Jobs. A topic of discussion as soon as you start classes. Often students don’t understand that there is a certain art to job applications and end up being too hard on themselves throughout the process. As someone who has been in this position, I want to share my learnings so that future students who start this journey have as much advice as possible.

Applying for jobs early

If you are someone who is keen on working in the UK after graduation, then getting started on the job hunt in June/July before your programme starts is wise. Starting early is important because job-hunting is a tedious process. Giving yourself more time to do it, rather than crunching it in a smaller window, will leave you panicked and you won’t be able to put your best self forward. Further, once lectures start, you get busy with coursework so having done the groundwork enables you to be more in control of your time

I am studying MSc Management and I am applying for jobs in consulting. In this field, a lot of the applications have not only a requirement of CV and cover letter but also other questions that you need to answer. The applications for these jobs don’t just end at round one. There are at least three to four rounds that take place before hearing the final outcome if you make it that far. Additionally, many job applications are on a rolling basis so the sooner you get your application in the better.

Starting the job hunt

Before you start your job hunt, it would be beneficial to spend some time thinking and researching different industries you might be interested in. This will allow you to better understand these fields, in case you don’t already, and will then allow you to narrow down your choices or reconfirm your preferences.

Once this has been done, you have already narrowed down your search. This is where setting up an appointment with a career consultant can be helpful. If you are an international student who has never experienced the recruitment process in the UK, meeting with the career consultant at the Business School is helpful as they help you set out a plan or path to work on. Preparing questions prior to your meeting will give you answers that will clarify the process for you. Also having the career consultants go through your CV and a draft cover letter can highlight things you don’t notice yourself.

An example of questions you might ask an Imperial career consultant:

• What does a general recruitment process look like? How many rounds are there?
• What websites can I use to look for job openings? (One website that I found beneficial was Bright Network)
• Discuss the field/s you are interested. This will allow the coach to understand what you are looking for and can give insight into what the jobs and process looks like

The typical stages of job applications

The first round usually involves submitting your application. This includes filling out general information about yourself, attaching a CV, cover letter and answering questions. It is not always the case where a cover letter is compulsory but even if it is optional, it is recommended to upload one.

Then comes a round of taking a test for most applications. There are various forms of testing - it could be a psychometric test, game-based assessment, critical reasoning, situational judgement or mathematical testing

Making it to the next stage for a consulting application means you will have to do a case study interview, maybe even two or three. The last round is usually a fit interview where they see whether you would be a good fit for the company.

Some companies also have an assessment centre where they have you spend the day taking multiple interviews. These interviews could be solving a case study, working with other candidates on a project, making a presentation, followed by an interview with senior members of the organisation.

Balancing applying for jobs with your programme

It is easy to get caught up in applying for jobs. However, keep reminding yourself that you’re here for your degree, if you put School aside then you could be risking your studies.

Starting your programme is an important time in your life. It’s a chance to get comfortable with what’s to come,  expand your skillset and make new friends. You will be studying together for the next year and working in teams on group projects. Furthermore, it is the people who will be your connections around the world for the years to come.

This is your time to prioritise. Plan your days and weeks and set goals that are realistic for you. While at times it can get overwhelming and you may feel guilty about not working on applications because there is a lot of programme work, this is the time when you must be kind to yourself. Remind yourself how much is on your plate and that you are doing your very best.

My advice for future students

First, don’t give up. It is all about how long you can hold out and persevere. As difficult as that might be, it is will only make you stronger.

Secondly, do keep in mind that it takes a while to hear back from people. During this time, don’t keep your hopes up on that one organisation. You may only have a rough idea of when they will respond so keep working on other applications as well.

Third, career events can be useful, but it is a two-way street and you have to put in the effort to reach out to people you meet during these events and interact with them. Keep at it. It can take months but keep at it. Remember, some people have already had experience with the recruitment process before. It’s natural as humans that we compare ourselves to others, but at this time we have to consciously remind ourselves not to do that.

Finally, know who you are and don’t let a rejection define you. You are not a measure of which job applications don’t work out.

