POST-MBA CAREERS

A Comprehensive Guide t o l if e af t er an MBA

CAREERS AFTER
AN MBA

B-SCHOOL
INSIGHTS
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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
# 1. Careers in Technol ogy ...............................................................? ? ? ? ? ..? 6

# 2. Careers in Operat ions .............? .? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ...............? ..8

# 3. Careers in Consul t ing ................? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ...............? ..11

# 4. Careers in Sal es .........................? ..........? ? ? ? ? ? ? .? ? ? ? ...............? ..16

# 5. Careers in Market ing .....? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ...............? ..17

# 6. Careers in Finance ....? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ............................? ..19

# 7. Concl usion ...............? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ............................? ..19

 # 1 CAREERS IN TECHNOLOGY
Your job has begun to stale - the long working hours, the endless bug-fixes, and the same old
deliverables. You start thinking of ways to get out of this vicious circle. As the luxury of the
corner office (or maybe just a larger cubicle) beckons the better-manager-than-coder within
you, you wonder if there some way you can take a shot at management.
Here is the good news: there are some excellent career paths in store for you, provided you
have a strong interest in technology. You can go down this path the easy way (through an MBA)
or the hard way (keep at it for more years and go up through the ranks). On second thought, the
MBA route isn?t particularly easy ? but it is still relatively faster.

But what about non-IT f ol ks who want t o work in t echnol ogy?

It is rare to see someone from a non-tech background wishing to make a breakthrough into this
field ? but if you do fall into this category, remember that more than anything, you will need to
justify in your B-school application, your passion for and knowledge of technology, irrespective
of what field you are in currently. You need to specify why you want to make a career switch to
technology at this stage in your career because, at the end of the day, you need to have strong
tech fundamentals and a keen interest in the field, to don a leadership role in technology.
Career Pat hs in Technol ogy
Let us look at two technology careers available to MBAs:
1.Project / Del ivery Management : If you are tech-savvy, and are looking for a post-MBA career
path that requires you to be a technical expert, but also handle managerial functions, then
project management ( and delivery management after that) may be your cup of tea. A technical
project manager is responsible for organizing and managing projects from start to completion.
He or she has to find the fine balance between technical expertise and managerial skills. This
role involves project scoping, scheduling, budgeting and managing risks associated with
delivery. A project manager will have to manage the internal project delivery team, as well as
customers, and will be a single point of contact for all matters related to the project.

Typical Career Pat h in Project Management

What Does It Take To Buil d A Career In Project Management ?

- Technical expertise
- Excellent communication skills
- Negotiation skills
- Work management skills: organizing, delegating etc.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills

2. Product Management : Involves the management of the entire lifecycle of a product from
conception to roll out. Product managers are involved with designing the product features and
specifications, in addition to setting deadlines for various stages of completion. This is an
interdisciplinary role that involves coordinating between the business development team and
the product development team. The scope of a product manager?s work ranges from market
analysis to product feature definition. A product manager is often responsible for the P&L of the
product.
Key Responsibil it y Areas: Cost & time of product roll out, product performance & growth,
product ROI.

3. Anal yst : By definition, a business analyst?s job is to analyze datasets, systems and business
models from the perspective of identifying trends and business needs, designing processes and
translating business requirements in terms of technology. In a services company, an analyst
maybe on-site capturing client requirements. In a product company, he could be woring in the
project management team. A business analyst may be given other titles also, like process
consultant, functional analyst, product analyst or systems architect, depending on the
organization.
Typical Career Pat h of a Business Anal yst

What does it t ake t o buil d a career as an Anal yst ?

