Career Opportunities for Green MBAs: Talking to Presidio Graduate School Dean

I’m working on an upcoming MBA Podcaster show focusing on real-life career opportunities for Green MBAs. Green and sustainability are hot topics in the business world, but what exactly can you do with a Green MBA? What industries can you work in? What companies will hire you? In which position? I’ll be asking this of my guests and keeping you posted along the way with blog updates.

Today I’m talking to Nicola Acutt, Associate Dean of Programs at Presidio Graduate School, which declares that it is “dedicated to developing business and civic leaders with the competencies and the courage to implement their ideas for creating a sustainable future.” She believes that sustainable management is relevant to every job.

“Organizations are really starting to understand that a focus on efficiency and energy and sustainability can be an asset and an added value and that’s underscored in tough economic times like we’re experiencing.  I would say definitely in the last 6 years, I’ve seen a shift from the pioneers to traditional established companies focuses on this area.”

Acutt says that every industry in every sector is coming around and hiring - from Fortune 500 companies like Hewlett-Packard to consulting firms like Saatchi and Saatchi .  She sees is an increase in interest in from two interesting areas: educational/nonprofits institutions and emerging markets.

“We’ve seen an increase in positions being posted for jobs like the director of campus sustainability being posted for positions in universities across the country. And of course we continue to see the steady stream of non-profit and public sector roles. But more and more in educational organization and charter schools looking for directors or sustainability or people with that mind set to help organization understand and implement policies and initiatives.... and several clean tech positions have been posted for India and China. This speaks to global movement and relevance of sustainable management.”

Learn more of what Acutt an the other guests have to say about Green MBA job opportunities and how to snag one in our upcoming show that will be live by the end of the week. Other guests on the show include:

• Michael Callahan, the co-founder of Powermundo, who will share his experiences in the job market with his sustainable MBA;
• Katie Kross, Associate Director of the Corporate Sustainability Initiative at Duke University, who will talk about what Green MBA’s need to succeed in the job market; and
• Ellen Weinreb, a sustainable recruiter, who will talk about job paths for green MBA’s.

Going from the Military to the MBA - A Student's Perspective

"Once you combine the leadership and management experience of a military member with the formal business training you get out of an MBA program, that person is a powerful and valuable resource for the corporation. So it's a really great value proposition for the student, as well as for the company, and therefore for the school."
That statement comes from an Air Force veteran who served six years as an intelligence officer. Tremain "Trey" Wheatley is now in his second year at Darden School of Business. Trey is one of more than a dozen interviews I did for the two shows Military MBA: From the Military to Corporate America: Getting In and Fitting In.
Trey told me he was initially drawn to getting his MBA to enhance his skill set to expand his foundation. He had a lot to say to other military about how to make the transition. He says he first reached out to two members of the Darden Military Association -- a strong group on campus. He says since they understand the same language, they know that the new guys and women are going to need to know where to buy suits, how to interview, and how to craft their essays for their application. Trey says the second year MBA students -- who were former military -- are the best resources.
As for choice of MBA school, Trey suggests military look for schools with a military association, and see if those schools waive application fees for military.
He also says Darden appealed to him because it seemed well-suited for the military mind, given its general management focus. Trey likes how everyone in the program is trained to think like a CEO.
We'll let you know when the two Military MBA shows post on MBA Podcaster.

The DOD Weighs in on What Military Should Know When They Go For Their MBA

The federal government offers a strong helping hand to military personnel who decide to further pursue their education. This information came out in a few interviews for our two shows Military MBA: From the Military to Corporate America: Getting In and Fitting In.

I talked to Program Manager Geraldine Hicks, who is the Education Service Specialist at the Army Continuing Education System...to Joe Cothron, the Deptuy Director for Army Education in the Adjutant General's office...and, to Lt Col Mike Moose, the Public Affairs Officer for US Army Human Resources command, who was on active duty, on leave from his civilian career at Radio Shack. Keep in mind that the information will vary for other branches.

