Week 20: Thinking about jobs already?

Week 20: August 23, 2025

Thinking about jobs already?

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It is amazing how early recruiting starts each year! For those of you who are considering consulting, banking, or brand management, the process may have already started, with networking opportunities for some firms, scholarship applications for others, and even short-term internships with other firms. Make no mistake, this is your chance to make a first impression! Whether you are meeting recruiters through formal programs or networking with people one-on-one, you'll want to make sure that you're ready.

This week, we share some quick suggestions for these early recruiting interactions.

The 100 Week Sprint team

To-do's this week

Got 5 minutes? Practice your one sentence pitch about "why you're doing an MBA" and get feedback from a friend.

Got 30 minutes? Send thank you notes to people you've been meeting and/or order yourself some nice stationery for thank you notes.

Got an hour? Start to identify people who you would like to network with informally via LinkedIn.

Five ways to impress at networking events

1. Know your pitch. Be ready to confidently explain why you're there! If you're exploring lots of choices and want to learn more about that specific one, certainly share that. However, also be ready with 2-3 reasons why the path you're exploring at that particular event is interesting to you (and 2-3 specifics about what you offer).

Read on for more tips on ways to set yourself apart from the get-go.

Eliminate choices to allow yourself to focus

1. Pretty sure that you’re not interested in a path? Explore it and then put it aside! This is one of the times that we would suggest using ProValues to identify your values and dealbreakers. Then, start to assess broad categories of jobs. If they don’t meet your minimum requirements, take them off your list. There will be lots of compelling opportunities to pursue – it’s helpful to not waste time on paths that you know would leave you unhappy. The pressure can be tremendous – this is where a framework helps.

Click here to conduct your exercise.

Get a great start with informal networking

1. Be ready to ask for help! Turns out that one of the more powerful human instincts is the urge to help. If you're trying to build a network in a specific industry, be ready to ask for help! Simple phrases such as "I was looking for help in connecting with..." can go a long way to making introductions a reality.

Click here to learn more ways to maximize your informal networking opportunities.

Make networking easier - start with friends

It's important to stay in touch with your support network, the friends who will help you get through the challenges business school offers. They are vital to your MBA experience, and can help grow your professional network as well!

You may need to rely on your network not just to land a job, but to find out about that job. Career Horizons president Matt Youngquist, in an interview with National Public Radio, shared that "At least 70 percent, if not 80 percent, of jobs are not published.... [T]he vast majority of hiring is friends and acquaintances hiring other trusted friends and acquaintances." Youngquist suggests that job seekers make 100 new contacts each month to find the perfect opportunity. While that may seem overwhelming, b-school is the perfect time to take on such a task: people are often eager to provide assistance to students, and MBA alumni networks provide a particularly valuable resource.

Now is the time to practice good network maintenance, re-evaluating your network for both quantity and quality. Businessweek's MBA Job Hunt: Networking offers definitive steps to leverage all your available resources.

Use LinkedIn to maximize your network

Clients are always surprised when we show them what LinkedIn can actually do!

Looking for companies that fit your interests?
Looking for specific people to learn from?
Trying to understand how to achieve your long-term goal?

Click here to maximize LinkedIn's Advanced Search to really narrow down who you're looking for!

Wellness Break

This week from HumanlyWell, we focus on establishing a great morning routine.

Your morning routine is your personal daily ritual. It allows you to set your focus and intention for each new day, but it actually begins the previous evening when you go to bed. Quality sleep is a key factor for how you think, feel and perform the following day. Although our schedules may vary, allowing different windows of time for our morning routines, here a few key pieces to incorporate for a strong start to your day.

1. Mindfulness: this may look different for each person.

Visualize your intention for the day
A mental or physical gratitude list
Meditation or breathwork to ground yourself and align to your daily intentions.

2. Movement: exercise has a direct impact on your productivity, happiness, and innovation.

If you can get outside for fresh air, even better!
8-minute distraction-free movement: stretching, walking, workout video

3. Hydration: water is an essential nutrient and even mild dehydration can negatively impact alertness, concentration and short-term memory.

Don’t go straight for the caffeine, drink 1 glass of water beforehand.
Set reminders throughout the day to drink water, if this is a hard habit for you.

Recruiting for Consulting? Looking for extra practice?

We're excited to launch "Case Preparation for Consulting Careers", a package that offers 10 hours of time with SCG staff experienced in delivering cases at major consulting firms, preparing you for consulting case interviews. It's designed to give you extra practice and a nuanced perspective on consulting recruiting from our professional interviewers to maximize your chance of recruiting success.

Missed a week or two? Click here for our article archives.

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