company overviews: the big 6 - university of pennsylvania...• 18 month product launches are a...
TRANSCRIPT
Company Overviews: The Big 6MBA Career Management
Dr. Sam Jones and Erica Marks, MBACM Tech Team
September 18, 2018
The Big 6 Overview
2
Agenda
Goal: Overview “Big 6” tech firms in preparation for recruiting
• MBA Roles: full-time and
intern
• Recruiting Events
• Key Takeaways
• Sponsorship RECRUITING
INTERNSHIP
EXAMPLES (2018)
• Interview Prep Tips
• Interview Format
INSIDER INFO AND
INTERVIEW ADVICE
NEXT STEPS AND
SUMMARY INFO
• Project Examples
• Sample Interview Question
• Student Recruiting Strategy
and Tips
• Tech Resource Overview
• Recruiter Contact Info
The Big 6 Tech Companies
44%
of all tech
internship offers
at Wharton
57%
of Wharton
tech students’
#1 choice
Big 6 Intern Offers YOY
Year AMZN APPL FB GOOG LNKD MSFT # Offers # Unique
Students
2018 80 73
2017 72 58
2016 78 67
2015 97 83
2014 95 84
2013 64 54
2012 71 59
2011 61 56
2010 26 25
2009 14 13
2008 36 33
2007 38 33
2006 45 36
MBA Career Management
MBA Career Management Tech Team
Company 1st Yr.*
Amazon 2006
Apple 2006
Facebook 2011
Google 2006
LinkedIn 2010
Microsoft 2006
*digital records start in 2006
Recruiting Overview
Overview: The Big 6
7
• Senior Product Manager
• Senior Product Manager – Technical Products
• Retail Leadership Development Program
• Pathways Operations Manager
• Senior Program Manager
• Finance Leadership Development Program
• Cloudpath (AWS)
• Corporate and Business Development
• All international roles
MBA ROLES
Offer sponsorship at
Wharton, not at all MBA
programs
SPONSORSHIP
• EIS
• Deep Dive Sessions
• Wharton Tech Week
• Job posting and virtual
interviews during mature
timeframe
RECRUITING EVENTS
• Hire ~25 Wharton MBA
interns per year
• Approximate MBA intern
class size across
schools: 200+
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Internship Examples
Role Responsibilities Interview Questions
Senior Product
Manager Intern
Identified and planned 4 new tools
to help Amazon’s 2M sellers
manage their price and inventory
If you are in charge of Amazon
Fresh, how would you plan an
entry into a geographic area?
Pathways Operations
MBA Intern
Recommended inventory
placement strategy for three-
million-unit fulfillment center
How many people do you put
at each station if you want
10,000 units/hr. as an output?
Senior Financial
Analyst Intern
Conducted comprehensive
analysis of expanding new
business: breakdown of revenue
and cost drivers, etc.
What happens if you decrease
costs for Amazon Prime from
$79 to $20?
Retail Leadership
Development
Program Intern
Led project to improve the online
shopping experience for customers
early in the purchase
Amazon is trying to launch a
baby product line. How would
you approach it? Discuss
about selection, pricing and
marketing strategy.
MBACM Insider Info
• Culture: autonomous, proactive, ambiguity/change, driven, frugal, “sink or
swim”, “We are Amazon.com not Amazon.mom”
• Locations: most roles are based in Seattle and it is challenging to get a role
in NYC or SF; do not ask about HQ2 options; Pathways Operations roles are
located all over the US
• Obsessed with customers – need to share their mindset
• Company is genuinely guided by the 14 Leadership Principles
• Like a federation of small businesses—comfort with redundancy innovation
• All roles require analytical skills; all employees learn to use SQL
• 6-pg. White Papers: Planning done on Word documents (no PowerPoint)
• Bar Raiser – a person you do not know is one of your final project evaluators
• Wharton alumni are very engaged in your summer experience (e.g., BBQs)
• Resume advice – students who used richer interpersonal words and more
descriptive words about analytical skills were more commonly selected to
interview in 2018
• Referrals are marginally helpful but the big decision about your candidacy is
made based on online assessment
Interview Advice• Attire: Jeans; no suits
• Read Amazon’s 14 Leadership principles (you are evaluated by them) and
prepare your answers to behavioral questions using themes from them
• Research the site to think of ways to improve processes for customers and
sellers
• Read the 1997 shareholder letter which Amazon considers its “manifesto”
MBA Career Management
• Timeline: apply via Amazon.jobs
• Online Assessment: sent after the application deadline, will including a writing
exercise and career experiences survey; average time investment of 50 minutes and
is completed between application and round 1 interviews
• Baseline qualification to receive Online Assessment is 3 years of work experience
and enrollment in an MBA program
• Round 1 and Round 2 interviews are virtual and conducted using Amazon Chime
technology
• Candidates can only interview for one role (but can apply to multiple) – this is a
change from last year
• Placements – will receive an offer for a role but not a specific team such as Kindle,
AWS, etc.
