The dial-in Job Search Team call has been operational for seven months.  It is a weekly call for Executive MBA and Technology Management MBA students and alumni actively engaged in job search.  The initial goals were to provide a flexible format for support, ideas, and resources.

With a typical weekly group of 4-8 individuals, each participant takes a few minutes to provide a brief introduction (name, target next position and stage of search) and then has time to ask for insights on a particular search strategy, to share a quick win or new resource, and most importantly what’s working (and what’s not working). 

Sometimes the facilitators will take a few minutes to share information related to search, i.e. executive recruiters/headhunters, salary considerations/surveys, social networking, Foster School events, etc. 

In last week’s call, we talked about applying for positions at Microsoft (with a referral); these techniques certainly apply at other companies too.  This week, the group had a rich conversation about the steps for effective informational interviews — “career development research” is probably a better name!

I will post a debrief of our next search-related topic.  It might be information helpful to you now or in the future.

This holiday season, TMMBA staff and students will take a break from their hectic lives and lend a helping hand at Treehouse – a local nonprofit that provides enrichment and educational services to foster children. Started in 1988, Treehouse offers unique programs that range from summer camp to college and career planning. Last years, Treehouse helped over 5,000f foster kids in the greater Seattle area.

TMMBA will focus its attention on the Wearhouse – a free store where kids shop for clothing, school supplies, and other essentials. We’ll play host to a holiday drive at the Eastside Executive Center – a friendly competition between the Monday and Wednesday sections . We will also volunteer onsite at the Wearhouse and sort, tag, and restock merchandise.

Stay tuned for pictures of the event!

There are many opportunities to enrich your educational experience beyond the classroom.  This quarter, several TMMBA students are participating in two consulting opportunities through the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: UW Tech Transfer LaunchPad Internships and the Entrepreneurial Law Clinic.

Students participating in LaunchPad Internships spend about 10 hours a week acting as consultants to UW Tech Transfer. They assess the commercial potential of UW research and help identify possible opportunities for these UW technologies.

The Enrepreneurial Law Clinic is an opportunity for MBA students to partner with law students in advising early stage Northwest companies about legal and business structuring.  This is a great chance to learn about the legal aspect of start-ups while gaining business consulting experience.

Stay tuned to hear more about the student experience participating in these activities as fall quarter comes to a close.

Congratulations to the new TMMBA class!  As the last offers of admission arrive we are busy preparing for the Welcome Reception and the December Orientation Immersion.  The new class promises to be one full of diversity, enthusiasm, drive and passion.   Plus, the class is comprised of some really nice folks that will be a joy to have in the program.  In a couple of weeks I’ll publish class names and companies.  Stay tuned…

TechFlash LIVE: Women in Tech Event
Wednesday, Oct 28 at 5:00 – 8:00 pm
W Hotel, Downtown Seattle

Mix and mingle with Seattle’s who’s who of women in the technology industry. Click to enter for a guest pass  and join TMMBA as we celebrate Women in Tech.

TechFlash is a product of the Puget Sound Business Journal and TMMBA is proud to partner with TechFlash and PSBJ for this event to celebrate leadership in technology. For more information about this event, visit http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/event/9691.

I’m a tad bit behind on my posting, but nonetheless one of the biggest events recently has been the TMMBA Leadership Immersion weekend.  In it’s second year, the Leadership Immersion places current TMMBA students into a intensive 3-day weekend focusing exclusively on Leadership at the workplace.  The weekend uses an array of resources to give students the tools they need to succeed as current or future leaders in their respective industry.  From readings, a leadership simulation, case studies, theoretical frameworks, and the analysis of organizational data, the weekend covers a lot of ground but allows the students to devote their absolute focus on this important subject matter for managers.  Last year the students attended the weekend in their typical section (Monday or Wednesday), however this year we added a special twist by mixing the students across sections which enhanced networking opportunities, enhanced the bond between sections, and to add a new element to the leadership simulation and class discussions.  The random groups then attended their weekend assignment during weekend 1 or weekend 2.  Another twist was that classes were held on the Seattle campus which is a special treat for most of our students as the overwhelming majority of TMMBA class sessions occur at the Eastside Executive Center in Kirkland, WA.

Without a doubt the leadership immersion as a whole was a fantastic success.  The instructor, Patrick Bettin, is widely known both at the Foster School of Business and in the private sector as an outstanding instructor and has received numerous awards in various Executive Programs at the UW.  In fact, he was honored last year by both TMMBA sections (Monday & Wednesday) with the Foster School of Business’ Excellence in Teaching Award.  During the days I attended, I saw the students extremely engaged and enjoying themselves as they reflected on what type of leader they currently are and what they need to do to become a better one.

While class was out of session during September the TMMBA program office made the most out of the empty office time to complete some facility improvement work.  While most of them are relatively minor in scale, they all feed into a better student experience which pays huge dividends for our busy students.  Some tweaks were made to increase comfort and others for maximizing the space we have, here are the highlights:

• More outlets in the dining hall so that power is never too far away for a hungry laptop battery
• Kitchenette added in place of a seldom used closet.  This just became the most popular place to hang out, allows for a dedicated and organized area for coffee, microwave, utensils, etc.
• Beverages and ice-cream consolidated into the catering area which allowed greater spacing in the dining hall for meals, studying, and team meetings
• New conference room added in the back of the office.  Just another study location option for teams seeking privacy.
• Lounge and phone added to the front of the office space.  A big reception desk used to sit up front but we decided that the area would better serve the students by offering additional sitting space to hang out or study.
• Audio/Visual system added to the dining hall to accommodate guest speakers when speaking to larger groups.
• Updated projectors added to one of the classrooms to keep the technology up to date.

