Testimonial

Why a MBA / Leadership Development Program (vs. direct hire)?
Good opportunity to get experience in various business areas to become a well rounded professional and to prepare myself to General Management role.

What are the key advantages / disadvantages of being on a MBA / Leadership Development Program?
Advantages
1. To get an experience in various functions and business areas
2. To become a well rounded professional
Disadvantages
1. There is no clear and transparent structure of Program in Lilly - no exact roles, no exact periods of assignments, no exact time when program is finished. So you dont know what is your next assignment will be and how much time will you spend there.

How does the MBA / Leadership Development Program fit in your career goals?
It fit well in terms of additional experience but also it appeared that it was almost impossible to be promoted from the program. I believe less than 10% of Program participants in Russia we promoted in Lilly internally. So Lilly prepared qualified employees of a high level to another companies because when people left Lilly they got promotions in another companies compared to positions they had in Lilly.

What to look for in a MBA / Leadership Development Program?
Transparency, when you clearly understand rules of the game. Unfortunately it is not about Lilly program.

Can you summarize the recruiting process you went through and how long it took?
1. Interview with US HR person on campus.
2. Phone interview with Russian HR manager.
3. 5 interviews with Russian top managemnt team in Lilly Russia office.

What were the required skillsets and prior experience and how were they evaluated (behavioral interviews, case studies, assessment center, panel interview, etc)?
Behavioral interviews.

What advice and tips can you share with those interested in MBA Development Programs?
Choose a program with clear and transparent features.