INTERVIEW FORMAT
Recruiting Overview
Overview: The Big 6
12
APPLE INTERN:
• WW Sales and Operations Support
• AppleCare - Multiple Positions
• Procurement – Multiple Positions
• Product Operations & Manufacturing Design –
Multiple Positions
APPLE RETAIL INTERN:
Post one bucketed position “Apple Corporate
Retail – Multiple MBA Internships” for the below
groups:
Products & Services
Finance & Technology
Marketing & Communications
Operations
FULL-TIME: Both make most FT offers
through internship conversion
MBA ROLES
Yes
SPONSORSHIP
• APPLE: TBD - virtual coffee chats
• APPLE RETAIL: EIS, Coffee Chats
• OCI – Virtual for intern only
• January Tech Trek
RECRUITING EVENTS
Plan
• WWSOS
Build
• Manufact. Design
• Product Ops
• Procurement
Ship
• WWSOS
Sell
• Retail
Support
• Apple Care
Internship Examples
Role Responsibilities Interview Questions
Global Supply
Manager – Battery
Team
Worked with engineers, technical
product managers, supply chain
managers and suppliers to analyze
battery production costs and the
safety regulations industry
Why do you think we ship
iPhone by air, whereas
Macs by sea?
Retail Fulfillment
Operations
Worked across all lines of
business, created daily and weekly
executive reports, and managed
development of execution tool
What are three things you
would improve about Apple
stores?
iPhone Launch
Operations Team
Built new Master Production
Schedule for the iPhone
How would you model out
the demand for a new
product like the iPad?
Apple Retail MBA
Intern
Led pipeline management project
for Apple’s Corporate Retail
Business Team
Name two technologies or
products outside Apple that
have changed your life.
• Culture: Detail-oriented, efficient, intense, driven, “the Apple way”
• Secretive: “Need to know” culture, informed if it is essential to your
work, asked to produce an NDA in cross-functional meetings or leave
• Fit, Fit, Fit
• Own and become an expert on a very tangible piece of the process or
product, you are held accountable for it’s success or failure
Building an internal network is critical to a successful internship project
• Direct communication: conversations and work feedback
• Not a company of general managers, a company of subject matter
experts
• Generally takes 2-3 years to move up - no set path, performance driven
• 18 month product launches are a focal point of the work
• Referrals: they do not use a formal online process, instead alumni can
refer you directly to the role-specific recruiter
• Apple and Apple Retail recruit separately
− Corporate: internship only pathway to FT
− Retail: internship is only path to FT
MBACM Insider Info
Interview Advice• Attire: casual, jeans and a shirt
• Apple assumes you’re qualified because you are attending a top business school
• Questions are all fit-based early in the process = motivational & behavioral
• Later in process will have situational and mini case questions
• Know Apple products, current events involving the industry, and earnings info
• Spend time in Apple store (Walnut St, Ardmore, King of Prussia)
• Job descriptions are vague:
− Apple does not expect you to fully understand the role from outside
− When matched during interview process to a position the recruiting
team/interviewer will share more details
MBA Career Management
Timeline: Round 1 virtual interviews in OCRS, Round 2 “Fly-In Day”
“Fly-In Day” details:
• Date is inflexible, if Apple is your top choice you need to attend
• Network with all Apple managers and teams that are hiring, then managers short list
candidates that they met and want to interview – you could have 1 or multiple interviews
• Attending the “Fly-In Day” is the only way to really understand their work, what teams do,
and which specific roles they are hiring for
• Candidate groups from specific schools usually support each other during this process –
you need to your Wharton friends by sharing intel and information as you learn it
INTERVIEW FORMAT
Recruiting Overview
Overview: The Big 6
17
FULL-TIME
• Rotational Product Manager (RPM) Program
FT only program
Only PM role at fb that does not require a CS degree
• Product Marketing Manager, Monetization MBA New Grad
(Instagram)
• Media Integrity Manager, North America – Media
Operations
• Client Partner
• Energy Access Finance Program Manager
INTERN
• Data Center Business Operations
• Regional Logistics Manager
• Project Manager, Process
• Product Data Integrity
• Product Operations
• Product Marketing Manager, Ads Growth
• Supply Chain
MBA ROLES
Do not sponsor for business
roles; technical roles only
