It’s now the time when any MBA student is looking for an internship or a full time job. From my experience so far, many companies fail to discover the full potential of Babson MBA students for few reasons.

The MBA program at Babson is a small and unique program. Being the leading entrepreneurship program in the world for 17 years in a row, Babson is still unknown factor for most of the companies. The simple reason is obviously the general rankings. Companies usually hire top MBA students from the top 20 programs in the world, and I’m totally agree with that. Babson is different. High percent of Babson MBA students plan to start new company right after their MBA. Why companies should hire such people? because entrepreneurship doesn’t only mean igniting new ideas, but also initiating new projects inside a company. Over 40% of the top Fortune 500 companies in 2000 were no longer in that list in 2010. It is around 250 companies! Where will your company be in the next ten years?.

Dynamic global economy changes require leaders and workers act and lead in a different way in at entirely unpredicted times. The challenges make everyone think differently then we do, if we want to win the game and stay in the top fortune 500 list. Every top MBA program prepares you with core understanding of business knowledge, but which program give you different skills? Babson. Recruiters should hire the best of the best, but they also want to hire the best people who can make a difference. Ask the entrepreneurial workers at Google who created google maps, gmail and other products as part of their work time. Do you want people like that? This is what Babson is all about. We as students at Babson love to be different. We act, learn and repeat our actions, creating economic value and opportunities all the time.

Unlike any other school, we learn entrepreneurship from day one at school. Yes, core courses in entrepreneurship – we act and do things from day one. Read more about that in the new book by our president -  Action Trumps Everything.

I’m inviting you today to stop thinking about people as ones who make rational decisions. Discover today the world of uncertainty , the world of Babson MBA.

“There are always three speeches for every one you acutually gave: the one you practices, the one you gave and the one you wish you gave” – Dale Carnegie

The quote above summarizes clearly my feeling regarding my pitch. I enjoyed from every moment, and I can’t wait for the next year’s competition. Below the slides from my rocket pitch today at Babson.

one-eight of my MBA journey at Babson ended two days ago, and it’s now the time to sum-up my experiences and lessons learned.The big shift, is the improvements in my communication skills in a short period of time.I communicate better, present better, and I practice by getting feedback from my friends and the faculty members at Babson.

I came to Babson to study things I can’t study in any other place. People usually have different goals, but mine are focused on gaining experiences by meeting and talking with people about subjects interest me. The faculty at Babson are amazing. I have amazing conversations with them after classes.

Not only have I improved my skills, but I also meet great people on campus and in the Boston area.

Fueling you network

When you say networking, you say everything. I polished my unique networking skills and made the adjustments for the US culture. At the end of the day, it’s not only what you know, but who you know. Don’t forget to make networking a main part of your life. I see big change when I prepare in advance for every networking session. I search people’s names on Linkedin and Facebook, google their names and read about their companies. If it’s a public company, I also read the latest news in the Wall Street Journal on that company. Networking is a full time job, so be ready for it every morning. The important process comes after the meetings. Other than thank you emails, think about how you can help. I use google alerts to track companies and people so I can send fresh articles if I find they’re useful to someone in my network. Don’t just connect with someone, but try to engage.

Shut up and listen before speaking

We all want to be heard. We have a lot to say but limited time to deliver our message. Smart people say the right thing at the right time. I find myself thinking a lot before I say something.
In the US, people will listen to what you have to say, but you have a very short time to do that. I still have a lot to improve in this area, but I find that I have to think fast.I set a goal of being a better listener in general. I started with listening to my friends not only the ones in school. So next time, try to spend 15% more time by listening other than speaking.

Try to find the good in everyone

At Babson, we focus on team work all the time. I found that while team work can be very helpful, it also can be very harmful. The important thing is to lead the conversation and split the time between brainstorming and taking action. I’m now part of more than five different groups and It’s amazing. Collaborating with people can make you think about ideas you didn’t realize even existed. I have read the great book from Edward De Bono, Six Thinking Hats, and my goal is to try to use it in the next few weeks with my groups.

Every change takes time

United States is huge. Every state is bigger than Israel by size and population. After more than two months, I can barely say that I feel Boston is my home.
Learning to know new people and new places takes time, but I learned so much in the last few weeks that, hopefully, my feelings will be different in a few months.

From the moment I arrived at Babson, one of my main goals was expanding my network. I’m excited to meet new people in the Boston area where there are a lot of activities for entrepreneurs. This week, I met with Tim Chae, Babson ’13 student last week. This 19 year-old guy forced me to think about not only the differences between him and me, but also between me and my class mates. I came to the meeting with a clear goal to listen. It’s not a secret that I want to learn from everyone, no matter how old or young you are.

When Tim told me about his goals in the next few years, he mentioned all the time that he has “nothing to lose”. Yesterday, he published a post about that subject if you are interested to know more. Entrepreneurs are mostly inspired by the idea that there is never a guarantee, but you don’t know until you do something. Tim gave me a great example of Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, who dropped out of Harvard because he decided to focus full time on his company, Facebook. When I think about myself, I also have nothing to lose, but don’t see myself dropping out of Babson – no matter what. I have a lot reasons for that, but mostly because I just don’t want to apply again. Although, I’m not the same age as Tim, I’m in the same mind-set. Each person defines his “safe zone” differently. For Tim it could be his parents home or the area where he grew up and still knows everyone.

I learned a lot from Tim about taking risks, networking and enjoying the time at Babson. Tim is writing a great blog, and I highly recommend reading his blog.