Top 5 things you need from a Masters in Management

We filmed an interview recently with MSc Management Course Director, Dr Grahame Fallon, to find out the top 5 things you need from a Masters in Management for career success. Watch the video below to find out what they are. We highlight the main points from the interview with the charismatic academic below:

Specialist options on a generalist course

You can be both generalist and specialist at the same time with bolt-on specialist areas of choice such as: Marketing and Branding, Innovation Management or the Creative Industries.

Employment experience and work placement

Career progression and finding suitable jobs are key for our students; hence employment experience is part of the degree programme. From your placement you identify a project, linked to the dissertation, and produce an internal consultancy report for a company.

Showcasing the degree certificate to future employers

Your specialist study and specialist placement experience is showcased on your actual degree certificate, to make it blindingly obvious for a potential employer, who is looking for a candidate that really stands out.

Engaging with businesses at high level

The Business Life programme is really supportive to your career prospects with a range of opportunities such as meeting with industry guest speakers, visits to companies and factories, and international business tours.

Accepting students from a variety of disciplines

Applications from candidates from social sciences areas and beyond who have aspirations of becoming managers are looked at seriously and positively, to put together a student body that’s multidisciplinary and international to enrich the course.

To find out more about this programme and other Masters degrees please visit the Brunel Business School website.

Top tips from an ‘Apprentice’ – getting noticed by employers

Saira Khan, author, business owner, TV presenter and corporate speaker, was one of the first contestants on the BBC’s The Apprentice series in 2005. Saira recently shared her top tips on getting noticed by employers at the Brunel Business School’s annual Business Boot Camps for prospective BSc Business and Management students.

Saira Khan (left) with Business Boot Camp attendee Misbah Ishfaq

• Forget ‘Business’, embrace the word ‘data’ – your success is linked to how well you analyse, interpret and utilise it to create ideas and solutions – translating big data into insights and business value will be an essential skill to get to the top.
• Do your internship in an IT company to develop data literacy – internet marketing experience will be valuable.
• Think about how you want to make the world easier for people when choosing your business idea or career path.
• Be honest with yourself – why are you going to university? 61.6% of students say that a degree is useful for getting a job.
• It’s not about which university you went to – it’s about what you did at University to enhance yourself and make yourself employable.
• At job interviews, try and think about what an employer would want in you, rather than what you can offer an employer.
• Employers want self-confidence, self-awareness and great communication skills.
• Be prepared at an interview – research the company, their values, and the key decisions makers and then demonstrate in the interview that you have done your homework – this will impress.
• Have a vision for your life five years from now and then get a plan on how to achieve it.
• Ask for feedback after the interview – ask what you did well and what you could improve on, so you are prepared for the next one, and don’t make the same mistakes.
• Master good communication skills: body language, speaking, writing, personal presentation, questioning and LISTENING.
• Talk the language at interviews: your competencies – the drive for results, integrity, honesty, innovation. Consider how you can demonstrate these without bragging.
• Develop yourself: understand yourself, sell yourself, have high standards
• Get confidence – other people can’t give you this – work outside your comfort zone to understand your strengths and development areas – this will help you to gain confidence about who you are.
• Be proactive about everyday life. Don’t wait for things to come to you, fight for them. Don’t hound people though, do it in a nice way.
• Sell yourself – selling yourself is about listening, ‘so what do you want to know about me?’ An employer wants to feel they could work with you.
• Come down to people as needed. Change your tone.
• Network. Talk about them, not business.
• Have a spirit of excellence and high standards in your work – be known for always being on time, responding quickly and always looking presentable – 3 quick things anyone can do to create that brilliant first impression.
• Think Education. Experience. Exposure.
• My Life CV. Start writing your Life CV at secondary school and keep it updated, write down everything that you do outside of school – speaking a different language, working in a charity shop, playing a sport, getting recognition for something that you have achieved, being a carer, volunteering, etc – always keep this separate from your main CV and send it as a CV in its own right with your academic one to the employer.
• Read business books – get to know the latest thinking, trends and personalities shaping the business world today.

