FTMBA Career Pre-work

Over the summer, we host a variety of webinars and workshops to complement your career pre-work assignments and support you in preparing for internship applications. Our goal is to ensure that by the time classes start this fall, you feel confident about your internship search.

All sessions will be delivered live, and we encourage you to attend in real time so you can ask questions and get immediate answers. That said, every session will be recorded. All times are in Central Daylight Time (CDT).

Click the link below to join the live session or watch the recording afterward.

Recordings, along with slides, will be available in your Class of 2028 Google folder approximately 24 hours after each session. 

Past Recordings

April 23 - Carlson Up Close  - First Look at your MBA Job Search

May 6 -  Incoming International MBA Students 

May 14 -  Forte Conference Prep | Forte Conference attendees

Coming soon to a Zoom near you...

July 13 @ 9am - MBA Cover Letters | All incoming students | https://umn.zoom.us/s/96373812968 

July 27 @ 9am - Is an Affinity Fair Right for Me? | National Black Fellows, ROMBA Fellows, Veterans | https://umn.zoom.us/j/98235818193 

July 31 @ 9am (tentative) - International MBA Student Networking Workshop | RSVP required | https://umn.zoom.us/s/91628869080 

July/Aug TBD - Ace the Case (Prep) | Students interested in consulting

In addition to the CBCC-hosted webinars above, other organizations host useful summer webinars and we encourage you to check them out:

• Forte Foundation | Forte Fellows

• MBA-Exchange.com | Career Paths, Hiring Trends, and More

We provide several career tools that require a subscription—many of which are already included in your student access. Now that you have created bookmarks for these tools, this is a great time to log in and get your accounts set up, so you're ready when recruiting ramps up. In most cases, your UMN email will serve as your login.

Take a few minutes now to create your accounts and complete your profiles—your future self will thank you.

Handshake
You'll use Handshake throughout your time at Carlson to search and apply for jobs, register for career events, and connect with employers. How to use Handshake here.

MBA-Exchange
A global search engine for MBA internships and full-time roles, including Leadership Development Programs (LDPs). This is especially helpful for nationwide searches and identifying companies that sponsor international students.

RocketBlocks
Our go-to resource for case prep. While most commonly used by students pursuing consulting, RocketBlocks is also valuable for marketing students preparing for mini-cases or applying to strategy positions.  Access code: CBCC

12Twenty
12Twenty is Carlson’s career outcomes platform. It’s where you will report your job offers and your gateway to outcome and salary data—not just from Carlson grads, but from students across all participating schools, giving you a broader view of compensation trends and hiring outcomes.

AI

AI is quickly becoming part of everyday life. Not only for the work you do (or will do, post-program) but also very useful for your search. See this AI Prompts for Career Exploration & Search resource for ideas of when and where to use AI as part of your internship search. 

Your resume is the most critical deliverable of summer pre-work. Many recruiting opportunities require an approved Carlson-format resume.

The assignments in this section will guide you through:

1. Creating your resume in the required format and reviewing your updated resume using the VMock online tool

2. Submitting your resume in the most updated format

Resources to Help You Create a Strong Resume:

• Career Guide (starting on page 39, with resume examples starting on page 47)

• Carlson MBA template | Carlson MS MBA template (These templates work best in Microsoft Word)

• CBCC Resume Webinar

• Resume videos by section

Steps to Use VMock and Upload to Handshake:

VMock is a tool provided by the CBCC to help you format, review, and refine your resume. It offers customized feedback on formatting, grammar, and overall impact.

1. Create Your Resume: Log in to VMock and choose "CREATE NEW" to start from scratch or upload your current resume. 

2. Review Your Resume (2x): Have your resume reviewed at least twice using the VMock system. You are allowed up to 10 reviews total, so use them wisely. Before submitting your resume for a second review, make sure you’ve addressed all of VMock’s suggested edits. Aim for a score between 70–85 before moving forward. Note: If your initial resume is longer than one page, your score may be lower—don’t worry. Try to shorten it, but if it’s still slightly over one page, your career coach can help you refine it to one page during your resume review.

3. Your resume must be reviewed and approved by a career coach no later than June 30. FTMBA students are required to have their resume reviewed before uploading it to Handshake. Ideally, you should schedule your review with Kelly, your designated FTMBA career coach. However, if her availability doesn't work with your schedule, you are welcome to meet with another coach. Important:  Do not wait until the last minute. With many incoming students and limited time slots, we strongly encourage you to schedule your appointment as soon as possible to ensure you can complete this requirement on time. Coaching appointments can be scheduled through APlus. Select a 30-minute appointment, in-person or via Zoom (no phone).

