Two months from the end of my MBA, a frightening feeling of "back-to-reality" is beginning to set in, and I am wondering whether it has all been worth it. The global economy and the job market are the worst they have been in years, my bank account is nearly empty, and I feel like I need to sleep for a month before I feel rested again.
Of course, not all is dire. The fifth and final term of the year has started, and it is wonderful to see the friends who left for two terms on the Singapore campus at the end of 2007, now that they are back to enjoy the last term in Fontainebleau. The warm weather has finally arrived after a dreary French winter, and we can once again enjoy warm sun on our faces on the lawns of Insead's beautiful campus near the famed forest where many a French king once hunted.
Sitting outside with friends on a sunny May day is the best - and cheapest - way to burn away the mist of worry hanging over many of us as we wonder where we will end up and whether we will be able to find work when thousands seem to be losing jobs in the financial and business capitals of the western world.
Frankly, the season for on-campus recruitment activities, which is drawing to an end, has been a very difficult one for me, and many of my fellow MBA participants. There was a whirlwind of presentations by a myriad of companies, each followed by cocktails or dinner, in a nook of the Insead cafeteria, a restaurant in town, or sometimes a grand hall of the Fontainebleau castle.
While I enjoy cocktail parties as much as the next person, the relentless charm offensive by recruiters telling similar stories is draining, particularly as it is compressed into the same busy schedule of classes and coursework as usual, and we also need to make time for writing applications.
Then there is the bait-and-switch - as much as the company presentations appear designed to convince students that opportunities are limitless and that corporate culture is all about finding the right people and giving them a chance to grow, when the applications are in and interviews start, the message sometimes changes.
On the occasions when applications are not rejected outright, interviewers occasionally seem to think that their role is to make applicants feel stupid, inadequate, or incompetent in order to screen them out.
This is by no means a general approach, but I and many others have experienced it often enough that it bears mentioning as a fairly widespread practice.
This may be a test of the applicant's mettle, and clearly it is necessary to select those students who are able to handle the pressure inherent in working for many of the firms that recruit on campus, but it is a rude awakening for many students who had imagined a charmed life full of possibility earlier in the programme.
I cannot help but wonder why recruiters forget to treat potential employees with respect after the effort expended to convince candidates to apply for jobs at their companies.
After all, isn't spending 50,000 plus living expenses and opportunity cost a sign of motivation? Do people who have been accepted into one of the world's most selective business schools really need to be tested for their ability to do mental arithmetic? Do we really need to be told that we have great leadership potential but that what really matters is that we could not do long division with pen and paper fast enough?
Fortunately, other recruiters take a different approach - one that seems to me to be superior when dealing with such a talented and technically-skilled pool of people as Insead students. They evaluate leadership potential, fit with the company culture and strategic objectives, and actually make an effort to get to know the human being who is sitting in front of them.
This does not mean that they have to be any less selective in finding the right person for the company they represent, but it seems to me a more useful way to actually identify candidates with whom the mutual fit is strong and who may be with the company for years to come.
As someone with a very non-traditional profile (economics undergraduate, 10 years working as an economist and policy adviser for Canada's foreign ministry), I knew that it might be challenging for me to make the transition to a private sector job.
Perhaps I underestimated the challenge - I think my age (36), may be putting me at a disadvantage in two ways. First, I am less inclined to apply to dozens of jobs hoping one will work out, since I have clear ideas about what I want and do not want. Second, I am less inclined to say what people want to hear in an interview because I have come to realise who I am and who am not.
I believe that only if I present myself positively but truthfully will I find the job which is right for me, as opposed to being hired for presenting a false image of what makes me tick.
Fortunately, I am glad to report that despite the challenges, many of my friends are starting to get good job offers, and after the gloom of April, the sun is once again shining down on the campus.
But, like many of the slightly older participants at Insead, I am unlikely find work through the official on-campus channels that are so well organised by the school's career services, or via formal recruiting programmes at major firms, consultancies, or banks, aimed at a younger demographic.
