Hosted by Merck
Describe your experience working with your host.
My CEF mentor was Dr. Chintan Oza, Executive Director of Enterprise Strategy at Merck. Coming into this experience, I had an inclination of pursuing a career in the intersection of science and business after graduate school. Our initial phone and video calls were geared towards discovering the type of career I want to pursue, and the best next steps / positions for me to consider for reaching that career goal. He also gave me the opportunity to ask him about his journey from a graduate student to a strategy director. After a few calls, we decided that it would be beneficial for me to work on a mock strategy consulting project to gain skills that would prepare me for consulting interviews and presenting ideas to clients. This strategy project was set at my own pace – I would complete a section of work and meet with Dr. Oza to present my progress. He provided feedback on how to relay information effectively, and I would continue with the next section of the project and so forth.
What did you learn from this opportunity (about yourself, about career fields, the job search, etc.)?
I learned that I should gain a better idea of my long-term career goals prior to deciding which job I should pursue after graduate school. I think my first job after graduate school should be a steppingstone into the career area I wish to delve deeper into. I learned that I should continue increasing my translational / soft skills through organizations at Penn to be more competitive during job searches.
How does your CEF experience benefit your future career plans?
My CEF experience gave me a much greater insight into the jobs I wish to apply to after graduate school. This experience also provided me with skills for consulting interviews.
What was the most valuable part of your CEF experience?
The most valuable part of my CEF experience was gaining frequent feedback on how to answer consulting questions that I would come across during a presentation with a client at a consulting firm. It was beneficial to learn techniques from a previous consultant to answer these types of questions effectively and succinctly.
Top reason PhD students should apply to the CEF:
Top reason to apply would be to gain a personalized experience for learning about a career field and how to maneuver into that field after graduate school. Career panels often fall short because you don’t get the time to ask all the questions you want to ask. CEF allows for a more tailored experience to inquire about your career goals.
