Dominican Republic RPCV Krystal Willams serves as the advanced technology marketing manager at Deere & Co. (DE ), the giant manufacturer of agricultural and forestry equipment



Dominican Republic RPCV Krystal Willams serves as the advanced technology marketing manager at Deere & Co. (DE ), the giant manufacturer of agricultural and forestry equipment

"A Balance of Confidence and Humility"
Here's what Deere & Co. recruiters want to see from candidates for its Strategic Management Program, a conduit to permanent employment

Recruiter Q&A Index

Krystal Willams serves as the advanced technology marketing manager at Deere & Co. (DE ), the giant manufacturer of agricultural and forestry equipment based in Moline, Ill. A 2003 graduate of the Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business, she manages MBA recruiting for Deere's Strategic Management PrograA. Y. m at Tuck. Before business school and corporate life, Krystal worked in nonprofit international public-health consulting and as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic.

Williams says MBAs shouldn't underestimate the importance of nonverbal communication in an interview. She recently spoke with BusinessWeek Online reporter Jeffrey Gangemi. Here are edited excerpts of their conversation:

Q: How do you decide where to recruit?
A:For our Strategic Management Program (SMP), we have relationships with four schools where we do the majority of our active recruiting: The Dartmouth College Tuck School of Business, the Duke University Fuqua School of Business, Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, and the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business . We look at candidates from other schools as well, but we do most of our on-campus activity and job postings at those four schools, mostly because of their great reputation and the success the company has had with their students.

Q: Please describe the program.
A: It's a [10-year-old] general-management rotational program. The average person stays in the program for about three years, going through several rotations that can encompass anything from a four-month special assignment to a year-and-a-half team-based special initiative to running a business unit in one of our manufacturing facilities. When Deere brings you in for an internship or full-time position, it's with the expectation that you will be adding value from Day One.

Q: Is there any structure to the rotational schedule?
A: No. It happens through a discussion between the candidate and the program director. There isn't the sort of set path through the company there is in other programs like this. I have a friend who came into the program at the same time as I did. We had different needs, and the program met our needs differently. He came in full-time in fall 2003, and by summer 2004, he had become the director of customer support for Food Origins.

On the other hand, I am still in the program and will probably complete one more rotation. Our two experiences with the company highlight the degree of flexibility available within the program.

Q: What are some attributes that a successful candidate would have?
A: We look for applied critical thinking. We want [participants] to be able to analyze and then execute based on their analysis. We also look for teamwork. As SMPs, we come into the company at a level where we are able to influence decisions, but the final implementation may not be under our direct control, calling for a balance of confidence and humility. This company is also all about integrity and ethics. It's important to get those things across in an interview.

When this story was posted in March 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:


Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in over 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related reference material in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can use the Main Index to find hundreds of stories about RPCVs who have your same interests, who served in your Country of Service, or who serve in your state.

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Crisis Corps arrives in Thailand After the Tsunami in Southeast Asia last December, Peace Corps issued an appeal for Crisis Corps Volunteers and over 200 RPCVs responded. The first team of 8 Crisis Corps volunteers departed for Thailand on March 18 to join RPCVs who are already supporting relief efforts in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and India with other agencies and NGO's. 19 Mar 2005

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March's Feature Stories - only on PCOL Dream Come True - Revisiting India after 34 years The Coyne Column: Read Winning Vanity Fair PCV Essay Tomas Belsky's paintings inspired by service in Brazil RPCV reunites with friend after 40 years RPCV reviews "Los Heraldos Negros" by Cesar Vallejo Photo Essay: Taking it to the Streets

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March 19, 2005: RPCV Groups in the News New Jersey RPCVs host exhibit in Maplewood on April 2 20 Mar Maryland RPCVs eat crab cakes in Annapolis 17 Mar Illinois RPCVs present "Life on the Big Red Island" 13 Mar San Diego RPCVs host reception with Gaddi Vasquez on March 6 4 Mar Western North Carolina's RPCVs sponsor Africa Night on March 6 3 Mar Connecticut RPCVs held fundraiser on March 5 3 Mar RPCVs: Post your stories or press releases here for inclusion next week.

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March 19, 2005: This Week's Top Stories RPCV points out catalytic effect of Iraq 19 Mar PCVs set up Basketball pool in Ukraine 19 Mar Sam Farr introduces bill to monitor ocean fisheries 18 Mar Bridgeland does not rule out run for Congress 18 Mar Jim Doyle promotes Institute for Discovery 18 Mar Newspaper says Bangladesh is safe for PCVs 18 Mar Joan Ruddiman revisits Peter Hessler's "River World" 17 Mar Mark Schneider says Save Haiti from more violence 17 Mar Troy Johnson joins delegation to Indonesia 17 Mar Chris Shays says baseball not exempt from the law 17 Mar "Hurlyburly" benefits gypsy women in Romania 15 Mar Chris Matthews interviews Schwarzenegger 14 Mar Fred Burke dies in NJ, trained early PCVs 13 Mar Mike Honda introduces Student Privacy Protection Act 13 Mar FT details Cheney-McPherson relationship 13 Mar Tucker McCravy reports on Tsunami Reconstruction 10 Mar Dennis Braddock retires with record of accomplishment 9 Mar

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RPCVs in Congress ask colleagues to support PC RPCVs Sam Farr, Chris Shays, Thomas Petri, James Walsh, and Mike Honda have asked their colleagues in Congress to add their names to a letter they have written to the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee, asking for full funding of $345 M for the Peace Corps in 2006. As a follow-on to Peace Corps week, please read the letter and call your Representative in Congress and ask him or her to add their name to the letter.

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Add your info now to the RPCV Directory Call Harris Publishing at 800-414-4608 right away to add your name or make changes to your listing in the newest edition of the NPCA's Directory of Peace Corps Volunteers and Former Staff. Then read our story on how you can get access to the book after it is published. The deadline for inclusion is May 16 so call now.

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March 1: National Day of Action Tuesday, March 1, is the NPCA's National Day of Action. Please call your Senators and ask them to support the President's proposed $27 Million budget increase for the Peace Corps for FY2006 and ask them to oppose the elimination of Perkins loans that benefit Peace Corps volunteers from low-income backgrounds. Follow this link for step-by-step information on how to make your calls. Then take our poll and leave feedback on how the calls went.

Make a call for the Peace Corps PCOL is a strong supporter of the NPCA's National Day of Action and encourages every RPCV to spend ten minutes on Tuesday, March 1 making a call to your Representatives and ask them to support President Bush's budget proposal of $345 Million to expand the Peace Corps. Take our Poll: Click here to take our poll. We'll send out a reminder and have more details early next week.

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