I am confident, however, that a conscious search for those back doors that are open and welcoming will, in the end, allow me to find the right opportunity.
Until then, I will keep enjoying simple pleasures - such as the spring sun - until I can count on a regular pay packet again.
在我MBA學(xué)業(yè)即將結(jié)束的前兩個月，一種“回歸現(xiàn)實”的可怕感覺開始降臨，我開始懷疑，所有的這一切是否值得。全球經(jīng)濟與就業(yè)市場已進(jìn)入近年來糟糕的階段，我的銀行戶頭幾乎為零，我覺得自己在再次感到安心前，需要睡上一個月的時間。
當(dāng)然，并非所有的事情都那么可怕。第五學(xué)期已經(jīng)開始，這也是后一個學(xué)期。再次見到2007年底赴新加坡校區(qū)學(xué)習(xí)兩個學(xué)期的朋友們，看到他們回到楓丹白露來享受后一個學(xué)期，也是一件美妙的事情。法國陰郁的冬日已成過去，溫暖的天氣終于來臨，歐洲工商管理學(xué)院(Insead)美麗的校園媲鄰以往法國許多國王狩獵過的那片森林，我們在草坪上可以再次享受到曬在臉龐上的暖陽。
在5月份陽光明媚的天氣里，與朋友們坐在戶外，是驅(qū)散我們許多人滿臉愁云的好方式——也是便宜的方式。因為在西方世界的金融及商業(yè)都市里，成千上萬的人面臨失業(yè)，此時此刻，大家都在思忖各自的前途，以及我們是否能找到工作。
坦率地說，即將結(jié)束的校園招聘季活動，對我來說一直是件很難的事情，對于許多參加MBA學(xué)習(xí)的校友來說，也是如此。無數(shù)家公司像旋風(fēng)般相繼召開宣講活動，每活動過后，都是雞尾酒會或晚宴，地點或是設(shè)在歐洲工商管理學(xué)院餐廳的角落，或是設(shè)在市區(qū)的一家餐館，有時則是在楓丹白露城堡的一間大廳內(nèi)。
雖然我和別人一樣喜愛雞尾酒會，但招聘者講著千篇一律的故事，展開那種無休無止的魅力攻勢，卻讓人精疲力竭。況且，這種事還得要擠進(jìn)一如既往繁忙的課程和作業(yè)安排中，而我們還需要擠出時間來填寫工作申請。
此后就出現(xiàn)了掛羊頭賣狗肉的情況——每家公司的宣講似乎設(shè)計得是讓學(xué)生們確信：機會無限，而本公司的文化就是要找到合適人選，給予他們成長的機會。但等到你填好申請并開始面試時，情況時常會出現(xiàn)變化。
在求職申請未被直接駁回的情況下，面試者們有時似乎會認(rèn)為，他們的職責(zé)就是讓申請者感到自己很笨、不稱職、或是能力不足，以便將他們篩選掉。
這絕對不是一種通行的做法，但我和其他許多人都多次經(jīng)歷過這種事，因此有必要提一下，這是一種相當(dāng)廣泛的做法。
這也許是對申請者勇氣的測試，顯然對于許多進(jìn)行校園招聘的公司來說，有必要挑選那些能夠處理工作固有壓力的學(xué)生。但對于許多在學(xué)業(yè)初期想象充滿種種可能性的美好生活的學(xué)生來說，這樣的對待不啻于一種粗暴的喚醒。
我不得不想，在花費精力說服求職者到公司來應(yīng)聘之后，為何招聘者還會忘記如何尊重各位潛在的雇員？
畢竟，花費5萬多歐元的生活費和機會成本，難道不是表明一個人的動力所在嗎？難道被全球挑剔的商學(xué)院錄取的學(xué)生，真的還需要測試一下他們的心算能力嗎？我們真的需要被告知，雖然自己擁有巨大的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力潛能，但真正管用的，還是我們能否快速用紙筆計算出一長串的除法嗎？
幸運的是，其他一些招聘者采取了不同的做法——似乎在我看來，在對待歐洲工商管理學(xué)院這批富有才干、技術(shù)熟練的人才們時，這是上乘的辦法。他們會評估一個人的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力潛能，能否適應(yīng)公司的文化與戰(zhàn)略目標(biāo)，是否確實花了力氣去了解坐在自己對面的這個人。
這并不意味著他們代表公司來物色佳人選時就不那么挑剔。但在我看來，在求職者當(dāng)中真正找到那些相互適應(yīng)程度較高的人選，以及哪些人也許會在今后數(shù)年留在這個公司，這是一種更有用的方式。
作為一個資歷很不傳統(tǒng)的人（經(jīng)濟學(xué)本科，在加拿大外交部任經(jīng)濟學(xué)家及政策顧問的10年工作經(jīng)驗），我知道對于我來說，轉(zhuǎn)行到私營部門工作，可能富有挑戰(zhàn)性。
也許我低估了這項挑戰(zhàn)——我想我的年齡（36歲）大概使我在兩方面處于不利。首先，我不太愿意申請十多份工作，然后希望得到其中的一份，因為我清楚地了解自己想做和不想做的事情。其次，我不太愿意在面試時說人們想聽的話，因為我已經(jīng)認(rèn)識到自己是哪種人。
我相信，只要我積極而真實地展現(xiàn)自己，我會找到一份適合我的工作，而不是展現(xiàn)令我加分的虛假形象，讓自己被聘用。
幸運的是，盡管有種種挑戰(zhàn)，我還是樂于告知大家，我有許多朋友開始收到不錯的錄用函。四月的陰霾過后，陽光再普照校園。
但是，就像歐洲工商管理學(xué)院里許多年齡稍大的學(xué)員一樣，我不太可能通過商學(xué)院就業(yè)服務(wù)部門精心組織的官方校園招聘渠道，或是通過大公司、咨詢機構(gòu)或銀行那些面向較年輕人員的一些正式招聘計劃來找到工作。
不過，我有信心，只要我有意識地探尋那些開啟并歡迎我的其它門路，我終將找到合適的機遇。
