Career Development

Beginning a successful career is more than just attending class and earning a degree. At the KU MBA program, career preparation is integrated throughout the entire experience. The softer skills of business are taught alongside the intricacies of business. Discipline, leadership and networking are treated as seriously as economics, finance and marketing.

Throughout a typical year, there are many chances to enhance the KU MBA experience with career preparation activities:

Business Career Services Center
Throughout the year the Business Career Services Center (BCSC) assists full-time MBA students as they search for jobs and internships. Ashley DeMond, the full-time MBA Career Coordinator, helps students with value-adding one-on-one resume revision, scheduling individualized mock interviews, and facilitating networking opportunities with employers. DeMond also teaches a one credit-hour course in Professional Skills (a required course for full-time MBA students) that includes the CareerLeader Self-Assessment, career-specific round-table networking events with KU MBA alums, a business etiquette dinner and resume writing and interviewing skills.

Students also have access to Career Connections, dozens of VAULT career guides and in-depth company profiles, and a database of KU alums. In addition, students can search a company database for firms recruiting or interviewing at KU

Career Fair
Each year more than 100 companies from wide-ranging industries set up booths at the Business Career Fair. In the past, companies like Cingular, Allstate Insurance, Hallmark, Deloitte, Koch Industries, Payless Shoesource, Sprint Nextel, Boeing, and Wells Fargo Financial have attended the event. A strong group of smaller, local companies also recruit KU Business students.

Internships
Every KU MBA student is strongly encouraged to seek out internship opportunities. While most students intern during the summer, a few students accept positions for the fall and spring semesters.

Some of the companies that hired KU MBA students as interns during 2007-08:

• Hill’s Pet Nutrition - Human Resources
• Kauffman Foundation - Investment Management
• Remel Products - Marketing Management
• Bank of America - Banking/Finance
• KU Center for Entrepreneurship - Project Management
• Embarq Logistics - Supply Chain Management
• Harley Davidson - Motorcycles
• LaGarde - E-commerce Systems
• La Redoute - Online Retail
• Lawrence Regional Technology Center - Small Business Incubator
• MarketSphere - Consulting
• Sprint Nextel - Communications
• The Federal Reserve Bank - Banking
• Tyr Energy - Finance/Utilities

MBA Treks
At various times during the year, the Business Career Services Center organizes multi-day trips to select cities throughout the country. MBA Treks include company tours and meetings with executives designed for students looking to advance their career in a different area of the country. Previous MBA Treks have visited:

• Chicago
• Dallas
• Denver
• Kansas City
• Los Angeles
• New York City

National Conferences
MBA students are encouraged to attend various national conferences and career fairs related to their future career aspirations. These opportunities allow students to network with business executives and potential employers. Recently, KU MBA students received financial support to attend a number of conferences, including:

• National Association of Women MBA National Conference
• NetImpact National Conference
• Private Equity Summit
• Redefining Investment Strategy Education (RISE) Forum