Magic terms for final year MBAs: LDP, PDP & MDP !

Near the end of your MBA program, you shall hear a few terms on some career websites that excite you:
LDP: Leadership Development Program
PDP: Professional Development Program
MDP: Management Development Program  and so on...

These are 2 year programs that various companies have for the sake of new graduates and final year MBA students. Companies hire promising students and then train them for 2 years for a future Leadership or Management positions. There are various programs in the field of Finance, Marketing, Supply Chain & Logistics, Sales, Accounting, Human Resources and so on.Here is some info on what is expected of the candidates who apply:

Here is a sample from a company website:
The ____ MDP is a program with a history of more than 20 years of attracting top MBA talent into ___ company. The intent of this program is to develop a pool of talent with the potential to fill commercial / general management positions. The program provides the opportunity for experience in multiple commercial functions, businesses and locations in addition to mentoring and individualized growth plans. By acquiring a broad base of experiences early in their careers, MDP participants are positioned for future commercial management roles in the company. This is a Global program with international offers and global assignments.


Preferred qualifications:

• MBA from a reputable program
• 3 to 5 years of professional experience
• Leadership Potential
• Demonstrated core competencies
• Interest in Healthcare
• Track record of professional and academic accomplishments
• Strong analytical skills
• Positive temperament
• Professional presence
• Strong communication skills
• Global mindset
• Geographic mobility and flexibility

Modified resume: Work in progress. (Click twice on image to open).

Resume tips I received recently...

Approached the Career Service department for pointers about my resume and got several useful suggestions. I realized that it is very important to get a second opinion or a third opinion. Do not try to do it all by yourself.

Useful tips I got:

• Volunteering information is important
• Extra curricular activities must be mentioned
• Pay attention to font size and line spacing
• Have clarity and focus in resume
• Customize your resume according to different positions
• Do not use italics
• Do not use the words: References available upon request
• Do not use the words handled or assisted 
• Be creative: everyone uses the words "team player", motivated, driven, proven etc
• Do not generalize - explain what you did specifically and how you contributed
• Check grammar and spellings thoroughly

More later...

An interesting line about MBA from a magazine.

Read this somewhere:

Full Time MBA can be overwhelming, especially for those in the first term of the program. Of the 3 things below, you can only do 2 very well:

• Work (on a full time job)
• Study (and manage the immense course load) or 
• Family (devote time to your loved ones).

Not easy to do all. Kinda true. Though I DO know people in the program who are trying to do all 3 at one time.

How networking works and How it worked for me: An anecdote:

#TRSM Workshop on Networking & Business Etiquette 29 September, 2011. Speaker: Kathy Conway (Advisor of Talent Development - McCarthy Tetrault)

Kathy & Kieran spoke during a Workshop on Networking yesterday (organized by Nicole D, Manager, Career Services). Kathy did an experiment. She said, someone ask the attendees a specific question and chances are that he / she shall find a random network in the room. I asked "Does anyone know someone working in a Pharma company?". One girl did. She talked to me after the meeting. She knows the VP at another Pharma company in Toronto and said that she could help me get a job!

Moral of the story: Meet a LOT of people. Talk to a lot of people. Open up. Do not be shy. Make the move. Initiate conversations. Engage people. And you could get what you want. Its worth a try anyway. What do you have to lose, eh?