眼下，我將繼續(xù)享受各種簡單的快樂——例如春日的陽光——直至我再度能夠依賴一份按期發(fā)放的工資單。
Of course, not all is dire. The fifth and final term of the year has started, and it is wonderful to see the friends who left for two terms on the Singapore campus at the end of 2007, now that they are back to enjoy the last term in Fontainebleau. The warm weather has finally arrived after a dreary French winter, and we can once again enjoy warm sun on our faces on the lawns of Insead's beautiful campus near the famed forest where many a French king once hunted.
Sitting outside with friends on a sunny May day is the best - and cheapest - way to burn away the mist of worry hanging over many of us as we wonder where we will end up and whether we will be able to find work when thousands seem to be losing jobs in the financial and business capitals of the western world.
Frankly, the season for on-campus recruitment activities, which is drawing to an end, has been a very difficult one for me, and many of my fellow MBA participants. There was a whirlwind of presentations by a myriad of companies, each followed by cocktails or dinner, in a nook of the Insead cafeteria, a restaurant in town, or sometimes a grand hall of the Fontainebleau castle.
While I enjoy cocktail parties as much as the next person, the relentless charm offensive by recruiters telling similar stories is draining, particularly as it is compressed into the same busy schedule of classes and coursework as usual, and we also need to make time for writing applications.
Then there is the bait-and-switch - as much as the company presentations appear designed to convince students that opportunities are limitless and that corporate culture is all about finding the right people and giving them a chance to grow, when the applications are in and interviews start, the message sometimes changes.
On the occasions when applications are not rejected outright, interviewers occasionally seem to think that their role is to make applicants feel stupid, inadequate, or incompetent in order to screen them out.
This is by no means a general approach, but I and many others have experienced it often enough that it bears mentioning as a fairly widespread practice.
This may be a test of the applicant's mettle, and clearly it is necessary to select those students who are able to handle the pressure inherent in working for many of the firms that recruit on campus, but it is a rude awakening for many students who had imagined a charmed life full of possibility earlier in the programme.
