That’s me on the right. Gloria Steinem is pictured at left.

Last month, I was lucky enough to have a conversation with Gloria Steinem, one of the leaders of the women’s liberation movement in the 1960s-70s.

Tippie’s very own Professor Nancy Hauserman secured the amazing opportunity for a few female MBA students to sit down with Steinem prior to her inspiring keynote at the Iowa Women’s Leadership Conference, and it was one of the highlights of my adult life thus far.

Steinem spoke softly, and offered us great wisdom about modern-day equal rights issues and modern corporate feminist figures.

‘Corporate feminism,’ for various reasons, has sparked a lot of recent controversy. The backlash to Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In is still prominent even two months after the book’s release.

Generally, female role models (like Sandberg) who offer advice on how to best navigate a patriarchal structure tend to avoid a discussion about the oppressive structure itself. As a former liberal arts undergrad, current MBA student, Steinem admirer, and shaky Sandberg supporter, I really wanted to get Steinem’s take on this issue.

Steinem has a refreshing take on the controversial concept of leaning in: Sandberg is really offering women honest, practical, and everyday advice for how to succeed in corporate America, and does so even in the face of continued criticism for the sake of helping professional women. It’s really as simple as that.

Steinem advised us privately and publicly in her keynote that only good comes from this honesty. For example, Steinem is a big supporter of the argument that women need to encourage their partners to be equals at home (one of Sandberg’s key points), and asserts that the negative criticisms about figures like Sandberg sometimes stem from the fact that they’re honest about being successful in a male sphere—unfortunately, this is still something that doesn’t necessarily sit well with some men and women alike.

So, the issue of equality in the workplace is a complex one to tackle. Women face an uphill battle to this day. How can we even begin to overcome these obstacles if we cannot even have a conversation about them? Instead of discounting perspectives, we should embrace the wisdom they can offer and learn from them however we can. Leaning In inherently also has to involve being engaged and open to discussion.

The Tippie Marketing Academy worked with the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), a Chicago nonprofit focused on urban sustainability. We saw this project through from beginning to end, starting with the application for a Google Grant, which allows nonprofit organizations up to $10,000 in Adwords spending per month. We used this grant to set up a number of Google Adwords campaigns in hopes of driving more traffic to the site. Each member of our 5-person team was responsible for developing advertising campaigns for a specific portion of the organization’s website.

Throughout the project we were able to develop and test our hypotheses for what drove traffic to the CNT website. We each created a number of campaigns, ads, and keywords. Along the way we tracked the effectiveness of specific ads and worked as a group to determine best practices. The project was a great chance to expand our skills beyond what we learn in the classroom. We developed tangible and marketable skills for our future and valuable assets for future employers.

Furthermore, our group was able to help improve the reach of the Center for Neighborhood Technology. By creating this program from scratch, we were able to provide the organization with manpower and expertise in areas where it was needed most.

The project was a great opportunity for Tippie marketing students to gain valuable skills that are only learned through helping real organizations solve real problems. It was a mutually beneficial partnership and is just one example of the way that Tippie students find innovative ways to build their skills and give back to the community at the same time.

Shailesh Sood, UI Alum and VP at Hilton Wolrdwide.

Current marketing students (myself included) recently had the pleasure of receiving valuable advice from the funny and wise Shailesh Sood, Vice President of CRM & Consumer Insights at Hilton Worldwide and University of Iowa alum. During his session, Sood spoke very candidly about himself, the changing world of marketing, and practical tips for success.

Sood’s background has served him well for his current position. After receiving a PhD in Marketing with a concentration on statistics from the University of Iowa, he went on to work for great places like Nabisco, startups in Silicon Valley, financial services companies, and two of the world’s largest consulting firms–McKinsey & Co. and Accenture.

McKinsey, in fact, is where Sood says he was taught one of his earliest keys to success: always look at the big picture. This, he advised, is a skill that’s absolutely vital in upper management, and is consistently a differentiating factor among employees. He argued that the much-desired power of influence comes more easily if one has this ability to make the high-level insights necessary for strategic decisions.