including Data Science
SPONSORSHIP
• EIS
• Coffee Chats
• Wharton Tech Week
• Job Postings – FT and Intern
• January Tech Trek
RECRUITING EVENTS
• Job postings are for a specific
team and functions
• Roles do not always have
“MBA” in title
• Positions change each year
• Can only apply to 3 roles
every 90 days
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Internship Examples
Role Responsibilities Interview Questions
Global Marketing
Solutions – US
Travel Vertical
Developed competitive and market
analysis of current global travel
inventory (hotels, airlines, and
rental car) distribution and
marketing landscape
Tell me about a time you
made an impact on a large
scale.
Data Scientist,
Analytics Intern
Identified best practices to design
ads by using statistical methods
and developing machine learning
model leading to 15 new tips for
advertisers to increase ads
performance
Why Facebook?
Product Marketing
Manager
Conducted competitive analysis of
the personal assistant app
landscape and presented
recommendations to senior
leadership
Name a few areas of
improvement (opportunities)
for Facebook and tell me if
you would use partnership
or acquisition to address
these areas?
MBACM Insider Info
• Culture: fast-paced, intense, “youthful,” inclusive; open-minded; “utopian”
• Mission needs to matter – give people the power to build community and
bring the world closer together
• Good intentions, their goal is to help consumers and protect users
• Titles are very flat and teams are lean - your job title does not equal your
importance
• Empowered to try new things – not a company that says “no” to ideas
• Flexibility is key to your success - their staff is lean and functionally
organized
• PowerPoint heavy users in many groups
• Strong performance is key to gaining influence and respect. Two review
questions: What was your impact over the past 6 months? List 1-2 things you
did to increase your impact?
• Monetization for Ads and Newsfeed teams have a lot of Wharton alumni
• Referrals: formal system for employee to submit for both intern and FT
• Different recruiter for each division (e.g., Instagram, Oculus)
• Resume reviews: do no use algorithms and are looking for leadership
experience
Interview Advice
• No longer screening in interviews for a “culture fit” instead are focused on
ability to receive feedback – prepare a serious story about receiving and
reacting to feedback
• Point of view about what Facebook has done and what they could do
better
• Analytical rigor - looking for former IB, Consultants, Business Analysts
• Product Managers need to have a technical background
• Be familiar with the Facebook products that make money (e.g., ads)
• Use Facebook Newsroom to prepare for interviews
MBA Career Management
• Timeline: Apply via CareerPath and Facebook career site, postings will go live
sporadically Fall-Spring
• Interviews are virtual and all processes are managed by Facebook
• Apply early – Facebook collects applications on a rolling basis
• Candidates are limited to holding 3 open applications at one time
• Cannot withdrawal an application once it’s been submitted
• Application remains in the system for up to 90 days
INTERVIEW FORMAT
Recruiting Overview
Overview: The Big 6
22
FULL-TIME
• Most hiring is done through internship conversion to FT
• Product Manager (CS Degree required) – hire in fall
• Apply to other FT roles on Google site in Spring
INTERN – Google MBA Intern, Summer 2019
• Blanket title on CareerPath
• Posting directs you to their website
• Can preference 3 functions in the application
Functions can include:
• Business Strategy
• Finance
• Legal and Gov’t Relations
• Marketing & Communications
• Operations & Support
• People Operations (HR)
• Partnerships
• Product & Customer Support
• Product Management
• Real Estate & Workplace Services
• Sales & Account Management
MBA ROLES
Yes
SPONSORSHIP
• EIS + Reception
• Wharton Tech Week
• Coffee Chats
• Job Postings – FT and
Intern
• January Tech Trek
RECRUITING EVENTS
• Sales Operations
• Social Impact
• Technical Solutions
• Hire ~25 Wharton MBA
interns each year
• Approximate MBA intern
class size across schools:
150
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Internship Examples
Role Responsibilities Interview Questions
Cloud Platform
Sales Operations
Developed business case for
changing the prices for Google’s
business Cloud Platform’s Support
offerings to increase business
profitability
If there are 500mm businesses,
what number of tech support
representatives should you
recommend to Larry Page?
