While many members of our connect2 community are entrepreneurs, many others are employed in the corporate world.  If you have – or seek – a corporate, brilliance-based career in which you make a positive impact, today’s post is especially for you.

Net Impact and the Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College just released a new career resource called Corporate Careers That Make a Difference, an eighty-page guide to pursuing a career in corporate citizenship.  Net Impact is a global organization of students and professionals using business to improve the world.  They define “corporate citizenship” as an umbrella term that includes both social impact (encompassing corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues) and environmental impact (encompassing sustainability issues).

As you probably know, I love the inspiration that comes through career stories.  This resource features dozens of stories from working professionals with diverse academic backgrounds and job titles.  It’s a first-hand account of opportunities for people interested in corporate responsibility and sustainability, beyond the typical job titles like Director of CSR.

Liz Maw, Executive Director of Net Impact says, “More and more people want to make a positive impact on the world through the work they do, but there are so few resources to help them turn this aspiration into a successful career. This guide fills that gap by exploring th

e diversity of opportunities available in corporate citizenship, and providing hands-on advice for long-term success.”

If you’re interested in corporate citizenship and would like a practical framework for career development, check it out.  And let us know what you think here in our comments section!

Here’s a new article from an interview I did last month on applying to top MBA programs. Enjoy!

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/othercities/atlanta/stories/2010/02/01/smallb2.html?s=industry&b=1265000400%5E2804431&t=printable

“Debra Woog McGinty is my friend and admissions coach extraordinaire, without whom I wouldn’t have gotten into MIT or Harvard! Debra more than knows her stuff, as she also works with a number of schools on their admissions programs. From laying out a plan of attack and timeline to recommendations and cool adjectives, she makes it happen. She will lay it all out and tell you what she really thinks, no holds barred, something we all REALLY need, a true ally and asset to anyone’s admissions process. Even with such words I still don’t do her service justice.” MBA Applicant

“I’m all done with this incredible process! I cannot thank you enough for all the help you provided – it went well beyond our agreement. Not to mention the methodical approach you instituted that became my guide. I’m ready for whatever comes out of this process because I know I did everything I could and put all that I had into it.” MBA Applicant

“I found Debra invaluable in my MBA application process. I came to Debra with a good idea of where I would apply and what I believed would be the major themes throughout my applications. Debra was extremely adept at helping me focus on the aspects of my life, work, and hobbies that set me apart and made me a good fit for each of the schools I was applying to. One aspect of Debra’s service which I believe sets her apart from others I’ve dealt with is her ability to adapt to what I needed. I wasn’t looking for someone to tell me where to apply or proof each essay for grammar and typos (though she was of course helpful in that regard) – I was looking for someone to help with themes and ideas. Debra gave me exactly the help I was looking for. I ended up being accepted to every MBA program I applied to and will be attending Kellogg in the fall. I am quite certain I would not have had the same results without Debra’s help!” MBA Applicant

“With Debra’s guidance, I was able to write focused admissions applications that highlighted my unique qualities. Her attentive, patient & caring manner made our discussions very open and detailed. This allowed her to use her knowledge to identify positive aspects of my own experiences that I myself hadn’t realized. The admissions process was truly stress-free and more importantly, resulted in me getting admitted to my top choice school. Thanks Debra, I couldn’t have done it without you!” MBA Applicant

“Debra’s insight, experience, and caring manner helped me tremendously with my business school applications. She was incredibly helpful both talking through approaches and ideas as well as editing essays. Debra helps others find their competitive advantage. Now I attend my dream school.” Technology Manager

“Debra’s ear is fine-tuned to hear the details of people’s lives and experiences that truly make them unique. She leads you through a process of self-evaluation and discovery that is invaluable in the Competitive Admissions process. When I began working with Debra, I was focused on the things that I had in common with other top candidates: high GPA, test scores, leadership and diversity. Debra helped me to take a step back and to understand my skills and attributes in a new way. I was then able to communicate them in a stand-out way that was fresh, colorful, and unique, and subsequently was admitted to my top school.” MBA Student

“Your help on my personal statement was invaluable. Before I called you, I felt very unsure, and alone in a way, in the application process because my situation as an older student was atypical. I didn’t have an advisor or colleagues to bounce things off of. I haven’t felt that way since I called you. You never made me feel my questions were silly (even though some of them probably were!). I think I would still be staring at a blank piece of paper had it not been for your support. I’m so happy with the results of our work together. I love my personal statement more every time I read it. I put a year of blood, sweat, and tears into my schoolwork, but I couldn’t seem to express my passion for what I’m doing into written words. You definitely helped me do exactly that, and now I can proudly submit a statement that truly conveys my motivation and love for medicine. I think the best thing about the whole process of writing this with you was that even though you guided my ideas, or helped me to organize or express things, I always felt like this essay was mine, and that I was the one shaping it. The final result is a paper that describes in words feelings that come from my heart. I also want to thank you for going above and beyond on the short answer stuff. I know you did more work than we had talked about, and I’m very grateful.” Medical Student

