Sara Mullan, MM '16

While many Michigan Ross MM students enter the program directly after completing their undergraduate studies, candidates with limited full-time work experience are also encouraged to apply. Sara Mullan arrived at the MM Program this way, raising funds for University of Michigan Health System after earning her bachelor’s degree in Islamic Studies from U-M. “During my 18 months there,” Sara says, “I realized the job was part creative and part strategy, and I thought, ‘I’d like to study this further and make that a larger part of my day-to-day.”

A self-described “aggressive recruiter,” Sara began the MM Program eager to leverage Ross Career Services’ extensive resources. She dove into mock interviews, LinkedIn networking, corporate events, and connecting with alumni. “You’re living on campus, and for the most part your one job is to immerse yourself in not only the language of business, but also sort of the networking lifestyle.”

Those efforts laid the groundwork to help Sara land a job with Ford’s College Graduate Program (FCG), an initiative that provides recent college graduates a variety of rotational assignments. She attended one of Ford’s coffee chats, followed up at a corporate event, and then arranged informational interviews. With the interviews lined up, Sara further prepared by contacting anyone in the Ross community who she thought had insights about Ford, experience with the FCG, or further-out connections who could help her move forward. “It’s about showing genuine interest and really thinking about how your skills exactly meet their criteria for what they’re looking for.”

Sara credits her combination of the Ross MM and her work at UMHS in securing the offer from Ford. “It’s something that I got because Ford came to recruit directly on campus. I think they were really excited that I had some real-world experience, especially with fundraising.” Sara’s first role in the FCG will be as zone manager, where she looks forward to “being out in the field, having real, impactful relationships on both the sales and service sides.”

And she’ll bring to the table a new perspective from lessons learned in the classroom. “I think I have more of an elastic mindset now. I came from a liberal arts background that was largely qualitative. Now, I can use that same element of creativity and those critical thinking skills but be able to ground them in the hard facts that are everything in business,” Sara says.

Though taking the leap from a steady job to return to school can seem scary, Sara encourages prospective students with limited work experience to invest in the Ross MM. “You’ll learn things here that you won’t on the job. More and more, our society is driven by big ideas, so you have to have that lexicon and be able to dabble in all of these different areas that integrate in business. And given that you have to do it within two years of your undergrad, it’s the perfect amount of time, and it’s the perfect time in your life.”