Rotman MBA candidates have the opportunity to participate in some pretty cool events like our Career Treks! Career Treks are a great way for our graduate students to explore careers outside of traditional recruiting avenues in key employment destinations. Treks will facilitate global engagement, deepen student understanding of global business and play a large role in growing our global brand. Students will meet with employers and alumni in top firms outside of Toronto with the goal of connecting them to internships and full-time opportunities outside of Toronto.
Recently, our students travelled to Silicon Valley (SV) to visit companies like LinkedIn, Electronic Arts, Box, eBay, Jump, Google, Zynga, Pivotal Labs, and AppDirect. They also had the opportunity to connect with alumni who are working in the area and get some advice on what life is like in SV.
Here’s a snapshot what went down:
1) LinkedIn: Students were greeted with customized Rotman signs and given some neat swag bags before going on a tour, listening to a great keynote, and participating in a Q&A with an MBA panel.
2) Electronic Arts: Toured the lot, which had a full-sized indoor basketball court AND giant outdoor field, and enjoyed the employee discount in the EA store!
3) Box: Picture this: Students walked into Box only to be greeted by a two story yellow slide! Afterwards, they were divided into groups and given tours around the office and, as luck would have it, bumped into the CEO as he was making his way to the bathroom! Their sales team had a gong and they take shots when they make a certain level of sale. Students witness the unicorn mascot and got some neat swag.
4) eBay: Upon arriving at eBay, students learned how the company was started with a story on the Pez in the glass case. After learning about the improvements Vincent (Rotman’s eBay ambassador) made, our candidates were invited to review the site and send him ideas for further improving customer engagement.
5) Jump: Sara Vanos, who led this Career Trek, describes what happened at Jump. “We started out the morning with a standing wa-bam scrum where we explained what we were excited to learn at Jump. We were given a great presentation about complexity vs. ambiguity and their differences. We also learned Jump’s differentiators. We concluded the visit with very interactive and fun group work: Lily’s Lemonade. We looked at different revenue models and how company offerings look very different depending on which one is used. Overall, it was inspiring!”
6) Google: Students were greeted by self-driving cars and the Google bicycles! They saw as much of the campus as possible, including the outdoor pool and volleyball court!
7) Zynga: A great panel of MBAs spoke about the products they manage (Farmville and Farmville 2), life at Zynga, and took time to answer our students’ questions. The visit concluded with a tour of their super cool office including their pub where they brew their own beer! Their perks include an amazing staff cafeteria where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served free!
8) Pivotal Labs: This company showed a more structured approach: You work from 9am-6pm and must leave by 6:01pm. They also use pairing to increase productivity.
9) AppDirect: Started in a windowless office with the promise that they would one day have giant windows and lots of natural light…this probably explains why they have the best view in San Fran! Students went on a tour of the offices, met with some “Canadians in traning,” and discovered how quickly the company is growing – they already have big-named clients like Staples and Google!
One of the students who went on the Trek said, “It’s not just the network that we build but also the first-hand insights that we got from people across different levels.” Career Treks are the way to go! Visiting the HQs of some pretty profound and innovative companies will leave you feeling inspired and super motivated. That’s why this was the “Best. Trek. Ever.”