How to Choose the Right Career After MBA?
Choosing the right career for yourself is more important than you think. Millions of people who are stable financially are doing jobs they never wanted to do. For an unemployed man, these people have everything a person can possibly ask for but how long will you do something you do not love? That is why choosing the right career is very crucial to your lives. As an MBA graduate, you might find it hard to choose a career considering that there are too many options. There are a plethora of career choices if you’re a fresh MBA graduate. Apart from the traditional industries such as consulting, investment banking and financial services, there is retail, manufacturing and technology.
There are also other options like strategy, operations management, human resources, accounting and finance. Even geographically, an MBA graduate has a lot of choices. Here are some things you can do to choose the right career after MBA.
1) Focus on your specialization
Try not to deviate from your specialization as your skillset roots from what you opt as your specialization. Whatever you study in your specialisation holds great value in the job you take up. But to stick to your specializations post your MBA degree, you must be careful to choose one that will be of use to you in the future too. Focus on your long term goals when you choose your specialisation. At the end of your degree, you will know what you are good at, if not what job you want to choose.
Once you graduate, look at the career options that are most common and are trending among MBA graduates with the same specialisation as yours. If something catches your eye in the list, you can proceed to dig deeper before deciding on anything concrete.
2) Look at what is new and trending
As much as we would love to take up whatever we love, we cannot ignore the primary need of being employed – to survive. Just because something looks attractive or easy should not be the reason to go after it. Once you look up at what is new in the industry that you are qualified to do, try looking for how viable it is to take up the job and to fend for yourself. Ration with yourself before finalising on anything and do not ignore the downsides to the choice if there are any.
3) Take references from your last job
It is tricky to switch careers completely at any point and it is natural that there will be a little starting trouble. To make it easier for yourself to choose a career out of the countless options, you can also make your last job to see what you can do based on experience. If you truly are not interested in continuing in the same line, you can switch comfortably, but at least this time you would know at least one thing you do not want to do. Either way, looking back to your last job is really helpful.
4) Take guidance from your network and alumni
Networking is of paramount importance in your life as an MBA student. It is not something you have to practice in the final weeks before leaving b-school and forget the moment you graduate. Networking is about identifying mentors and advisors but also alumni who can give you valuable resources beneficial to your career. Never see your networks and alumni as useless. Keeping in touch can often be tedious when you think you have a good job and nice colleagues. You may fail to maintain your old network. But incase of a need to look for a new job, you will have to rely on these contacts alone. Keep updating your network. Better not to forget your mentors, advisors, sponsors, and friends. These are all invaluable assets.
5) Research about the job
Before you decide on a job and fix on one, read up as much as you can about it and how logical it is to take it up and pursue it. Even if you want to become an entrepreneur look at all the risk factors, the tips to be successful and how to deal with a crisis. Make sure that you have a fair idea of what you are getting into. It is important to research the fields, so that you not only find out what you like but also know what you don’t want at all too. Do in-depth research of job briefs in IT project management, operations consulting, HR consulting, analytics, strategy consulting, operations management, project management, investment banking, private equity, venture capital, account management, product marketing, and business development. Or how about planning to become an entrepreneur and launching your own dream venture?
Still, need a little help figuring out the perfect job for you? Reach out to us for any queries you might have!
