MBA & Can't Get A Job

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MBA & Can't Get A Job
by: Cherry

It must be incredibly frustrating for you to have put the time and effort into getting an MBA and then finding you are still stuck on the threshold of the new career you are seeking. What was your objective when you took the MBA? Did you see it as an automatic passport into a management role? In truth, this is not often the case. Your MBA is the cherry on top of the cake of who you already are and what you already have to offer.

I wonder if the crux of the matter lies in your last sentence. '...where a respectable employer will let me into a new function and provide training so that I can start utilizing my real potential' This sounds to me as if you may be waiting for an employer to take a gamble with you, to recruit you on the basis that you will need more training to enable you to work at your best. So you are going to cost them money before you can deliver anything useful...? Hmmm, not a very enticing prospect.

Remember that job search is a selling exercise and you are the product. You wouldn't sell a car by telling your prospects that it has some nice features and if they are willing to do a bit of work on it, it could be a great little runner, would you?

I think when you approach potential employers either through a formal job application or through informal networking, you really need to emphasise what you can already do. You have got years of varied work experience and a high level academic qualification so you will have lots of skills and knowledge to sell. You need to give the impression that you are ready to hit the ground running and that your skills and experience are relevant to the recruiter's needs. Any hint at further training needs should be kept low key. Basically any employer wants to take someone on who will be competent to just dive in and get on with the job.

My guess is that you need to really work on building up a picture of what you have got to offer already and really believing in what you can do. Take a look at the exercises in the Who Am I section of the HTCC website. http://www.how-to-change-careers.com/career-change-assessment.html

Yes, age may be an issue, but if you assume it will hold you back then it will. 37 is not old but it does mean you have a mature understanding of the workplace which a 24 year old will not have. Sell your age as a positive rather than see it as a millstone. And you talk about being a generalist almost apologetically. A generalist background can be a fantastic foundation for a management role as you will really understand what your staff are experiencing in their roles.

So your mission, (if you choose to accept it!) is to focus on selling who you are and what you can offer in a strong and positive light and this will make you a much more convincing prospect for any potential recruiter.

MBA & Can't Get A Job

Comments for
MBA & Can't Get A Job

FED UP
with your job?

I take your privacy very seriously and I guarantee that your details will never be sold, given, traded or rented to anyone else.

MBA & Can't Get A Job

Comments for MBA & Can't Get A Job

FED UPwith your job?

I take your privacy very seriously and I guarantee that your details will never be sold, given, traded or rented to anyone else.

Comments for
MBA & Can't Get A Job

FED UP
with your job?