For his pre-MBA career, Dave Gold boasted a solid sales background, but wanted to develop his skills further and possibly land his “dream job.” His path to Microsoft entailed the NYU Stern MBA program. In this installment of our Real Humans: Alumni series, Dave sheds light on how Stern’s illustrious alumni network and emphasis on IQ+EQ prepared him for development management.
Dave Gold, NYU Stern MBA ’23, Senior Business Development Manager at Microsoft
Age: 32
Hometown: Manhasset, New York
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Colgate, Geography
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Various NYC based start-ups, 6 years, primarily sales roles
Post-MBA Work Experience: Senior Business Development Manager, Microsoft, 2.5 Years, Consumer Tech
Why did you choose to attend business school?
I had a sales background and wanted to learn and develop other skills. I knew business school would give me the tools to be more than just a “sales guy.” Secondly, I love spending time with really smart, driven, and curious people.
Why NYU Stern? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
Stern’s emphasis on IQ+EQ really resonated with me. Additionally, I heard the alumni network was incredible and I wanted to be in New York, the greatest city in the world.
What about your MBA experience prepared you for your current career? How do you feel that your MBA has been an asset when it comes to navigating new challenges, such as AI?
I had several classes where your grade depended on your ability to excel in groups. Stern teaches you how to successfully work with people with completely different backgrounds and skillsets. This has been a huge asset because I am often working with our finance, product, engineering, and legal teams. New challenges arise every day, and ultimately they are solvable, but it is critical that you learn how to communicate with all of your stakeholders and ensure that everyone is moving in the same direction.
What was your internship during business school? How did that inform your post-MBA career choice?
I was a Business Development Intern in entertainment and media. I loved the role and my internship extended past the summer. However, during my time there, the channel was effectively shut down. I quickly learned that it was better to be on the platform side. There is more upside and your success is not dependent on whether or not your company creates something popular.
Why did you choose your current company? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to work?
During the interview process, I was often asked, “Why do you want to work for Microsoft?” To me, that question is like asking why you would want to play for the Yankees. It’s a world class organization that has been successful for half a century. I wanted to be at a company that was innovative and gave me the chance to be in the same room as really smart people.
Advice to current MBA students:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of the job search?
Talk to alumni that have your “dream job” or something close to it. You only get one, maybe two, internships. Outside of that internship, the best way to figure out if you are going to like something is talking to people who are currently doing it.
–One thing you would change or do differently as part of the job search?
You have finite time, so you should make sure you are focusing on interviewing for jobs that you actually want.
–Were there any surprises regarding your current employer’s recruiting process?
I was surprised at how quickly it can move. I had an informational interview and an offer within 2 weeks.
–What piece of advice do you wish you had been given during your MBA?
Spend some time thinking critically about exactly what you want to do. I talk to a lot of students and they say that they want to do something broad like “product management.” What type of products do you want to work on, what type of companies, what markets, why? In a competitive job market, you need to know the answers to these questions. Companies want to hire people who can clearly communicate why they want that role. Figure out what you want to do and then everything after that will come much easier.
