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Caroline Waterworth

Caroline Waterworth is a Sussex MBA graduate. She is now a senior manager at KPMG, one of the largest professional services networks in the world.

What value has the Sussex MBA brought to your career development?

I had tried using my legal background to make connections in the areas of business I thought I wanted to work in, but something wasn’t quite linking up for people when they read through my CV and saw my ‘lawyer’ title.

I had always had a strong desire to do an MBA, and knew that my legal background, plus an MBA was quite a strong combination that would give me the opportunity to explore other career options. So that was the driving force behind my application, which ultimately led to me obtaining a very senior position within a council immediately after completing the course.

It was one of my contacts I met through the MBA who encouraged me to apply for this role. He was a classmate, and he had seen me in quite a lot of practical tasks where we were chairing meetings and negotiating. He saw me in that kind of environment and thought I would be suitable for the role.

Did you have contact with many alumni whilst on the MBA?

There were a few get togethers in the bar with some previous alumni, and I think there was a couple of talks given by alumni as part of the curriculum. I think it was in its infancy when I was doing my MBA five years ago, but my sense is that there has probably been a real increase in the number of local alumni who have stayed and are still available to connect with current students.

I found it beneficial, because I think whilst you're in the thick of studying, remembering that there is something after the course reminds you that you're not just studying for your MBA, but also for what comes beyond that.

What career development support did you receive and how valuable did you find it?

We had an in-class careers session over the weekend, I remember it quite vividly, and there was an invitation to then have a follow up one to one, so I did.

I remember going into the library to meet the career advisor. He looked at my CV, which had been brilliant for getting me legal jobs. When I told him that prior to the MBA I had been trying to get non-lawyer jobs, he said “then where is your non-lawyer CV?”

I’d been a lawyer for almost twenty years, so my whole mindset had been around law. He was really good; he switched my mindset and gave me some tips and support whilst I redrafted my CV in accordance with the roles I was applying for. I had so many transferrable skills, but I needed to show them in a new context.

There was also a session on LinkedIn as part of our career development. We were taught how to use LinkedIn effectively. To look for certain roles and positions within our chosen industry, connect and network with alumni who were already in a similar role to the one we were applying for, and then ask them if they could provide insight into that company or role.

Another great resource were the online courses run by the IT department, the most useful being the beginner and intermediate Excel courses. I'd never opened Microsoft Excel until I did my MBA. I wouldn’t have managed to complete my Corporate Finance module without knowing how to manage the formula and I couldn’t do the current job I do without some knowledge of Excel, so that again was quite a gamechanger for me.

Without these sessions, I could have completed my MBA and still not changed my career, but with these new tools in place, I was able to make things happen.

How have your skills as a lawyer transferred into your new role as management consultant?

The skillset is very transferable because of the type of law that I was doing. I was in finance and commercial business, so I was quite familiar with that world. There is also a huge amount of overlap between arguing in court and negotiating, and analysing and presenting, so the core skill sets are still very much aligned.

What the MBA gave me was the breadth of perspective around things like culture, change, leadership, and the psychology behind a lot of it, which, when you’re in a legal setting, and you’re arguing, you don’t really get into. It was a great opportunity to teach me how to use my skillsets in different areas, as they were already aligned, but the MBA taught me how to use my skills in difference spaces, for a different purpose.

You’re occasionally contacted by current students for advice. How did this come about?

I came in and did an introduction talk for the Sussex MBA three or four years ago, and then again about 18 months ago I was invited back to do a chat with one of my tutors that I did my dissertation with, so some of this material is accessible online. My blog feature with AMBA has also made me more visible to people in the community, which has resulted in current students reaching out to me too.

Now you are a Business School alum, what advice would you give to current MBA students?

Don't put anything off. If you think you’re busy, an MBA isn’t just about your next assessment, your next mark, it’s about the mindset, it’s about a network, so if somebody presents you with an opportunity, even if it doesn’t seem relevant to what you are actually doing, make your diary work to accommodate it.

If you’ve got the offer of a coffee with somebody, take it. If somebody recommends a podcast or a book to you that’s not on your curriculum, but you value their opinion and what they have to say, you should probably value the podcast and book as well.