Advice from the MBA Class of 2010: Chima Ogbuokiri

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Chima Ogbuokiri (MBA '10)
NYU Stern Program: MBA '10
Current role: Growth Strategy & Marketing
Company: AMC Networks

Chima Ogbuokiri shares his strategies for staying calm through the uncertainty of the job search after the financial crisis, and how graduating in 2010 gave him a new perspective on finding opportunities in difficult circumstances. 

How did it feel looking for a job/internship during the financial crisis? How did you stay calm?

It was tense looking for jobs during that time. A big part of the anxiety came from not knowing what was coming next. I believe Lehman Brothers failed in our first month of classes, and things were going downhill. I think there were three primary elements that helped to stay calm:
  • It was calming to talk with classmates and know that you had a community of people that were going through the same challenge.
  • It was also helpful to be reminded that the investment of an MBA is for a long-term return, and understand that while the first job may take a few more weeks to land, we would be better positioned for the next down-turn.
  • It was also helpful to do other things to distract from the school work and the job search. 

What roles were you seeking/what were you interested in?

I was coming from an engineering background and looking for a role in entertainment. Ironically, entertainment boomed for a short period, but started to come down heavy, and I had the added challenge of not being the 'safe' choice with direct experience.

What strategies did you use in seeking an internship/full-time offer?

I did a whole bunch of networking and research. There were a bunch of poorly attended conferences and symposiums—some were virtual at the time—and I tried to attend them all. In fact, I often asked them to make a student rate, which many times took the price from more than $500 to less than $50. I also reached out to alumni in target roles, not necessarily at target companies. This helped me to better understand the lingo and the trends for the roles which I was seeking. The last piece that got me my role was I was enthusiastic and followed-up relentlessly and offered (and often was able to) help out some of the people I was contacting.

How did Stern's career office help?

I would say that Stern's career office was very helpful in three key ways:
  1. Building my story: Between mock interviews and resume reviews, the career office really helped me hone my story. This was critical for me to clearly communicate how I would add value as a marketer coming from an engineering background.
  2. Connecting effectively: In addition to opening up the 'vault' to access all the alumni contacts, the office pointed me to a couple of key individuals that helped me put some of the pieces together. While those folks did not hire me, it started a tree to get to my eventual hires.
  3. Negotiating the offer: Seeing some of my classmates not have offers by the time I was hired gave me some pause on negotiating. They helped me be as aggressive as I needed to be in negotiating without leaving anything on the table.

How were you able to tap into the alumni network?

Both my summer internship and my first full-time role out of Stern were driven by alumni contacts. I interned at HBO, where students prior to me set the example that bringing in a Stern student would add value, and it was alumni, second-years, and Stern friendlies that helped me navigate the waters to get an internship offer. When I got my first job post-Stern, an alumna recommended me for the first role for which I interviewed. That role was given to someone that was also class of 2010, and she mentioned that I was a great candidate when another role opened a few days later, and I ended up working for an alumna (who I had actually tried to reach, but was on extended sick leave). There are a long list of situations where the alumni connection has at least gotten me to the door.

Ten years later, we're living through great uncertainty and economic disruption. What practical advice do you have for current MBA students looking for jobs or internships?

Take a moment to get extremely stressed...then let it go. The same way this situation is heightened and crazy, but will get back to normal, that is the same thing you should be thinking. Most smart companies are planning for how they can be better positioned for the next set of drama. There are also a host of companies, or parts of companies, that are actually doing well now (e.g., streaming and delivery services). The question is not if you can succeed in this craziness, but how? It may be a slight pivot (function, industry) or it may be defining your story and your value to an organization at this time and in two years from now.

What lessons from your own experience in 2010 have helped you over your career?

Finishing up school in the midst of a recession has helped me to identify the trends in the companies with which I work and extend my skill set constantly to stay relevant. Beyond that year specifically, I continued to engage with my classmates. Having such a dramatic shared experience tightens the bonds. Under normal circumstances, Stern classmates have a desire to help out one another, but I think that is heightened with something like this. At the time, someone said to me: "This will pass, but every crisis brings opportunities." Now, I definitely know that is true and going through that 10 years ago has given me a different eye for those opportunities now.

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