The National Black MBA Assoc. (NBMBAA) is probably the largest of the minority MBA organizations committed to diversity. Much like its counterparts—National Society of Hispanic MBAs (NSHMBA) and The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management (CGSM), both of which I am a member—NBMBAA seeks to increase diversity in business schools and the ranks of management. They work towards this goal by providing scholarships and extra resources to minority MBAs and others who support their mission. Their annual conference was held in New Orleans this year, and it was my pleasure to attend the career fair on Sep 24th and 25th.

After arriving Wed. night (the 23rd) in New Orleans, I took off with some friends to see a bit of the town.  Although I don’t drink, I walked down Bourbon Street with them and we got a bite to eat at a local diner.  The next morning the career fair began and I got to work meeting new contacts and getting to know more about the companies on my target list.  Since over 200 companies had signed up to attend, in what is definitely a down economy, NBMBAA had generated a lot of interest and the conference hall was packed full of first-year, second-year, and recently graduated MBA students from all over the country.  Naturally there was common interest among attendees in speaking with the large and well-known corporations, so the wait to speak with recruiters was sometimes upwards of 30-40 minutes.  While it was a little frustrating to have to wait to speak with some companies, it turned out to be a great opportunity to meet my MBA colleagues and surprisingly reconnect with some of my old hallmates from freshman year at BYU.  After waiting in line, most recruiters were very pleasant and genuinely interested in hearing about how my experiences, skills, and talents might fit in with their company’s needs.

During the evening, many of the companies hosted open or closed receptions at one of the downtown hotels.  I was invited to one closed reception that was very nice, and I attended a few of the open receptions that were equally enjoyable.  The best thing about attending the receptions was that I was able to network with company representatives on a more personal level.  The receptions were obviously less crowded than the conference hall and the environment allowed for the ability to converse more with each of the representatives.  I was able to learn more about each person’s specific roles in the company, the projects they had worked on, and how their experiences within the company had helped to develop them personally and professionally.  Darden also hosted a reception for alums which provided us students the opportunity to get to network with them a bit.  Even more important was the opportunity to witness the presentation of the 2nd annual Marietta and Sherwood Frey Scholarship to second-year Jackie Grace for showing “promise and commitment to being [a] role model for future generations of African-American leaders.”  My dealings with Jackie have been very positive.  I have been very impressed with her as a person, and I believe that she is well deserved of this award.  So, congrats to her!!  (See Jackie’s comments here.)

Friday marked the second (and last) day of the career fair.  The crowds were a little smaller because companies were no longer extending invites to interview which actually turned out to be an excellent opportunity for more time with recruiters—they weren’t as apt to rush you since there weren’t really any lines.  I was able to make some good contacts and I learned a good deal about some companies that I might not have been interested in prior to speaking with their reps.  I also gathered up some trinkets to take back to my son, wife, and learning team.  Overall, the career fair was very well run; I highly recommend that MBA and undergraduate students attend as many career fairs as they can.