Saira Khan is author of ‘P.U.S.H. for Success’ and founder of Miamoo naturally derived skincare products.

Brunel Business Boot Camp is an exclusive, invitation only event for candidates wishing to pursue their Business Degree in Brunel University. The Business Boot Camp is a three day, residential event with accommodation and food provided by the School for all participants. It truly is a unique opportunity for future Brunel students to be distinctive within a vibrant, innovative, and forward-looking environment.

 

BBS dedicated Career Consultants – on standby for all your career needs

Brunel Business School students have an excellent resource in a dedicated team of Career Consultants, part of the award winning Placement and Career Centre in Brunel University. Consultants can talk to students about their career options, check applications, give interview advice, and so much more. They help students in their career planning and provide resources and workshops to help them recognise and articulate their skills to employers.

Brunel Business School Careers Consultants can provide advice about the job hunting process, such as feedback on CVs, preparation for interviews and much more. To find out about the services the Careers team offer and how to make an appointment to see your Careers Consultant, please visit the Careers pages.

Calli Amiras, Careers Consultant for Business and Management students says:

“As an international and postgraduate careers consultant, my role is to help international and postgraduate students improve their chances of getting a good job after graduation, either in the UK or internationally. I also specialise in Business & Management general and IT pathways and share economics and Finance.”

Helen Slingsby, the MBA Career Coach explains:

“My role is to help students understand how to tell their own story to employers and potential business partners. If they don’t know who they are, what makes them thrive, where do they want to be, then how can they convince others at, let’s say, a networking event or at an interview for that all important job. I want to help students discover what the MBA can do for them in the UK but also in more buoyant job markets abroad. They need to learn how to create their own luck from the word go.”

Recent Brunel graduates can also get help from the dedicated Careers Consultants for up to two years after graduation though it’s best to get in touch with them sooner rather than later to maximise the help they can give you.

Meeting your Careers Consultant

If you are looking for careers advice and guidance there are two ways that you can talk individually with a Careers Consultant.

Designed for short discussions, 15 minute appointments on a one-to-one basis are available daily, and you can book a time on the day that you would like to see a Consultant. Longer appointments are for more in depth discussions and are booked in advance with the Careers Consultant who is responsible for your course. If you can let them know what you would like to discuss,

To book please email your Careers Consultant or careers@brunel.ac.uk

BBS PhD Student Wins Accolade in Student Employee of the Year Awards

Final year PhD student Sankar Sivarajah from Brunel Business School, supervised by Prof Zahir Irani, was recently awarded Runner Up in the “Brunel International Student Employee of the Year” category at the Brunel University “Student Employee of the Year” Awards.  He was also recognised for his contribution as part of the “Student Team of the Year” at Brunel. Congratulations!

The awards are part of the 2013 National Student Employee of the Year competition. Brunel University submitted a total of 32 nominations to the 2013 National Student Employee of the Year awards; the 5^th highest number of submissions amongst all UK Universities.

Sankar as a Senior Student Mentor for Brunel Residences was recognised for his contribution in providing excellent support service to the 4,500 or more students adjusting to university life. His responsibilities included conflict management, support and advice to new students in Brunel residences, co-ordination of welfare events as well as promoting and encouraging a sense of community amongst the students. Sankar spent two years in this role from 2011 to 2013.

Sankar works part-time as a Research Associate at Brunel Business School on a European Union funded project and is no stranger to hard work, having also been awarded the Best Overall Paper Award at the BBS Doctoral Symposium in March 2013.

Business School invites offer holders to Ready for Work Programme

Brunel Business School reached out to over 200 offer holders who indicated Brunel University was their firm choice inviting them to join the Ready for Work Programme for first year students. The selected group of applicants has been sent a letter by post, signed by the Head of School, with the intention to encourage incoming, first-year students to join the employability initiative which will commence with the start of the academic year.

