Meet the New Director: Inside MBA Career Services at Georgetown McDonough

Sponsored Content

The new Associate Dean and Managing Director, Career Services at Georgetown McDonough, Christine Murray, leads a talented team of career services professionals to help students achieve their career goals.

“I arrived at McDonough through a simple exploratory conversation that evolved into a series of conversations and ultimately an opportunity for me to apply my love of strengthening, building, and creating ways to connect student talent with career advancement opportunities,” she says.

After working at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) for almost 15 years, and helping to build the Carey Business School for the past 10 years, Christine is no stranger to the evolution of a business school. At Carey, she contributed to a leadership team who successfully took the school through initial AACSB accreditation in 2017 and reaccreditation in 2022. Most significantly, Christine shares, she collaborated to build a strong network of global alumni and employers for the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School students.

Now, Christine’s bringing the same verve and value-driven leadership to Georgetown McDonough, providing robust career and corporate development initiatives across all MBA, graduate and undergraduate degree programs. In the following interview, Christine sheds light on offerings specifically related to the Flex and Full-time MBA programs at the leading business school. Read on for how career services and more at McDonough can help you pursue your professional plans.

Congratulations on becoming the new Associate Dean and Managing Director, Career Services at Georgetown McDonough. What do you love about your new position?

CM: I get to work with incredibly smart people. The alumni, staff, students, and faculty are all driven, intellectually curious, and committed to strengthening the Hoya community. Every day I am impressed with the number of alumni who are recruiting students to their companies and organizations – there are strong employer recruitment pipelines among some of the top companies around the world engaging with the Georgetown McDonough community every week either virtually or in-person. I recently had lunch with top executives with a global luxury brand when they were on campus for a speaking engagement, and last week, I spoke with a global management consulting firm that sought to prioritize the recruitment of McDonough students because of a connection I received from a member of our alumni base. These types of connections are unique to the Georgetown McDonough experience and remain a testament to our extraordinary community.

I love that the scope of this position allows me to lead strategy for an expanded range of business students all studying at McDonough — from undergraduates to executive MBAs and a sizable Full-time MBA population.

Being integrated on the university campus is incredible. The energy that comes with seeing sports practices in front of the building when I walk in most mornings, to seeing students studying and collaborating on the lawn near the main gates when I leave each evening, is truly the spirit of Georgetown.

The Hariri Building on the Georgetown campus where the McDonough School of Business operates out of is in the center of campus and the career center is in the center of the building. I love the emphasis the school’s leadership and faculty places on career development, advancement, and outcomes that is signaled by the way the space was created – front and center!

What career services are offered to Full-time and Flex MBA students? Who comprises the career services team and how do they contribute to candidates’ success?

CM: All Full-time and Flex MBA students have access to a proprietary McDonough career platform that houses resources, data, and recruitment resources. Many business schools don’t offer the same level of access to career support as what is available to part-time, Flex MBA students at McDonough. All students have access to a job search course as well as individual career coaching. Full-time MBA students seeking internships during the summer between year 1 and year 2 go through a series of educational career sessions by industry to inform them of timelines and help them prepare in advance of the fall recruitment season at the beginning of their first year. Flex MBA students have access to full-time recruiting (alongside the second year Full-time MBAs) during the final year of the program.

At Georgetown McDonough, we are focused on preparing graduates to succeed in positions that align with their personal values. Through exploratory curriculum, dedicated career coaches, and ongoing networking and engagement opportunities, we help students build a portfolio that is unique to their goals and ambitions. The MBA Career Center partners with student organizations to offer full-day, industry specific Career Days to explore various career functions, as well as global networking opportunities to meet with alumni around the world through Career Treks.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to our mission at Georgetown McDonough, and we continue to host events and conferences with organizations that promote DEI in hiring and recruitment practices. Additionally, with an emphasis on our Jesuit value of cura personalis, we offer an MBA Mentorship Program that pairs students with an alumni mentor to focus on whole-life experiences, from navigating the MBA to work-life balance to intergenerational relationship-building.

The career services team has an impressive collective background working in industry prior to joining Georgetown McDonough – including financial services, consulting, technology, and government. Our Industry Practice Leads coach students, build relationships with companies in their vertical, and stay ahead of trends with their collective employer partners that support their work with students. There also is a talented career curricular and communications director who manages large scale events and initiatives and an operations team that supports all the employers who are recruiting on campus. Employers who recruit on campus are treated to a customized, concierge level of service.

The McDonough Career Center supports a robust career peer advisor program. This competitive program selects second year MBA students who completed summer internships across a variety of industry and functional areas to coach first year students. There are 38 peer advisors this fall who embody Hoyas Helping Hoyas.

Continue to the next page to learn about the recruitment process and resources at Georgetown McDonough for MBA students.