You’re on your way to your MBA, but what’s next? Career Development Manager Karim Hussainali explains how, at Rotterdam School of Management, his team will help you set your personal path to success.
Every MBA student aspires to secure an excellent role after completing their studies. In fact, studying for an MBA is a choice made with that goal in mind. At Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Rotterdam career service success is part of every MBA student’s journey. A successful job search starts with a conversation. The MBA Career Centre team is keen to get to know you, your skills, background, dreams, and goals.
“The way that we personalize career services is really by spending the first time we speak with everyone just getting to know each other,” Karim says. (00:19)
That personal approach pays off. The RSM Employment Report for 2024 reports that 51% of RSM students have a job lined up by graduation. Three months after graduation, that percentage soars to 91%.
The majority of graduates stay in the Netherlands, having enjoyed their experience in Rotterdam, the second-largest city. More than 90% stay in Europe. Furthermore, RSM MBA graduates choose from an enormous variety of career paths.
The RSM career services team enables students to begin with a career discovery process. That can start with the Design Your Life workshop, in which students envision their ideal job or jobs.
“We challenge students to create multiple ideal job scenarios which hopefully serve as a foundation for their actual search,” Karim explains. (01:19)
Developing a career plan can begin as early as the first week of the MBA program. After all, the RSM career services goal is to ensure students are fully prepared by the end of classes to secure their desired job. That takes groundwork and developing new skills.
Building concrete skills already happens in the classroom at RSM. A dedication to experiential education ensures RSM students develop practical skills through active, real-world participation.
The RSM MBA Career Centre offers workshops to teach skills that are most useful in the job search process. The personalized approach permeates every touchpoint of the program. The centre’s Career Builder tool helps you map out the steps toward securing an internship, a mentor, and eventually, a job.
“We can help students with anything from, well, career discovery all the way up to negotiation within interview processes and anything in between,” says Karim. “By making it solely about them, it’s going to be very personal.” (00:32)
RSM’s workshops include:
The MBA job search support doesn’t stop there, of course. RSM runs tailored MBA job boards, brings companies to campus to present to students, and facilitates attendance at career fairs.
RSM takes the personal perspective even further. Students can sign up for 1:1 career coaching sessions at any time during their studies. The coaching relationship depends on the level of student engagement, Karim says.
“You can get as much out of it as you want,” Karim says. (01:05)
In addition, RSM alumni volunteer their time to guide MBA students in the RSM MentorMe platform.
As mentors, alumni share their own job search process as well as their experience in specific roles and industries. They can review resumes and cover letters, or help students practice for interviews. Moreover, alumni find it as rewarding and useful as current students do.
The alumni-student relationship exemplifies the close-knit nature of the RSM community. Even though it’s global, connections are made quickly through the shared RSM experience. The International Full-time MBA class of 2026 is 99% international students, with 30 nationalities represented. The broader RSM alumni community boasts more than 45,000 graduates worldwide.
The RSM career services team thrives on seeing students succeed. Karim enjoys watching students gain confidence in their future after taking advantage of the Rotterdam career service success journey.
“Generally, students walk away with a more lighter feeling, a bit more clarity in what they want,” Karim says. That’s a great source of pride for him, he adds. (00:54)
The exceptional outcomes for RSM MBAs around the world owe their success in part to the genuine support and unwavering enthusiasm of the career services team.
The RSM Career Centre team acknowledges that student concerns extend far beyond the job search. The team encourages students to approach them with concerns about topics including financial planning, housing, documentation, and visa regulations.
The team can provide help and guidance in these areas as well. To name just one example, they can help secure a 12-month post-graduation orientation year visa. This permit enables students to remain in the Netherlands to build a future in Europe.
“We’re happy to help,” Karim says. (02:13) Rotterdam career service success is part of the full RSM experience. The RSM Career Centre fosters a supportive environment. It’s part of the personal approach at RSM, helping students set themselves on a path to success.
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