Other Applicant Initiatives in Brunel Business School

“It’s important for us to pre-condition our incoming students and enthuse them at a point when they are super receptive to all university news. This will ensure that students get into a pro-active mind set, become aware of the initiative before they join their degree programme, and hopefully ensure higher participation numbers to this exciting development programme from the start” said Joanna Oman, Brunel Business School Marketing Manager.

While providing high quality business and management education to students is a key priority for the School, the Business School wants students to also start thinking about their careers from day one at university and to explore how to differentiate themselves from others by joining this exciting multidisciplinary programme, which focuses on the career skills development Brunel is very proud of.

The Ready for Work programme will be open to all incoming undergraduates across Brunel University, and will enable them to challenge themselves through team work and to solve real-life issues over a 10 week period in the following areas:

• Community engagement: Projects of interest to our local community to bring social and economic benefits.
• Enterprise and entrepreneurship: Projects that focus on developing innovative products or services.
• Global challenges: Projects that research and analyse issues that have world-wide importance.
• Social responsibility: Projects that analyse the balance between economic development and societal and environmental welfare.

Prof Irani, Head of Brunel Business School, has been working with academic and professional teams across the University to build this exciting initiative and the University is recruiting high quality researchers to help student teams produce solutions that will make a difference to our society. Students are encouraged to take part in this very rewarding experience that will help them differentiate themselves from others and is also a great way to make new friends.

5 job interviews with LinkedIn? Here’s a student story to show you how.

We interviewed Abdul-Basit Mohammed, a Brunel Business School student completing his BSc (Hons) International Business degree on his success on LinkedIn. Abdul is currently employed with British Sky Broadcasting Ltd and shares his experience of using LinkedIn as a student to encourage others to follow suit and reap the rewards.

So get to it, set up your profile and connect with Adbul-Basit today!

Why did you first create a LinkedIn profile?

I have always tried to be up to date with social media platforms and while on placement the social media manager advised me to be active on LinkedIn.

How difficult was it for you to complete the details?

It took time getting used to it because unlike social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, it is more professional but like the other social media platforms once you get the hang of it, you get addicted.

Did you get any guidance or training on using it?

No, I worked things out on my own. I made time for going on LinkedIn, having a look at what others who are similar to me are doing and incorporating different ideas.

How did you go about connecting with people?

I first added my friends and anytime I went to events and spoke at events to someone that I felt will be a good contact, I asked them if I can add them to my network. After a while I started getting request from other people on LinkedIn.

Were you approached with any offers?

Since joining LinkedIn, I have been contacted about job offers and had 5 interviews so far. I got my current part-time job through LinkedIn while at Brunel University.

How did you secure your job opportunities?

I made sure the people and groups I follow are within the industries I am hoping to get employed in. I also follow recruitment agents, agencies and keep in touch with them. The most important thing of all is my profile; with LinkedIn your profile, network of connections, the companies you follow, groups you follow and comments/posts all serves as a CV. You can now apply for jobs on some company websites with your LinkedIn account and it’s even easy to apply for jobs within LinkedIn.

What opportunities did you get from LinkedIn?

I got to meet people I would have never had the opportunity to meet and get invited to events I wouldn’t have had the chance to go to. You get an insight into certain industries too, through the groups you follow. I have a good example. I have always had an interest in CSR, Ethics and Sustainability but it is a very difficult sector to get into. After working at Sky for a while I realised they are involved in this and created a whole department “The Bigger Picture”, so I added a few executives on LinkedIn and sent an email at work and asked them to have lunch with me. As a result I had lunch with the former head of the department who put me in contact with the current head and we will be meeting soon, to see how I can gain a voluntary experience.

What advice would you give to other students who want to set up a profile on LinkedIn?

