Resources
The Georgetown McDonough School of Business is home to an array of student-led organizations dedicated to the various recreational, cultural, mission-oriented, and career pursuits of the student body. These clubs often partner with MBA Career Services to organize opportunities for student engagement with employers who share a common industry or functional focus. Key opportunities for involvement include Career Days and Career Treks.
MBA Global Business Experience with Lamborghini in Italy
Undergraduate
Cawley Career Center
Appointments for industry guidance, career exploration, and practice interviews are available through Handshake.
Networking
Reach out to alumni through Hoya Gateway, Georgetown’s alumni page on LinkedIn, and Georgetown University’s Alumni Career Network.
Student Organizations
Georgetown offers a number of opportunities for Undergrad Hoyas to get involved in Consumer Goods & Retail. Check out the Georgetown Marketing Association and Georgetown Retail and Luxury Association.
Specialty Master's Programs
McDonough CareerView
Appointments for industry guidance, career exploration, and practice interviews are available through MCV.
GradGov
Georgetown University Graduate Student Government (GradGov) is the official voice of main-campus graduate students to the University administration & faculty. GradGov promotes graduate student interests by offering year-long opportunities for professional, social, and academic development across all graduate school programs.
Networking
Reach out to alumni through Georgetown’s alumni page on LinkedIn and Georgetown University’s Alumni Career Network.
Student Organizations
Georgetown offers a number of opportunities for Graduate Hoyas to get involved in Consumer Goods & Retail. Check out the Georgetown Marketing Association and Georgetown Retail and Luxury Association.
MBA
McDonough Career Center
Refer to McDonough Career Center Career Advisor and Peer Advisor biographies in the MCV Resource Library to familiarize yourself with the advisors and their areas of expertise.
Networking
When beginning to conduct informational interviews, start with second-year, full-time MBA students who interned with the company or students who have work experience there, then first/second-year associates, then managers/senior managers, and finally directors and executives. You will gradually build firm and industry knowledge and will be positioned to make the strongest impression on senior decision makers at the firm.
Student Organizations
The Graduate Marketing Association (GMA) is the student-led club that organizes Career Days and Career Treks related to Marketing. Marketing activities are commonly attended by students with a focus on Consumer Goods and Retail. The Georgetown Retail & Luxury Association (GRLA) is a club focused on the luxury subset of consumer products. Because of the increasing requirement to analyze customer and market data, for some students, HoyAlytics (Data Analytics Club) would be a good club to expand quantitative skills.
Career Days
Career Days are informational, “day-in-the-life” events with a specific industry or functional focus, including Marketing, Healthcare, Finance, Consulting, Entrepreneurship, Operations, and Energy. Students who participate in Career Days have the chance to discover new career paths and opportunities in their area of interest. Organized by the Student Organizations with oversight from the MBA Career Center’s Career Advisors, Career Days are normally scheduled on Fridays during the fall semester. Alumni and recruiters participate through panels, keynotes, roundtable discussions, and networking receptions.
Marketing Career Day is typically held in September. Contact GMA for details.
Career Fairs
National MBA Career Fairs offer an excellent opportunity to interact and interview with firms and practice areas. Some of these firms do not formally recruit at Georgetown. The McDonough Career Center provides detailed information each year on the National MBA Career Fairs and also hosts a Career Fair Bootcamp in the early to mid September.
To be successful, upfront preparation is required to include:
Registering up to 6 weeks in advance
Applying for positions on the conference websites at least 4 weeks before the conference. (Firms post positions in the registered attendee section and often make interview selections before the conference).
Preparing updated resumes and targeted cover letters for application submissions
Practicing both behavioral interviews and case interviews (as applicable)
Researching companies, competitors, industry trends, company products, and services, etc.
Career Treks
Student site visits to employer workplaces offer a unique supplement to the traditional on-campus information session, allowing the student to directly experience an employer’s workplace culture and interface with key executives. Treks have brought groups of 10 to 100 students to employer destinations including New York, London, San Francisco, Tokyo, Boston, Hong Kong, Washington, D.C., and more. Advantages of participating in a trek include:
· Students observe the organization and culture first-hand.
· Treks allow students to position themselves as a select group of focused MBAs who have a demonstrated interested in the employer’s organization.
· Treks are offered in a variety of locations throughout the year, allowing you to take advantage of multiple opportunities and experience a variety of business locales.
The Marketing Career Trek typically takes place in late October. Employer locations typically focus on the Washington DC and New York/New Jersey region. Past participating employers include American Express, Citi, Pepsi, Nestle, and Estee Lauder. Contact GMA for details.
Key Fall Conferences
Additional Resources
You can review generally publicized industry information online. Note that Firsthand resources require an @georgetown.edu login to access free downloads.
FirstHand Career Guide to Marketing Jobs – A must-read overview that discusses skills needed, types of positions, the hiring process, and life on the job.
FirstHand overview of general consumer products: A comprehensive summary of the consumer product industry, including industry structure and job market outlook.
Business Journal - An online and/or printed business news journal targeted by city to 45 different US cities. This is a great guide for students targeting one or two metropolitan areas.
Building your Professional Image
Professional Associations
These are just a few of the professional associations you may wish to explore or join. Note that many have student memberships as well as publicly available resources about the profession.