What process did you follow to get your job offer?

I applied through CareerBridge (formerly GTS, Fuqua's job posting platform), and a recruiter reached out to me to chat about my experience at the EY Emerging Leaders Summit. I then did a phone screening with a senior manager followed by a super day of interview at the office (3 behavioral, 1 case).

To what factors do you attribute your success?
My previous experience with EY at their leadership conference definitely helped me in terms of knowing the company and its values. During my interviews I was very transparent about my technical capabilities, and my interviewer told me he appreciated that I laid out my analytics skill set without trying to oversell it.

What advice do you have for those who will be job searching in the MQM: Business Analytics program in the future?
Just keep applying! For the technical parts of the interview you do not have to pretend to know everything; just focus on what you have done and your eagerness to learn more.

What process did you follow to get your job offer?
I kept in touch with the company from the very beginning of the program and tried to meet as many people as possible. I always followed in-person encounters with thank you emails and made sure I was up-to-date in company and industry news before meeting with recruiters and analysts. I met with GM about six times throughout the process, including workshops at Fuqua, a case workshop at Duke, and several other on-campus recruiting events. 

To what factors do you attribute your success?
I believe the connections I made and my interest in the company played a big role in the hiring process. By the time interviews came along I had built a strong & genuine connection with many people in the firm. But I also knew from talking with MMS alumni at GM that there was a heavy weight placed on the valuation case and technical interview, so I made it a point to be very prepared for that, too. I attended workshops and worked with the Career Management Center (CMC) coaches on my cover letters and resume, and I met regularly to talk about the recruiting process, get input on my elevator speeches, discuss my goals for the future, and even to solicit words of encouragement during the peak of recruitment. Working with an experienced coach can be the difference between a cover letter that gets you the interview and one that doesn’t; I found that the CMC coaches know better than anyone else what the different employers look for.

What advice do you have for those who will be job searching in the MMS program in the future?
Start early and make connections. Always send personalized thank you notes and show interest. Count on the CMC throughout the process, for both advice and preparation. Take a career assessment or spend time thinking about what kind of field/career path you are passionate about, so you can focus your job search. Utilize the CMC and Fuqua’s resources to explore roles and companies that you may not be aware of. Do your research and always be prepared; every encounter with the company is in some way an interview. Chat with different analysts in the company and ask questions about their day-to-day work. This will help determine if you fit in with the people and the organization and if you’ll enjoy your future role. When you are genuinely interested in a company, that will shine through during your interviews, cover letters, and throughout the process.