show notes

Brandon Kirby, Director of MBA Marketing and Admissions at Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University, discusses what makes the RSM MBA unique, the school's admissions process, career opportunities and more.

Program Highlights (8:07) | Admissions (28:32) | Scholarships (57:48) | Careers (1:04:40)

About Our Guest

Brandon Kirby is the Director of Marketing & Admissions of the Rotterdam School of Management's MBA Program at Erasmus University. Brandon got his MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler through the OneMBA. He ran a restaurant for 10 years, then worked in branding and marketing before joining the RSM MBA program.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/rsm-mba-admissions-interview

#139 Breaking into Energy & Sustainability (as an MBA) Aug 15, 2018

Show notes

What do MBA applicants need to know about the recruiting process into the energy industry? Darren invites Vince Faherty, London Business School MBA ’10, to share his experience moving up from a Marketing Manager to Director at EnerNOC and then moving to Nest & Google, where he is currently Head of Northeast & Midwest Energy Partnerships. Vince shares what it's like to attend business school during one of the worst recessions in history and MBA career lessons he's distilled since attending LBS 10 years ago.

This is Part 8 of our MBA Career Series. Looking for more career-related podcasts? Click here.

Questions

Vince's background (3:53)
Why Vince, an American, applied to London Business School (12:50)
How Vince landed his internship & job (17:04)
Vince's tips for networking with alumni (30:08)
An overview of the recruiting process (36:36)
What do applicants need to know about succeeding in energy (43:58)
Vince's recommended resources (49:06)
Vince's thoughts on the future of the renewable energy industry (51:32)
10 years later, Vince reflects on the value of his MBA (55:00)

About Our Guest

Vince Faherty got his MBA from the London Business School in 2010 and is currently Head of Northeast & Midwest Energy Partnerships at Google in Boston. Previously, he worked at EnerNOC for over 7 years, most recently as Director of Utility Solutions & Market Development. Vince got his B.A. in History from Princeton University.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/mba-careers-energy-sustainability

#138 MBA Resume Do's and Don'ts (Plus Templates!) Aug 06, 2018

Show notes

Your resume is often what MBA admissions officers first see, and frames how they view the rest of your profile. Follow this checklist of CV 'do's and don'ts' to make make a strong first impression and set the stage for a successful application.

This is a re-run of Episode #6 Seven Deadly Sins of MBA Resumesand Rotman MBA's Leigh Gauthier's answer to the question we asked in Episode #100 What 1 Action Can Candidates Take to Dramatically Improve Their MBA Application?

The "7 deadly sins"

1. Too long
2. Hard on the eyes
3. Emphasizes the wrong thing(s)
4. It's a job resume (not an MBA resume)
5. No evidence of impact
6. Lack of context for employers and accomplishments
7. No evidence of career progression

Leigh Gauthier's Advice

“For every resume bullet, ask yourself, 'what have you done and how is the organization better for you having been there?'”

Episode summary, MBA resume templates, and more at:

http://touchmba.com/mba-resume-tips-templates

#137 From Stand Up Comic to MBA Student with Rob O'Reilly, USC Marshall MBA '20 Jul 28, 2018

Show notes

Rob O'Reilly performed stand up comedy for 16 years. Then he decided to get an MBA. We discuss his journey to USC Marshall.

Questions

Rob's background (3:25)
MBA career goals and positioning (8:00)
The GMAT and showing "quant skills" (18:13)
Shortlisting business schools (23:06)
Communicating your interest to business schools (32:30)
Interviews (39:55)
The future of entertainment content (45:32)
Looking forward to USC Marshall (45:50)

About Our Guest

Rob O'Reilly worked as a standup comic, production assistant, staff writer, video producer, and TV producer - most recently for MTV's Ridiculousness - before applying for an MBA. He has landed appearances on The Tonight Show, Last Comic Standing and Live at Gotham. He was named one of LA Weekly’s Top 10 Comedy Acts to Watch and one of TBS's 101 Funniest Comedians. He'll be attending USC Marshall's MBA program this Fall. Rob got his B.A. in Television from Boston University.

Episode summary, show notes and more at:

http://touchmba.com/stand-up-comic-mba-student-rob-oreilly-usc-marshall-mba

#136 Military to MBA to Management Consulting with Alex Tuininga, Harvard MBA '18 Jul 17, 2018

Show notes

Alex Tuininga, HBS MBA '18, discusses his transition from a navy intelligence officer to Harvard MBA to BCG management consultant. Alex also shares his thoughts on MBA recruiting and social life as a married, older student.