I cannot help but wonder why recruiters forget to treat potential employees with respect after the effort expended to convince candidates to apply for jobs at their companies.
After all, isn't spending 50,000 plus living expenses and opportunity cost a sign of motivation? Do people who have been accepted into one of the world's most selective business schools really need to be tested for their ability to do mental arithmetic? Do we really need to be told that we have great leadership potential but that what really matters is that we could not do long division with pen and paper fast enough?
Fortunately, other recruiters take a different approach - one that seems to me to be superior when dealing with such a talented and technically-skilled pool of people as Insead students. They evaluate leadership potential, fit with the company culture and strategic objectives, and actually make an effort to get to know the human being who is sitting in front of them.
This does not mean that they have to be any less selective in finding the right person for the company they represent, but it seems to me a more useful way to actually identify candidates with whom the mutual fit is strong and who may be with the company for years to come.
As someone with a very non-traditional profile (economics undergraduate, 10 years working as an economist and policy adviser for Canada's foreign ministry), I knew that it might be challenging for me to make the transition to a private sector job.
Perhaps I underestimated the challenge - I think my age (36), may be putting me at a disadvantage in two ways. First, I am less inclined to apply to dozens of jobs hoping one will work out, since I have clear ideas about what I want and do not want. Second, I am less inclined to say what people want to hear in an interview because I have come to realise who I am and who am not.
I believe that only if I present myself positively but truthfully will I find the job which is right for me, as opposed to being hired for presenting a false image of what makes me tick.
Fortunately, I am glad to report that despite the challenges, many of my friends are starting to get good job offers, and after the gloom of April, the sun is once again shining down on the campus.
But, like many of the slightly older participants at Insead, I am unlikely find work through the official on-campus channels that are so well organised by the school's career services, or via formal recruiting programmes at major firms, consultancies, or banks, aimed at a younger demographic.
