Donae Fourth (USC Marshall, ‘20) wrapped up her summer internship for an aviation company and planned to return for full-time employment after graduating from USC Marshall. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, Fourth had to pivot, and identify new post-MBA employment opportunities. Using her career development toolkit, Fourth sprang into action, and recently landed a full-time offer with a technology company. During this interview, Fourth shared her recruiting and job interviewing journey to landing a full-time role, the lessons she learned from the experience, as well as her advice to MBAs and job active job hunters.
MBASchooled: What did you do for your summer internship last summer, and what was your plan going second year?
I interned at Delta Air Lines as part of their Commercial Strategy MBA program. My project centered around partnering with the operational business organizations to create better customer support outcomes. My plan going into second year was to shop around a bit, but I ultimately accepted my return offer.
MBASchooled: Prior to March, what did your recruiting efforts look like?
I had dropped my resume for a few positions and had a few interviews following interactions with companies at the NBMBAA Conference. Once I accepted my position in the fall, I didn’t have any plans to recruit.
MBASchooled: What happened when COVID-19? Were you recruiting, if so, how did it change?
During March, my start date got pushed back to September 2020. I had planned to start in August, so one month didn’t seem like a huge delay. The week of graduation, the company I signed with informed my entire MBA cohort that they would be pushing our start dates to June 2021.
MBASchooled During COVID, what changed with respect to your strategy for searching for jobs?
I had no strategy leading up to it! I had to figure out how to recruit now that I wasn’t going through university channels. I ultimately relied heavily on LinkedIn for job postings, and then cross-checked them on the actual company websites if I found one of interest. I found that looking directly on the websites was overwhelming.
At first, I was just blindly applying to things – especially roles that had the “Easy Apply” label on LinkedIn. I thought I’d be able to cut through all the noise, but I learned pretty early on that wasn’t the case. I switched my approach and targeted companies where there were other Trojan alum who could potentially offer me a referral or help my candidacy get some visibility. Having those referrals helped me get selected for interviews.
MBASchooled: What changed with how you went about networking? Did you have to do anything differently?
I was already pretty comfortable networking, but the biggest change was not being afraid of using my network. In school, I had mostly relied on people that I knew personally or that were connected to other classmates. During COVID, I leaned heavily on our Graduate Career Services leads, my classmates’ networks, and my network. And I wasn’t shy about reaching out. I would send in-mail to people who either went to Emory or USC and positioned myself as an alum in need.
People overall were super willing to help any way they could. I also didn’t turn down a conversation or connection. Even if that person didn’t work within the business org I was applying to or had direct knowledge of the role, they could still provide an inside perspective or connect me to someone who did have the knowledge/insight I needed for the role. Even though I was hoping for an internal referral from a connection, I never directly asked for one. I approached all my conversations as just wanting to learn more about their experiences. I also asked what I could do for the alum who agreed to speak with me. Sometimes it can feel weird offering assistance to an alum, but sometimes that can help you create a lasting impression. I was able to connect alum with our Graduate Career Services leads, and offer my suggestions on how to build a stronger relationship with the Consortium students at USC Marshall.
MBASchooled: What was interviewing like over the past few months?
Interviewing felt a lot more competitive. Because I was making a huge pivot and recruiting for tech, I was facing a pretty steep learning curve. I had to educate myself on how the industry works, what the nuances and competitive dynamics were that would be relevant to the roles I was pursuing, and learn operations in a different industry. I also had to brush up on case interviews – something I hadn’t done since I recruited in the fall of my first year! I put so much pressure on myself for the first couple interviews, I had and completely struck out.
But I took every failed interview as a learning opportunity. I wrote notes down on what I could have done better, what I needed to brush up on to have a better understanding for the next interview, and practiced having the confidence required for me to perform well.
MBASchooled: How did you find the role you accepted and how did that process go?
I signed up for a virtual career fair because I knew a few companies I was interested in were participating. I was originally targeting a strategic initiatives position, but the recruiter introduced me to this role. After a 20-minute conversation about the role, he passed my resume on to the hiring manager. The whole process was straightforward – I had a 30-minute first round with a team member, then a final round loop of 4 back-to-back interviews. My recruiters were super friendly and were available every step of the way.
MBASchooled: What advice do you have to those who are about to start the career and recruiting search this fall?
- Don’t be afraid to go for it! I had imposter syndrome going into the recruiting process and was only looking at roles where I felt like I matched every single qualification, whereas other classmates were shooting for the moon. Be realistic about what experience you have, but don’t be afraid to go for the ambitious roles and companies.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. People can’t help you if you don’t ask.
- Don’t compare yourself to others’ success. There might be people who land a job before you do, and you might feel like you’re doing something wrong. They’re not you – figure out what it is that makes you a unique asset, find your lane, and stick to it.
- Above all, be kind to yourself! Recruiting takes a lot of time and effort. I easily found myself getting burned out and doubting myself. You have to be patient and trust that you’ll end up exactly where you’re supposed to!