Why We Recruit is a series of interviews with our recruiting partners covering everything from their experience working with HBS to what they would like students to know. Each week, we will release a new interview that dives into a unique perspective on recruiting.

Name, Title and Organization:
Annie McMullen, Harvard Business School Recruiter, University Relations Team, Goldman Sachs

Describe your organization in three to five sentences.
Goldman Sachs is a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm that provides a wide range of financial services to a substantial and diversified client base that includes corporations, financial institutions, governments and high-net-worth individuals. We commit people, capital and ideas to help our clients, shareholders and the communities we serve to grow. Founded in 1869, the firm is headquartered in New York and maintains offices in all major financial centers around the world.

How long has your organization been recruiting at Harvard Business School and what roles do you hire for?
Goldman Sachs has recruited for our Summer Associate Program at Harvard Business School for more than 20 years. Students join us for the summer between their first and second years of business school and we extend full-time offers at the end of the program for when students complete their second year. A substantial number of MBAs start at Goldman Sachs in Investment Banking or Private Wealth Management but there are also opportunities in Asset Management, Finance, Global Investment Research, Merchant Banking and Securities.

What recruiting tactics have you found most successful in engaging with students and/or alumni at HBS?
The most important aspect of our recruitment process at Harvard Business School is developing relationships between Goldman Sachs professionals and the students. We work hard to ensure that our professionals are active in on-campus events and stay connected with students throughout the fall via phone and e-mail.

We maintain a presence on campus through careers fairs, panels, networking receptions, and conferences, partnering closely with the Finance Club, Women’s Student Association, and the Armed Forces Alumni Association.

Some of the tools we utilize are: 

• “Coffee Chats”: Students speak with an HBS alumnus from Goldman Sachs for 15-30 minutes to ask for advice on the recruiting process, learn about the alumnus’ role and career path, and practice for interviews.
• Campus Ambassadors: Second-year HBS students who interned with Goldman Sachs the prior summer and have accepted full time positions make themselves available to first-year students for questions and guidance.
• Entrepreneurship Conference: We recently began taking part in the Entrepreneurship Conference to discuss the entrepreneurial nature of Private Wealth Management.
• Resume Book: We use HBS’ first-year resume book to ensure that all students are invited to attend our events and made aware of the programming we host at our New York headquarters and at regional offices including Boston and San Francisco.

Give us your elevator pitch – what is the one thing students should know about working for you?
Goldman Sachs is an organization where our employees make an impact at a very early stage in their careers and we provide the training, mentorship and support our people need to learn and advance quickly. When you join Goldman Sachs you can expect to work alongside talented people in a collaborative culture on challenging projects that have social and economic impact. We foster an environment that values different perspectives, challenges conventional thinking and maximizes the potential of all our people.

Is there anything else you would like to share with fellow recruiters or those who are new to recruiting with HBS?
Although HBS has a large class, recruiting on campus feels very intimate. The student body forges strong relationships and maintains high levels of connectivity with visiting recruiters and professionals. We find students are well-rounded, inquisitive, thoughtful, and eager to learn as much as they can about Goldman Sachs’ business and culture.