As students we all know networking is very important for students and graduates, so why not have all your contacts in one platform. I advise students to join LinkedIn and start by adding fellow students and try to be active users. I will sometimes come across certain opportunities not suited for me so I will think of a former classmate or colleague and send it to them.

What advice would you give other students who are currently looking for a job on LinkedIn?

I know a lot of students and graduates say there aren’t any jobs out there but this is not true.  There are jobs out there, but as a student or graduate you might not have the necessary skills and experience for a lot of the roles. LinkedIn is a platform that supports students and graduates because it promotes a lot of Graduate schemes, entry level jobs and placements. There is a whole section dedicated to students. The best thing about LinkedIn is that although paying members have a lot of benefits, you don’t have to pay to reap all the benefits and opportunities.

Have you seen any benefits from joining Groups on LinkedIn?

Yes, joining Groups on LinkedIn has a lot of advantages. Apart from the jobs tab, you have the discussions tab for interacting, members tab to see what professions other members are in and you can add them to your network and the promotion tab to see what opportunities are being promoted and for you to promote yourself. You can ask so many questions within groups and get a lot of help from group members.

Is completing a profile on LinkedIn enough? What other things should students be doing?

Completing a profile is very important because people and employers can overlook an incomplete profile. you see the difference when your profile is complete because employers start contacting you. Having said this, that is not enough. Being successful on LinkedIn involves a multitude of activities. You need to be active, get involved in discussions, post your interests and questions, promote yourself and keep up to date with the articles, journals and posts others put up that might interest you. If your other social media platforms have professional profiles you can connect them to your linked in account to expand your reach to employers.

We wish Abdul all the best in his future endeavours, especially as he becomes a dad soon!

Source: careerenlightenment.com

More Brunel MBA international graduates able to work in UK this year

The UKBA have announced an extension to the Graduate Entrepreneur scheme for 2013, which will allow each Higher Education Institution to endorse up to 10 places on the scheme for MBA graduates, in addition to the 10 places for graduates of any subject. In general, the UKBA expanded the scheme from April 2013 to include an additional 1000 places for talented international MBA graduates.

Brunel University successfully bid for 10 places last year and following a rigorous application and selection process, we endorsed 5 Graduate Entrepreneurs, who have all since been granted their visas and are working on their businesses and business plans according to the rules of the scheme.

Brunel Placement and Career Centre will be running information seminars in April, with one exclusively for MBA students, to inform them about the scheme, and answer any general questions they might have. Following those seminars students will be asked to express their interest in applying for the Graduate Entrepreneur scheme through an on-line form. Please check the PCC website after Easter for details.

To find out more about the MBA programme please visit the Brunel MBA website. 

MBA vs Specialist Masters – a choice that will decide on your future career.

Prof Francesco Moscone from Brunel Business School gives his view on the choices faced by candidates wishing to pursue Postgraduate Study in the area of Business and Management.

MBAs and specialist Masters have many strengths and similarities, and they differ in several aspects, including contents, students’ experience, and projected career paths.

Essentially, an MBA is a ‘post-experience’ qualification in general management, although some business schools may offer specialist MBA programmes in areas such as aviation and health care. The aim of an MBA is to offer students a holistic overview of how a business works, covering all major functions and practices of a business. As a result, MBA graduates will acquire theoretical and applied knowledge of several core subjects including marketing, international business, entrepreneurship and human resources.  One of the strengths of an MBA is fostering organisation, persuasion, leadership ad team-building skills as well as skills for innovation which are needed to expand career prospects, and tackle the most difficult issues facing businesses and societies. The plurality of students’ professional backgrounds is another key benefit as they may profit from networking with their peers. 

Specialist Master programmes are designed for people in the early stages of their career; immediately after their undergraduate degree or after one/two years on the job. These courses focus more on the theoretical side of the management field than the MBA, equipping students with more specialist knowledge.  A student may opt for a specialised Master if she is more interested in acquiring specific skills required by the industry.