This guidance set the framework for the other key pieces of professional advice Sood offered: develop a core competency, and don’t strive for perfection. While the first always seems obvious, it’s important that one actually develops this and works to maintain it.  The second doesn’t seem so obvious, and has more to do with striving for excellence in other ways: Sood advised that time spent striving for perfection in the details should instead be spent striving for solutions. It makes sense; in a world where data is everywhere, having the ability to analyze and problem-solve with data is vital in any field.

Sood also offered great personal advice that was both practical and immensely valuable.  He discussed his beliefs in karma and wisely advised, “Be a good person and good things will happen to you.” He discussed the importance of reputations and maintaining a certain amount of distance, noting that a key to his success has always been that a lot of people “know of me, but don’t know me.”

Lastly, he offered a tip that I’ve never heard anyone give before, but found quite insightful. Sood advised that, if you can, settle into one company no later than your 30s. The connections that you make early on within a company will help you in the long run, and the company knowledge that you acquire after spending a long period of time within a company will better inform any higher-level decisions you make later on.

And there you have it. Easy, right?

The search was over. The countless hours I had spent writing cover letters, networking, reframing my story, revising my resume, and carpet-bombing job sites with applications had finally paid off. This June, I’ll be interning in the surgical solutions division of a medical technology company (Covidien) in Boulder, CO.

The Right Mindset

As a career changer with a non-traditional professional background, my two cents to incoming first-year students who may find themselves in the same boat is this: keep an open mind to options you may have never considered, meticulously track your activities and progress, relentlessly revisit your story, and make full use of the resources Tippie provides.

I didn’t come to Tippie with a dream company or even a dream industry, but rather with a core set of interests and personal goals that could be applied and realized in any number of industries.

Some common themes during interviews and coaching sessions: international, emerging markets, technology, science, and business development. I had naturally been attracted to the oil & gas super majors, considering the high-tech bent of that industry and the countries where many of them operate, but it was mainly the big pharmaceutical companies that grabbed my attention at the career fairs.

A spring semester business consulting project related to healthcare deepened my interest in the industry, and before I knew it, most of the companies to which I was applying were medical-related. In an interview that ultimately led to my offer, the mantra that I was accustomed to delivering at interviews came right back at me: international, emerging markets, and so on. The fit and the interest were there, and I did not hesitate to accept.

The Right Tracking

Keeping track of my applications saved me a lot of time and stress. I used an Excel sheet, a section of which appears below, to record applications. I monitored status by color coding each entry. I left pending applications white, grayed out rejections, and colored positions for which I was being considered green. Any time I was able to get feedback on why I didn’t get a job, I added those comments.

The Right Perspective

My work experience coming into Tippie was anything but concentrated. It straddled several unrelated industries, and my job search reflected this dispersion. Interviewers would often ask me: “So, how does this lead to our company and industry?”

My early answers fell wide of the mark, but regular sessions with my academy director and career services and their affiliates proved helpful in tailoring my resume and story toward each position.  It was also helpful to approach the search from the perspective that it ultimately falls upon me to find out what I want to do and beat a path to the right doors, and to view career services as a team of advisors rather than as a group of headhunters tasked with placing me in a job.

All in all, I’m looking forward to being challenged in an industry in which I’ve never before worked, and to applying what I’ve learned this year in a professional setting. My hope is that my experiences this summer will inform and enrich my studies next year.

Failure to negotiate our first salary has lifelong earnings implications. By some estimates, even a small initial concession could cost women more than half a million dollars.¹  The stakes are much higher as we move further into our careers, yet only 7% of female MBA graduates attempt to negotiate salaries, compared to 57% of males.²

Why is this? Women are often less certain of their value in the market, and we aren’t aiming high enough. A salary offer just above our bottom line is accepted as success while our male counterparts are reaching toward their aspirations. In addition, women often just don’t feel like it’s worth it, want to avoid conflict, and fear the impact on relationships.¹

What can we do about it? Prepare! And learn a few strategies to make stepping into negotiations easier.

Tips:

• Research salary ranges  – Know what the market looks like.
• Explore your BATNA  - What will you do if an agreement can’t be reached?
• Set Goals and Aim High! – Okay, now aim higher.
• Practice – Say it out loud. The more you say it, the easier it gets.
• Maintain interest in mutually beneficial solutions – Go for a win-win position!