You're military? You get to take the GMAT for free -- one time.

There are two programs. One is what Joe is connected with -- the voluntary education program, which is when a soldier comes to the Army Education Center, and states that he or she wants to go back to school. Geraldine says the soldiers receive 100-percent tuition-assistance. But, Joe says if you're in the voluntary program, you'll be paying for your own books.
The second program is if the military has a mission requirement - and then the advanced education is fully-funded.

Mike was on active duty, then got his MBA, and, while working for Radio Shack, got called back to active duty. He says the GI Bill got him to the next level. And, Mike says his MBA not only gave him a career boost in the early Radio Shack years, it also helped him in his army reserve career.

Stay tuned -- we've interviewed more than a dozen experts for these two shows. We'll let you know when they're posted on MBA Podcaster.com. And, I'll be blogging about the rest of the participants.

Career Opportunities for Green MBAs: Talking to Duke University Sustainability Guru

I’m working on an upcoming MBA Podcaster show focusing on real-life career opportunities for Green MBAs. Green and sustainability are hot topics in the business world, but how does the global green movement translate into GREEN $$ for business school grads? What do Green MBA’s need from graduate school besides an understanding of finance and accounting? How might the job search differ for a Green MBA grad versus a more traditional MBA? I’ll be asking this of my guests and keeping you posted along the way with blog updates.

Today I’m talking to Katie Kross, Associate Director of the Corporate Sustainability Initiative at Duke University. She also wrote a book on the subject Profession and Purpose: A Resource Guide for MBA Careers in Sustainability. Resource constraints, pressure from different stakeholders and a changing regulatory landscape are going to change the way businesses operate. There are really interesting opportunities for companies to gain a competitive advantage. Businesses with a forward thinking strategy are investing in sustainability. Kross says that it’s a very new field and while there is no manual on how to do sustainability (yet), MBA’s can get up to speed on the issues.

It is important that they understand, not just the business side of things, but also the public policy side of things, because issues like climate change regulation are going to have profound impacts on what the cost-benefit analysis will have on many decisions. So, they need to have an understanding of what it is sustainability and some of the fundamentals of what those environmental and social issues are and how companies are looking at them.

The applications of how these skills will be employed continue to emerge every day. Kross believes that the MBA’s that are graduating now are in a really exciting position because they’re going to be the pioneers. They are the ones that are going to develop how to apply sustainability in a corporate context. They are the ones who are going to write the manuals. Kross says that some of the Green MBA’s also are writing their own job descriptions.

Many of these positions are not posted anywhere publicly. They not on websites, they’re not doing on-campus recruiting. They’re positions that job candidates are writing for themselves based on their relationships and their experiences.

Learn more of what Kross an the other guests have to say about Green MBA job opportunities and how to snag one in our upcoming show that will be live in a couple of weeks. Other guests on the show include:

• Nicola Arcutt, the Associate Dean of the Presidio Graduate School, who will talk about which companies are coming to campus and what they are looking for in a Green MBA;
• Michael Callahan, the co-founder of Powermundo, a sustainable recruiter, who will share his experiences in the job market with his sustainable MBA; and
• Ellen Weinreb, a sustainable recruiter, will talk about job paths for green MBA’s.

Send us any questions you’d ask from these guests. Register on our site to stay tuned when new episodes become available or register for MBA Podcaster on iTunes.

Military to MBA - Advice from MIT Sloan

Moving from military to the MBA? It's nearly a natural fit.

That's what Assistant Director of Admissions at the MIT Sloan School of Management -- Barry Reckley -- says of military personnel who go for their MBA. "With the qualifications and with the inbred basic leadership capabilities that folks have when they're coming out of the military, it's almost a natural fit."

Reckley says it's not an issue if an applicant doesn't have a financial or business background. "In many ways, it's more beneficial, because they bring a different tool set into the mix. (Although) that applicant may have to go back and maybe take a course in accounting or microeconomics, or something to that effect."