- Data modeling & statistical skills
- Technical expertise
- Eye for detail and spotting trends
- Communication and storytelling skills

B-School s renowned f or t echnol ogy programs:

MIT Sloan, Tepper, UCLA, Haas, Cornell Johnson, Boston University, Krannert, Scheller, Olin,
Fisher, ISB, IIMB
 # 2 CAREERS IN OPERATIONS
Any discussion about operations or supply chain management is incomplete without a mention
of the Apple iPhone ? so let?s begin with that.
An iPhone is a truly global product. Its parts are manufactured in China. The product is designed
in California, USA. Its parts are manufactured in China and it retails in over 80 countries across
the globe. The secret behind this is Apple?s vast and well-managed supply chain. Though Steve
Jobs maybe the genius behind Apple Inc. It was Tim Cook (Current CEO), the mastermind behind
the operations, who made this product successful.
Operations is one of the core functions and success pillars of any business, be it manufacturing
or services. This function deals with the production and delivery of the product or service that
the organization offers. The gamut of operations covers everything from the acquisition of raw
materials or resources to the design and optimization of systems and processes.

Career t racks in Operat ions Management

This field has many interesting career tracks,
where upward movement can be quite rapid if
you are a strong performer. After majoring in
operations, you can work either as a consultant
or with the operations team of individual
companies.
1. Operat ions Consul t ing: As a consultant, you
would work in an operations consulting firm in
any of their verticals such as retail, pharma &
healthcare, hi-tech or automotives. You would
work with different clients, advising them on
operations strategy and supply chain
management.

2. Operat ions Management : In the operations function of a particular company, you would
typically start out as a manager in Purchase, Logistics or Warehouse Operations. You may work
at either a single plant, or multiple plants in a single region. A starting designation could be, for
instance, ?Purchase Manager at Godrej & Boyce?or ?Logistics Manager at LG Electronics?.
3. Purchasing: As a Purchase Manager you would need to gather requirements from various
divisions in the company, identify and evaluate vendors, negotiate terms with them on the basis
of technical and commercial considerations, procure the necessary licenses, coordinate with the
finance department for payments and ensure that purchase orders are processed on time.

4. Logist ics: This involves managing the inbound and outbound movement of materials and
finished goods. For instance, the transportation of raw material from suppliers to the
manufacturing plant, the movement of intermediate products to the next level of processing,
the transportation of finished goods to warehouses for storage and the distribution of these
goods from the warehouses to the retailers. Thus, logistics managers would need to coordinate
with transporters/ carriers, negotiate contracts, manage costs, and ensure that transport across
borders happens smoothly.

5. Warehouse Operat ions: involves forecasting demand & supply, managing inventory levels
and flow, optimizing the utilization of space within a warehouse and managing the warehouse
personnel.

Operations Management is a field where job rotation is quite frequent ? so you may find
yourself moving between these functions for a few years. At a mid-management level, your
responsibilities may expand to include multiple plants and/ or larger regions. You would also be
involved in optimizing processes, improving productivity and even some process
re-engineering. At a senior leadership level, you would get the opportunity to design and set up
supply chain functions from scratch, formulate standards and operating procedures, and be
responsible for an entire supply chain.
Operations is a good area in which to start your career if you want to enter consulting or general
management at a later stage. A fine example of this is Apple CEO Tim Cook. An alumnus of Duke,
he has a strong operations background and is credited with the streamlining of Apple?s supply
chain.
Typical Career Progression in Operat ions Management :

What Does It Take To Buil d A Career In Operat ions?

- A strong understanding of different business functions and systems, and their dependencies
- A flair for problem solving
- An interest in technology
- An aptitude for quantitative analysis.
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills, since you would need to coordinate with
people across functions and possibly even geographies (vendors, business partners,
manufacturers, internal sales & delivery teams etc.)

Top Indust ries f or Operat ions Management : High tech, pharmaceuticals, retail, automotives,
manufacturing
B-School s renowned f or operat ions programs:
MIT Sloan, Ross, Tepper, Krannert, McCombs, UNC Kenan-Flagler
 # 3 CAREERS IN CONSULTING
7 out of 10 MBA aspirant s say t hat t heir career goal is Management Consul t ing. But very few of
them have the first clue about what a consultant does or what it really takes to become one.The
object ive of t his sect ion is t o give al l t he aspiring consul t ant s out t here a cl earer idea about
Management Consul t ing as a career opt ion.

Consul t ing 101 : What is Consul t ing?

