The MBA Student Voice

Introduction: Naomi Lim

Hello, everyone! My name is Naomi Lim, a first-year MBA student at UCLA Anderson. Below you can learn more about me: 

Undergraduate Major: Supply Chain

Pre-Anderson Career: Since undergrad, I’ve worked in supply chain focused on strategic sourcing. First, I was in Sourcing at Motorola in the Chicago area. I really enjoyed collaborating with multiple functional teams to source and negotiate projects. Experiencing winter and snow-mageddon was key to my personal development. After 3 years there, I went to a nutritional firm to manage contract manufacturers for a mix of protein bars and beverages. They had a very fast product launch cycle, which drove a fast-paced and exciting culture.

Post-MBA Goals:  I want to go back into the tech industry in a product-focused role. One of the amazing things about Anderson is the exposure to multiple functions and industries. You’ll find students here going into a variety of roles, so it really allows you to pursue your career goals however niche they may be. Recently, I participated in DOJ Week, which provides an opportunity for Anderson students to visit various companies by industry. I joined the tech treck to further explore my interests and network with potential employers. One of the many companies that I had a chance to visit was Google. 

                                                                          

What I’m most excited about: Being surrounded by intelligent yet approachable people is the most exciting part for me. The diversity in background and experience of our school drives meaningful discussions both in and outside of the classroom. 

Why Anderson? The culture and student experience were what drew me to Anderson. The genuine regard for one another in helping us all succeed is truly refreshing. It sounds cliché but we live by our "Share Success" value. I see this through the ACT program, where 2^nd years help 1st years with interview preparation, and when a fellow classmates offers to connect me with someone in their network. I encourage you to reach out to current students through our Connect With A Student portal or sign-up for an upcoming LiveGuide session to hear firsthand how our culture shapes and adds value to the student experience.

I look forward to blogging more throughout my Anderson experience. Stay tuned! 

Few Tips On How To Create a Stunning B-school Application Resume

The significance of a good resume in the MBA application process cannot be overstated. The general tendency with most applicants is to devote only a minimal amount of time to work on their resumes; their thinking is that resumes are not so important since they receive only a quick glance from adcoms. This is wrong thinking! Your resume is the gateway to all the wonderful application materials that you painstakingly put together about yourself in the application package. The resume is typically the first application element an adcom member will read, so it has to be written in such a way to generate interest. It is imperative that your resume makes a good impression. Also, for promising applicants who receive an interview invitation, a good resume is important in the interviewing process to help an interviewer who is assessing your fit with the b-school.

With that in mind, here are some principles to remember as you write your resume:

• A narrative-based resume (rather than bullet-point) is the ideal way to begin this process since this captures maximum content in minimum space. Usually, it should be limited to one page, but as a starter you can extend into a second page and then pare it down to 1 page.
• Use the S-A-R approach. Since you want to identify and articulate your strengths and key accomplishments, the most effective flow is to state (a) the SITUATION – mention the problem you had to overcome (Who/What/When). (b) The ACTION you took or initiated to solve the problem, highlighting the skills you used to complete the tasks. (c) The RESULTS – summarize the outcome in a quantifiable manner.
• Your MBA resume should show you at your best. Include examples of specific times and places when you learned the most, shone the brightest and had the greatest impact.
• DO NOT fall into the trap of just listing all your official job descriptions to date. When top b-school review your resume, they’re looking for career progression, so be strategic in your job listing; include jobs in which you have achieved quantifiable goals, been promoted, and generally made an impact on your surroundings.
• DO NOT include industry-specific jargon or technical lingo that you might include on a job resume. Make the information on your resume as easily assessable to your audience as possible.
• DO NOT offer too much information in your b-school application resume. Including information that is already available from other parts of your application could be a turn off to adcoms and make you appear desperate – no SAT or GMAT scores, no high school information, no references.

It’s worth mentioning that this is not an exhaustive list of steps to adopt in writing your resume. The purpose is to streamline your thought process as you prepare this important aspect of your b-school application. Best of luck!

Introduction: Tiffany Lu

Hi everyone!! I’m totally stealing this questionnaire from my fellow first-year rockstar classmate, Yu Chen, but excited to introduce myself to prospective students (who I lovingly call “prospies” - a word you’ll hear me use when you meet me on campus). 

 

 

Name: Tiffany Lu

 

Hometown: Arcadia, CA but born in Taiwan

 

Prior to Anderson: I did my undergrad at Duke and then spent a few years working in entertainment before transitioning into education. 

 

Why Anderson? Anderson is actually the only school I applied to. I don’t necessarily recommend that strategy because it was very stressful putting all my eggs in one basket, but I wanted to be in LA and after I visited campus and spoke to current Anderson students, I knew I didn’t want to go to any other school. This has been said by so many people so many times, but the students at Anderson are truly what make the school special. I loved the level of respect that students showed for one another during classroom debates, and every student I reached out to showed a genuine interest in helping me navigate the admissions process. It’s a feeling that’s very hard to describe, but one that I couldn’t have ascertained just by reading literature online or attending panels and school fairs. I really had to step on campus and meet the students to get a glimpse of what life would be like in their shoes. 