I am confident, however, that a conscious search for those back doors that are open and welcoming will, in the end, allow me to find the right opportunity.
Until then, I will keep enjoying simple pleasures - such as the spring sun - until I can count on a regular pay packet again.
在我MBA學(xué)業(yè)即將結(jié)束的前兩個月，一種“回歸現(xiàn)實”的可怕感覺開始降臨，我開始懷疑，所有的這一切是否值得。全球經(jīng)濟與就業(yè)市場已進(jìn)入近年來糟糕的階段，我的銀行戶頭幾乎為零，我覺得自己在再次感到安心前，需要睡上一個月的時間。
當(dāng)然，并非所有的事情都那么可怕。第五學(xué)期已經(jīng)開始，這也是后一個學(xué)期。再次見到2007年底赴新加坡校區(qū)學(xué)習(xí)兩個學(xué)期的朋友們，看到他們回到楓丹白露來享受后一個學(xué)期，也是一件美妙的事情。法國陰郁的冬日已成過去，溫暖的天氣終于來臨，歐洲工商管理學(xué)院(Insead)美麗的校園媲鄰以往法國許多國王狩獵過的那片森林，我們在草坪上可以再次享受到曬在臉龐上的暖陽。
在5月份陽光明媚的天氣里，與朋友們坐在戶外，是驅(qū)散我們許多人滿臉愁云的好方式——也是便宜的方式。因為在西方世界的金融及商業(yè)都市里，成千上萬的人面臨失業(yè)，此時此刻，大家都在思忖各自的前途，以及我們是否能找到工作。
坦率地說，即將結(jié)束的校園招聘季活動，對我來說一直是件很難的事情，對于許多參加MBA學(xué)習(xí)的校友來說，也是如此。無數(shù)家公司像旋風(fēng)般相繼召開宣講活動，每活動過后，都是雞尾酒會或晚宴，地點或是設(shè)在歐洲工商管理學(xué)院餐廳的角落，或是設(shè)在市區(qū)的一家餐館，有時則是在楓丹白露城堡的一間大廳內(nèi)。
雖然我和別人一樣喜愛雞尾酒會，但招聘者講著千篇一律的故事，展開那種無休無止的魅力攻勢，卻讓人精疲力竭。況且，這種事還得要擠進(jìn)一如既往繁忙的課程和作業(yè)安排中，而我們還需要擠出時間來填寫工作申請。
此后就出現(xiàn)了掛羊頭賣狗肉的情況——每家公司的宣講似乎設(shè)計得是讓學(xué)生們確信：機會無限，而本公司的文化就是要找到合適人選，給予他們成長的機會。但等到你填好申請并開始面試時，情況時常會出現(xiàn)變化。
在求職申請未被直接駁回的情況下，面試者們有時似乎會認(rèn)為，他們的職責(zé)就是讓申請者感到自己很笨、不稱職、或是能力不足，以便將他們篩選掉。
這絕對不是一種通行的做法，但我和其他許多人都多次經(jīng)歷過這種事，因此有必要提一下，這是一種相當(dāng)廣泛的做法。
這也許是對申請者勇氣的測試，顯然對于許多進(jìn)行校園招聘的公司來說，有必要挑選那些能夠處理工作固有壓力的學(xué)生。但對于許多在學(xué)業(yè)初期想象充滿種種可能性的美好生活的學(xué)生來說，這樣的對待不啻于一種粗暴的喚醒。
我不得不想，在花費精力說服求職者到公司來應(yīng)聘之后，為何招聘者還會忘記如何尊重各位潛在的雇員？
畢竟，花費5萬多歐元的生活費和機會成本，難道不是表明一個人的動力所在嗎？難道被全球挑剔的商學(xué)院錄取的學(xué)生，真的還需要測試一下他們的心算能力嗎？我們真的需要被告知，雖然自己擁有巨大的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力潛能，但真正管用的，還是我們能否快速用紙筆計算出一長串的除法嗎？
幸運的是，其他一些招聘者采取了不同的做法——似乎在我看來，在對待歐洲工商管理學(xué)院這批富有才干、技術(shù)熟練的人才們時，這是上乘的辦法。他們會評估一個人的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力潛能，能否適應(yīng)公司的文化與戰(zhàn)略目標(biāo)，是否確實花了力氣去了解坐在自己對面的這個人。
這并不意味著他們代表公司來物色佳人選時就不那么挑剔。但在我看來，在求職者當(dāng)中真正找到那些相互適應(yīng)程度較高的人選，以及哪些人也許會在今后數(shù)年留在這個公司，這是一種更有用的方式。
作為一個資歷很不傳統(tǒng)的人（經(jīng)濟學(xué)本科，在加拿大外交部任經(jīng)濟學(xué)家及政策顧問的10年工作經(jīng)驗），我知道對于我來說，轉(zhuǎn)行到私營部門工作，可能富有挑戰(zhàn)性。
也許我低估了這項挑戰(zhàn)——我想我的年齡（36歲）大概使我在兩方面處于不利。首先，我不太愿意申請十多份工作，然后希望得到其中的一份，因為我清楚地了解自己想做和不想做的事情。其次，我不太愿意在面試時說人們想聽的話，因為我已經(jīng)認(rèn)識到自己是哪種人。
我相信，只要我積極而真實地展現(xiàn)自己，我會找到一份適合我的工作，而不是展現(xiàn)令我加分的虛假形象，讓自己被聘用。
幸運的是，盡管有種種挑戰(zhàn)，我還是樂于告知大家，我有許多朋友開始收到不錯的錄用函。四月的陰霾過后，陽光再普照校園。
但是，就像歐洲工商管理學(xué)院里許多年齡稍大的學(xué)員一樣，我不太可能通過商學(xué)院就業(yè)服務(wù)部門精心組織的官方校園招聘渠道，或是通過大公司、咨詢機構(gòu)或銀行那些面向較年輕人員的一些正式招聘計劃來找到工作。
不過，我有信心，只要我有意識地探尋那些開啟并歡迎我的其它門路，我終將找到合適的機遇。
眼下，我將繼續(xù)享受各種簡單的快樂——例如春日的陽光——直至我再度能夠依賴一份按期發(fā)放的工資單。