If you have an offer, your prospective employer wants you to join them. Know your value and aspire to reach it. Your retirement account will thank you.

Sources:

1. Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever, 2003. Women Don’t Ask, Princeton Univ. Press

2. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/business/to-solve-the-gender-wage-gap-learn-to-speak-up.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hpw

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/opinion/sunday/kristof-shes-rarely-the-boss.html

At Tippie MBA One and Done, participants come to campus and receive an admissions decision in less than 24 hours. The application process is simplified — no admissions essays are required.

How it works: rather than completing the typical application process, we invite you to campus on one of our Tippie One and Done dates — June 3rd or June 7th — to tell us about yourself. In return, we’ll tell you all about the top-ranked Tippie MBA at Iowa.

During your visit, you’ll have two 30-minute interviews plus the option to have lunch with current students, learn the strategy behind our consistently high employment stats (91% on average since ’08), and tour the business campus.

Available Dates:  Monday, June 3 or Friday, June 7

Register Now

One night’s hotel accommodations will be provided for all attendees. In addition, we will reimburse travel expenses for strong candidates, regardless of the admission decision. If you would like to be considered for reimbursement, please indicate this on the registration form.

There is a minimum GMAT/GRE and work experience requirement to attend. The GMAT minimum is 600; the GRE minimum is 310 (1250 if you took the old version). Participants must have at least one year of professional, post-undergraduate work experience.

It’s easy to participate:

1. Select a date and register to attend a Tippie MBA One and Done. Options are Monday, June 3 and Friday, June 7. You’ll be asked to upload your resume when you register. We’ll confirm your participation within two business days so you can begin making travel arrangements.
2. Complete our online application. In place of the essay, write “Waived for One and Done”
3. Upload your unofficial transcript.
4. Send your official GMAT or GRE score to us, or email us your unofficial GMAT/GRE score report.

You can register to attend before taking the test, but in order to participate, we will need to receive your unofficial score at least two business days before the event.

Admission to the Tippie Full-time MBA is competitive, and One and Done participants will be evaluated in the same way as those who go through the full application process.  

This event is limited to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Register Now

I was one of the students nominated for a Hawkeye Award – that of “Leadership Legacy” for my work as General Manager of the student radio station KRUI-FM, also coincidentally headquartered on the third floor of the IMU. Much to my surprise and delight, I was honored with the award for the 2012-2013 school year.

One of the primary reasons for my winning this award lies in the nomination process. My advisor, Kelvin Soukup, put my name in the proverbial hat and wrote a darned good recommendation on my behalf. Without his support throughout my time at KRUI (I stepped down from the role of GM as of the first of this month), I would not have been able to provide the same quality of leadership – not by a long shot. He is a tremendous leader and role model in his own right. Having a great boss (or bosses) makes it easy to be a great leader.

Another group that had great impact on my leadership was my own leadership team at KRUI. I have been lucky enough to work with an extremely talented team of undergraduate and graduate students, some of whom are paid, and some of whom are volunteers. The Tippie School of Management stresses teamwork in both word and deed, and I have benefited from this practice, certainly. Being surrounded by a terrific team also makes it easy to exert effective leadership.

Leadership is also taught as a two-module class within the full-time MBA program here at the University of Iowa. These classes have been very valuable in the course of my work at KRUI. And while it may be true to some extent that “leadership cannot be taught,” by carefully examining leadership techniques that have been shown to be effective and studying this evidence, I believe that just about anyone can become more effective in their practice of leadership skills.

The bottom line here is that I do not believe I could have done nearly the job I did at KRUI without the classes and experiences that I have taken part of within the Tippie School of Management, along with my management team and my organizational advisor.  While I may have been the individual recipient of the Hawkeye Award for Leadership Legacy for the past year, I am in the debt of hundreds of other people who have made this recognition possible.

The evening began with a number of hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, with students and staff mingling and sharing stories from the year. A photo booth also made an appearance with an array of props that students posed with throughout the night. Dinner followed cocktails with a number of speeches and awards for both faculty and students. The night finally concluded with music and dancing. Many students hit the town afterwards to continue their celebrations into the night.