 

What is one cool/interesting thing about yourself that others would not be able to tell upon first meeting you? I have a scary good memory. 

 

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Happy. 

 

One thing I hope to accomplish by the end of my first year at Anderson: Form lasting friendships with my classmates. 

 

One piece of advice for prospective applicants: Don’t be afraid to reach out to current students and ask probing questions that will give you a true sense of life at the school. Talk to a mix of first year and second year students if you can. And one more piece of advice: embrace this process of self-reflection and discovery. The more authentic and honest you can be with yourself during applications, the more focused you will be once you actually start business school (aka you won’t have to worry about not knowing what you want to do).  

 

Introduction: Chigozie Muoto

Hi, my name is Chigozie Muoto and I’m in the UCLA Anderson Class of 2017. I’m so excited to be writing this post to introduce myself to you because I believe there’s so much we can learn from sharing our experiences. I was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria and attended the University of Lagos for undergrad. Shortly after my undergrad, I moved to Connecticut and attended the University of Connecticut for graduate school. Below are some more facts about me. 

                                                                                                                 

Undergraduate and Graduate Major: Materials Science & Engineering.

Pre-MBA Jobs: I worked at Intel for about four and half years as a technology development process engineer right after obtaining a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering. My passion for being involved in developing the technology that is directly impacting and changing people’s lives drew me to Intel and I really enjoyed working there. I also worked briefly in Nigeria as a network engineer before I moved to the US. I configured and maintained the computer networks of various agencies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria and the University of Abuja. This was my first job right after college and I felt so privileged to be given such responsibilities. I learned so much at this job.

Post-MBA Career Goals: I would like to participate in a post-MBA rotational leadership program in a high tech company to gain a broad overview of the business. Intel has one of such programs and I will be applying there both for a summer internship and full-time position. After the rotational program, I would like to go into a business development role. I want to help lead a high tech company not only to extend its growth in the developed market, but also to expand its business into emerging and frontier markets such as Africa. I have a passion to grow businesses and create development opportunities in Africa. My long-term goal is to launch a leadership/innovation academy in Nigeria and provide educational opportunities, sponsorships, mentorships, and leadership to young people.

What I’m most excited about: Meeting my classmates, hearing their stories, learning from their experiences, and building strong relationships. Anderson encourages collaboration among peers and it’s really exciting to be a part of a community where the general underlying mentality is “how can we both win”. Also, because Anderson promotes student-driven activities, I’m excited about sharpening my leadership skills in an environment where tolerance and understanding are highly valued.

Why Anderson?: Having a career focus in high tech and a long-term goal to drive economic growth in Africa, I sought for a business school that would create the enabling environment to equip me to pursue my passion. The first thing that attracted me to Anderson was its tagline, 'think in the next' and its defining principles; share success, think fearlessly, and drive change. As I researched more information about Anderson and connected with current students, I understood more about Anderson’s distinctive features and realized it’s the perfect choice for me. UCLA Anderson stood out for a number of reasons: strong focus on entrepreneurship and innovation (innovative classes on venture formation and growth, Easton Technology Management Center, Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation), real social venture initiatives (The NetImpact club, Challenge for Charity, and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Disable Veterans), collaboration among peers (there are vast opportunities to learn from your classmates both in class activities - case study, team projects - and in extracurricular activities), diversity (wide mix of students across every spectrum - pre- and post-MBA careers, age, racial background, country of origin, and gender). Also, Anderson sends an unprecedented number of MBAs to the tech industry through the help of an amazing career management team – Parker Career Management Center. All these and more made Anderson my #1 choice.

I’m really excited to be a part of this community and I look forward to sharing more of my Anderson experiences with you as they unfold. Stay tuned!

 

Alumni Spotlight: JJ Haglund

This post is a part of the Alumni Spotlight series where we highlight an Anderson alum and learn what they have been up to since their time at Anderson. We will also get hear about their favorite Anderson memories and get their advice for current and prospective MBA students.

Today we are featuring JJ Haglund, Anderson Class of 2015.

What brought you to Anderson?

What first grabbed my attention about Anderson was the list of top employers and who recruited there. Before I even realized what career I wanted to pursue I was just impressed that so many grads went to Disney, Nike, Google, Adobe, Microsoft, and the like. Then the more I learned about the school and the culture, the more I wanted to be there. The collaborative environment and sense of community really resonated with me. 

 

What have you been up to since graduation?

