Podcast 7: How to network and recruit like a champ, with Whitnie Low


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On this week’s MBASchooled Podcast, I had the privilege of speaking to a friend and classmate of mine, Whitnie Low. Whitnie is a 1st year MBA Student at the University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) and she did her undergrad at Boston College (we were classmates!) After graduating from BC, Whitnie was a science teacher for Teach for America, before transitioning into Recruiting and Executive Search. Now, as a first year MBA student, she is pursuing Concentrations in Entrepreneurship and Sustainability at UNC.

 

Whitnie’s background as a recruiter makes her a “Go-To” person for career guidance and advice. During our podcast, we’ll talk about

  • Whitnie’s background, and how she ended up at UNC
  • Her time as a 1st year MBA Student at UNC
  • Her experience as recruiter, and tips for how to navigate the MBA recruiting process
  • Details on her own MBA internship recruiting process
  • Her views on networking, and how to effectively network with others

Podcast Link: Direct Download

iTunes: Direct Link

 

 

Show Notes

Background

2:00 – Whitnie talks about her background

3:45 – Whitnie talks about what makes UNC Kenan-Flagler unique

6:36 – Whitnie shares her thoughts on how to evaluate an MBA Program you are looking at

8:40 – Whitnie talks about the most challenging aspect

10:40 – Whitnie talks about how her first year of teaching compares to her first year of her MBA

 

Whitnie’s experience as a Recruiter

12:20 – Whitnie talks about some of her favorite experiences outside of the classroom from this year

14:10 – Whitnie talks about her experience as a recruiter, and what her job was like

18:20 – Whitnie talks about her experience recruiting MBA Interns

20:23 – Whitnie talks about her best and worst recruiting memories

21:57 – Whitnie provides advice for trying to get on the radar of a recruiter

 

Whitnie’s own MBA recruiting experience

25:23 – Whitnie shares the work she did in her career search process and what she is doing this summer

33:12 – Whitnie provides insight into the time she invested in recruiting over the past few months

37:14 – Whitnie shares her thoughts on networking

38:00 – Whitnie shares an awesome networking story

40:30 – Whitnie shares a good example of networking

42:00 – Whitnie gives advice on how to practice networking if you aren’t comfortable with networking

43:34 – Whitnie gives an example of how she networks

 

 

Quotes

On MBA Internship Postings:

“When you throw up an MBA Intern job posting, you’re guaranteed to get hundreds of similarly looking qualified candidates.”

 

On Cover Letters and Resumes:

“I rarely read cover letters because I just didn’t have time.”

 

 

On How to win over a recruiter

“To win over a recruiter, stand out an entirely different way. Instead of focusing on who you are, focus on who they are”

 

On what networking means to her

“There are two types of networking. In effective and ineffective. Ineffective is showing up just to show up. I think you can be an effective networker if you are genuinely interested in talking to people and learning more, without having an ulterior agenda.”

 

On how to network effectively

People constantly want to share how wonderful they are so networking turns into a resume walk or a sell, whereas to me, effective networking is curiosity of the other person’s experience, the other person’s background”

 

On selecting an offer

MBA Candidates become so eager to get jobs they become less choosey with their selections. The truth is, this is a 2 year period for you to explore what you really want to be doing in life and I hate to see classmates and friends accept just to be done with it. One of the main purposes to get an MBA is to find the right career, and oftentimes, I see too many people settling.”

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