Johnson & Johnson & Tippie: A Great Partnership

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will visit our campus in the coming weeks for a company presentation on September 16, followed by on-campus interviews on September 29 and 30. Both 1st-year and 2nd-year MBA students are welcome to attend the presentation. The on-campus interviews are mainly targeted at 2nd-year international students seeking fulltime positions with J&J in their home countries. The deadline to register for these interviews is Wednesday, September 15.

This is the first year that J&J has interviewed on our campus. Margie Peskin, Director of Employer Relations, MBA Career Services, said, "it is a great opportunity to have such a prestigious international employer selecting Tippie as one of their target schools. J&J has hired two Tippie graduates in recent years, and has been very satisfied with the quality of these candidates."

These recent graduates are Iris Lin (MBA, December 2003) and Gloria Ma (MBA, May 2003). Prior to studying at Tippie, Iris Lin worked in China for three years in international marketing. Currently Lin is training in New Jersey in the International Recruitment and Development Program (IRDP) of J&J. After her training is finished, she will return to China as sales manager. Before studying at Tippie, Gloria Ma had worked in the marketing department at Procter & Gamble, Greater China. After graduation she joined J&J Vision Care in Singapore as a senior product manager, handling marketing responsibilities for the Singapore market.

When asked why they chose to work for J&J, both Lin and Ma commented on how they had been impressed with what J&J had to offer them. In addition to being a respected global company, J&J was able to offer them challenging career opportunities while providing them training and support. "J&J is an excellent company in a very competitive industry, and they offered me a position with great responsibilities and opportunities. The training program is very good and provides personal attention from the senior executives during the decision period," Lin said.

They also agree that J&J provides an environment where they are constantly learning, and both women commented on the importance of teamwork in J&J's culture. Ma noted that "0ver the past thirteen months, I have learned a lot both professionally and personally. The most important thing I have learned is teamwork; how to turn business opportunities into action, and how to persuade your team and customers to see the same vision you do. It sounds so general and fundamental, but it requires many skills." Lin also added that, "I have learned that when you work hard and you are flexible, opportunities will come to you in a company like J&J and in a program like IRDP."

When asked to share some advice on job searches with current MBA students, Lin advised students "to think more about the long-term side of it--the company, its value, the long-term opportunities--rather than the short-term benefit." She also advised international students looking for jobs in the U.S. not to dismiss opportunities outside of the U.S. that are offered by international companies like J&J. Ma also warned against the tendency of international students to limit their opportunities. She encouraged students to broaden their job searches. She then added, "'J&J is not a company to show on your resume, it's a company for your career.' This is a comment made by my mentor at J&J, and the more I work here, the more I realize its meaning."