Since graduation, I started working for Adobe as a PMM for the Marketing Cloud. I moved back to Utah, where Adobe's Digital Marketing headquarters is located (corporate HQ is in San Jose). I've still been able to maintain ties with my Anderfriends though - my job sends me to the Bay Area about once a month. We also took trips to Hawaii and Yellowstone this summer as a family.

 

Snapshots of my life at Anderson

Hello friends!

I am sorry for being MIA for the past weeks, but I am excited to give you a quick walk through of my highlights at Anderson so far. I hope you enjoy the following snapshots!

1. First Case Competition ever

I was lucky to have been chosen to represent UCLA Anderson at the National MBA Human Capital Case Competition sponsored by Deloitte and GE. As I have told you before, my main area of focus within consulting is Human Capital, hence this was an amazing opportunity to get some hands on experience on what it is like to be in an engagement in this practice. For those of you out there who are interested in Human Capital, I have an amazing tip for you: When you are solving a human capital case, do not forget that the business objective drives the solution.

Kudos for my classmates Lindsay Meyer and Tyler Smith for their support and enthusiasm and a big standing ovation to the second years, Jessica Mowry and Richard Wang, who led the team and made this competition an amazing learning experience. 

2. First UCLA Football Game

I have been learning about football for quite some time now and attending this game and actually understanding what was going on was the perfect proof that I am right on track! Unfortunately, the Bruins lost the game against Arizona State. Either way, it was an incredible experience and I cannot wait to attend another game.

3. I am part of the best section of the class of 2017: SECTION D

During orientation the whole class was split into 5 sections and I was blessed with being part of one of the most united, collaborative and creative sections of our class. From producing a Grease spinnoff called Andergrease for our orientation skit to killing it in sports during Game day, people in this section will do great things during the next couple of months! Big thanks to our section leaders, Meredith and Joel, for helping us survive orientation!

 

So far, Anderson is going great! If you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out!

How to Keep Up

During my first graduate program, at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, I studied the potential of leveraging media and technology to spark social change. Among my exploration of television and film as tools for activating people around important social issues, I studied the Twitter revolution in Egypt and the uncanny popularity of YouTube, integrating philosophy, sociology, education theory, and technical knowledge to develop my new understanding of how the world works - and evolves - in a new digital age.

My most poignant take-away from my time at Harvard: The key to creating change is the ability to keep up with change.

Constant waves in new technologies do the best job of illustrating this phenomenon. For example, any successful marketer today must understand the new technological tools that customers use to communicate. In this way, studying technology from the outside is nearly impossible - as soon as we have a grasp of a technology’s presence and impact, technology has evolved once again.

This week, Dean Olian hosted Robert (Bob) E. Moritz, Chairman and Senior Partner of PwC on campus as part of the Dean’s Distinguished Speaker Series. As a member of the U.S. leadership team of the one of the largest professional services companies in the world and a well-published thought leader, Moritz shared insights on leadership style, new trends that traverse industries, and Millennials in the workforce. Throughout the conversation, his responses were anchored around a very familiar core concept: To succeed, we must keep up with change. 

In professional services - arguably more than in any other industry - success is dependent on a deep understanding of the latest ideas and trends, and then bringing those to clients as tools for change. Internally, applying such tools is just as important.

Polished and practiced, Moritz spoke in concise, yet comprehensive bullet points and lists (e.g., “four fundamental questions,” “three shifts,” and “five trends”). PwC understands that it must continuously evolve its service offerings and adapt to an increasingly globalized society, and do so faster, and faster.

Moritz called out that firms like PwC need leaders who “can navigate the grey zone.” The grey zone no longer only symbolizes ambiguity; it references the space between present and future, the active state of shifting from one point to the next. And in that grey zone, Moritz reminds us, failure is not only encouraged, but embraced. Failure signifies risk. And in a faster world, we must take risks in order to keep moving.

Moritz posed a question that he then subsequently answered: “What skills do we need to keep up with the pace of change?” And, in my opinion, that is the key. We - both organizations and individual professionals - must all cultivate the skills to “keep up.” It is no longer enough to just know how to create change; the most critical skills are agility and flexibility in a rapidly changing world.

Mentors + New Job

Let's talk about mentors.  I'm a big proponent of hustling and carving your own way, but I'm also a huge advocate for cultivating mentor relationships.  I like to think of my life as a garden, and while I ultimately get to decide which seeds to plant, mentors have given me invaluable advice on how to achieve the tastiest vegetables.

Pictured above are two of my mentors, Jen and Paula, at an Anderson x Disney mixer we helped co-host.  They're both Anderson alumni and current Disney cast members who have helped shape my career into what it is today.

Jennifer Roth Dickerson (FEMBA '12): Jen entered my life while I was only a first year and she's been an amazing mentor and friend.  She helped me secure my internship and resulting full-time job, gave me advice on how to navigate the landscape here at Disney, and it's been great to see how our relationship has developed.  I'm extremely grateful to have her as a part of my circle, and we still regularly meet for happy hour or lunches.

