April 2009 Archives

Today was the busiest day in terms of interviews. An interview with a global agency early in the morning, then a chat with an INSEAD alumnus and his colleagues (I thought it was just to tap my brain about using blogging for Marketing/PR but it ended with a request for my CV, which I provided). Lastly, I just had an interview with a top cosmetics company. On top of these interviews I have 2 other offers to do work which I’m familiar with, in a managerial and/or strategic position.

If reading this depresses you, then stop here.

Because what I am going to say next is: I didn’t apply for any of these positions. I was headhunted, referred by word of mouth or reputation, or shortlisted via Career Services. I know many people are getting dinged. I decided not to apply to lots of random companies but to stick with what I felt comfortable with. Of course, in difficult times it is not easy to get what you want. But I’m not sure if it’s simply ‘luck’, because that implies that these opportunities fell on my lap without me having to work at it.

You see, I began ‘networking’, as some people call it, years ago. I decided I liked social media, PR, marketing and technology quite a while back, and while I didn’t plan to end up getting lots of leads, I mingled with like-minded people, did a few things that got me into the newspapers, generally endeavored to be nice, friendly and helpful to everybody.

I also knew what I didn’t want to do, and where I wanted to work, so I updated my profile in local job search websites and got in touch with headhunters, which resulted in one of these interviews.

Today, my chat with the alum was about wooing new customers via influencers (in this case, bloggers). I saw similarities between selling a product to potential customers, and selling your expertise to potential employers. For both cases, you cannot simply knock on their door and expect them to buy your product (or hire you). Quite often, of course, you can make a pitch on the spot and they might buy it, because you are better qualified than other people who have already knocked on their doors. (PUSH factor)

However, if you have established a network and a reputation for being particularly good at something, your customer will come knocking at your door. (PULL factor)

I am fortunate, blessed, honoured even, to have my door knocked on multiple times, and so my dilemma at INSEAD is not about finding a job but which job I should choose.

Here’s wishing my fellow INSEADers all the best with their job searches. May we make the right choice for our long-term future!

A classmate of mine asked me last night, “So how is R———?” (full name of my INSEAD alum boyfriend)

I said, “Oh, how did you know his name?”

She said she asked another classmate, who did not reveal his full name but told her to look through Facebook.

So there is some sleuthing going around, eh… Nothing to hide but just respecting R’s privacy on this public blog :)

At this point I have been getting advice from extreme ends on 3 different topics. Starting from the mediocre to more serious:

1) Should I ‘bring lots of instant noodles’ to Fonty?

At first thought, why on earth should I rely on quick fixes when I’m living in one of the most sophisticated culinary countries in the world? There is good wine, cheese, bread, confit, boulliabase, etc - I love them all! However, I heard from other Asians that they get sick of the food after a while, and yearn for something spicy. I am not the type of Singaporean who brings packets of chilli sauce wherever she goes, so I think I can accept the fact that things will be blander in that sense, but there will be other flavours to savour.

Now I have decided to not just listen to the different pieces of advice but also look at the background of the person. If they have been in Asia all their lives, I can expect them to miss Asian food more which is why they rely on recreating Asian flavours more often. I have survived eating English food for 3 years. I’m as happy with potatoes and pasta as I am with rice. I think I can handle anything. (But note these famous last words and check back with me in 2 months’ time)

2) Should I get an auto or manual car in Fonty?

There are very strong, opposing views on this. Those who are for manual cars say that it’s not as difficult to get used to; most cars in France are manual anyway, and of course manual cars are cheaper to rent. “Don’t worry”, they tell me!

Those against manual cars have a common reaction: “You siao ah??” (are you crazy?). Reasons cited for my madness include not having driven manual cars since I passed my driving test 9-10 years ago; arriving in a strange land without having ever driven on the OTHER side of the road; arriving at 6am at Paris CDG and probably being fuzzy-headed, driving 82km to Fonty/our little cottage in Samoreau. Then there are also disaster stories with the moral being that an auto car should have been rented. I’ve experienced it once myself, travelling with a group of girl friends struggling to drive a manual car in another foreign land.