Award Winners

First Year Core Professor of the Year- Jon Garfinkel

Second Year Core Professor of the Year- Nancy Hauserman

Marketing Professor of the Year- Tom Gruca

SI Professor of the Year- Sam Burer

Finance Professor of the Year- Erik Lie

Staff Member of the Year- Mark Winkler.

Excellence in Leadership Awards:

Melanie Jordan, 2^nd Year MBA, Marketing Academy

Micah James, 2^nd Year MBA, Finance Academy

John Carter, 1^st Year MBA, Marketing Academy

Rahul Rathi, 1^st Year MBA, SI Academy

Students honored for volunteer work:

Spencer Anderson

Samantha Sanchez

Bridget Dowd

Seth Goldstein

Kyle Bogler

Blaine Rourick

Jessie Modi

Sara Mouw

Kandis Meinders

We have compiled a list of tips to get you started on the right track for successful career. 

1.       Maintain Your Network
All those contacts you’ve spent time cultivating? Alumni, guest speakers, company presenters, interviewers, internship colleagues, classmates, faculty, staff, and many others…Stay in touch with that list and think of them as part of your lifelong network by communicating once or twice annually.  A few ideas although this is only a partial list:  quick career update about a new title, company, email address or phone number change; gather information for a project; ask for support for a charity activity; link to an interesting article; snail mail a note at holiday time; or hard copy of a journal or business publication news article.

2.       Compile a Project List
As you take on projects, acquire skills and drive outcomes in your new environment, create a tracking system to note the details.  Having details written down will help you prepare for performance reviews, update your online profiles, and ease the resume updating process down the road.

3.       Join a Professional Group/Association
Most industries, functions and geographic locations have an association that has a local chapter.  These groups have networking activities, speakers, and conferences that offer good opportunities for both networking and professional development.

4.       Keep your LinkedIn Profile Updated
When you update your profile, share a link to an article, make new connections or add an application that activity will be highlighted on the homepage of your connections.

5.       Remember to Listen
While using all your MBA knowledge in your new position can be a strong showcase for your capabilities, it’s important to realize that your new colleagues have lots to share with you as well.  Listen, ask questions, and appreciate help and guidance.

6.       Do a Great Job!
Whether your next position is with a company you intend to stay with for 2 years or 20 years, it’s important to build your brand and reputation from Day 1.

Though career transitions can be intimidating, these tips are key tools to help you evolve your personal brand. Reach out to Career Services if you would like more assistance with developing a career transition strategy.

Get Organized

Make sure you have access to all of the resources you need.  This may mean people, data sources, reports, or internal communication and information systems within your company.  Every project is different, but make sure you and your boss (and any other stakeholders) have the same understanding of what the final product or recommendation should look like.  Put it in writing, and get sign-off as early as possible.  Establish relationships with the people you’ll need to ask for help.  Having these people on your side will help a lot when you get stuck or need help along the way.  Go into your internship with the right attitude – this will go a long way in getting buy-in from your co-workers. Second-year investments student Seth Goldstein advises first-year students to “be humble and willing to work hard, learn and do work outside of your job description.”

In your first couple of weeks, ask all kinds of questions.  “This is a time to listen and ask relevant questions – not to talk about yourself,” advises 2nd year marketing student Jessie Modi. “Everyone will likely already have a gut feeling about which general direction your project should go in. Listen to everyone’s thoughts and understand their arguments for it – but don’t jump to conclusions. Be a third-party and take in all of the facts and opinions as you work out the details of the project.”

Manage your project’s time schedule.  “Budget an amount of time for gathering data and stick to it – it’s really easy to spend too much time on this step, and not have enough time to get the value-added work done,” says Jessie.  Plan to put together your draft two weeks before your final presentation, then ask for feedback and finalize your presentation one week before you give it.  She also advises practicing your presentation with a variety of people. “Spend the last week rehearsing to other interns, your team, your manager, your director, your mentor, etc. Each group will have feedback – maybe even different feedback. Use it as a chance to either clarify your story, make changes to your deck or just help you prepare for potential questions that may arise on the day of the presentation.”