“Debra has an amazing capacity to look behind my experiences and pull out the skills, competencies, and attributes that an admissions committee might be looking for. This seemingly simple exercise was not as intuitive as I thought, and took my essays to an entirely new level. Debra showed me how to think about framing my experiences in a new way, the way an admissions officer would look at them. This perspective changed how I addressed their questions, and produced more mature, sophisticated, and thoughtful responses. I would recommend Debra to anyone applying to graduate school. As a professional for whom writing is a key component of my job, and as a published writer, I might have thought that I could meet the scrutiny of an admissions committee. Nevertheless, I wanted to make sure I put the best application possible forward, and I am glad I did: Debra’s coaching put my essays in a whole new class.” Marketing Consultant

“Debra helped me define my goals, identified the track to get there, and told me where I stood. She was very helpful in providing insight as to what I should be doing to improve and strengthen my profile over the next year before I am ready to apply to MBA programs. I found her to be honest and easy going. She went through all of the issues I had questions on and made me feel comfortable enough to ask all my questions.” Investment Analyst

Why You Should Keep Job Hunting During the Holidays

During the event I shared my original framework for identifying key messages to prospective employers. I guided participants to understand their most valuable skills, interests, and qualities (SIQs) as the basic building blocks for effectively communicating their stories in informational interviews, job interviews, resumes, cover letters and negotiations. (Applying my SIQ model over the past decade, my clients have consistently achieved their varied goals).

I was touched to receive many comments afterward, including “I really enjoyed your presentation today. Your model is simple and compelling.” I’m making the Webinar recording available as a free podcast for anyone who wants to learn my model and observe me coaching a current MBA student in the job market. Choose your preferred format below!

• Slides (Read only)
  
• Mp3 (Audio only)
• M4V (iPod Video format – Listen and see the slides!)
• Mp4 (Quicktime Video format – Listen and see the slides!)
• WMV (Windows Media Player – Listen and see the slides!)
• Flash format (Listen and see the slides in your web browser)

Copyright © 2009, connect2 Corporation and MBA Navigator. All rights reserved.

To enter, simply comment, explaining why you are a deserving recipient!  Debra will announce the winner at the end of March.  (Be sure to include an email address so we can notify you if you win.)

2. Don’t arrive late. If you miss the first 5 minutes of your interview, aside from making a poor impression, you have lost 5 minutes to sell yourself and to learn about the program.

3. Don’t repeat stories from your essays unless the interviewer asks you to clarify one. The interview is a chance for you to provide more information about yourself. Don’t miss it.

4. Don’t ask the interviewer to give an on-the-spot assessment of you. This reflects poor judgment and can make the interviewer uncomfortable.

5. Don’t ask the interviewer to do your job for you. Do not ask him/her to compare the school to others or ask them to sell (e.g., “Why should I come to this school?”).

6. Don’t worry if you leave the interview without a good sense of how it went. A skilled interviewer will leave you feeling you had a good experience without conveying a sense of where you stand. Final decisions are rarely made at the interview so it would be unfair of the interviewer to give you an indicator of where you stand.

Copyright © 2008, connect2 Corporation and MBA Navigator. All rights reserved.

1. In what ways have you grown since the last time you applied?

MBA admissions officers like to think they made the right decision the first time, so it’s critical that you show them how you are different since your last application. Have you faced different challenges? Do you have new responsibilities? Did you lead something new? Can you demonstrate fresh results? If you can’t answer yes to any of these questions, wait at least another year before you reapply.

2. Consider your test score.

Was your GMAT score a factor in the last decision? Think twice before retesting. If you believe that you prepared to the best of your ability (i.e. you actually did the test prep homework) then it will make sense to retake the test only if your actual score was 40-50+ points below your practice scores. If you prepared to the best of your ability and scored similar to your practice tests, your time would be better spent on essay preparation than further testing.

3. Don’t recycle your recs.

Many reapplicants reuse their recommendations. Don’t make this mistake. Recommendations are a primary source of information on how you’ve grown. If you plan to use the same recommenders this year, encourage them to tell new stories about you and emphasize new ways you’ve developed.

4. Check your school’s rules.

Some programs require reapplicants to submit applications during a particular round. Double check the application instructions today.

5. Reflect on your essays.

Now that you have some distance from your essays, reread them. How well do they support your original application strategy? What do you think about your application strategy now? Is it time for new key messages? Have an admissions coach, ideally an experienced MBA admissions officer, look over your application and provide you with feedback.

Copyright © 2008, connect2 Corporation and MBA Navigator. All rights reserved.