NSHMBA Conference

“Chris Susanto, University of Missouri. Pleased to meet you,” I introduced myself as I shook hands with yet another recruiter at this year’s National Society of Hispanic MBA (NSHMBA) Conference last week. I must have introduced myself to more than 200 people during the three-day conference, held in Atlanta from October 9 to 11, 2008. With over 8400 professionals, MBA grads, and current MBA students attending, the Georgia World Congress halls were filled with talent, excitement, and over 300 companies recruiting for the ideal candidates. The atmosphere was competitive and cordial; the speakers and panels were diverse and insightful; the luncheons and receptions were heavily sponsored and exciting. During those three long days, we were all there ultimately for one common goal: to get connected.

The career fair venue was huge. Waste Management brought in a Harley as the ultimate raffle ticket prize. Other companies were giving away iPods. GM, Ford, Nissan and Toyota brought in cars for display, none of which were up for grabs unfortunately. More importantly, there were over 300 companies from Accenture to Wyndham recruiting MBAs for full-time and internship positions. It was interesting to note how the nation’s financial crisis was not only a topic of discussion; it also played an important role in the career fair. Some booths, such as ones for Google and Johnson and Johnson, were continuously busy. While others like Fannie Mae and AIG seemed to be abandoned by MBAs.

The seminars and workshops were just as interesting. During the opening session, a panel of industry leaders discussed the generational challenges in the workplace. The discussion also touched on how different generations react to the market calamity. The ‘boomers’ are likely to postpone retirement, making it more difficult for ‘gen x-ers’ to move up the career ladder. Meanwhile, ‘millennials’ are facing more competition not only to get in an organization, but also to move up. The key for our generation is to move along the horizontal path, to create a greater affiliation with our chosen profession, and to capitalize on our willingness to learn new competencies. The marketing workshop talks about branding yourself, creating career distinction, and creating a positive online presence. The management workshop touched on the link between emotional intelligence and diversity and how to incorporate that in our professional life.

Overall, the NSHMBA Conference was a great opportunity to meet professionals and other MBA students from top business schools in the US. It was also a great venue to introduce our MBA program to professionals and other b-schools. I made it a point to mingle with a different group for each function that I attended. Was it overwhelming? Of course (sigh). But was I intimidated? No. The on-campus career workshops, etiquette dinners, professional development seminars have prepared me for exactly this type of event. After all, I am a Tiger.

Throughout the trip I kept thinking, “I wish I could share this experience with another Crosby MBA student.”I hope that more Crosby MBA students will be interested in attending the diversity MBA events. Perhaps, the biggest misconception is that one has to be a member of each diversity group to participate in the conference. So technically, guys can participate in the National Association of Women MBA Conference. If you’re interested in these opportunities, please contact Gina Mauller (maullerg@missouri.edu) for Fall 2009 Conferences.

Chris Susanto. October 17, 2008.