I have an upcoming interview with an economic consulting firm which has itself said that many people go on to graduate school afterwards. I'm applying there because I want to use my economics background and study economics on a day to day basis.
Since they are looking for people with such an interest in economic research (and based on the glassdoor reviews focus on that in interviews), would it be wrong to say that I want to eventually go to grad school? People like this are likely to want further education. Should I qualify it with something about wanting practical experience?
I don't see how it would help you... Given that you are even questioning it, I would steer clear. If they don't outright ask you about it, there's no reason to saying anything about it. If they do ask, you could say: "I'm open to the idea of it," or something along those lines.
So for the typical "where do you see yourself in 5 years" type question - stick with I'd like to work in economics etc . . . .
Im not going to say I'm anywhere near an expert in Econ consulting but in most consulting and finance jobs it's not out of the ordinary at all that you will be going back for an advanced degree (and largely expected in most of those jobs). Maybe Econ consulting is expecting people to come in with an MA or even a PhD (of course then they probably wouldn't be interviewing an undergrad) but just look at some of their employees on LinkedIn and see when they went back to school. A fair amount of management consulting firms will pay for an MBA so I wouldn't hide the fact that you want to go back, especially if it seems like they prize advanced degrees.
I'd also change your wording/thought process on wanting to "study economics on a day to day basis." Think more like you want to use your Econ knowledge and analysis skills and apply them to real world problems. Semantics but you're not studying, you're working. Good luck.
Thanks! I'll definitely use that wording
I work in Econ Consulting and I don't see how it would be disastrous. In fact, during my interview, that's all I talked about.
However, it's important to tie it in to what they do. I said that I wanted to work there a few years to build:
Okay. The responses you wrote are exactly what I'm looking for in any case.
Bringing Up MBA Plans In An Interview? (Originally Posted: 04/07/2010)
I have an interview on Friday. Is it wise to bring up MBA plans in an interview? And if so, how would you do it?
I want to avoid my current situation, where my employer thinks that I will stay with the firm for 5+ or even 10+ years. Obviously it would be awkward asking them for B-School recs in a year or 2, since that's a signal I want to leave and throws off their plans. (They want to "groom me" into a leadership position, even though it's middle office and I have no desire whatsoever to do this)
I have an interview on Friday, and want to say that I plan to get my MBA after 2-3 years of working "to gain leadership skills and bring that skillset back to the firm when I graduate". Obviously I'd like to be upfront with my interviewer so he doesn't get any false ideas, and so that he would be happy to support me and write recommendations when I plan to apply.
Any thoughts?
The problem in doing that is that if this new job expects someone to stay 5-10 years and you say upfront that you're not going to, then you're not getting the job. There aren't many people who do a FT MBA program and end up coming back to what they were doing before.
A standard answer I gave to interviewers went something like this: I can see myself enjoying my work here for the next few years atleast. If I continue to remain challenged and intellectually stimulated, I don't see a reason why I can't be in it for the long-term.
That way you don't rule out leaving for MBA, but put the ball in their court. Interviewers seemed fine with that answer during my interviews.
No, No, No discussion of MBA, just ask HR when appropriate, if there are training opportunities just before you accept an offer.
I would agree with everyone else - leave the MBA go-getter attitude at home. At the end of the day, there is no upside to mentioning your interest in an MBA and a lot of downside. If you tell them of your intention, many firms will not even strongly consider you, since they don't think you have an interest in growing with the firm - more that you are using it to kill some time and build a bit of experience before B school (this is especially true with smaller firms or firms in general that don't have structure drop-off points such as BB analyst programs - where it's 2 or 3 and then what's next).
To address your issue, while some bosses might be upset if you leave after 2 or 3 years when they thought you would be around for more like 5, the fact is, people's goals and their ambitions, their passions, all change and while you didn't think an MBA was for you 2-3 years ago (whether true or not), now you feel it is the right move at this point. The fact is most bosses won't be upset and as long as you've done good work, you should have build a solid relationship and one in which they will support you in your efforts as you've supported your team. If you go and break this news before they know you, before you've even got an offer, you're essentially saying "if you want someone committed and in it for the long haul, at least at this point, look elsewhere."
Don't knock yourself out before you're even in. In this case, I like either rejecting the notion of B school or saying that it is a possibility, but definitely more of a back-up plan - your ultimate goal is XXX (and of course align it to what you are interviewing for). If you have the GMAT on your resume, then you will want to go with the 2nd strategy and be definitive in your plans - don't flip-flop and say that maybe B school, maybe this is, it all depends on how you like it, etc - say you want position X.
Good luck.
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