Companies often encounter business problems such as new product launches, revamping
operations, entering new territories, redesigning the organizational structure etc. While some
companies have in-house consulting teams to evaluate such strategic and tactical problems,
many others approach external Consulting firms to do this for them.
In a nutshell, a consultant is an ext ernal advisor who st eps in t o st udy a business probl em and
make recommendat ions to help the client solve it.
1. St rat egy Consul t ing: Answering the question ?What Should The Client Do??,Strategy
Consulting is aimed at the general direct ion an organizat ion shoul d t ake, it s l ong t erm pl ans,
it s organic and inorganic growt h st rat egy, and increasing prof it abil it y. Strategy consultants
interact directly with the CEO, President, Country Head or Board of Directors of the client
company. They mostly recommend solutions and conduct workshops or sessions to help the
client implement them, but are rarely involved in the actual implementation phase.
Top St rat egy Consul t ing f irms: McKinsey, BCG, Bain & Co., Booz etc.

2. Operat ions Consul t ing: Answering the question ?What Is The Client Doing Wrong And How
Can It Be Done In A Better Way?? The scope of Operations Consulting includes eval uat ion of t he
f unct ioning of t he cl ient ?s business, operat ions or processes. Projects could range from
resource optimization and productivity enhancements to process re-engineering and supply
chain design. Operational consultants ? particularly at the senior level ? would typically require
functional or industry expertise and typically engage with the Vice President or Business Head
of particular divisions of the client company .
Top Operat ions Consul t ing f irms: Deloitte, Accenture, AT Kearney, IBM, PwC etc.

3. Technol ogy Consul t ing: Focus on how best to leverage technology to help organizations
grow. The scope includes IT scal abil it y, securit y, design and devel opment , anal yt ics,
compl iance etc. Due to the nature of their work, technology consultants are experts in their
field, but do not necessarily have intricate knowledge of the functioning of the client business.
Top Tech Consul t ing f irms: Deloitte, Accenture, Capgemini, IBM etc.

4. Human Resource Consul t ing: The scope ranges from organizational development, HR policy,
people strategy, actuary and organizational design and restructuring, to managing human
resources (recruitment, engagement etc.)
Top HR Consul t ing f irms: Towers Watson, Mercer, Aon Hewitt, Hay Group etc.

5. Bout ique Consul t ing: Boutique consulting firms focus on niche industries in which they have
expertise. While working with boutique firms can be as challenging as working with
strategy/ operations firms, some boutiques may have a regional client base. Therefore, travel
opportunities to client locations may be fewer. The teams tend to be smaller and client
interaction is more in boutique consulting.
Top Bout ique Consul t ing f irms: LEK Consulting (M&A), OC&C and Parthenon (Private Equity),
Kurt Salmon (Retail & CPG), Cornerstone Research (Economic Consulting) etc.
What Does It Take To Become A Consul t ant ?
- Analytical skills
- Problem-solving aptitude
- Interpersonal and Communication skills
- Ability to deal with uncertainty and change

During recruitment, consulting firms look at spikes in 3 areas of your profile:

1.Academic pot ent ial : Your GPA, the schools you attended and even your GMAT score.
2.Work experience: Your role, performance at work, promotions and pedigree of the
companies you worked with.
3.Ext racurricul ar achievement s: What outstanding/ exceptional accomplishments do you have
outside of work?

If they see something they like in these areas, you will be called for an interview. The interviews
of most major consulting firms will involve case study analyses. You can look at sample
interview case studies from McKinsey and Bain here and here.

Career Progression in Consul t ing

With only a graduate degree, you may be able to work with a consulting firm as an Analyst (the
smallest cog in the wheel!), but this is one of the few professions in which you need t o have an
MBA degree t o progress t o t he next l evel . .
This is the typical career progression in a consulting firm:
A Career In Consul t ing: The Pros and Cons
Management consulting is a field that has cutthroat competition ? the motto of most top
consulting firms is ?Move up, or move out !? There are many Associates who somehow do not
manage to make it to the Principal level, and many Principals who are somehow not made
Partners. They will be eased out of the door sooner or later.
But here?s the good news ? just the fact that they?ve worked with a McKinsey or a BCG is enough
for numerous doors to open elsewhere! They will get red carpet treatment from other firms for
senior management roles ? thus, as an ex-consul t ant , you wil l never be out l ong in t he job
market l ooking f or openings.

