Rosario's post-MBA path shows what career optionality looks like in real life: she went from strategy consulting at EY-Parthenon to a role at TikTok by staying adaptable, building a strong support system, and translating consulting skills into a tech-ready narrative. Without a return offer, she treated the market honestly—"an MBA isn't a golden ticket"—and executed with structure: clear fit criteria, a disciplined story bank, and quantified impact in interviews.
Rosario moved from strategy consulting at EY-Parthenon into a fast-moving role at TikTok. Her story is a strong example of a common post-MBA reality: recruiting outcomes can shift quickly, and career progress often comes from how well you adapt and communicate transferable value.
Rosario completed her summer internship at EY-Parthenon in August 2023, where she tested industries and project types to sharpen her post-MBA direction. She describes the learning curve clearly: "Working in a very technical industry was challenging. I had to quickly catch up with my colleagues and clients, but the experience pushed me to grow and clarify which types of projects and industries excite me most."
That "fit clarity" matters later: when you pivot, you're not just changing industries—you're selecting the environment where your strengths compound.
"An MBA isn't a golden ticket. I had to put in a lot of effort to secure a role."
After the internship, Rosario faced a challenging market and didn't receive a return offer: "The job-hunting process was very tough, especially without the return offer due to overstaffing."
Instead of treating that outcome as a dead end, she pivoted toward Big Tech and leaned on people who understood the reality of the process: "Being around people who understood and supported me was so important—it made all the difference during those tough moments."
The advantage comes from execution: clarity, repetition, and resilience.
Rosario found that consulting preparation created an advantage in tech interviews: "My consulting preparation for EY-Parthenon really helped with the tech interviews."
For behavioral questions, she relied on structure and specificity, using STAR and building a story bank in advance: "I felt confident because I had a story ready for each question, and numbers always make a difference."
The underlying principle is transferable: tech interviews reward clarity, ownership, and measurable impact—especially when your background is being evaluated for fit.
Once she joined TikTok, the environment felt closer to a startup pace than a traditional corporate onboarding: "My learning curve was super fast, and since day one, I was in business meetings." She adds: "My onboarding was just one morning—there was no time to waste!"
The role became a proving ground for adaptability and execution speed—skills that often matter more than prior industry labels.
Rosario frames her MBA growth as an increase in strategic clarity and openness to new paths: "The MBA taught me to embrace new directions and focus on what truly excites me."
That's the quiet advantage of strong MBA experiences: they expand your option set, but they also demand that you choose—and then execute.
"The MBA taught me to embrace new directions and focus on what truly excites me."
Merchant MBA helps candidates align school choice, goals, and narrative so career outcomes are supported by coherent strategy—not improvised late in the cycle.
We'll pressure-test your positioning, school fit, and timeline—then map the highest-leverage moves to strengthen your odds and your outcome.