Mariel Sena entered Ross with a desire to change industries, and after discovery and reflection landed on pursuing an internship in human capital consulting. After landing a position, Sena unfortunately lost her original internship opportunity due to the challenges with COVID-19. Sena has continued to move forward, and shared some of the lessons and insights she learned from the unexpected experience, and opportunities she is excited about moving forward.
MBASchooled: What did you do before business school, and why did you choose to come?
Before business school, I had spent my career in hospitality across functions in technology, strategy, and operations. I had hit many major milestones early in my career and felt somewhat stuck in my career progression, so my boss at the time recommended that I consider going to business school. Before that time, I had no intention of pursuing a graduate degree; however, after visiting business schools in the nearby Bay Area and attending some diversity programming, I felt really energized by the possibility of returning to the classroom. Being that those diversity events were where I felt most at home, I knew that I would look at schools that make DEI a priority and ended up finding exactly that as a Consortium Fellow at Ross.
MBASchooled: What did you decide to recruit for, and why did you choose that function/industry/role?
I initially had no idea what I wanted to do after business school, but I did know that I wanted to use business school as a means to change industries. It was actually at a Ross event that I first heard about human capital consulting and thought it married my previous experiences in change management and my personal passions in continuous improvement and learning and development well together. From there, I dove into early recruiting opportunities to get to know the landscape of consulting and what human capital consultants really do on a day to day basis.
MBASchooled: How did you land your offer?
I was able to have my first interviews for summer internship roles last May, before my first year of business school, thanks to Management Leaders for Tomorrow. As a fellow in their Professional Development program, I began connecting with firms and learning about their summer opportunities as early as April of last year.
In order to be successful in the process, I really leveraged my networking skills to meet team members of the companies I was most interested in as well as my Consortium network to find MBAs to case with over the summer. I really have my MLT and Ross Consortium families to thank for getting me ready in a very short period of time. I secured my offer in July of last year and accepted not long after.
MBASchooled: COVID-19 impacted MBA programs just like the rest of the world. What happened with your internship?
Unfortunately, my traditional summer internship experience was replaced with an optional two-week opportunity. While I was really looking forward to pressure-testing consulting as a career choice, learning more about human capital projects, and getting to know a cohort of other summer interns, I also know the firm canceled the traditional experience with our best interests and safety in mind. I’m also grateful that we were given a stipend to support us this summer as well as the opportunity to potentially join the company full-time after graduation. With the degree of uncertainty MBA students and society at large face, knowing that I have a full-time offer is a great relief.
MBASchooled: Given the change, how have you responded?
Like a lot of people, I first had to mourn the summer that could have been; however, pretty quickly I was able to see the upside of having my plans change. I had hit pause on recruiting so much earlier than most of my classmates and knew that this would be a great opportunity to reflect, connect, and network to see what other possibilities there might be for my summer or for full-time. I posted about my circumstance on LinkedIn and on Facebook–the degree of sympathy, empathy, and kindness I received was inspiring–and it was absolutely the boost I needed to get back on the recruiting horse.
MBASchooled: What are some of the lessons you’ve learned from the experience?
First and foremost, be vulnerable! So many people answered my call for help when I let them know my internship wasn’t moving forward as planned. This would not have happened if I had kept the situation to myself. Second, be open to detours! Because I had recruited so whole-heartedly for human capital consulting, I never paused to reflect on what other roles, functions, or industries might also be a great fit. I’m discovering new interests and passions–ones that I might not have explored if things had gone to plan. And lastly, the Michigan network is AMAZING. Michigan’s pay-it-forward attitude was one of the main reasons I decided on Ross, and it has absolutely exceeded every expectation. Alumni, students, and staff have been with me on this re-recruiting journey every step of the way–it’s truly great to be a Michigan Wolverine.
MBASchooled: How are you approaching the summer internship?
I’ve honestly tried to frame this change to my summer plans as an opportunity to pressure test roles in other functions and industries I’m excited about while also garnering some new skills and experiences. Right now I am looking at roles in general management, marketing, or strategy in the healthcare, CPG, or startup spaces. I’m also working on a couple of business ideas with a Ross grad that I met through my LinkedIn post–I’ve always known I’d like to build businesses, so why not start now?
MBASchooled: What is your approach going to be moving forward to help you gain further skills/experiences?
I’m really committed to finding a role where there is a balance between leveraging my strengths and expertise and learning the things I set out to learn over my business school journey. Some ways I am ensuring that happens is by pursuing roles with companies who express a clear interest in my learning and development, either through formal programming or by having senior leadership and mentors readily available.
MBASchooled: what advice do you have for others who are having to deal with challenging circumstances or unexpected experiences?
My greatest advice is to take the time you need to lick your wounds, get in a good headspace, and care for yourself. These are incredibly trying times, and so do what you need before pressuring yourself to respond to your change in circumstance. Next, focus on what you can control.
I am doing my best to stay optimistic and to show-up ready for opportunities that present themselves. I have been practicing my pitch, reviewing my behavioral interview responses, as well as casing in my free time so that if and when the right role comes along, I will be in a position to successfully pursue it. These are the two major things I would recommend, regardless of the challenge or change you are facing.