Hi folks, A few questions about general management rotational programs: 1) Are there any backgrounds that tend to feed into GM programs? I got the sense from speaking with some current Fuqua students that really anyone can transition into GM, it's more about showing that you can learn easily. Is that what y'all have seen/heard? 2) It seems that most of them are in the manufacturing space (e.g. GE, John Deere). Is there a reason why? Is it just because it's easier to learn the skills associated with those programs in that type of industry? Thanks for your insight ac.

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captainplanet

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13 Jan 2009, 15:35

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kryzak

good stuff river.

Haas' report is pretty good too, and surprisingly a higher % of people go into GM than other top tier schools.

https://www.haas.berkeley.edu/groups/car ... ports.html

They also have reports from 1998-2008 on there. Good reading.

Yeah, that's quite interesting. I know that the four of my cousins who went to Berkeley were all recruited straight into Silicon Valley companies like eBay; that's probably the reasoning for the relatively high number of GM jobs at Haas.

fluidian

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13 Jan 2009, 20:50

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Hey River - a few greats post.

I have a few questions - hopefully you can provide some insight.

1. You mentioned that the GE program isn't the most attractive these days - what do you consider the more attractive and selective GM programs?

2. What are the expected salaries in these programs - in year 1, as well as 5 years out? I know you mentioned that salaries (and bonus) vary, but perhaps you know the typical numbers for the GE program and 1 or 2 other programs - any info would be more than appreciated

Thanks!

maverick2011

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14 Jan 2009, 07:55

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riverripper,

I assume you have spoken to many people in GM. What are the average hours that they work? There is a lot of talk on this forum about 40-50 hour weeks, but I really find that hard to believe. The upper-level managers that I came into contact at my previous “Fortune 10” company probably averaged 60 hours per week (M-F) and did some work from home (evenings and weekends). However, I think most of that was lower-level stuff like responding to emails, etc.

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14 Jan 2009, 08:13

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hours are going to depend on the company: I spoke with several people in Citi's global consumer general management program, and they were putting in 12 hours a day, in the office. Who knows what they did at home.

I recruited with a couple of others where it looked more like 8 hours in the office usually, with some peak periods requiring more. At these places, it seemed like some people would also fire up the laptop for a couple of hours at home to do stuff like email or read reports. The stars at the company tended to work more, but the people who stuck more to the 40-50 range still did fine in their careers.

riverripper

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14 Jan 2009, 08:55

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I will second what aaudetat said, hours can greatly vary between industry, company, and positions. Also they can vary depending on the time...you could be working 40 hours a week for a few months and then 60 hours a week for a while if the work load dictates it. I know some companies are more demanding than others since they run leaner work forces, so you will work more because there aren't as many people to do all the work. If 45 hour weeks are your goal you can definitely find those companies.

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15 Jan 2009, 11:07

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To emphasise what RR was saying about loyalty. Look at the Fortunr 500 companies,
1) USA - Aprox 150 companies
2) Japan - 64 companies

Considering that Japan has 64 companies is thr fortune 500, how many of them recruit MBA's for general Management positions and how many of them develop them in-house and reward loyalty? In other words, look at the number of Japanese companies recruiting on campus at MBA level.. Not many is there?

olive

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18 Jan 2009, 10:26

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unhedged

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I believe Big 4 accounting firms, Tech consulting firms, etc. are notorious for starting MBAs (typically from lower-ranked schools) a rung or two above undergrads because they have no idea how to utilize their talents.

Depending on the type of work and the hiring pattern of the group, I can confirm this to be true. Either they are all MBAs and choose to continue that pattern or MBAs are grouped in with everyone else.

This is true at my firm - tech consulting, pay is not guarenteed to be great and they lump you with everyone else who is at your relevant year of experience level.

kryzak

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18 Jan 2009, 16:46

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isa, impressive find. I didn't even see that (then again, I'm not in GM). Kudos!

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19 Jan 2009, 05:29

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Great find, and very helpful, isa!

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19 Jan 2009, 08:29

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good stuff ! +1

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19 Jan 2009, 16:52

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excellent +1

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10 Feb 2009, 18:19

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This thread represents all that is right and good with GMATClub. Excellent work all!

I'm probably not attending a top 20 school, and I know my career options might be limited a bit (though nothing is impossible). I was wondering what the GM rotational programs would be like in the travel/leisure/media/entertainment industries? Anyone happen to know any info on that?

Maybe a better question, where's a good resource to find out about GM programs?

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31 Oct 2009, 13:43

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usually what is the starting salary at the GM programs ?

do starting salaries vary based on which school you attended and your previous experience ?

fluidian

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31 Oct 2009, 19:42

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Salaries can range from about 90K to about 150K. While some programs do vary pay depending on what school you are coming out of, the biggest difference is which companies recruit from the school you're attending. I recently got a very extensive list from Booth that shows the feeder schools for each program. Looking at the list, it's pretty obvious that you want to be at an M7, but more notably, H/S/W/K/B...for some reason, MIT, Columbia didn't get the lovin'. For instance the GM programs at Dow Chemical sound amazing...well, at least from a career growth standpoint, not because it's Dow. They only bring in 8 per year, and only recruit at HBS, Wharton, and Booth...they claim that you'll be in the top 2% of their employees within 5 years and that you're essentially positioning yourself to be a C level exec. That program pays pretty well - definitely on the high end for GM programs, but you have to be attending the right school. As has been hinted elsewhere in this thread, GE recruits a lot of people from all over the place...their pay is about 95-100K.

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31 Oct 2009, 23:51

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fluidian

Thanks Fluidian !

Do the salaries for the incoming candidates depend on their prior experience as well ?

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01 Nov 2009, 15:07

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Some GM programs pay everyone the same thing - it's the same program and you all get the same pay going in...at least, that's the official word. Citi does that, and BofA does to a certain extent.

I got a little extra love from going into what is arguably the same industry I was in before school, but I doubt it was much. My employer recruits at a wide variety of schools - from the ultra-elites to places you may never have heard of. The word on the street is that the higher-ranked schools get better pay. But I can't imagine ever confirming that.

prude_sb

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01 Nov 2009, 18:32

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cool .. thanks guys !

pm4553

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04 Feb 2010, 05:41

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bumping this for folks interested in GM. This thread has heaps of valuable information. You'll enjoy!

isa - kudos for the find! (better late than never)

nary

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04 Mar 2010, 08:38

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great information in here, thank you to everyone for providing their insights.

question for RR, aaudetat, etc. - i will be starting my MBA studies in the Fall 2010 at a 'near-elite' program, with a focus in finance and strategy. i would very much like to end up in a management rotational program for a company post graduation, with the hopes of focusing on finance within the company after the rotation is over.

a couple of questions:
1) do these GM programs prefer MBA's with management/strategy concentrations? in other words, would my finance/strategy concentration preclude me from entering a GM rotational program?
2) in connection with question 1, would it be better for me to look at GM programs with a finance type focus, if that's the area i would like to focus in?

thanks in advance for any help. this field/area sounds great for anyone who wants to maintain a semi-normal life and still get paid really well. in my opinion, there's not enough emphasis placed on the intangibles such as family and personal life. a great salary with these intangibles baked in beats anything in IB or MC, but that's just my opinion.