- Pros: The prestige, the opportunity to work with senior client executives (at Principal levels
and above), excellent learning and training opportunities and fancy paychecks.
- Cons: 70-hour work weeks (Management consultants top the list of professionals with the
highest divorce rates!) and crazy travel schedules (often to unheard-of places with no
facilities).
 # 4 CAREERS IN SALES

Sales is one of the major lifeblood of any business ? no company can do without it. This is one
of the most popular post-MBA career tracks and its scope is quite wide.

1. Sal es/ Business Devel opment : These are the ?hunters?, the folks whose primary responsibility
is to generate new business for the organization. They engage in activities ranging from lead
generation to cold calls and meetings with prospects to deliver their pitch. Rapport building
between the sales person and the prospect is of utmost importance in closing any deal. For the
same reason, it is difficult to break into a sales/ BD role in a culture or geography you are
completely unfamiliar with, even if you are armed with a top MBA degree.
Key Responsibil it y Areas: Business generated
Indust ries: All organizations, irrespective of industry and domain, have sales/ BD teams.

2. Account Management : Account Managers are the ?farmers?, the folks who generate additional
business from existing clients. Their key responsibilities include client engagement,
identification of new ways to sell the company?s services/ products to these clients. They are
also responsible for understanding the clients? requirements and tailoring the company?s
offerings to suit the client?s needs.
Key Responsbil it y Areas: Client satisfaction, retention and the additional business generated
from client
Indust ries: Technology, pharma, automobiles, manufacturing, entertainment etc.

B-School s renowned f or Sal es programs:

Kellogg, Harvard, Stanford, Booth, Haas, Duke, Ross, UCLA Anderson, USC Marshall
 # 5 CAREERS IN MARKETING
Accompanying sales is marketing, another essential for any business ? no company can do
without it. These are two of the most popular post-MBA career tracks and their scope is quite
wide.

1. Brand Management : This is one of the most coveted marketing roles, mostly because of the
associated glamour and money. Brand managers are responsible for increasing the brand?s
customer mindshare, and for driving the brand equity and recall. Brand managers work
collaboratively with people across the board: product developers, market researchers, creative
agencies, internal marketing communication teams etc. Brand managers require a minute
understanding of the market their brand operates in, and of trends in customer preferences.
Therefore, getting a brand management role in an entirely new geography after your MBA can
be tricky unless you have an excellent track record in the area.

KRAs:Brand performance & growth

Indust ries: Consumer packaged goods (CPG), consumer electronics, automobile and other
consumer-oriented industries.
2. Product Market ing: This is a more evolved form of product management. These 2 roles are
not often separated in smaller companies. As the name suggests, the key responsibility of a
product marketer is to act as an evangelist for the product. He/ she is not involved in the
product development. The scope of product marketing ranges from product strategy and
positioning, pricing, driving awareness, helping buyers with information and post-launch
customer interaction.

Key Responsibil it y Areas: Coverage in press, brand buzz generation, investors?/ partners?
enquiries.

Indust ries: Technology

3. Market Research: This involves finding out more about the customers and the competition,
and is one of the first activities conducted before launching a new product, introducing a new
channel or entering a new geography. Periodic market research is also required for companies
to keep updated about the scenario in which they operate and to determine the direction they
need to take. Market research can be primary or secondary, traditional or digital, quantitative or
qualitative. The work of a market researcher involves quite a bit of data analysis, trend spotting,
client engagement and recommendations.
Key Responsibil it y Areas: Analytical skills, solid quantitative & qualitative research skills,
attention to detail, ability to look at the big picture
Indust ries: While almost all industries invest in some form of market research, this is especially
important for CPG and pharma companies.

