The reframe most MBAs miss
People Ops tech hiring is dominated by operators and data people, not HR generalists. The intern slots you're targeting (Strategic HRBP, People Analytics, Total Rewards, Talent Strategy) filter for MBAs who can model, persuade execs, and read a P&L. Don't apply as a passionate people-person; apply as a strategy hire who happens to care about the org.
Pre-Haas experience that translates well
- Consulting — talent transformations, workforce strategy, M&A people integration all translate directly
- Strategy & ops roles — especially if you touched hiring plans, comp design, or org redesigns
- Corporate finance / FP&A — any time you modeled headcount, comp spend, or built a workforce plan
- Investment banking — org-chart diligence on acquisitions, comp benchmarking for deals
- Tech startup operator — wearing a People hat out of necessity is a strong narrative if you can point to outcomes
Harder translations, where you'll need to work the story:
- Traditional HR generalist (US / domestic)
- Recruiter / talent acquisition
- Training and development specialist
If that's you, lead on the strategic work you did, even when it wasn't in the job description.
Story bank
Prepare four stories covering different lenses:
- Designed a system. A comp band, a level framework, an onboarding flow, a performance review cycle, anything where you made structural choices, not just ran the operation.
- Used data to change a decision. A moment where a workforce metric shifted an exec's mind.
- Worked through a hard people decision. Layoffs, re-orgs, a hiring pause, anything that tested your judgment against competing constraints.
- Stakeholder management under pressure. Exec and IC interests in conflict, and how you brokered.
The keyword test
People Ops job descriptions use a specific vocabulary. Your resume should too:
- Org design: spans of control, levels, job architecture, reporting structure
- Total rewards: base, variable, equity, benefits, comp philosophy
- Talent strategy: hiring plan, workforce plan, capacity, attrition, funnel
- People analytics: headcount reporting, DEI metrics, engagement, regrettable attrition, eNPS
- Performance: calibration, forced distribution, comp review, promotion
Before you hit send
- Every strategic decision in your past has a visible metric (budget, FTE, retention delta).
- You can defend a comp strategy tradeoff in 90 seconds.
- You've read Work Rules! or a comparable book in the last month.