Questions

Alex's background (3:48)
Alex's advice to military applicants (12:40)
Where Alex applied and why he chose HBS (21:00)
The HBS experience (24:28)
Social life as an older, married student (35:02)
The recruiting process (42:20)
Summer internships and full-time offers at BCG (48:20)
Alex's business lessons from business school (1:04:20)

About Our Guest

Alex Tuininga worked as an Intelligence Officer in the US Navy for 10 years before attending Harvard Business School. Alex majored in History at UC Berkeley and got a M.A. in International Relations and National Security Studies - Middle East from the Naval Postgraduate School. He'll be consulting for the Boston Consulting Group in Chicago this Fall.

Episode summary, show notes and more at:

http://touchmba.com/military-to-mba-to-management-consulting-alex-tuininga-harvard-mba

#135 Michigan Ross MBAs Reflect on Their First Year & Discuss the Journey Ahead May 21, 2018

Show notes

Guest Host Sabaina Kamara, Michigan Ross MBA '19, invites her friend and classmate Kashay Sanders to share her experience as a first year MBA student at the Ross School of Business.

Listen to get a real-time, inside look into the "MBA1" experience at a top b-school like Ross.

Questions

Kashay's background (3:32)
First year internships and student activities (4:59)
Reflections on the "MBA1" year and lessons learned (6:58)
Multidisciplinary Action Project (MAP) at Ross (10:54)
Dealing with imposter syndrome when switching industries/functions (16:16)
First year summer plans (17:50)
Healthy team dynamics at business school and getting to know classmates (20:47)
MTreks (26:34)
Kashay's Vision for Ross as President of the MBA Council (27:59)
Kashay's advice to MBA applicants (31:10)

About our Guest Host

Sabaina Kamara is currently an MBA student at the Ross School of Business. Prior to starting her MBA, Sabaina worked in as an HR Analyst at a management and employment law firm, focusing on HR compliance for diversity and inclusion. Sabaina is interested in pursuing a career as a strategy consultant post MBA. Sabaina will be interning at Deloitte Strategy & Operations in New York City this summer.

About Our Guest

Kashay Sanders is committed to building healthy workplace cultures to help people, and organizations, operate at their best. Prior to Ross, Kashay worked within the international development, government and nonprofit sectors, leading and designing programs aimed at gender equity, workforce development, neighborhood safety and ending homelessness. Kashay graduated from Dartmouth College in 2011, with a B.A. in Women's & Gender Studies and minors in Anthropology and Japanese. As an MBA student at Ross, Kashay is President of the MBA Council, a +Lab Fellow, and active member of the Human Capital Club. Kashay will be joining Microsoft this summer within the HR Trax Rotational Program in Seattle, WA.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/michigan-ross-mbas-reflect-on-their-first-year-discuss-the-journey-ahead

#134 Successful MBAs, Leadership & High Performing Teams with Prof. Randall S Peterson of LBS May 05, 2018

Show notes

Guest Host and London Business School (LBS) MBA Mathias Keller invites Dr. Randall S Peterson, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and the Academic Director of the Leadership Institute at LBS, to share his thoughts on successful MBA students, how to develop leadership skills, and how to build high performing teams. Don't miss this episode to sample leadership lessons you'd learn at one of the world's top business schools.

Questions

What makes a successful MBA student? (7:10)
How do you develop leadership skills? (16:02)
How do you build high performing, diverse teams? (29:19)

About our Guest Host

Mathias Keller is currently an MBA student at the London Business School. Prior to starting his MBA, Mathias worked as a German diplomat in Bangladesh and Afghanistan focusing on human rights and counterterrorism. He is interested in pursuing a career at the intersection of business and government. Mathias will intern at McKinsey Berlin this summer.

About Our Guest

Professor Randall S Peterson is Academic Director of the Leadership Institute. His current research activities include investigating: leading diverse teams, how CEO personality affects top management team interaction, leadership transitions in organisations, board effectiveness, conflict management in teams, and the effects of member personality on group interaction and performance.

As Professor of Organisational Behaviour at London Business School, he teaches Executive Education and MBA programmes on leading teams and organisations, high performance teams, leadership assessment, and interpersonal skill development.

