Stop for a moment and think back to when you were just a kid, home sick from school. Chances are your memory involves a steamy bowl of Campbell’s chicken soup. Even in these tumultuous times, the Campbell Soup Company is still cooking up profitable products. The Camden, New Jersey company saw U.S. soup, sauce, and beverage sales increasing eight percent during the first half of 2009, proving to be a hearty company where MBAs can really dig in. Kim Eby offers a few hints on how to build your own brand in a tough job market.
Do you expect to hire as many MBAs as you did last year?
It’s hard to say about full-time roles because we’re still in the planning stages, but I can say that for our summer internship program we are hiring 17 MBAs, and that’s two more than last year.
What can an MBA expect from an internship at Campbell?
As an intern, MBAs often work on high visibility projects in finance, marketing, and strategy. It gives students a chance to evaluate us—but we can also evaluate them. Even in a recession, we still view college recruiting as a long-term strategic plan, and we often take interns on full time.
Have you seen a spike in MBA applicants due to the recession?
Absolutely. With some companies reducing their number of hires, the competition among students has increased. We’re also seeing a lot more people having an open mind and showing an interest in Campbell versus trying to go into other industries, such as investment banking.
Does that give you room to be more selective?
It does, but the attributes we look for haven’t changed. That’s because we have a leadership model that we follow. What we do differently now is hone in on those individuals who fit our model best.
What is Campbell’s leadership model?
Our leadership model has six key behaviors, which includes inspiring trust, building relationships, collaboration, and bias for action. We ask candidates questions based around these to see if they’ll be a good fit. We really want people to know what our values and desired attributes are and speak to them (you can find them
here).
What should MBAs know about applying for jobs in a recession?
Building your network is critical. Try to make as many connections as possible, whether it’s at school or with your parents’ friends, or even with people you meet standing in a line somewhere. Let everybody know you’re looking for opportunities. You should also be proactive early on in your MBA career, and reach out to working professionals, keeping an open mind in regard to location and industry. Finally, it’s really important to brand yourself. Understand and be aware of what you want out of a career and how to position yourself. Research, be prepared, and demonstrate your skills and knowledge.
Why should MBAs want to work at Campbell?
In terms of the work involved, we have so many opportunities that people may not know about. You could work in supply chain, sales, brand marketing, and we need financial analysts each step of the way. So students who were looking for financial services careers will find a place here as well, and according to salary reports from schools, what we offer is definitely up there even with investment banking standards. In terms of our company, we’re a brand that impacts people’s lives, and many childhood memories involve Campbell.