B-School s renowned f or Market ing programs:

Kellogg, Harvard, Stanford, Booth, Haas, Duke, Ross, UCLA Anderson, USC Marshall
 # 6 CAREERS IN FINANCE

Ayn Rand?s writings views on money, as expressed in her book Atlas Shrugged, are very
interesting. According to Rand, money is the essence of morality ? in a free world, money is
made only through the conduct of business, and thus, is a symbol of human achievement and
progress.
Okay, so the world is not exactly riding the crest of an economic boom right now ? but this
makes money management for businesses all the more important! Therefore, those of you who
want to be in this business of managing money have plenty of opportunities.
So let?s look at various career tracks in finance:
1. Corporat e Finance
In this role, you will be involved in making long-term and short-term monetary decisions for a
business ? when and what to invest in, how to finance investments (debt or equity?), how much
dividend to pay to shareholders (if at all!), how to manage company budget, cash flow and credit
etc.
Corporate finance has many divisions: financial planning & analysis (FP&A, the financial
strategy department that is responsible for forecasting and managing P&L), controllership (the
hardcore accounting guys), treasury (the department that manages cash flow), tax, pricing,
internal audits etc.
Typical Career Progression:
Contrary to popular notions that corporate finance is a ?back end?role where the stars go to die,
there are many interesting opportunities for growth available in this line. With a graduate
degree in finance, one can join the corporate finance team as an Analyst. But to progress to
higher levels, one requires either an MBA or other higher qualifications (MS in finance, CFA, CA,
ICWA etc.) Finance MBAs typically angle for the CFO post in the long run by starting out in FP&A.
What Does It Take To Buil d A Career In Corporat e Finance?
- Number-crunching skills
- Analytical mindset
- Attention to detail
- Knowledge of tools and software (especially Excel!)
- Team player attitude
The Pros And Cons Of Corporat e Finance
Pros: Mostly good work-life balance, little associated risk/ uncertainty
Cons: The money you make in corporate finance depends, to a large extent, on the health of the
company you work with.
2. Invest ment Banking
This is possibly the most glamorous of finance careers ? and for good reason! Investment banks
perform a number of functions: underwriting, raising capital for client organizations through
debt and equity, facilitating mergers & acquisitions, offering financial advisory services etc. In
most of these cases, the investment bank plays the role of middleman.
Investment banks are broadly categorized as bul ge bracket banks and bout ique banks. Bulge
bracket banks are highly profitable, multinational full-service banks that serve most industries.
JP Morgan, Goldmann Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, Barclays etc. are often categorized
in this band. Boutique banks, on the other hand, either specialize in certain services, industries
or markets. For example, Lazard, Evercore, Gleacher etc. specialize in M&As and restructuring;
Allen & Co. (media), Cowen & Co. (healthcare), Berkery Noyes (education) focus on specific
industries; William Blair, Piper Jaffray, Houlihan Lokey etc. specialize in mid-sized deals and
mid-sized clients.
Investment banks usually have two internal divisions, based on product and on industry.
Product bankers are experts in their product (M&A, restructuring, financial advisory etc) and aid
the client in executing transactions related to these products. Industry bankers work with
clients from specific industries such as retail, oil & gas, automobiles, healthcare etc., and need
to do more marketing activities by making pitches to prospective clients.

Typical Career Progression:

As in most finance career tracks, one can start out as an Analyst in investment banking with an
undergraduate degree in finance. With an MBA from a top school and a few years of industry
experience, one can reach the Associate level.

What Does It Take To Buil d A Career In Invest ment Banking?

- Solid foundation in finance
- Analytical skills
- Problem-solving aptitude
- Sales & people skills
The Pros And Cons Of Invest ment Banking
Pros: The money (LOTS of it!), the status & ?I-Banker?tag, the opportunity to work on challenging
assignments with very bright colleagues
Cons: 80+ hour work weeks, work pressure, general risk/ uncertainty (after 2008, I?m sure you
know why!)
3. Equit y Research
An equity researcher's job is to advise investors on what stocks to invest in, by tracking and
monitoring companies and industries and generating reports on hold/ buy/ sell
recommendations. Much of the work is researching information and analyzing & modelling data
to create these reports and make these recommendations. Senior analysts do more client and
investor interaction, and less of the grunt work.
Typical Career Progression In Equit y Research:

What Does It Take To Buil d A Career In Equit y Research?