If you're military, applying to MIT Sloan, he advises you to stay clear of using what he calls alphabet soup. You might want to run your application past a military alum to be sure you're communicating clearly for non-military.

Sloan has a veterans association. Sloan waives the application fee. And, he says Sloan works with the VA, so there are financial advantages available. All the details are in our upcoming show on MBA Podcaster, with a dozen more experts speaking out. We'll let you know when it's posted.

Career Opportunities for Green MBAs: Talking to Ellen Weinreb, Sustainability Recruiter

I’m working on an upcoming MBA Podcaster show focusing on real-life career opportunities for Green MBAs. Everyone is talking about going green these days but how does the global green movement translate into GREEN $$ for business school grads? Who’s hiring and where’s the growth going to come from in the green movement? What are the longer term career prospects for Green MBA grads? I’ll be asking this of my guests and keeping you posted along the way with blog updates.

Today I’m talking to Ellen Weinreb. Weinreb has been doing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consulting and recruiting for 12 years. She says the bright spots for Green MBA’s in the short term lie with sustainable brands and smaller businesses.

“The Burt’s Bees and Stonyfield Yogurts, they’ve actually been doing quite alright and they’re still hiring...One growth that I see is a lot of sustainability type jobs arising as a result of Walmart requiring their suppliers to develop their sustainability initiative.”

In the long run she expects that growth trend in sustainable brands will continue. That and the growth of two relatively new industries - clean technology and climate change risk management - will provide healthy, a wealth of opportunities for Green MBA’s.

Other guests on the show include:

• Michael Callahan, the co-founder of Powermundo, a sustainable recruiter, who will share his experiences in the job market with his sustainable MBA;
• Katie Kross, author of Profession and Purpose: A Resource Guide for MBA Careers in Sustainability, who will discuss what skills are need for new green MBA's and how to talk to companies about their specialized MBA; and
• Nicola Arcutt, the Associate Dean of the
  Presidio Graduate School, who will talk about which companies are coming to campus and what they are looking for in a Green MBA.

Stay tuned for the full show coming live in a couple of weeks and send us any questions you’d ask from these guests. Register on our site to stay tuned when new episodes become available or register for MBA Podcaster on iTunes.

Military --- Good Fit for Corporate Life

The next generation of CEO's could very well spring from the military. And Melissa Knueven -- the Associate Director at the Global Citizen Initiatives at the Graduate Management Admission Council -- says military are strong young leaders, who have been tested under stressful situations most of us could never even imagine. They are able, she says, to solve problems with imperfect information. Knueven says, add the MBA, and you have a strong leader who now has an operations, accounting, and finance background -- a holistic view of business.

I interviewed Melissa for an upcoming show we call Military MBA: From the Military to Corporate America. There are two shows, actually, one subtitled Getting In, and the other is Fitting In. I'll let you know when they're posted on MBAPodcaster.com. And, while we're explaining things -- Melissa is with the council that owns the GMAT and the Association of Graduate Schools of Business around the world.

If you are military, and, at this point, searching for the right fit to pursue your MBA, Melissa says the best schools will be in close proximity to military installations, offer part-time or flex-time programs, and they'll have strong military networks and alumni base.

She says look for military-friendly schools. GMAC considers schools military-friendly if they do things like waive the application fee, they have financial aid available, and they offer a one-year deferment policy, keeping the spot for MBA students who may be deployed.

We have interviewed more than a dozen people for this show, so keep watching this space. One more comment from Melissa Knueven with GMAC:

"Whether you're transitioning out of the military into corporate life, or staying in, career-military, the MBA combined with that experience just makes these people forces to be reckoned with."

