Going back to business school to pursue an MBA is an important step to getting that high-paying dream job. However, the path to graduation and employment can be a little overwhelming for some. In order help students out and ultimately increase their likelihood of being hired post-grad, schools prepare their students for various careers and industries through internship programs, career services and counseling, hands-on projects and sprawling alumni networks.
Take a look at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Located in Philadelphia, the Wharton School was the first dedicated school of business at the college level in the United States and is now universally regarded as the premier business school in the country.
Wharton enrolls 1,788 total students in its MBA program and 436 students in the MBA Program for Executives. According to Wharton’s MBA Career Management, 98.4 percent of graduates reported full time job offers, with 95 percent accepting those positions. Recent grads enjoy a $125,000 median salary. It’s interesting to note that 15.5 percent of the accepted job offers were outside the United States. For more detailed information, visit the full-time employment career statistics page.
Let’s take a look at how Wharton’s career services, internship opportunities, and alumni network gives grads a leg up in the job hunt.
Career Resources
Wharton’s MBA Career Management manages the relationships between the school and visiting recruiters, and offers students and alumni additional support throughout their career searches. The management service offers students resources such as workshops and training sessions on many topics such as self-assessment, resume writing and interviewing. The office also offers one-on-one career counseling, opportunities for career treks across the globe and important information about different industries’ functions.
In general, Wharton’s MBA Career Management provides education and guidance throughout the entire job search process, including:
- Programs and workshops
- Detailed information on careers in various industries
- Research tools exclusive to Wharton
- Recruiting events
- Individual career advising
- Career treks
- Lifelong career support as alumni
Specifically for Executive MBA candidates, Wharton offers a number of opportunities for students to further prepare them for returning their current employer or to seek out a new one. This includes career coaching, resume writing guidance and additional one-on-one attention during the latter part of their time at the school.
Internships
In the summer between their first and second years of the MBA program, almost all Wharton students pursue an internship. The point of these highly competitive and strenuous internships is to provides opportunities for employers to get to know potential full-time employees. In fact, 100 percent of students seeking summer employment received offers.
Internships are typically structured around a specific project with a 10-12 week time frame, and internship compensation is typically based on an annualized salary and may also include performance and/or sign-on bonuses. Here are a few examples of Wharton intern projects in different industries and functions:
- Operations/Finance: Evaluated public-to-private leveraged buyout of $3 billion financial institution in conjunction with strategic partner.
- Marketing: Developed and presented pre-launch marketing plan based on STP (segmentation, targeting and positioning), customer value proposition, purchase funnel and competitive analysis.
- Business Development: Completed analysis of equity investments in health, education, tourism, retail and property sectors. Produced database of investment entry multiples to analyze prior investments and uncover trends in investment decisions.
- Product Management: Scoped, designed and managed initial implementation of an internal tools suite, the goal of which is to deliver a 60 percent improvement in the cost effectiveness of our programs by streamlining operational workflows and allowing improved campaign designs.
For more detailed information on Wharton internships, visit the internship career statistics page of the MBA Career Management office.
Wharton’s Alumni Network
One of the perks of attending one of the most prestigious business schools in the world is having something in common with all of its successful alumni. Wharton alumni have a track record for mentoring recent graduates and helping each other with future advancement and career changes.
The school’s online community, WhartonConnect, gives current students and alumni an easy way to find colleagues in just about any field. The community helps alumni and students access industry information, communicate with fellow alumni and identify contacts. The service features e-mail addresses, an alumni directory, and extensive search capabilities enabling alumni and students to identify career development resources within the alumni base.
Employers
Wharton MBAs have been employed by the follow companies, just to name a few:
- Amazon
- Bank of America Merrill Lynch
- Deutsche Bank
- Fidelity Investments
- Google, Inc.
- JPMorgan Chase
- Tesla Motors
- Uber
Here is a complete list of Wharton graduate employers.