MBA Finance
Intern
Streamlined three key regulatory
processes for Google Fiber by
improving overall data management,
resulting in a savings of over 240
work hours per year.
How does Chrome make money?
Business
Development,
Google Play Apps
Analyzed worldwide impact of
consumer shifts to video-on-demand
subscriptions
How would you analyze taking
the food away at Google?
YouTube Product
Manager
Standardized the team-wide product
launch process through an
integrated Launch Checklist
A mini case discussion on ads for
Amazon Kindle (i.e., why did they
do it? how much value do you
think they get? What would you
do?)
MBACM Insider Info• Culture: collaborative, perks, fun, friendly, very smart colleagues
• Work/life balance will vary by team – culture leans in the direction of 9-5
• Resumes should have quantifiable achievements and additional information
• Select candidates with previous functional experience –no functional career switchers
• Alumni advise students to be open to the first placement at Google being functionally
similar to their pre-business school work. One year in, new Googlers prove themselves
successful and are often able to switch functions.
• PMs at Google are typically required to have the ability to code but have increasingly
been interviewing non-technical candidates; often non-technical candidates do not
receive the FT offer
• Comfort with ambiguity - interns are typically placed across ~60 different teams, job
titles and functions for the same role may vary across groups and teams, there are
often re-orgs., company is very “siloed”. Examples include:
‒ Could interview for a group in the spring that is re-org’ed by the time you get
there
‒ Could interview for a role that was recently created and there may be limited
information to prepare for the interview and internship
‒ It’s possible that you and a classmate could have the same job title but in
different groups and have radically different work
‒ During your internship, people you need data from will be on vacation for several
weeks
• Referrals: if there is a Googler who could add a valuable endorsement, this could
help support your application. Referrals are able to share information about how they
know the person and why they think they'd be a strong candidate for Google
Interview Advice• Attire: Jeans, casual
• Know how Google makes money: AdWords, AdSense, Display network
• Be familiar with Google products – not just Gmail, Search
• Interviews are behavioral and mini-cases
• Google Hiring Criteria, have a story to demonstrate each:
- Problem solving
- Leadership (people or projects)
- Role related knowledge
- Googley (e.g., ambiguity, well-rounded, collaborative)
MBA Career Management
• Timeline: applications begin during normal intern recruiting but process can extend
until April
• Two part application: Google site + CareerPath
• Interviews are managed by Google via Hangout or phone – you can expect to have
2-4 rounds of interviews across 1-4 weeks
• Recruiters are trying to fill specific roles not find a role for you:
• Select candidates to interview for specific jobs as they become available – you
could get called in January for a finance interview (because that team is ready
and you have functional experience)
• If you decline this interview, you will go back into the general pool of candidates
and may not be selected again for another role
INTERVIEW FORMAT
Recruiting Overview
Overview: The Big 6
27
MBA ROLES
SPONSORSHIP
RECRUITING EVENTS
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Positions change each year
based on business needs
• May be hiring for more or less
roles – not all teams will have
open roles every year
• Hire ~10 interns across 8-10
teams
FULL-TIME (MOST COMMON):
• Product Manager (FT only, CS required)
• Product Marketing Manager
• Data Scientist
• Relationship Manager
INTERN:
General posting available only on LinkedIn
Careers
Business Teams and Roles:
• Business Development
Business Operations
Corporate Development
Sales/Global Sales/Sales Insights/Sales
Operations
• Product Marketing
• Marketing (various)
Varies
• Virtual Webinars
• Regional Open Houses
• Job Postings – FT and Intern
Internship Examples
Role Responsibilities Interview Questions
Marketing Solutions
MBA Intern
Developed a B2C-focused go-to-
market strategy for sales team to
increase revenue Why LinkedIn?