Career Opportunities for Green MBAs: Talking to Co-Founder of Powermundo

I’m working on an upcoming MBA Podcaster show focusing on real-life career opportunities for Green MBAs. Green seems to be the word of the day but how does that translate into a real job once you graduate from the pristine confines of your business school? What sort of path can Green MBAs expect? What’s the outlook 5 or 10 years down the line? I’ll be asking this of my guests and keeping you posted along the way with blog updates.

Today I’m talking to Michael Callahan. Callahan’s a passionate social entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of Powermundo, a company that builds and manages a network of customers, retailers, and suppliers to deliver appropriate clean technology products for people in developing countries.

Callahan’s inspiration for his company comes from a grandmother who lived in the shanty towns of Lima, Peru with her two orphan grandchildren.

She used a candle to light her shack and make handicrafts at night to sell to support herself and her two orphan grandchildren. She came to our demonstration and saw the solar lights and the solar panels and realized that this could save her money, she wouldn’t have to by candles or kerosene, she could work more efficiently and her children would be happier. I came back after selling her the product two nights later and she was ecstatic on how much it had changed her life... There is no reason why this business couldn’t scale.

So Callahan enrolled in the Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise master’s program in the College of Business at Colorado State University specifically to start his own business, to recruit a team and make connections to funding. I interviewed him for an upcoming show that will explore the new job opportunities for Green MBAs. Other guests on the show include:

• Ellen Weinreb, a sustainable recruiter, who will talk about other job paths for Green MBA's;
• Katie Kross, author of Profession and Purpose: A Resource Guide for MBA Careers in Sustainability, who will discuss what skills are need for new green MBA's and how to talk to companies about their specialized MBA; and
• Nicola Arcutt, the Associate Dean of the Presidio Graduate School, who will talk about which companies are coming to campus and what they are looking for in a Green MBA. 

Stay tuned for the full show coming live in a couple of weeks and send us any questions you’d ask from these guests. Register on our site to stay tuned when new episodes become available or register for MBA Podcaster on iTunes.

2010 PRIVATE EQUITY COMPENSATION REPORT: A Must-Read for PE Aspirants

Glocap Search, one of the preeminent retained executive search firm focused on the private equity industry, has released a new 2010 report on the Private Equity sector. You'll remember Glocap, and their Senior Partner and head of their private equity practice, Brian Korb, as a guest on our show about "Finance/Banking Salaries in the Current Economic Environment". Below are their highlights from this year's report. If you want to buy the whole report (a steal at $2195.00!) see link at the end.


Glocap Search LLC and Thomson Reuters have released the 2010 Private Equity Compensation Report, an in-depth analysis of 2009/10 compensation at U.S.-based private equity funds. Following several consecutive years in which compensation had been on an upward trajectory, growth across all segments of the market (buyout/growth equity, venture capital and private equity fund of funds) has come
to a halt with total compensation now trending down, according to the report.
Much of the pullback in compensation can be attributed to a drop-off in fee income from slower deal activity and dramatically reduced fundraising. This is an about-face from the past few years when record-setting fundraising and a steady flow of larger deals drove compensation to new heights. The Report, which covers later-stage buyout/growth equity,
early-stage venture capital and private equity fund of funds, includes compensation data for
Analysts, Associates, Senior Associates, Vice Presidents, Principals, Partners, CFOs,
Controllers, Fund Accountants, Fund Marketers, Investor Relations professionals and
Administrative/Executive Assistants. There were no major categories in which
compensation increased.

Brian Korb, Senior Partner at Glocap and head of its private equity practice, noted that in
addition to the reduced fee income, investment professionals’ own expectations for
compensation have been tempered due to the layoffs that shook Wall Street. He added
that pressure to raise compensation was reduced further by the diminished threats from
hedge funds and competing private equity funds, which in previous years had lured away
top talent with lucrative offers. “This is the first time compensation has fallen across the
board in the more than 10 years that we have been tracking it. Nevertheless, this
environment provides a healthy wake-up call that private equity is not an easy money
business,” Korb said.

