Twitter: The MBA Job Hunter's Best Friend

Twitter is quickly becoming a powerful business tool and can be especially helpful during these economic times when unemployment is on the rise. For current MBA applicants, students and grads, it's now more important than ever to make sure your online presence reflects the value and skills your MBA degree brings to the table.

It's not uncommon nowadays for top MBA employers to tweet about new jobs available. If you are actively participating in the Twitter community, you could be one of the first to see and respond to those announcements. You can connect directly with hiring managers and CEO's on Twitter to introduce yourself in a non-invasive way to establish an initial relationship. In addition, it's very easy to learn about company culture and personality types by following employees and CEO's who work at your dream company. They'll be impressed when you enter the interview knowing you can reference some of their most recent tweets.

We came across 50 Terrific Twitter Tips for Job Seekers on MBAjobs.net. We thought we'd highlight the most important ones for you here:

Branding Yourself:

• Create an easy-to-remember Twitter name.
• Put your professional Web site or even your personal LinkedIn url on your Twitter profile.
• Offer valuable content. Avoid posting anything inappropriate.
  
• Don't tweet too often or too infrequently. 3-10 tweets a day is a reasonable amount.
  

Networking:

• Branch out. Start following and connecting with people with similar interests.
• Don't just use Twitter as a soap box for your own content. Converse with other users through @replies, direct messages and re-tweets.
• Tweet other people’s blog posts and links to spread the love and catch the attention of industry leaders.
• Post links to your work and don’t be afraid to promote yourself in a responsible, non-annoying way.

Etiquette:

• Make your words count: Since you only have 140 characters to share, make sure you use the right ones.
• Reply to friends who message you directly or indirectly. You’ll come across as accessible, helpful and friendly.
• Don’t get too casual: Twitter is meant to be an informal way to spread information but almost like e-mail, it’s starting to become a more popular way for even professionals to connect.
• Follow up off of Twitter: Don’t rely on Twitter to make all the connections for you. Network off Twitter or follow up with an e-mail when it’s appropriate.

And remember, if you are looking for an automatic friend on Twitter, follow us @MBAPodcaster and introduce yourself! We'd love to share tweets with you and give you daily insight and personalized advice on the MBA application process. Good luck!

2009 Top 100 'Most Desired' Employers Chosen by MBA Grads

Universum's annual rankings are out on the Top 100 Companies that MBA grads long to work for. Who's who this year? Well, Google takes #1 spot as usual (3rd year in a row) but there have been some interesting shifts this year.

First, the top 15:

1. Google
2. McKinsey & Company
3. Bain & Company
4. Goldman Sachs
5. Apple Computer
6. The Boston Consulting Group
7. Walt Disney
8. Nike
9. J.P. Morgan
10. Johnson & Johnson
11. The Blackstone Group
12. Microsoft
13. General Electric
14. Morgan Stanley
15. IDEO

Now, on to some analysis: Gone, of course, is investment bank Lehman Brothers (which collapsed last fall); Merrill Lynch (no longer an independent firm after being bought by Bank of America in September) plummeted to no. 55 from no. 18 last year. Some financial services firms, though, managed to stay in the top 15, including J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs (now a bank holding company).

Big players like General Electric and Johnson & Johnson also were able to stay in the top 15 thanks to their strong brand and reputation, says Claudia Tattanelli, CEO of Universum North America.

But with consumer spending down, retail companies didn't fare as well this year as they have in the past. Caffeine-purveyor Starbucks, for example, slid to no. 27 from no. 17, while discounter Target dropped to no. 44 from 26.

Less concerned with a prospective employer's prestige, MBAs are broadening their horizons this year, Tattanelli says. Instead, they're more interested in finding innovative companies with positive work environments.

"MBAs have opened up to a whole new set of employers," she says.

One newcomer, Blackstone Group, is the first and only private equity firm to ever make the list. President and COO Tony James credits the firm's appeal to the access and exposure its 15 or 18 new hires a year receive.

"We try to offer an extraordinary professional experience," he said. Incoming associates are teamed with more senior executives on high-level projects and they "are equal in any discussion - that's exhilarating," James said.

Also making an impressive first showing was Palo Alto-based design firm, IDEO, at No. 15. The 500-person company is responsible for Crest's Neat Squeeze, Tivo's set top box and remote control and, most recently, Bank of America's "Keep the Change" program.

When IDEO held an on-campus recruiting event at Wharton this year, "the room was packed," Tattanelli said.

Data from more than 6,000 respondents at 58 top programs proves that MBAs are less willing to sacrifice challenging work, a competitive salary, and professional development for greater job security than undergraduates, who placed characteristics such as stability and security above all else.