| Topic Name: |
My 2 cents on the FMP |
| Message Name: |
Sure - for HBS 2003 |
| Date Posted: |
03/15/2006 |
| In Reply To: |
I'll answer your second question first, because it is the easiest: DO NOT mention you MBA goals, at all. Not during your interviews/summer, not during you first couple of years at GE. Not while you work in finance for GE. It is a very anti-MBA culture.
You bring up the MBA thing when you've proven yourself to be an "A1" (top performer), have a real trackrecord of doing good stuff for the Company, and have Company Offiers (who are not in finance) who will back your application (and you should ask for a leave of absence, even if you don't plan to return).
I didn't bring up my MBA goals until I had move out of finance, and had two promotions. The Company Officer who ran the business I worked for was, at that point, a mentor and strong supporter of mine. I could trust him. If I had mentioned the MBA thing while I was still an FMP, I would have been black listed.... By the way, Jeff Immelt is a Harvard MBA. I taled with him when I was thinking of applying. He told me that GE didn't want me to do it, but that if it was a goal of mine, I should go for it. Good honest advice.
About your first question, I came up through Plastics. At the time, it was a great business. Many of GE's top leaders came up through Plastics (Welch, Immelt, Calhoun, Rice, etc...). It has changed since the big reorg last year.
If I were to return to GE, I'd probably want to work for Healthcare or Infrastructure. Industrial is a broad mix, with some great businesses, and some not so great businesses.
If your goal is to go to a top MBA program, you want to see the "real GE." To me, that is not NBC. I think you also want to work for a "real business," a business that makes and services something. So, I would not work for one of the old GE Capital businesses. A finance guy in a financing business becomes an accounting guy.
When I did FMP years ago, most of the GE Capital FMP's were wannbe I-Bankers. FMP, and GE Finance, is not banking.
Again, my advice is to work for a business that actually makes and services products, and that is core to GE's future growth. The kind of varied experience one gets doing 6 months of manufacturing finance in a plant in Ohio, with 6 months of sales support in The Netherland, with 6 months of Financial Planning & Analysis in Massachusetts, etc... makes for a great developmental and learning experience, and looks great on a B School application.
Then, off of FMP, you need to do something cool. Again, I chose not to do Corporate Audit Staff. Most of my friends did. Some have done very well. Some completely burned out. To me, I wanted to move toward being a general manager, so I made different choices, which helped to make me interesting to B Schools. My CAS budies have become too indoctrinated in GE (of course, that's just my opinion). It is a fantastic company, but you have to maintain your objectivity and create options for yourself. |
| Message: |
Very sound advice and insights. Thanks for that.
What do you suggest for a person who has sales/mktg background both in Hi Tech and CPG industries?
What businesses I should target if I get selected when my long term goal is to international (AsiaPac)?
Industrial, from what I have gathered from other columns is slower indsutry segment within GE with not many MBA's and have lower salary ranges.
Or I should try to get into Plastics, Medical or other Nano tech businesses or infrastructure.
GE is so engg. focused that not having an engg. undergrad makes me feel disadvantaged.
What is the best way to steer in general management direction. Rotations I should accept, positions i should target.
ANy thoughts?
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