From a pedagogical point of view, although some Masters cover the similar material as the MBA, they have a different teaching style which is more lecture-based. MBAs, in contrast, tend to focus on teamwork, business case studies, and the exchange of individual experience.

In this period of economic downturn investing in a post graduate management course is worthwhile, as the need for well-educated and internationally-oriented graduates will not cease or decrease in the long-term.

As people leave jobs in industries as a result of the economic crisis, an MBA is a unique opportunity for ambitious leaders to secure a better management position. A specialist Master is a worthwhile investment in order to stand out in a demanding and competitive job market.

Professor Francesco Moscone is the Director of the Brunel MBA programme and the former head of the Centre of Research into Entrepreneurship, International Business in Emerging Markets. He has previously worked at the University of Leicester, University of Cambridge, and London School of Economics (LSE). He has held visiting scholar positions at University of California-Berkeley, University Pompeu Fabra, and LSE. He has worked as health economist for the National Collaborating Centre for Women and Children’s Health, and the National Agency for Regional Health Services (Rome, Italy). He is principal investigator on an ESRC (UK government funding) first research grant entitled “Statistical Modelling of Interdependence in Economics”. Additionally he is co-investigator for the grant “Economic Performance and Quality of Life in European Cities” awarded by the Economics Education and Research Consortium. Francesco is also a co-investigator for the grant “Development of new indicators to assess research within scientific areas” awarded by the European Social Fund. Additionally Francesco co investigates a major EU grant entitled “Biopool- Services associated to digitalise contents of tissues in Biobanks across Europe”.

He is associate editor of the journal Economic Modelling and a Member of ESRC Peer Review College.

Times Higher shortlists BBS for Business School of the Year

We are extremely pleased to announce that Brunel Business School has been shortlisted for Business School of the Year Award by the Times Higher Education. Only half a dozen of Business Schools have been shortlisted for the award and Brunel Business School is up against up against Cass, Manchester, LUMS, Exeter and Plymouth.

This title, new for 2012, will be awarded to the business school demonstrating the most outstanding performance in the past academic year. It is open to all business schools in the UK, including those situated within universities and those in the private sector. The winners will be announced at an awards dinner in London on the 29th November.

Prof Zahir Irani, Head of School, explains the background behind our nomination. 

Brunel Business School (BBS) set out a coherent long-term strategy to create a ‘balanced economy’ of teaching and research, transforming itself from a large undergraduate provider to a research-intensive, global competitor with an international complement of staff (over 55% foreign nationals). Focus on quality and student employability, with a managed reduction of undergraduate numbers, drove teaching improvements and enabled BBS to become selective in recruitment. Postgraduate provision, staff research time and PhD supervision also prioritised.  Finally, the purpose built £28 million campus building is a highly visible sign of our commitment to this vision. 

Eastern Gateway Building

In terms of student experience and return on investment we have: 

• Steadily driven up our entry tariffs; 
• Developed ‘Business Life’ as distinguishing employability programme both parallel to and embedded in the curriculum of all course modules. BBS’s National Student Survey results have jumped from 94^th position in 2010 to 29^th in 2011. 
• Launched international student study tours (to India and Turkey) for some Masters programmes, in line with new international strategy.

We cultivated Programmes and Partnerships, such as: 

• Positioned BBS globally, evidenced by Financial Times’ ranking of MSc in Management as 59^th in 2010 and 56^th in 2011 (overtaking Durham, Lancaster and Manchester). 
• The Guardian’s latest (2013) ranking for Business and Management saw BBS jump 52 places, to 45^th. 
• Recently established alumni chapters in Turkey, China and India, with new ones to be announced shortly.

