Career Advancement and Global MBA
18 March 2024Interview with Andrea Zani, Head of Career Service, BBS.
– How is the BBS Career Service able to support Global MBA students in defining and implementing a career path?
The BBS Career Service supports Global MBA students with dedicated tools and networks to start a career or reposition themselves in a new target market. These support strategies are customized and created specifically for each student to best enhance personal characteristics and meet their interests. After classes, the Internship Program introduces the Global MBA participants directly to the ideal setting for each candidate.
People who start a Global MBA already have past work experience and are looking to reposition themselves, to have career advancement, often by changing industries, job functions and/or markets. To achieve this goal, a program of career development activities is implemented: CV and cover letter writing, individual orientation meetings, seminars, and mock interviews. Moreover, each student can benefit from a customized mentorship program, divided into group and individual meetings, with experts in the Master’s track (automotive, fashion and design, food and beverage, sustainability, AI and manufacturing). The goal is to provide students with knowledge about an evolving market, to support them in placement in leading companies.
– How is the BBS Career Service connected to companies and how much does this network offer Global MBA students concrete job opportunities?
BBS can boast an established network of more than 500 companies that collaborate with the School in various ways, including job placement. These companies are the excellence of the Emilia-Romagna region and, in general, of Made in Italy. Because of its international vocation, the Career Service aims to contribute to the development of the network both in the national and international markets, inspired by the motto “Take the Italian excellence global.” Collaboration is the key: BBS supports the ecosystem of local and global companies in recruiting and training new talent.
– The Global MBA BBS is designed for students with various work and cultural backgrounds. How do Career Services services adapt to meet different needs and aspirations?
An undoubted characteristic of the Global MBA is the diversity of participants in terms of skills, experiences and cultures. Each year and for each class, this variety is both a challenge and a strength. The Career Service aims to provide students with all information concerning the Italian market, its trends, best practices, and salary indicators. This mindset is functional to establish themselves successfully, especially for those who aspire to relocate in Italy and come from markets with logic and dynamics very different from ours.
– What advice do you have for Global MBA students?
Stay hungry, stay foolish, said Steve Jobs. I would also add “be curious” and, most importantly, “be respectful.” The job market we live in today requires both of these qualities to be successful. A balance must be maintained between skills, leadership and ethics. Topics that today increasingly can represent key value in one’s professional and personal advancement.