- Passion for the stock markets
- Strong industry knowledge
- Number crunching skills
- Solid research skills & attention to detail
- Strong grasp of financial modelling tools

The Pros And Cons Of Equit y Research

Pros: Scope for autonomy and creativity even at Associate levels, opportunities to become an
expert on particular industries, chance to meet/ interact with investors and senior management
(at Analyst levels and above).
Cons: Long working hours, cubicle-bound work, and the analysis/ modelling can become
somewhat tedious at times.
4. Ret ail & Commercial Banking
Retail and commercial banks employ the maximum number of people working in the finance
sector. They offer banking services to individuals and organizations. In a nutshell, they take
deposits from one set of customers and use these to lend money to borrowers. The banks?
income comes from the difference in the interests they charge and offer. Multinational biggies
in this domain include Bank of America and JP Morgan. As a retail or commercial banker, one can
work in loans processing, credit analysis, branch operations management, mortgage banking,
commercial cards etc.
Typical Career Pat h In Ret ail / Commercial Banking
There is no linear, clearly defined career path in retail and commercial banking. Your
progression depends on where you begin and which bank you join. An MBA is not mandatory for
career progression in this domain, though of course, it does help.
What Does It Take To Buil d A Career In Ret ail / Commercial Banking?
- Good people skills
- Communication & selling skills
- Fundamental soundness in finance
The Pros And Cons Of Ret ail / Commercial Banking
Pros: Relatively stress-free as compared to other finance jobs, plenty of opportunities for
customer interaction
Cons: The money is modest compared to investment banking, limited exit options from the
domain
5. Privat e Equit y/ Vent ure Capit al :
Both VCs and PEs invest in companies and make money by selling their equity. However, there
are some differences between the two: VCs are usually more interested in promising start-ups,
while PEs invest in more mature companies; VCs typically focus on technology companies
whereas PEs invest in industries across the board; PEs usually hold a bigger stake in the
companies they invest in, than do VCs. This could range from very small to sizeable stakes,
depending on the investment styles, policies and amounts of the companies. Typically though,
VC funding is less than PE funding. Both VC and PE firms hire finance MBAs with a good bit of
investment banking or equity research experience ? it is very unlikely that a fresher with a
finance MBA gets to join a VC or PE firm.

What Does It Take To Buil d A Career Wit h PE/ VC Firms?

- Solid core finance knowledge
- Specific industry expertise
- Independent decision-making skills
- Analytical skills

The Pros And Cons Of Working Wit h PE/ VC Firms:

The work in PE firms involves a lot of analysis, modelling, due diligence, examining financial
statement etc. The work in VC firms is not so focused on numbers ? there is a good bit of
relationship building involved. However, the money is much better in PE firms than in VC firms.
PE firms mostly employ ex-I-Bankers, and the work atmosphere there would be similar to that in
investment banks. In VC firms, you may get to work with people from diverse backgrounds ?
consultants, marketers, analysts etc.

Caveat Empt or For Finance Aspirant s

Finance is one functional area that is very difficult to break into if you have 4+ years of work
experience in a different industry/ role, even with an MBA from a top school. Recruiters may
compare you unfavourably with someone who has been crunching numbers and making
balance sheets all his life, and pick him/ her over you. Even if you do manage to get a foot in the
door, you would probably be starting at the bottom, and not leveraging all your years of work
experience.

B-School s renowned f or Finance programs:

Wharton, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago Booth, NYU Stern, Cornell Johnson, London Business
School, ISB, IIM A
 # 7 CONCLUSION

These are a few examples of the different avenues that you can choose, post your MBA. We
hope this book helped you gain clarity of thought towards your final MBA goal. If you
somehow still feel a bit uncertain about what you need to do regarding your MBA dreams.

Click Here and let us help you by evaluating your profile as a bonus for downloading this book.
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