IIT Stuart Students Leverage Exclusive Career Resources to Land Some of Today’s Hottest Jobs: Jigna Desai

Jigna Desai

M.B.A., 2nd Year Student
Finance Fellow, Illinois Finance Authority

When Jigna Desai began working with IIT Stuart’s Career Management Center shortly before the December 2013 winter break, she had no idea that she would be happily involved in a new job before the end of January 2014. On January 21, Desai began her one-year appointment as a Finance Fellow at the Illinois Finance Authority, noting that, in fact, she could have started even earlier if it weren’t for the extreme cold weather that impacted her interview schedule.

“I met one time with Shahzad Hussain in the Stuart CMC,” said Desai. “I heard about the IFA job when he forwarded the job opening to me. Shahzad also worked with me to prepare my resume to highlight my skills according to the requirements of the job. I wanted to transition out of IT-focused roles, and Stuart CMC helped me learn how to present myself in the right way.”

Desai is highly satisfied with her experience at the Stuart CMC. “The staff at CMC gave me valuable tips, key points and helped with interview preparation,” she said. In addition to her one-on-one interaction with Stuart CMC staff, she recommends online job search resources, such as CareerShift, to other students.

Other resources that have been influential to Desai include her role as a pilot participant in the IIT Stuart Board of Overseers Mentorship Program, in which she was matched with Stuart Board member Frank Clark, III, who assists with Desai's short- and long-term goals, provides marketplace insights, and facilitates administrative requests as needed.

Desai’s final piece of advice is for students who are not native English speakers. She emphasizes the importance of seeking resources to improve one’s English speaking skills to be able to produce the quality of work required of an MBA student. Group projects, retention of classroom information, and ultimately, preparation for the job market are all at stake. Resources such as SPEAK provide IIT Stuart students with the opportunity to practice their English skills.