This is trial and error. It’s a test of being knocked down, getting back up, and trying again. Keep trying. Keep giving it your best. I am sure what is meant for you will definitely come along and at the right time. You’ve got this!

Ollie: I’m glad that you’ve been able to hear some first-hand accounts of people’s experiences that can be so valuable. You never know who you may work with in the future so making these connections too is so important. What does Asia Business Club have planned for the rest of the academic year?

Asia Business Club: For the rest of the academic year, we plan to continue sharing industry newsletters regularly and releasing more podcast episodes. We are looking to host a networking event and coffee chat and then something for our farewell party towards the end of the year!

Ollie: Many more exciting things to come then! As you know, we do include these features in our admitted student’s newsletters. What would you say to a future student considering joining one of the IB Careers clubs?

Asia Business Club: We highly encourage all future students to join IB Careers Clubs. It is an effective way in broadening your professional network, and there are opportunities to meet like-minded students. The Career Clubs at Imperial Business School are very diverse, they cater to different industries and sectors with a huge variety of events. Most of the clubs also gather useful information regarding industry news and job openings, which helps you strengthen your commercial awareness. You can be sure to gain something no matter which club you choose to join, it’s also a nice to break up the work and have a balanced Imperial life!

Follow the Asia Business Club on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook. The Asia Business Club is not just a place for those from Asia, but also for anyone interested in businesses to and from Asia. Don’t hesitate to reach out for more information! You can contact them via ibasiabusinessclub@imperial.ac.uk if you have any questions.

I am currently studying MSc Strategic Marketing at Imperial College Business School. So far on the programme I have studied core modules, which consist of lectures, syndicate discussions, group activities, individual case studies, and guest lectures.

Out of all my learnings, I always look forward to guest lectures. I believe it is a critical part of the modules, combining theoretical knowledge with real-life business scenarios.

Benefits of guest lectures

While lectures, group activities, and case studies help me acquire theoretical knowledge and learn from what businesses have done in the past to solve their problems, guest lectures provide a sense of what it’s like to solve those problems in the real-time dynamic business environment.

Attending guest lectures from industry professionals has:

• Helped me gain a broader view of ongoing trends
• Apply what I learned in class to real-life business scenarios
• Taught me  new theories and ways of working that I hadn’t learned in my normal lectures
• Equipped me with alternative perspectives on miscellaneous topics through immersive discussions with the class

My favourite guest lectures

One of my favourite lectures was the one conducted by Celina Degen, who is a trainer at Facebook. She was invited as a part of the Brand Strategy module and talked about branding in a mobile world. She pointed out that people are mostly on their mobile nowadays, especially the younger generation, and discussed the ways advertisers and marketers need to adapt their advertisements to meet people where they are spending their time. It takes 0.4 seconds for our brain to process that it is exposed to an advertisement which is why it is imperative for marketers to capture attention quickly by connecting deeper with their audience at all levels through developing a ‘pitch, play, plunge’ strategy.

Another guest speaker was David Zuo, Product Manager at Zynga who is also an Imperial MSc Management alumnus. David shed some light on marketing for the gaming world for the Strategic Product Management module, an area I was completely unaware of previously. He compared a product to a leaking bucket and emphasised the need for constant innovation to retain the existing consumers and attract new ones. Further, he discussed tech ethics and shared his thoughts on sketching a line between profitability and detrimental impact.

Guest lectures are a true representation of the ‘Imperial view’ of marketing. They are not just about learning from the speakers’ experiences, but also a great opportunity to engage with them as most of the sessions have Q&As towards the end. Students often seek mentors for answers to key issues concerning their career possibilities.

In my opinion, the specialists who are already working in such sectors are the ideal people to address these issues and studying at Imperial College Business School offers this opportunity.

Ollie: Glad to hear that you’ve been able to make such great connections and also been able to have some fun along the way! What would you say your proudest achievement is as a club?

SIRB:  Our proudest achievement is when we hear positive feedback from our members on the events we have organised. We work really well together and work hard as a team to organise various events in different formats for our members and it was very rewarding to hear their feedback and know that we are making an impact!

