Foundation · Getting in
Your starting point
For anyone, at any stage: a first degree, a Master in Management, an MBA, an executive MBA, a PhD, or years of work. Short lessons on how hiring works from where you start.
Key takeaways
- The case skills are the same at every stage. What changes is the door you come in through, when it opens, and what the firm expects you to bring.
- At entry, firms hire for potential. They look for clear thinking, good maths, and proof that you finish what you start.
- On a full-time MBA, the summer internship is the main door, and recruiting for it starts early.
- Your research skill is a real edge. The test is whether you can turn a finding into a decision, in plain words, in a few minutes.
- Your entry level depends on two things: your years of work and how close that work is to the new job.
- Find the usual way in for your stage, and when it opens
- Know how internships, graduate programmes and the MBA cycle work, and how executive MBA students usually move
- Turn research or years of work into a business answer with one number
- Weigh pay against level over several years, and fit preparation around a job or a degree
Lessons
Pick your path
Hiring works differently at each stage: a first degree, a Master in Management, an MBA, an executive MBA, a PhD, or years at work. A one-page map of the usual entry route for each, so you know which lesson to read next.
Bachelor's and Master in Management
Internships, graduate programmes and timing for students at the start of a career, including Master in Management students. What firms look for at entry, and a quick way to plan backwards from your start date.
MBA and executive MBA
The MBA internship cycle, how executive MBA students usually move (sponsored, internal moves, experienced hire routes), and how to use the classroom as practice for the job you want.
PhD, doctors, lawyers and other advanced degrees
Some firms run their own entry routes for advanced degree holders. What they are, who they are for, and how to turn a research result into a business answer, with a worked example.
Working professionals, by years of work
What level you usually enter at for your years of work, and how titles map across employers. Then how to weigh pay against level, with a worked example.
Changing direction later in a career
You can change direction at any point in a career. What transfers, how to show it with numbers, and the realistic routes: specialist and expert roles, industry roles, and in-house strategy.
Preparing around a job or a degree
A weekly plan at 2, 4, 7 and 10 hours, for anyone studying while working or working while studying. What to keep, what to cut, and how long the core takes at each pace.
Worked cases in this module
Start with lesson 1
7 lessons, about 39 minutes in all. Each one builds on the one before.