Why Tech?
Tell me about yourself?
Why X position?
Business
Operations,
Product Strategy
Assessed current data capabilities
and developed future data strategy
for LinkedIn’s suite of B2B
marketing products
Global Treasury Foreign Exchange – Refined model
which determined currency hedges
based on EBITDA exposure to
foreign currency risk
Corporate
Development
Developed go-to-market strategy to
accelerate monetization of
Lynda.com, addressing 60% of
revenues ($1.5B acquisition)
Mini-Case: Why did
Microsoft acquire
LinkedIn? Pick one of
your thesis points and
identify the potential NPV
of that idea.
MBACM Insider Info
• Culture: Fast paced, smart, low politics, balanced and positive environment,
transformational (e.g. InDays)
• Intense and busy - send emails during your commute and at night
• Transparent with information that is not public - biweekly meetings with Jeff
(CEO)
• “Economic graph”: digitally map the global economy to connect people with
jobs leading to economic opportunities
• Acquisition by MSFT “viewed as a positive,” increased access to resources
• No core schools: “skills over schools” so they do not have an on-campus
presence; frequently violate offer policies
• Alumni emphasize 3 ways to get noticed by LinkedIn: network with alumni,
optimize your LinkedIn profile, pay attention to LinkedIn job board
• Business Ops: Consulting or IB backgrounds help
• Intern to FT offer conversion: lower rate than the industry standard
• Referrals: are helpful for both intern and FT hiring so use LinkedIn to make
connections at the company but do not guarantee a first round interview.
Employees must answer basic questions about you: how you know each, your
work experience, etc. in order to submit.
Interview Advice
• Attire: Corp Dev dresses in business casual; other groups are casual
• Demonstrate your applicable experience and work
• “Why LinkedIn?” – need to mention economic graph in your response
• Be comfortable with ambiguity – in the recruiting process and your work
• Deep knowledge of company, monetization strategy and partnership ecosystem
• Showcase work projects on your LinkedIn profile, if applicable
MBA Career Management
• Timeline: apply via LinkedIn career site in fall
• Resumes reviewed by business line Phone Screen
• Super Day: final round interviews – 3-4 interviews, cocktails, SF tours
INTERVIEW FORMAT
Recruiting Overview
Overview: The Big 6
32
MBA ROLES
SPONSORSHIP
RECRUITING EVENTS
FULL-TIME AND INTERN:
Finance
Marketing Roles
• Audience marketing manager
• Business planner
• Channel/partner marketing manager
• Marketing communication manager
• Product marketing manager
Sales Roles – JOB BOARD
• Account managers
• Licensing sales professionals
• Solution sales professionals
INTERN-ONLY – JOB BOARD:
Supply Chain
Operations
• NEW THIS YEAR: virtual
webinar for FT and intern
• OCI - FT and Intern
• January Tech Trek
Yes
• Available roles vary each
year by business need
• Some roles interview on-
campus and others
interview virtually
• Hire ~5 Wharton MBA
interns annually
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Internship Examples
Role Responsibilities Interview Questions
Product Marketing
Manager
Re-designed channel strategy for
Office 365 for SMB based on
detailed financial analysis
Pick a product from the
mobile/laptop family how would
you market it to a 14-years and
younger audience?Alliance Marketing
Manager
Developed a one-year online
marketing strategy and content
calendar to recruit new app
developers
Business Program
Manager – Software
and Cloud
Licensing
Analyzed the impact of a cloud
licensing pilot program, calculating
key business metrics and collecting
feedback from over 40 stakeholders
and customers
What is your favorite consumer
electronic product. Tell us about
how you would plan the next
version as a product planner.
Finance Built dynamic financial model to
forecast subscriber count and
revenue for proposed gaming-
oriented subscription service
If you had to develop financial
forecast for new product under
development, how would you go
about doing it?