Professor Peterson holds a PhD in Social Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining London Business School, he was on the faculty of Northwestern University and Cornell University's SC Johnson Graduate School of Management. He is a former Deputy Dean (Faculty), Subject Area Chair of Organisational Behaviour, Chair of the Ph.D. Programme, and Vice President of the Campaign Committee of London Business School.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/successful-mba-students-leadership-high-performing-teams-randall-peterson-lbs

#133 Breaking into Media & Entertainment (as an MBA) Apr 26, 2018

Show notes

What do you need to know about MBA recruiting for top media and entertainment companies? Darren invites his good friend Mark Zee, UCLA Anderson MBA '14, to share his experience interviewing and working for companies like 20th Century Fox and the Walt Disney Company, where he is currently Director for Pay TV & Digital Sales. Mark also shares his thoughts on building relationships during and after the MBA.

This is Part 7 of our MBA Career Series. Looking for more career-related podcasts? Click here.

Questions

Common entry points for MBA grads in the entertainment industry (5:21)
The entertainment industry is in flux (8:46)
How Mark landed his internship with Fox (11:00)
The importance of location in industry recruiting (19:08)
How Mark landed his post-MBA job with Disney (20:10)
Interviews (38:32)
Mark's recommended resources (41:42)
What do applicants need to know about succeeding in industry (44:21)
Mark's reflections on his promotion at Disney (46:43)
Mark's thoughts on the future of the entertainment industry (52:16)

About Our Guest

Mark Zee is Director of Pay TV & Digital Sales at The Walt Disney Studios. He joined the company after graduating from UCLA Anderson in 2014. In his current role, he negotiates distribution deals with digital platforms and MVPDs (e.g. iTunes, Comcast); develops new business opportunities (e.g. Movies Anywhere, VR); and provides strategic insights to senior leadership. Previously, he worked on the International Digital Distribution team. His responsibilities cover Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and ABC Studios.

While pursuing his MBA, Zee completed a year-long internship in digital strategy and sales operations at 20th Century Fox International Theatrical. Prior to business school, he worked in investment management in Houston, Texas and starred in over a dozen television series in Asia. Zee received his undergraduate degree from Princeton University. As a Chinese-American-Brazilian, he enjoys food, sports, and dancing with his hips.

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/mba-careers-media-entertainment

Episode Sponsor

At MPOWER we believe that helping to turn the dreams of future global leaders and innovators into reality is of utmost priority. Therefore we offer international MBA students flexible financing for their education in the US, without requiring co-signers or collateral. What matters most is their future potential. Visit mpowerfinancing.com/borrow-touchmba for more information.

MPOWER Financing, DC consumer lending license: ML9261, Public Benefit Corporation

#132 How to Show Quant Skills (outside your GPA & GMAT) Apr 12, 2018

Show notes

How can MBA applicants show evidence of quantitative skills outside of their university GPA and GMAT? Do top b-schools accept online courses like Coursera?

Darren invites Admissions Directors from 3 top business schools - Cornell Johnson (USA), IMD (Switzerland) and CEIBS (China) - to share their thoughts.

Eddie Asbie from Cornell Johnson MBA (4:20)
Paola Eicher from IMD MBA (10:18)
Christina Mou from CEIBS MBA (15:44)
Darren's Thoughts (20:18)

About Our Guests

Eddie Asbie is Associate Director, Admissions and Financial Aid at Johnson at Cornell University

Paola Eicher is the MBA Recruitment Manager at IMD Business School.

Christina Mou is Marketing and Admissions Manager at China Europe International Business School (CEIBS).

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/how-to-show-quant-skills

Episode Sponsor

MPOWER Financing, DC consumer lending license: ML9261, Public Benefit Corporation

#131 The Quick & Easy Way to Effective MBA Interviewing Mar 16, 2018

Show notes

Could this be the only book you need to prepare for your MBA interviews?

Inspired by Dale Carnegie's classic book, The Quick & Easy Way to Effective Speaking, Darren shares a simple 3-part framework to help you choose your best 'material' for your MBA interviews.

Checklist

Have you earned the right to talk about topic through experience or study?
Are you excited about your subject?
Are you eager to share your subject with your interviewer?

Episode summary, show notes and more at: http://touchmba.com/quick-easy-way-effective-mba-interviewing

Episode Sponsor

Ranked among the top public universities in the US, The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business provides an outstanding MBA experience tailored to your interests and leadership development. Whether switching careers, enhancing a career or starting a business, an MBA from Fisher provides tomorrow’s leaders with the knowledge and skills to succeed today.

Visit fisher.osu.edu to learn more about Fisher’s personalized MBA program and competitive scholarship opportunities.

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