Don’t worry. Like me, many of my fellow students in “Class 9″ hadn’t stepped foot in a classroom for several years, much less subjected themselves (ignore the passive voice) to standardized testing. When I decided to take the GMAT in summer of ‘08 I had not taken a math class since 1994. I had forgotten nearly everything and had to “relearn” math. Fortunately, with the GMAT there is a limit to what you “have to know” and you can study just that.

Here’s how:

1. Sign up for a KAPLAN diagnostic/information session and take a practice exam. This introduction class is a free and you will leave it with a clear understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. There are KAPLAN education centers around town including the U district.
2. Make a plan to study. Either take a KAPLAN review course or get books to self study. I wanted to take a class, but I didn’t give myself enough time. I had to take the exam in three weeks, so I relied on several GMAT books.
3. Schedule the exam before you start to study. Force your hand. If you have a deadline looming you are much more likely to stay on a straight and narrow path.
4. Take practice exams (essays and all) at least 4 times (I think GMAC offers two free CAT exams online when you sign up for the exam. I’d take one of those first and one last becasue they are the best). Simulate the exam exactly how you will take it at the center. So honor the time restraints, take breaks only at the scheduled times, etc. Also try to take the exam on the computer versus on paper. Take your practice exams at the same time of day that you will take it at the center.
5. Focus on your weaknesses, but do not forget about your strengths. You need practice with both. I focused on the math about twice as much as the verbal, but I still did study the verbal despite early indications that I would do fine on that section.
6. Make flash cards. I know it’s old school but they work.

Info on books/programs I liked/used:

• Invaluable book for those struggling with the math: The Official Guide for GMAT Quantitative Review (Paperback)

• Kaplan’s GMAT book and CD-ROM was decent, but the simulated tests were about 100 points harder than the actual test. Which was a bit startling the first time I took it. So keep that in mind, if your Kaplan exam results are below your GMAC practice exam scores then it just may be Kaplan and not you. The GMAC practice exam is a good predictor of performance.

Don’t worry, I did it in three weeks having no working memory of mathematics. You can do it too!

I just posted the AUT Quarter tuition breakdown on Blackboard a couple weeks ago, and I received many emails and calls from students asking the same questions about the difference between Nonwaitlisted vs.Waitlisted and why there are different costs. I thought I might want to answer this question here to share with other current students or newly admitted students.
Nonwaitlisted refers to students who are admitted into the class for the current year; they will pay the tuition fee of the current class. Waitlisted is for students who were on the waitlist from last year; they will pay the tuition fee of last year, which costs less.
For example: For next year’s class (entering in 2011), if you are admitted this year (2010) to TMMBA and would like to defer to next year (2011), you will enter as a Waitlisted student and might have less tuition fee compared to other students who are admitted in 2011. Hope it makes sense to you.

September 27th, 2009…one of last lazy Sunny Summer Sundays…

Next Friday I get to go to the Leadership Immersion. I’m really excited about that. Part of the reason is I want to see what kind of leaders have impacted my class mates. This was one exercise we are supposed to do. Talk about some one who has been most influential in our life stream so far.

I have been thinking about it for past few weeks. Finally today I sat down and wrote about the most influential person in my life – my mom. After I wrote what I’m going to share with my class, I thought of sharing that with other perspective students too on this blog. While writing about that I realized that I would have been a totally different person if my mom was not who she is. In addition, I also suddenly became aware that whatever I do is also influencing others in positive or negative way ( I hope not this way though..).  Here is what I’m going to share about most influential person in my life.

Leadership Impact – how are you impacting others?

I don’t think I have come across a leader that was perfect in all aspects. Each one had his or her own strengths and weaknesses. Each leader also had his or her unique style. As a follower I’m sure I have picked up various attributes of different leaders but I would say most impact has been made by my mother.

My mom is one person I characterize as energetic, result oriented and high achiever and mainly with a high degree of perseverance.  She is someone who thrived thru tough times in her life. She was always determined and struggled thru a male dominated society where women were still is a role of house maker. Having career was sort of unheard of. If any women were to do that, she had to do that in her own time after completing her other society dictated responsibilities. My mom went to high school against her parent’s wishes. She went to college without knowledge of her parents. She did her masters while she had two kids and without any help from her family. Finally she started an elementary school in 1980 which she ran for 25 years before she retired. There were over 350 kids in her elementary school. She demonstrated to me that “Where there is a will, there is a way”. This has been my mantra too. She always taught us that only person you can really rely on is you. You need to have the confidence in your abilities and once you know what you want to do, it’s only a matter of going after it.

She also always have opinions about things. She is an active volunteer in society. She was active in politics. She ran for two political campaigns at the district level. On one of her elections, I acted as her campaign manager. This was after my masters in engineering. That was one time that I worked closely with her and came to know how she connected with people on a more personal level. During this interaction, I learned the people always have a need for personal bond and if you can create that bond, as a leader you can be much more influential than otherwise.

Of course my bond with her is at a much deeper level and I don’t need any physical object to remind me of her. But to share with you all, I brought with me here this box that she got in her wedding. This is a great memory from my childhood and when I moved here 10 years ago, she gave it to me.

I just hope that I can be a role model for my daughters and some day they give a talk remembering the positive impact I made in their lives.

Enjoy the sunshine…