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like, or moving ahead in the company may appear to be difficult. Job B, in contrast, provides a closer
match to the job function you were hoping for and perhaps better opportunities, but the financial
compensation is lower.
Unfortunately, there are no right or wrong answers to the question of job A or job B. The best you
can do is to take stock of where you are and where you want to be and determine what are the most
important and critical factors for you. If you look at the careers of the most successful people, they did
not get to where they are by receiving 2% to 5% increases each year. The most successful people had
irregular and exponential growth in the careers. These are people who seek jobs in which they
constantly learn and increase their value to the company. So ultimately it‟s up to you.
As anxious as you might be about your first big job, you need to remember to keep in mind your
long-term goals. Understand who you are and your preference for stability versus risk. For this reason,
do not place too much emphasis on the salary level of your initial big job. Think about your initial job
as part of a long-term strategy in which the each job is another step in a lifelong career pursuit. To
help illustrate the point, ask yourself what distinguishes great pool players from the weekend variety.
The casual player aims to get a single ball into a specific pocket. The truly great players choose their
shots with an eye to setting up the next few shots. In adopting this approach, MBAs should think like
the great pool player and assess a given position within the context of both immediate and long-term
potential benefits.
Closing Thoughts: Coping with the Challenges
Recall the discussion of the end game, more specifically your end game. Well, now it‟s time to revisit
that concept as you work through your career search process. As many of you have already
experienced, a job search is demanding and can be frustrating. At times it can be overwhelming—
unless you have a plan and stick to it. The thoughts presented here are designed to keep you engaged
in a constructive way even when it seems like there is nothing happening. Each day you should be
learning about yourself, and about potential companies and careers. When you hit a bump in the road,
just get back on track as soon as possible, and continue the journey.
As noted earlier, the career search is a lifelong process, and as such it does not end with your first
big MBA job. The suggestions presented help to ensure continual forward progress in your career
search. A perpetual career search will provide the highest ROI!
Notes
1 Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedge_fund.
2 Davare, Aditi, Holly Goodrich, Michael Martinez, and the Staff of Vault, Vault Career Guide to
Hedge Funds, Vault.com, November 2007.