I will see if our dear car agent can upgrade me to auto. But it is gonna be pricey!

3) Should I return to work for the Government or shall I return to the private sector?

I really don’t know. My expectations and priorities before INSEAD and now, during INSEAD, have changed. I want to do something engaging that will allow me to sleep well at night, to work with people with mutual respect and trust, to regain the sense of ‘flow’ during my most productive period, to position myself for further career progression, and now, to have work-life balance.

People say I would make a good brand manager or similar. However I am starting to wonder if I can be marketing-oriented in my job without needing to be in marketing. Likewise, I can be media-savvy without needing to serve in PR. I wonder if it is weird to do my MBA and then step back into a client-serving role, when I can do more meaningful work strategising and changing the lives of people in the long term. However, will staying in the Government for too long count against me? Why am I doing my MBA if I’m going back to the same place? But what if I want to settle down soon - wouldn’t I want a company that respects my personal time?

So many questions I am trying to resolve and rank in my head. Which are more important than others?

Just checked my web stats and learned that this MBA interview website linked to me.

To those of you who’ve just found this blog via the website I’ve linked to above, welcome!

And yes, I did get admitted ;-)

I can’t believe P4 is nearly over. I can’t even believe I’m in P4 - wasn’t I just in P2 a few months ago?! An MBA at INSEAD is indeed accelerated and I feel that part of my life just fast-forwarded itself, and I want to hit the rewind button to relive some parts of it again.

Right now I’m busy tying up my job interviews. I have 2 clear offers and think I’ve made it to the 2nd round of another interview with a well-known MNC/agency, and next week I have an interview with L’Oreal. It sounds glamorous but they have called up quite a few of us for interviews so I will not set my expectations too high.

This period I decided not to follow the usual OCR (on-campus recruitment) route where everyone turns up for company presentations, mingles with the speakers and applies for jobs via the careers website. I felt it would be so hard to distinguish myself when every other candidate is also an INSEAD MBA. Since I wanted to be based in Singapore (preferably as the regional headquarters of an MNC), I went to local job websites instead, or to local branches of MNCs I wanted to work for. Also, I decided not to apply to lots of companies I would only be remotely interested in, because that would be insincere and a waste of everyone’s time.

I am fortunate to be in a less desperate position than others, because I have always had a BATNA, just like those super smart McKinsey consultants who are sponsored and are sitting pretty on the Dean’s List ;-) Also, having sometimes been in the public limelight for the past few years, I had the honour of getting cold calls via my office line (ironically!) with job offers from bosses of companies. I turned down a few of them, even though a few years ago I’d probably have taken up a couple of them.

Now I face an even bigger crossroads in my life. Currently I have 2 or 3 possible directions to take, and the choice I make will affect the rest of my career. Should I stay on the same path that I’ve been treading on for the past 4 years, knowing that now maybe my road will be paved a little more nicely and it may connect to a much larger, international highway? Or should I veer in a very different direction, join a small, unbeaten track where I can help to steer a ship on the second phase of its journey? Or should I take another path in between, also nicely paved (maybe even glittering) and connected to other roads and highways, but with more uncertainty?

And by next week I shall learn if another path has been presented to me!

It is not a problem I should be complaining openly about, but it is also not in my nature to play groups against each other and leave things hanging for too long. I prefer having obvious choices to make things easier for everyone. However, no job or person is perfect, and I need to decide what would be the best fit for me, what I love doing most, and where I can add the most value (I am sorely tempted, after 4 periods at INSEAD, to design my own matrix for this purpose!).