The report continues to show that compensation increases significantly as the amount of
capital under management rises. Traditional later-stage private equity/buyout funds still
pay the highest compensation levels followed by venture capital firms which, in most
cases, pay more than fund of funds. Among the highlights of the report are:

• Base salaries across most categories were relatively unchanged from last year’s
levels, with most of the declines in total compensation reflected in reduced
bonuses.
• Total average compensation for Senior Associates at buyout/growth equity funds
held relatively steady with only 3% decreases.
• Total average compensation for Vice Presidents at buyout/growth equity funds
was down 5% to $424,000, with bonuses down as much as 10% in some
categories.
• Fund of fund compensation across all levels was down 1-3%, the lowest decrease
among the three asset classes.

The Report, the ninth annual, analyzes base salary and bonus compensation for thousands
of professionals at buyout/growth equity, venture capital and private equity fund of funds
for the years 2006 through 2009/10. Compensation is segmented further by fund size for
each asset class. A unique characteristic of the Glocap-Thomson report is that it does not
derive its compensation data strictly from a survey, but rather from a combination of
actual placements executed by Glocap, candidate data maintained by Glocap in the
course of its search business (including expected bonus information) and input from
Glocap recruiters, fund professionals and human resources personnel.

To buy the full report, click here

Mia Talks to Co-Founder of SixFigureStart

SixFigureStart Coaching Interview

As a journalist I am used to speaking to extremely captivating and interesting people. However, even I was blown away with my interview with Caroline Ceniza-Levine. This woman is a firecracker! People always tell me, “Mia you are one of the most optimistic and inspirational people I know.” I would classify Caroline in this camp too. Caroline blew me away with her inspirational, yet candid and frank advice. But providing this advice is part of her job. Caroline is a career expert and co-founder of SixFigureStart (www.SixFigureStart.com), a career coaching firm that coaches Gen Y students and young professionals to launch fulfilling and financially rewarding careers. Caroline tells it like it is and doesn’t sugarcoat. I asked her a variety of questions including:
a.) “When an interviewer asks you, ‘Tell me about yourself,’ what do they REALLY mean?”
b.) Should you work for free to build up your resume?
c.) Should you do 2 internships in one summer?

After an hour or so speaking with Caroline I started thinking how great her advice would be to my friends at Harvard Business School. I’ve recommended numerous of my friends to check out her site. She blogs frequently and does many online workshops that are worth checking out. To see my interview with Caroline check out MBA PodTV's career related episodes, coming soon!

Take care,
Mia Saini
Host of MBA PodTV

MBA PodTV Host, Mia Saini, Interviews Founder of Doostang

Mareza is the man! He was my last interview of the day, after a crazy and intense interview schedule. I was expecting to conduct a quick interview with him, but as soon as we got to talking, I knew this interview would go over! First of all, Mareza is one of the most fascinating people to speak with. He is engaging, dynamic, and insightful. For those of you who don’t recognize the name, you will absolutely recognize his website: www.Doostang.com. Mareza is co-founder of Doostang, an online career community that connects people through personal relationships and affiliations. A former venture capitalist and proprietary trader with Draper Fisher Jurvetson ePlanet and Merrill Lynch, Mareza earned his MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business. He launched Doostang during the summer of 2005. Since then, the site has grown to over 290,000 users and is considered the pre-eminent site among the educated and talented group of 21-34 year olds. javascript:void(0)

I first learned of Doostang when I was an undergrad at MIT. It hit MIT’s campuses first since the other co-founder is an MIT alum. With the job market becoming even more difficult to navigate, sites like Doostang can simplify the process and facilitate networked connections. I spoke to Mareza about how his website can help students network and find jobs in a targeted fashion. I also spoke to him about the ideal candidate Stanford Graduate School of Business looks for. I highly encourage all of you to check out Doostang. Stay tuned for my interview with Mareza…only on MBA PodTV!

Take care,
Mia Saini, MBA PodTV Host