Equipped with experience as an MBA student, dual Brazilian-Italian citizenship and access to Ohio State’s global network of alumni, João Carvalho decided to pursue a career in technology. His eyes were set on either the U.S. or opportunities across the ocean in Europe.

As a second-year MBA student, the now-alumnus enlisted the help of Fisher’s Corporate Mentor Program to find someone with the experience, perspectives and connections that aligned with his professional aspirations; he found Edouard Sevil (MBA ’12), a Paris-based management consultant.

“I saw Edouard had graduated from the Fisher MBA program, and I saw he was located in Europe; there weren’t many people who fit the profile and had the experiences I was looking for in a mentor,” Carvalho (MBA '20) said.

For Sevil, giving back and paying forward to help an institution that was so instrumental in his professional success was an easy choice. He welcomed the opportunity to help a fellow Fisher MBA pursue his career ambitions.  

Over the next few months, Sevil shared with Carvalho snapshots of the French and European job markets, described the impact of COVID-19 and relayed his experiences and insights about recruiting and career opportunities.

Above all, he stressed the value of networking.

“The most important part I brought João was the connections I’ve made since graduating eight years ago,” Sevil said. “As I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve gotten to know people in good positions at tech companies — mainly former classmates from my local school in France and from Fisher.”

Said Carvalho: “He was very interested in understanding where I was in the job search process, and he made a few introductions with people from different companies, even here in the U.S. Whenever we talk, it’s always very productive. He’s been very helpful.”

The Corporate Mentor Program is a unique offering of Fisher’s redesigned Full-Time MBA program. Students can form valuable relationships by finding a match from a list of more than 100 Fisher alumni, friends and partners. Whether because of COVID-19 or international distance, technology has helped ease communication between mentors and mentees in the program, providing graduate students with access to valuable, practitioner-based advice for resume reviews, interviewing, and industry or path insights.

The mentor program is an example of the type of offering and experience that drew Carvalho to Fisher.

“Fisher’s MBA program is a purposefully small program where you really get to know your classmates and faculty, and everyone knows you by your first name,” he said. “It’s a small program, but it’s within a huge university, so you get the benefits from both sides. You can explore more resources from Ohio State.

Another draw for Carvalho was Ohio State’s Brazil Gateway, one of the university’s three strategic Global Gateways across the world, located in his home country.

“There are very few universities that have this advantage,” he said. “If I went back to Brazil, it would allow me to be a part of a local network of Ohio State alumni.”

And that connection is what Sevil hopes Carvalho — and all MBA students — will understand, appreciate and contribute to.

“It’s very important to stay connected to all of their fellow students,” he said. “Right now, they’re getting into entry-level positions, so it’s no big deal. But five, eight, 10 years from now, many of their classmates are going to be directors or VPs at companies. This is what makes it an incredibly valuable network.”