Recruiting Strategies – Applying the principles of competitive markets to job hunting

In my second week of business school, I attended a career session called “Managing the Challenge of Change”. To my surprise, the former executive who ran the event spoke less about change and more about how to get the most out of the MBA program, which he described as the largest financial investment you will ever make in yourself.. At one point, he stopped to ask us if we knew what the definition of strategy was. After a few failed attempts from the audience, he gave us his answer.

“Strategy” he said, “is a series of mutually reinforcing choices that lead to a sustained competitive advantage.”

This definition holds in a business context, but the speaker wanted the audience to think about strategy in a different way. Strategy is not just a way to run a business; it is a method for approaching a problem that you can apply in any situation.

My first experience using strategic principles outside of the standard business environment was applying for a summer internship. When I applied for jobs, my choices did not complement one another. I applied to multiple industries or companies I knew almost nothing about. I interviewed with a number of firms, but I left my first few interviews frustrated at my performance. I was not particularly passionate about every industry or company, but I wanted to do my best and I was annoyed that I had not done better.

After a while, I applied the principles I had learned from the former executive and become more strategic about the application process. I began targeting organizations only in a certain sectors. I only applied where I thought I would fit with the company's culture. I spent more time preparing for the technical aspects of my interviews. After doing this for a few weeks, I quickly found out that it is easier to make sacrifices and focus when you’re passionate about something.

I still don’t know if I’ll end up with my dream job this summer, but I am putting myself in the best possible position to get it. Strategy, in both business and life, is about making difficult choices. By applying what makes companies succeed to my career search, I became a more competitive applicant. I hope all of you will be able to do the same.

Isaac Gross is a member of the 2015 MBA class at London Business School. Before coming to London Business School, Isaac worked for the Clinton Health Access Initiative in West Africa and the USA. In Africa, Isaac managed a $10 million HIV medication donation, which provided lifesaving medication to over 50,000 people. He also advised governments on cost reduction strategies. In one instance, he helped Ivory Coast save over $3 million by convincing policy makers to update their HIV treatment protocols and buy medication from low-cost generic manufacturers. Isaac is at London Business School because he wants to transition from public health to development finance. He is on the executive committees of the Africa and Net Impact Clubs at London Business School and enjoys playing golf, tennis and rugby. Isaac graduated from Brown University in 2007 with a Bachelors in Science in Psychology.