Congratulations to the recently admitted students of IESE MiM Class of 2022! In this post, MiM ’20 alumni Federico Marchi and Dalbert Ma (Class President, President of Consulting Club) share some advice on how to best prepare for and succeed in the program.
Looking back, what do you wish you knew before you started the program?
Federico: I wish I knew better how important it is to prioritize tasks. The ultimate secret to succeed in the MiM is to learn how to prioritize: there will be times when you will have to decide whether to focus on your job search, academics or social life. It is a tough choice, but you will have to learn how to do it!
Dalbert: I wish I understood the importance of career networking prior to starting the program so that I could have begun the networking process as soon as possible and not wait till I began submitting applications. Prior to beginning the MiM program, I had the misconception that the key components to application success was simply polishing resumes and cover letters. This could never be farther from the truth, and the sooner one understands the importance of building a relational component with individuals from the company and the company itself, the sooner can one begin to make real and efficient progress in their career trajectory.
Speaking of careers, what helped you most during your job search?
Federico: The Career Development Center helped me a lot in my job search. In exceptional times like what we are living in, the help from experienced professionals in finding the best sector and company for your profile is very important. Moreover, the help from the IESE alumni network is essential to navigate your job search and start with an advantage over other candidates.
What can incoming students do to prepare themselves before school starts?
Federico: It is crucial to get off on the right foot at IESE, and no one knows it better than MiM Alumni: reach out to them, ask them about their experience and what would they do differently if they were to start the program again. Personally, talking with IESE students helped me in knowing the school better, understanding what to expect from the program and building a plan for my job search.
Dalbert: I would suggest that you begin preparing for a structured daily schedule as soon as possible. Balancing all the aspects of one’s life during the MiM program was one of the largest obstacles from the very beginning. Learn to build schedules to include time for academics, careers, fitness, and friends. Once the rapid pace of the program begins to set in, bad habits such as procrastination and idleness become significantly harder to phase out and come at noticeably higher opportunity costs.
Finally, what advice would you give to the incoming IESE MiM Class ’22?
Federico: Trust the process! Due to the tight schedule of the program, you may feel overwhelmed in your first weeks at IESE, but it is important to enjoy the experience and not be discouraged if you struggle with the workload. Everything will get better earlier than you can imagine.
Dalbert: Always try to look at the bigger picture and understand that the intensity of the program is meant to reflect a business environment and not an academic one. Most likely, you will not be able to do everything all together (academics, career, social life), and so you will need to make tradeoffs with your time and energy. Be sure to think carefully about where best to invest your efforts in.
You are about to start an amazing journey at IESE!
Thank you Federico & Dalbert for your insights and advice!
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