MBACM Insider Info
• Culture: varies by team, flexible work schedules, supportive colleagues
• Work/life balance is good – hours are generally 9-5
• Satya Nadella, CEO, has a strong emphasis on “growth mindset”
• Generally work in a function related to a specific product
• Need to understand changing business model, e.g., Office 365
• Encouraged to network to help identify your next role after 18 months
• People shift roles often - every 2 - 3 years to another division or function
• Wharton has the largest MBA alumni network (after U. Wash.)
• Candidates are positive about the recruiting team, interview process,
internship program (e.g. 2018 summer concert with Pitbull)
• Marketing roles are mostly filled through internship conversion
• Referrals: employees can input referrals through a formal program into a
system that tracks candidates and gives feedback back to the referring
employee.
− For interns, employees usually just go straight to the recruiting team
with resumes.
Interview Advice• Attire: business casual
• Apply initially into buckets (Finance, Sales, Marketing)
• In 2nd rounds you indicate more focused interest
• Format – behavioral and case
• Knowledge of Microsoft's’ products and financials, read 10K
• Need to understand traditional MSFT Windows OS and how the business
model works – mostly because they are trying to move away from this
• Business model innovation trends – understand how and why MSFT is
changing their business model, as they shift from having revenue come in
from licensing products to a perpetuity business model
• Know trends in computer processing across companies and how this
impacts different businesses and the economy; have a point of view on
their hardware and where the industry is going
MBA Career Management
• Timeline: apply via CareerPath in fall
• If OCI: round 1 interviews OCI, round 2 interviews “Fly Out Day”
• If job posting: round 1 generally by phone, round 2 still “Fly Out Day –
note that this process varies more and could be different
INTERVIEW FORMAT
Summary: Big 6 Recruiting Plans
MBA Career Management
Student Engagement
Employer On-Campus Job Postings Timing Sponsor?
Amazon • EIS
• Tech Week
• Deep Dives
• General internship
posting on Amazon.jobs
October –
January
Yes
Apple • Retail Only:
EIS and
Office Hours
• Internships posted in
CareerPath; virtual
interviews during FRP
October –
January
Yes
Facebook • EIS
• Tech Week
• Coffee Chats
• Internships posted on
Facebook Careers and
some on CareerPath
Late fall –
Spring
No – Data
Science
only
Google • EIS
• Tech Week
• Happy Hour
• Coffee Chats
• General internship
posting available on
CareerPath and Google
Careers
October –
May
Yes
LinkedIn • Webinars
• Open House
• Internships available on
LinkedIn Careers
October -
January
Varies
Microsoft • Webinars
• FRP
• Coffee Chats
• Internships available in
CareerPath
October –
January
Yes
Student Recruiting Strategy and Tips
1. CareerPath >> Resource Library >>Tech Folder
2. Referrals
• Most tech companies have a referral system
• You only need (a) one referral (b) by a full-time employee (c) in any
role (d) anywhere in the world (e) to be submitted before the
application deadline
• Many interns received jobs without a referral
3. LinkedIn profile optimization
• Use the MBACM LinkedIn Guide - here
4. Manage the details of each company - don’t miss a key
step or event
MBA Career Management
Contact Info: Big 6 Recruiters
Amazon Meghan Wilcox
Apple Heather French
Apple Retail Tara Drake
Facebook Kim Birch
Google Demian Caponi
Charlene Clee
LinkedIn Sam Brennan
Microsoft Michael Watkins
Subject to change - always verify in CareerPath
Tech Team Curated Resources
ONLINE WORKSHOPS BIG EVENTS
• Tech Page
• Monthly Coaching
Letters
• Student Memos
• Interview Questions
• MBACM Company
Overviews
• Alumni Insights
• Industry Chat
• Big 6
• Tech 40
• Roles in Tech
• Navigating the
Enterprise Job Search
• Interview Prep
Workshop
• Fireside Chats
• NYC Treks
• West Coast Treks
• Wharton Tech Week
• Semester in SF
ROAD TO THE INTERNSHIP
ONE-ON-ONE
• Office Hours
• Scheduled
Appointments
• Career Fellow Mock
Interviews
Self-guided Knowledge
Transfer
Experiential Personalized
Tech 50 Companies – October 9
