Bkane86 wrote:
Hi Jon,
Would you say the recruiting efforts are mainly focused on companies that are located in the south? I am from New York, and am definitely looking to come back to the Northeast following business school. Do you think it would be very difficult for me to land a job in New York coming from Goizueta? I am looking to go into Brand Management at a consumer packaged goods company. Thank you for your help.
JonHallGBS wrote:
Prudence wrote:
Thanks Jon, that's really good to know! I attended the Super Saturday via webcast and I remember Brian Mitchell talking about how responsive the CMC is. Are you a career switcher and if so, could you comment on your experience with them?
Thanks!
Pru
Pru,
Great to hear that you have been to campus - that was actually another draw for me. Might sound small, but the amount of natural light at GBS does not compare to any other school I visited - you underestimate just how much sunlight can help until you get cooped up in a windowless room for hours and hours.
I am not a career switcher as I came from Advertising and am now in Marketing Strategy; I am simply "on the other side" working on the "client side". However, many folks are career switchers here and there are numerous resources available in the CMC to prepare you for a new career. However, I would argue that the strongest resource is you classmates, especially the 2nd Year students who are career switchers themselves. I cannot tell you how much time I, and all my 2nd Year classmates, have spent working with the 1st Year students as they search, apply, interview and prepare for internships - not only do we consider it somewhat of a duty (ie "paying it forward"), but we are certainly incented to help by the prospect of continuing to have one the highest job placement ratings (98% full time employment 3 months after graduation for the class of 2012) in the country.
Hope this helps,
Jon
Bkane,
Take a look at the Career Management Center (CMC) website (
https://goizueta.emory.edu/degree/fulltimemba/career_management_center/) and the most recent Employment Report (
https://viewer.zmags.com/publication/f900d1f9#/f900d1f9/4). Some statistics of note for the Class of 2012:
- 24% employed in the Northeast region
- 24% in a Marketing function
- 13% in Brand Management
I think the critical thing you need to consider is the list of companies actively recruiting on campus at all the schools you are considering. I imagine you have a list of top companies, so you can start there. We do have a number of recent alums at a lot of the CPG companies with a presence in the NYC area (L'Oreal, J&J, Kraft, Colgate-Palmolive) and they would be more than willing to speak with you (even as a prospective).
However, I would strongly encourage you not to pigeon hole yourself at this point. I was convinced I wanted to do brand management for a multinational CPG upon entering GBS, though ended up developing a strong passion for marketing strategy/consulting, which is now directing my future career path. There is so much more to marketing than brand management, which a lot of people (myself included) do not realize until coming back to school and seeing all the opportunities that are out there. Also, many of my friends from the Northeast have fallen in love with Atlanta - so don't rule that out either.
Ultimately, you need consider where your priorities lay and how rational they are. If, after that, you are 100% sure that CPG brand management in NYC is your calling, then target schools where you know those companies are actively recruiting and have a curriculum which will prepare you for a career in brand management. But, really do your homework and be honest with yourself.
With all that said - we have companies from all over the country coming to campus and conduct 1st Year Career Treks to a number of major CPG markets. The opportunities to network with these companies is certainly present. I hope this helps and please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any other questions.
Best,
Jon