What do I want in my new job? Definitely, a conducive working culture that allows sharing and innovation, high productivity, lots of fun and the power to make a positive impact on lots of people’s lives. Career progression and the opportunity to lead a team would also be great. Times are hard; I won’t complain if I don’t get it all, but it would be ideal. Salary has to be fair and my MBA from a top b-school should be valued, but I will look at other benefits as well. Work life balance will be necessary if I plan to settle down in the near future as well.

Anyway, that’s it from me for now… I have to start packing for my India study trip and the big move to Fonty!

I can’t reveal exactly what happened in my PIM class (Psychological Issues in Management) but this is what I’ve learnt, personally:

1) The person who’s designated as leader may not really be the best leader. On the other hand, other people can step up to the role pretty well.

2) A good leader doesn’t do all the talking but gives his team the chance to speak up. Initially I had a personal bias which made me think that that loud, outspoken and smart people would make great leaders as they were good at getting people’s attention and so the team would all rally together. However, in a team more people are trying to have their opinions heard, too, and if we feel we aren’t heard then we stop contributing.

3) A good leader doesn’t have to bang his fist on the table or do anything else spectacular (that didn’t happen, just figurative speech). His gestures can instead be subtle but everything he does is for the team’s benefit.

4) A good leader makes all the difference to whether a team succeeds or not. Obvious, but when you see it literally happening with your own eyes you will appreciate it more.

5) Being a good leader is hard. The team I thought had a great leader, lost out to another team that ‘stole’ the project for themselves. This happens in real life, when everything’s done well but jealousy sets in, and the other team wins at politics. So a good leader has to protect his team from external factors and not just focus on internal operations. I think I’ve seen that happen at least once, in my own work experience.

6) There can only be one leader in the team. Too many cooks spoil the broth; too many leaders spoil the team.

So I finally went out and partied a bit on Thursday. It was a brilliant idea to put 6 business schools together - NUS, NTU, SMU, Essec, INSEAD, SP Jain. How could I resist it?

Strangely, for all it was worth, I didn’t think there was much voluntary integration. When I arrived I saw the Indians sticking with the Indians, the ethnic Chinese sticking with the ethnic Chinese, and large groups of French people who did not look like they were from INSEAD, also sticking together. It was a good party but next time I suggest the organisers make us play a game, whereby we have to meet 5 new people, each from different schools and exchange name cards!

Also, the alumni from local schools were invited, whereas when I emailed 2 INSEAD alums they were not aware of it. Which is probably why INSEAD was a little under-represented. Of course the other reason is that the rest of you have already left for Cambodia this weekend!!!

Anyway, I bumped into 2 INSEAD guys and we decided to get drinks. While waiting at the bar, I introduced myself to 2 strangers and learnt they were from Essec. Then I introduced myself to 2 Indians standing nearby, thinking they were from SP Jain but turns out they were from NUS. Then another Singaporean INSEADer arrived with many friends and I had a long conversation with one of them.

Then I edged further out to an ethnic Chinese group and learnt they were really from China, studying at NTU. We discussed Chinese energy needs, then I moved on. Another couple was from Cornell but I didn’t get to chat with them (what’s Cornell doing at this bash?).

By this time half the section was occupied by Essec students who were talking among themselves. Where were the other INSEADers?? They were fashionably late. I headed out to greet them and we went to another section of Mimolette.

Then I went outside and saw many Essec-only groups. I decided to join a group of nice-looking young men who were very polite, and had a long chat with them. I learnt more about Essec. I think INSEAD is much more international - they told me Essec is about 75% French. I like French people but if you want diversity there must be more nationalities represented. We discussed living in France as well as French football, which I also like.

The P4s started to leave but the P2s were now in full swing so I met a couple more of them and their friends. Then I bumped into more P2s on my way out and chatted to them at length about some plans we are planning to execute on campus. You will hopefully get a surprise next week.

So now I am home, happy and glad I met new people outside of INSEAD and within INSEAD, and got to know the wilder side of some classmates whose moments of joy may now live on forever in Facebook, untagged or otherwise ;-)

Have a good weekend!