Ollie: It’s great to see that you’ve made such valuable connections and friendships with each other. Many people reading this will be thinking about how to make the most out of their time at the Business School. What would you say to a future student considering joining one of the IB Careers Clubs?

SIRB: We are such a diverse team from a range of programmes across the Business School. We may not have had the opportunity to meet each other if it weren't for the club, it's been really fun! It is a fantastic way to meet new people and gain insights about the industry in which you are interested. There is something for everyone as all careers clubs cater to specific sectors and have events in several formats. It broadens your horizons as you are able to interact with students from different programs with similar interests. You can be sure to find a brilliant and supportive team regardless of which club you choose to join. Moreover, going beyond the classroom and engaging in other activities will enhance your university experience and network.

Follow the Social Impact & Responsible Business Club on Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter! If you are interested in being a part of their committee, the applications for President and Vice President will open from June and will be communicated via The Hub. Applications for other positions will be open once President and Vice President are appointed and tend to take place from October onwards. You can contact them via ibsi-rbclub@imperial.ac.uk if you have any questions!

The QS Online MBA ranking 2022

In addition to the fantastic result from the FT, the Global Online MBA also maintained 2nd in the world and 1st in the UK for the QS Online MBA rankings 2022.

It’s the fourth year in a row that we have held this position in the world, and fifth year that we ranked first in the UK. The programme scored highly for our world-leading faculty and teaching, and employability. Demonstrating how our academics continue to pave the way in research, providing our students with an innovative MBA, and our structured approach to leadership development through the Personal Leadership Journey.

New programme updates

Last year the programme was updated with some key changes to enhance students’ learning experience. Markus explains:

“The Global Online MBA was updated following insights from our students and faculty. Our MBA candidates want the opportunity to personalise their studies, so firstly, we introduced a set of flexcore modules.  These modules give students the opportunity to tailor the programme based on their career path or personal interest.

Secondly, the programme length is now variable. Students can choose to complete their MBA in 21, 24 or 32 months.

Finally, in terms of programme content, new modules in analytics, marketing, business problem solving (consulting) and digital transformation were or are being introduced so that we continue to provide students with in-demand skills required by leaders and managers."

Applications to our September 2022 intake and January 2023 intake of the Global Online MBA are now open.

My name is Aakriti Jhunjhunwala and I am currently studying the Global Online MBA programme at Imperial College Business School.

When I applied for an online programme, I had many reservations about what my experience would be. Among my reservations, primary were the doubts that I would lose out on valuable opportunities like being part of Imperial’s many extra-curricular Career Clubs and leadership committees, and also that I would not be able to foster meaningful relationships with my classmates.

However, when I started the programme, I realised that online students are offered each and every prospect as the in-person students and the only obstacle is to select which of the hundreds of amazing roles and events you devote your time and energy to!

After a week of being tempted to sign myself up for everything that came my way. I hunkered down and focused mainly on two organisations– the Student-Staff Committee (SSC) and the Imperial College Business School Student Investment Fund.

In this blog I will share my application process, experience thus far and the benefits I have reaped from both these roles.

Student-Staff Committee

At the beginning of each programme intake year, the students are given the opportunity to democratically elect their representatives to form the cohort’s SSC, which you can think of as a mini student council or student government for each programme. The goal of the SSC is to create an interface between the students, the Programme team and the faculty, to promote the highest standards of education, in a cooperative and constructive environment.

There are four different leadership roles within each SSC – the Chair, Social Leader, Academic Leader and Careers Leader. I applied for the role of Social Leader as I really enjoy planning events and meeting new people and thus, I thought I would be able to contribute the most in this role.

The application process required me to write a statement covering my motivation to take on the role, the skills and qualities that would help me succeed and examples of initiatives I would plan for my peers as Social Leader. Applicant statements were then anonymised and circulated among the cohort for students to vote on. Fortunately, my classmates supported my candidacy and I was elected!