Our Research power continues to improve: 

• RAE2008 positioned BBS in the upper quartile for research, and we are on track to achieve top 15 position for ‘research power’ in the 2013 REF. Percentage of staff submitted jumped from 24% in 2001 to 90% in 2008; a further increase planned for 2013 REF. 
• Research diversity and international collaboration are strong features, with six recognised research centres, recent funding from EU, EPSRC, ESRC, Leverhulme Trust, British Academy and Qatar Foundation.

Brunel University has been shortlisted for the prestigious University of the Year award and Brunel University Library has been shortlisted for Outstanding Student Support at the Times Higher Education Awards 2012. Brunel’s shortlisting for University of the Year comes on the back of strong improvement in the annual university league tables in which it was the most improved institution in the UK.

Please see more on THE website

Latest Business School Newsletter is here!

The latest edition of our School newsletter has finally arrived! Enjoy the stories about our students, alumni, staff and the school and so much more for the best insight into what’s on in BBS. Here’s a sneak preview of some of our stories.

Please read the full newsletter here.

2nd International Conference on Islamic Marketing and Branding

We look forward to the 2nd International Conference on Islamic Marketing and Branding organised by the faculty of Business and Accountancy from University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur and Brunel Business School, Brunel University, London.

Korea – UK Exchange Programme

Four Brunel Business School students Merisa Bishwakarma, Abubakr Chaudhry, Sara Kahsay and Claire Munday have been taking part in the Korea Aerospace University’s (KAU) foreign summer exchange programme from 5th June to 20th July this year.

Empowering public sector communities in Europe by live video-to-video

Headed by Prof Zahir Irani, the research team from Brunel Business School are participating in LiveCity – a technology integration trial which offers advanced services to over 3000 users in five European cities.

Please read the full newsletter here.

Branding students learn real-life agency – client relationship

In May, MSc Applied Corporate Brand Management students embarked on a company visit to Telefonica Europe head office as part of their study. The visit was led by Professor T C Melewar and organised by the Business Life programme.

Students learn high flying strategy in British Airways HQ

A group of MBA students recently visited the British Airways global headquarters. The aim of the visit was to gain a detailed insight into the history and the future challenges facing this leading player in the aviation industry.

Jaguar and MINI: automobile industry from a management perspective

To bring the tools and techniques of supply chain and logistics management to life, students on the MSc Global Supply Chain Management embarked on a visit to the MINI production plant in Cowley, Oxford. 

Please read the full newsletter here.

International Work Placements are a hit in BBS

The Placement and Careers Centre (PCC) team of Brunel University offers students the opportunity to gain work experience by way of 1-year placements, and more frequently students take up these placements abroad.

Best Placement Student Award

Best Placement Student Award was won by Siobhan Feeney, a Business and Management Undergraduate who did her placement in SAP.

Graduation Ceremony 2012

The graduating class of 2012 enjoyed magnificent weather and celebrations during an exceptional week in Brunel University including the exhilarating spectacle of the Olympic Torch Relay.

Red Carpet event for students

The BBS Academic Programmes Office organized an exciting red carpet event for our final year undergraduate and postgraduate students as they celebrated the submission of their final year dissertations.

The art of Alumni Networking at the Saatchi Gallery, London

The School hosted the annual Alumni Reunion in March 2012 at the beautiful restaurant of the Saatchi Gallery in Central London. This is another of such events held in London, following last year’s successful event in the Albermarle Gallery.

Prof Jarvis chairs Chartered Banker Professional Standard Board’s Advisory Panel

Professor of Accounting, Robin Jarvis from Brunel Business School, has recently been appointed to chair the Advisory Panel of the Chartered Banker Professional Standard Board (CB:PSB).

Dr Yen explores the notion of “guanxi” in new book

Dr Dorothy Yen published a chapter in the book “Exploring Western and Chinese Business Relationship Paradigms”. It provides a comparative overview relating to the Western literature on business relationships and the Chinese notion of “guanxi” – translated as ‘relationships’ and ‘connections’ in English. 

Please read the full newsletter here.