Network

Start with your department.  Set up weekly meetings with your boss to talk about how your project is going, and ask about who else you can meet. Talk to as many people as possible to find out more about their backgrounds, interests, and how they got where they are in the company.  Meet with your director and other senior managers at least once, asking your manager the best way to do this. Think of this as a casual conversation where you can gain different perspectives on the company, different roles and departments within the organization, and how these individuals managed their careers.

Your fellow interns can be the easiest way to network in and outside your department. Set up lunches with the other interns (if you have them) and get to know one another, share ideas and advice. Get to know more about your fellow interns’ projects.  “Not only will this help your network, it will give you an idea of what the company’s priorities are in terms of brands and projects,” says Jessie.

Don’t hide in your cube and drill away on your project all day long.  Meet the people working around you, ask questions about what they are working on, and get involved in the conversations around your office. “Take on projects outside your assigned work. This will allow you to get to know more people and network outside your normal group,” says 2nd-year corporate finance student Pankaj Kumar.  Jessie encourages first-year students to take advantage of the lunch hour as a networking opportunity. “Use this as an opportunity to reach out to other interns or employees to get to know one another in a relaxed setting. Regardless of whether you bring your own lunch, eat in the cafeteria or go to a nearby restaurant, this is a really easy way to network.”

Does your company have events planned for interns, your department, or the company as a whole? Ask around. Find out whether there are volunteer opportunities or networking events outside of work that you can attend.  Deanna Sorak, 2nd-year corporate finance student, shares her experience connecting with co-workers: “I connected with a Tippie alum who sat down with me the first week and told me who to meet with, not only for my project, but also to meet people who had a good perspective on the company. Philanthropy was very strong at my internship company, so I participated in most philanthropic activities that were held over the summer. This allowed me to meet a great deal more people than I would have otherwise, and showed that I was committed to the values of the company. Lastly, I joined the Young Professionals networking group. All three of these components really helped me to feel like I was meeting as many people as possible without feeling forced.”

Give a killer presentation.

Use your network to get advice – that includes your classmates, former team members or leaders, but most importantly the connections you’ve made at your company. Every company and audience is different, which means different preferences as to how much content should be included, the best way to present a lot of information in a concise way, and general company “norms” for slide decks and presentations.

Know your audience. “If you have the chance to find out who will be in the final presentation, do your homework on them,” says Jessie.  You’ll likely be presenting to a cross-functional group, so “don’t try to ‘wow’ the team with your vocabulary. Your best bet is to tell the story in a simple, easy-to-follow way that will allow anyone to follow along.” The final presentation should tell a story, so think “big picture” and don’t get lost in the details. If questions come up on details, include this information in your appendix so you can flip to that slide as needed. Assume your slide deck will reach anyone and everyone in the company.  Make sure your notes and appendix are clear enough for anyone to read.  Let the slide deck speak for itself as a report, but also make sure you have additional insights to add during the presentation itself, so you’re not just repeating information stated on the slides.

Give yourself credit. List your name & contact information in your presentation. Thank the people who helped you along the way. Show gratitude but also make sure to take credit for the ideas you contributed. Keep this presentation in perspective. Jessie advises first-year students to “keep in mind that your work quality and ethic throughout the summer is equally important to the presentation.”

Moving Forward

Keep track of your internship project and experiences. “When I was completing my projects or working with people, I kept in mind that I would be telling stories about these projects and relationships in future interviews,” says Cody Myers, 2nd-year supply chain and analytics student. “This year I felt much more confident and felt I had much better stories when interviewing for full-time positions.”

Consider putting aside a portion of your earnings for next year.  Depending on your financial situation and job start date following graduation, you may need to save extra money to tide you over for next summer.  You may need to take out extra student loan money in order to do this, but many 2nd-year students mentioned this being something they wish they knew going into their internships so they could have planned better.

Everyone will have a different internship experience. For some students, this is an opportunity to snag their dream jobs, and the internship serves as a three-month long interview. Keep in mind that this interview works both ways – make sure you take advantage of all possible opportunities to find out whether this is the right place for you to work. For others, the internship offers great experience in a new industry or field, and helps students build their resume and work experiences to draw from in future interview stories.