As Social Leader, I have the responsibility to encourage, plan and support events and activities that foster relationships and builds connections between my classmates. Imperial even extends a social budget every term that I can allocate towards different community building events. The SSC not only allows me to connect with my cohort, but also provides occasions to liaise with Social Leaders from other MBA cohorts and organise cross-programme social opportunities.

A core function of the role is to liaise with the programme team and faculty to communicate any doubts or needs that the class may have to them. This is a great opportunity to get facetime with the people behind the scenes at Imperial and actually tailor everyone’s educational experience.

So far, the experience of being Social Leader has been incredibly rewarding for me. I have organised five events – each with a different theme, different collaborators and different audience.

For example, I collaborated with the Imperial Enterprise Lab and hosted a custom startup pitch contest (think Shark Tank or Dragon’s Den) for my cohort. In doing so not only was I able to learn more about the Imperial Enterprise Lab and establish connections with its administrative team, but also converse with my classmates about their passion projects.

Another event was a Q&A panel with Global Online MBA student leaders from another cohort. This event gave me the chance to connect with an SSC Social Leader from that class and also hone my public speaking skills as I moderated the panel.

The SSC Social Leader role continues to challenge me. I have to be innovative with event planning and creative with event promotion. It pushes me out of my comfort zone, especially on days when I’m feeling lazy or on days when networking is low priority in a long list of to-dos!

Imperial College Business School Student Investment Fund

The fund was established in 2018 and is the College’s first student-led investment fund, with £100,000 in assets under management. It is divided into fundamental and quantitative departments.

Since I am an Equity Trader and Investor by profession, I was instantly attracted to this Imperial organisation and keen to be a part of it from day one. My motivation to join was that I wanted to expand my knowledge of European and American Equity Markets, so I applied for the role of Junior Equity Research Analyst in the Consumer Staples department.

The application process was quite comprehensive with a qualitative component requiring applicants to discuss their background, motivation and skill set, and also a technical component requiring applicants to put together a stock-pitch and present it to the interviewer. The application process itself was very educational for me.

To my surprise, I was selected to be the Senior Equity Research Analyst for the role, a promotion from the Junior Equity Research Analyst role I had applied for, due to my relevant and extensive work experience. That said, my team consists of students who did not have prior experience in Equity Research but demonstrated their keenness to learn and contribute, and hence they were selected into the organisation. So even if you don’t have a background in research but are curious about Equity Investment then I encourage you to apply!

As Senior Equity Research Analyst, I manage a team of six junior analysts that come from various places across the globe and study a variety of topics at Imperial. This role marked the first time I have managed such a diverse group! During our meetings for the Student Investment Fund, I learned as much about leadership, diversity and inclusion as I did about Equity Research.

For example, after a few meetings in the first term, I recognised that a simple thing like turning on the transcript feature when conducting video calls allows a team member to be able to cope with the gamete of different accents and at the same time feel empowered when communicating themselves.

As a team leader, it is my responsibility to encourage even my quietest team member to speak up and voice their thoughts. This realisation compelled the extrovert in me to step off the stage and instead facilitate the discussion amidst the group from behind the scenes.

I joined the fund to learn more about Equity Investments (which I most certainly did), however, I also got unexpected and valuable lessons in leadership!

Benefits of extra-curricular participation

The benefits of extra-curricular participation are extensive and often intangible to capture entirely. However, the top 10 key benefits I have personally experienced in the last six months are:

• Fostering deeper relationships with classmates
• Collaborating with students from different programmes in the wider Imperial community
• Connecting with faculty and the programme team
• Honing time management and boosting productivity
• Upgrading organisational process and tools
• Improving written and verbal communication
• Learning the importance of diversity, equality and inclusion and how to represent the interest of each member of the group as a team leader
• Mastering facilitation and hosting of events with a diverse group of people
• Practicing setting a direction for a team, mobilising the team in that direction and motivating teammates to overcome obstacles
• Exemplifying a range of managerial and leadership abilities to potential employers

In conclusion, my Imperial extra-curricular participation has been extremely fulfilling. I highly recommend all current and future students to significantly enhance their Imperial experience by getting involved in the Imperial community!