Paula McMahon (EMBA '12): Paula is a VP at DI Media and we were paired up when I first started.  Sometimes paired mentor relationships can fizzle out, but we're actually very compatible, and she's given me everything from emotional guidance to great pieces of advice.  One of the earliest (but one of the most impactful) nuggets of wisdom she gave me was when she told me to fly up to SF to visit the LucasFilm team.  I was new and hesitant to spend money on Travel & Expenses.  However, I took her advice, and that face time with the team was crucial in establishing my relationship with them and it lead to an easier working relationship down the line.

Some Advice: People often ask me for advice about how to maintain a strong mentor relationship, and I would say that the most important thing to remember is that mentoring is a two-way street- you have to invest in the relationship as well.  And, I really encourage that you pay it forward and mentor others as well.

New Job: Speaking of mentors, they've been so important to my career so far, and they're how I was recently able to make the jump to a new position at DI Media.  I know it's only been 7-8 months at Disney full-time, but I couldn't resist when it was offered to me!  As my new role, I'll be the Chief of Staff to the SVP of DI Media, focusing on strategy and brand.  Basically, I get to run around and do special projects for our business unit.  I'll definitely keep you all posted on how it goes, but I'm excited!

 

Applying to Business School as a Couple

Recently we have received a lot of questions around applying to business school as a couple. For couples in this situation, there is a lot riding on the outcome of your applications. Daniela Castillo and David Valencia, members of the Class of 2016, were in this situation not too long ago. Here is their story:

Our journey applying to business school was special. Not only because we were international applicants, but also because we had a wedding to plan. We are second-year MBA students at UCLA Anderson, and we want to share with you our experience of applying to business school as an international couple.

Taking the GMAT

Business school has been part of our relationship since the beginning. We met at a GMAT student prep center back home in Bogotá, Colombia. The MBA was part of our respective career plans, and in each other we found a study partner who shared similar professional objectives.

Anyone thinking about an MBA has to face the challenging reality of taking the GMAT. Our strategy was to study at least one hour each day after work. We say “at least” because sometimes we studied for way more than one hour. It is not always easy to say “no” to other activities, especially social gatherings, parties, dinners, and the like. But we put our MBA application goal before anything else. Actually, studying for the GMAT became a way to spend a lot of time together and we learned very much about each other.

Once we had the scores we aimed for, we had thorough conversations about where we really wanted to go for business school. We spoke about rankings, career interests and classes, we reached out to alumni, and we even thought about weather as a factor that would affect our two-year experience.

Our recommendation to couples is to talk about everything on your mind. Avoid later surprises by discussing what really matters to you and your partner. At this stage, you have to factor in everything that could help you make a decision about where to go. In our case it was not easy, we each had different career priorities; but we ended up applying to three business schools that aligned with our interests, and UCLA Anderson was one of them.

What I wish I would have known when applying to b-school

Recently I have been asked by several prospective students variations of this question—if you could go back, what do you wish you would have know when applying to b-school? It is a great question. As I have thought about it, there have been several things that have come to mind, but the one I want to focus on is the importance of location.

When I was originally applying to business school, location was a very important factor. I wanted to be in a place that promoted a tight-knit student culture, and I wanted to go to school in a region I was interested in living in post-MBA. However, the one aspect of location I didn't consider, and for me as a career switcher is extremely important, is whether or not the local business community will provide me with opportunities to gain the skills and experiences I need to help me successfully switch careers.

Although I didn't realize it when applying, being in Los Angeles would be a key part of my success in being able to get to where I am now in the career switch process. Before business school, my work experience was primarily in operations. I spent the last 2+ years before Anderson at Goldman Sachs. When I came back to school, not only did I want to change functions to marketing, I wanted to change industries as well. Changing just functions or only industries is very common in b-school, but attempting to make the double switch is a bit more difficult.

So, what is the local business community like and how exactly has being in LA helped me? The startup scene in LA is booming and there are a ton of opportunities for students to gain valuable experience beyond just the typical MBA summer internship. There are also a lot of bigger well known name brands that hire part-time interns during the school year like Disney, NBC, etc. This summer I began building my marketing experience as a Brand and Content Marketing intern at Castlight Health. I wanted to continue that momentum and keep building on my marketing experience, and have recently started another internship in Brand Management at Little Tikes. I am confident that these experiences and skills I will continue to build beyond my summer internship will help me successfully make my desired career transition.

So what would I say to those out there looking to apply to business school? If you are considering switching careers, think carefully about how will the program and location of the school put you in the best position to make that switch.

Follow @UCLAMBA on Instagram to get a student perspective on life at Anderson. Also, follow me and UCLA Anderson on Twitter: @jhuntington14 and @UCLAMBA.