4. Upload your new resume to Handshake by July 2. 

   • Ensure your resume is set to "visible" on the document page and your settings are adjusted to "community" so the CBCC team and recruiters can access your document.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out for support.

Having a complete LinkedIn profile helps you manage your professional contacts more effectively during the job search—and makes it easier for recruiters seeking master’s-level talent to find you.

To avoid duplicating efforts, we recommend finalizing your resume before updating and refining your LinkedIn profile. It’s best to complete this step before you begin networking, so you can put your best foot forward when reaching out to new connections.

1. Watch the CBCC's LinkedIn Webinar to learn how to make the most of your profile. You may also find this checklist helpful. Then, take the following steps to strengthen your presence:

   • Add Carlson School of Management and your program degree to the Education section of your profile to indicate that you are a current student.

   • Update your headline and About section to reflect your background, goals, and professional interests.

   • Copy and paste the bullet points from your reviewed and approved Carlson resume into the Experience section to maintain consistency and highlight your accomplishments.

   • Add or update your skills in three places: your About section, under each job entry, and in the Skills section of your profile.

2. Connect with Carlson to start growing your network!  Join the private Carlson  Alumni Group and then connect with us! Be sure to add a personalized note that you are an incoming student before sending the request to any individuals.

   • Coach Kelly McClellan for FTMBA

   • Carlson's LinkedIn Alumni Page

   • Follow the Carlson Business Career Center office profile

   • Any Employer Relations (ER) team member who supports the industries you are most interested in. See the current list of ER industry assignments.

3. Visit the About page for each of your top 10 companies. Be sure to follow the company and click the “I’m Interested” button if it’s available (note: not all companies use this function). 

4. International Students: Install the H1B Visa extension for LinkedIn on your computer. This tool can help you identify companies that are more likely to sponsor H1B visas. 

Behavioral interview questions are the most common type of questions asked during interviews for positions after graduate school. Students should begin preparing for interviews at least 2 months prior to their interview season, which can often start in early fall. Those students participating in an Affinity Fair should begin in August to have ample prep time for their Fair in September or October.

1. Watch our Behavioral Interviewing Preparation webinar. (14 minutes)

2. Watch the following short videos which demonstrate MBA-style answers:

   • Tell Me About Yourself (4 min)

   • Sample Answer: Persuasion & Influence (4 min)

   • Sample Answer: Delivering Impact (4 min)

3. We will be practicing behavioral interviews during orientation. Use the STAR story matrix and draft your two-minute "Tell Me About Yourself (TMAY)" and the following STAR stories for these four questions/themes:

   • A time when you led a team or project that was especially effective

   • A time when you needed to solve a complex business problem or improved a process

   • A time you needed to sift through a lot of data to get to the "root cause" of an underlying issue or problem.

   • Your choice: Pick a story you’d like to share and get feedback on.

4. InterviewPrep (optional) is an online tool that uses your computer's webcam in order to video/audio record your responses to commonly asked interview questions. We encourage students who are preparing for upcoming interviews to utilize this tool for practicing on your own (we recommend doing this 4 weeks prior to your recruiting season to ensure you have adequate practice and time to prepare). In addition, the CBCC offers small group interview practice sessions and mock interviews for students who are preparing for upcoming interviews.

When pursuing an internship, it is important to present the best version of yourself to recruiters and hiring leaders. Employers are on campus and in your classrooms almost every day, so we encourage you to dress comfortably while also considering how you want your personal brand to be perceived - even when you don't expect to run into a potential connection.

In general, most CBCC and employer-sponsored on-campus events are business casual unless otherwise communicated by the office.

For interviews, business formal attire is appropriate in most cases. It is also important to consider the norms of the industry you are pursuing. While some industries, such as tech, may have a more casual culture, many of our employer partners in corporate settings tend to expect more formal professional attire. When in doubt, it is usually best to dress one step more professionally than what you believe the industry requires. For interviews and more formal recruiting events, we recommend students invest in the following:

• At least one dark-colored, matched suit in either dark/charcoal grey, dark/navy blue, or black. 

• A selection of light-colored (e.g., white, light blue) button-up dress shirts or blouses.

• Professional dress shoes in either black or dark brown (Note: black shoes tend to be the most versatile, as they can be worn with grey, navy, and black suits).

• Professional accessories, including belts, bags/briefcases, watches, etc.

Make an appointment if you have questions about a professional wardrobe and would like to consult with a coach prior to making purchases.