Study groups are part of the HBS learning experience. They usually provide help with case preparation, and are terrific social and networking settings. Now imagine the same thing, but dedicated to the second pillar of a successful HBS experience: the job search.
Tempting, isn’t it? Well, those groups exist, and they are called the Career Teams. You may remember Tim Butler told you about them during Foundations.
The Career Teams begin in October and end in December. In groups of 8, RCs go through a rigorous self-discovery curriculum, designed by HBS’s own Tim Butler, the Guru of Career Development.
The program consists of 10 sessions of 2 hours, one per week. A specially trained EC student will facilitate each group. Members will make friends, understand their career desires and get a privileged mentoring relationship with a caring second-year.
The value of the job search is usually very high. It is well known that the jobs are around here and will go to the ones who are focusing their efforts on the ones they really care about. By knowing ourselves better and having a group of friends help with their career issues, we’re able to concentrate on the right opportunities for us.
To borrow an expression from Professor Higgins (SACD), we should go from the job “chase” (uncontrolled release of energy) to the job “search” (managed and focused efforts).
The groups are also nice settings in which to exchange tips and support one another. And facilitators, who have been through the process already, are a great source of advice.
This program was performed last year and, while a pilot still on the learning curve, got excellent feedback. More than 92% said they would recommend the Career Teams to the Class of 2004, and 95% believed in the value of offering it.
Even after the official end of the program, several groups kept on meeting. We expect the program to be even better this year.
So where is the catch? There is no catch. It’s just a great program offered by second years with the support of Career Services. Why? Because they care.
The only problem is the program availability. The job market this year is tough. Around 20% of last year’s second years are still looking for a job. If the job market is like last year, between 20% to 30% of this year’s RCs may have trouble finding their summer internships. So we expect the demand for the Career Teams to be very high. We are offering between 200 and 250 spots on a first come, first served basis. So you’d better hurry.
To join or to get more information, check your my.hbs career tab in the near future. We will also hold an information session in Spangler’s auditorium, Wednesday, September 18th, between 2 and 3 PM.
