Duke MQM Student Blog
Job Success Stories from the Class of 2019
In their first few months since graduating, Fuqua’s MQM: BA Class of 2019 graduates are already making an impact in their careers. We asked a few of our alumni to reflect on their job success stories
In their first few months since graduating, Fuqua’s MQM: BA Class of 2019 graduates are already making an impact in their careers. We asked a few of our alumni to reflect on their job success stories and what helped them land their current roles.
Kanak Agrawal
Track: Finance
Nationality: Indian
Position Accepted: Senior Business Analyst at Capital One in Richmond, Virginia
I applied for my job through Fuqua’s online career portal. I attended a company webinar, which helped me understand the interview process and their hiring philosophy. To prepare for my interviews, I practiced a variety of cases and talked to other students who had already interviewed with the firm as well as current employees at the company. I also used the situation, task, action, and result (STAR) framework to develop answers to multiple behavioral questions that I might be asked during an interview.
Maryum Ahmad
Track: Marketing
Nationality: Pakistani
Position Accepted: Solution Integration Engineer at Lenovo in Morrisville, North Carolina
The Career Management Center (CMC) was a huge help in my job search process from the very start of the program. I attended almost every CMC-sponsored event until I got hired—case interview prep, small talk practice for career fairs, and coffee chats. I also had someone review my resume and cover letters.
Caroline Kan
Track: Finance
Nationality: Chinese
Position Accepted: Financial Data Scientist at Lenovo in Morrisville, North Carolina
I started networking early and also set up job alerts on several job posting platforms. For my current role, I saw the job posting on LinkedIn and applied. Several days later, I received an invitation for a video interview. I started to focus on networking with Lenovo employees and actually got a referral for this position. My Lenovo network helped me with mock interviews and introduced me to the company culture and the interview process.
As an international student, I was worried about my English and didn’t think I could pass my first on-site interview. However, my friends, family, and CMC coach encouraged me a lot. I highly recommend networking early and following up with the people you speak to. Also, make use of all of the resources offered by the CMC. I found it useful to follow their roadmap and attend workshops.
Gilbert Kiggundu
Track: Strategy
Nationality: Ugandan
Position Accepted: Senior Consultant-Analytics at EY-Parthenon in Washington, D.C.
I was contacted by a Fuqua alumna through LinkedIn. She inquired about my interest in the role. After an informational interview with her, she referred me internally. My LinkedIn profile was always up to date with all of the information I wanted to highlight. As a result, several recruiters and hiring managers contacted me about positions they had at their firms. I also managed to secure several interviews through campus recruiting. I leveraged CMC resources during the interview process such as practicing for interviews and negotiation.