Lucas Ramirez, SFMBA 2019, recently landed a new role as Chief Financial Officer at Grameen America Inc., the largest and fastest growing microfinance organization in the United States.
Lucas shares his four secrets to success in a job search:
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Preparation, preparation, preparation: Do the groundwork, list your career and life criteria, prepare your career narrative, prepare your 30-second elevator pitch, understand your value proposition.
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Develop clarity around the industries and roles you are targeting: Also develop clarity on what type of companies in terms of stage of its lifecycle (i.e. start-up versus corporate).
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Develop a list of target companies and talk to as many people as you can in those companies to gain insights into how to navigate opportunities: Leverage your Sloan network and research Sloanies who are working at those companies.
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Once you land an interview, make sure to set aside a good amount of time for preparation: Research the company, read the annual reports (if available), research the background of interviewers, link your prior experiences and strengths to the role, develop stories about impactful projects you have led in the past, practice your narrative, practice Q&A, prepare two to three smart questions for the interviewer, and have clarity around your strengths and areas of opportunity. Additionally, make sure you can clearly articulate how this role or opportunity fits into your overall career story. Preparation definitely pays off and the interviewing team will clearly notice it.
Did you know MIT Sloan provides alums with one-on-one career coaching access? Learn more and schedule an appointment here.
