Walking through the revolving door of the open job market!

Having my MBA sponsored by one of the supermajors had made me think I could sit back comfortably on the job front and enabled me to focus on the MBA coursework, family, and property investment. One might even say I became complacent and ignored to think about other outcomes besides a full-time job! Trust me, I did think about this in passing but, as I had so many things on my mind, I decided to enjoy my MBA first and worry about not being offered a full-time placement later. And, I always knew that if I performed well in my MBA, the said supermajor could not ask for the sponsorship money back. Above that, supermajors don’t often go through such bad times that they have to lay off so many employees. I just hit the internal job market at a very bad time and this is reality – business can be good one day and poor the next day if you don't keep up in a highly competitive and dynamic environment. So, can I now say that I may have been lucky to be spotted and selected for an MBA sponsorship but not lucky enough to find a job? It does make one wonder if this were a worthwhile experience...I would think so. I got an MBA, travelled business to new parts of the world, invested the money I would have otherwise spent funding my MBA, and got to experience and learn from two solid, and very different, internship projects (this was possible only because of HEC’s flexible MBA course structure) which have given my CV a good boost. So much so that in the last few weeks that I have been slowly exploring for roles externally, I have had a few interviews/discussions with other supermajors and that industrial giant that I analysed a long time ago. And, I am also in discussions to become a consultant in a boutique energy consultancy firm in London. It is as if I am walking through a revolving door from one job discussion to another. Agree they have not all revolved smoothly but I am really pleased to know I am still sellable! Having said all these, I still don’t have a job so let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. It is just that there seems to be light at the end of my tunnel!

However, this was never my intention. I wanted to take a break for a few months and spend as much quality time as possible with my family. It is an amazing feeling to be under no pressure to wake up at a certain time, no pressure to go somewhere at a certain time, and no pressure to have an assignment or two to hand in. 17 months after I started my MBA journey – during which time I was away from family for eight months - I am finally getting some time to relax and re-vitalise...and it really is a great feeling.

La Defense; could this be where I will end up?