EOC Newsletter

May 10 2011

The Undergraduate Starr Career Development Center (SCDC) & Alumni Career Services

by Patricia Imbimbo, Ph.D. & Jennifer Rodgers, M.S. Ed.

The Starr Career Development Center (SCDC) provides numerous career-related resources, services and events every year for Baruch’s 13,000 undergraduate students and to alumni. In addition to basic job search workshops in resume writing and interviewing, there are workshops on small talk, dining etiquette, personal branding, and the use of social media in the job search. These “soft skills” workshops are important in helping students obtain the networking, business etiquette, and other non-technical skills they will need throughout their careers to meet and influence their colleagues and future employers. These are the skills that will help them continue to achieve high marks and promotions once they are on the job.

Each year, the SCDC invites hundreds of employers to come on campus to provide information and interview students for internships and jobs. They interact with students through workshops, office visits, and both on- and off-campus interviews. They post thousands of internship and job opportunities on our online career service management system called STARRSearch and students submit resumes, apply for jobs, and sign up for events online.

The SCDC also houses four special training programs for students including: Peers for Careers; the Financial Leadership Program (FLP); the Max Berger Pre-law Program; and the Rising Starr Sophomore Program. Peers are trained undergraduates who perform resume reviews and mock interviews. The FLP provides intense training to finance majors for front office positions in investment banking, sales and trading, asset management and risk analysis. The Max Berger Pre-law Program brings practicing attorneys to campus, and provides counseling and valuable LSAT preparation for a selected cohort of students. The Rising Starr Sophomore Program trains underclass students in how to choose a major and prepares them to be good candidates for internship opportunities.

The alumni coordinator in the SCDC plans seminars and provides career counseling for alumni. Every year, alumni make appointments to meet with career counselors for one-on-one career advisement and strategy sessions. Once a week, alumni can walk into the SCDC for free brief counseling sessions to review a resume, discuss an upcoming interview or their job search.

In addition to the fantastic workshops available to our students, the SCDC hosts, on average, 12 career seminars per year that are designed for the experienced professional. These workshops are available to Baruch alumni and executives in the New York area. Seminar topics range from finding one’s professional passion to networking and interviewing. Alumni may also obtain access to our career management system, where hundreds of alumni-specific job opportunities are posted for the Baruch College community. Weekly emails keep alumni up to date on career-related events and opportunities that are occurring on campus and throughout the NYC metro area.

Those who are interested in giving back may want to join the SCDC’s Online Mentor program. Through this program, alumni provide professional, industry, company and academic advice, guidance and information to students (and other alumni). Online Mentors decide the extent to how much time they wish to volunteer and to do so on or off campus.

Check out our website for career resources and information about our program. For more information about alumni career services contact Jennifer Rodgers.

Mar 10 2011

BRAND YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS!

by Diane Baranello, President, Coaching for Distinction

We’re all familiar with corporate branding and most of us have a pretty good understanding of why a great branding campaign that rocks becomes memorable. Apple is probably one of the most outstanding brands. And there’s Google, Starbucks, McDonalds, Ritz Carlton, Disney, Nike, Tiffany’s and the list goes on. But what about personal brands?

Well, some names quickly come to mind – Steve Jobs, Oprah, Donald Trump, Lady Gaga, Paul McCartney – they all mean something different to fans, promoters, supporters. But what about Joe or Jane Average? Is it possible their names might also have brand recognition? Who will remember them once they leave the room?

A personal brand is built on distinction, reputation, perception. It includes all the good stuff, bad stuff, smart stuff, quirkiness, values, strengths, images we leave behind. In the end, we each have a personal brand whether we know it or not. Our brand is like our fingerprint. It is totally unique. No other person in the entire world has the same brand.

Everything we say and do becomes part of our brand. How we dress is part of our brand. How we speak is part of our brand. Our body language is part of our brand. Our tone of voice is part of our brand. How we handle responsibility, communicate with others, our values, core strengths, reputation, online messages and offline behavior… are all part of our personal brand.

The mistake many of us make is we don’t realize we have a brand in the first place. Every moment of every day we are either enhancing or hurting our brand. It’s a living, breathing force. We build it. We market it. We sell ourselves on our promise of value.

So, where do we begin? Awareness. Become aware of who you truly are, what you believe in, the values you stand for, and what it is you deliver that is truly a part of your uniqueness. There’s no formula for fashioning a brand. It has to come from within. Ask yourself what is it I do best? What am I so passionate about doing that it consumes me, energizes me, feeds my spirit? When I speak about it, my face, my body language, my voice all resonate with a singular message. You’ve just begun to build the foundation for your personal brand.

Every brand has a tone of voice that defines it. Think of it like music that connects you with everyone else in the audience, whether that music is big band, jazz, classical or contemporary. If your message has consistency, if your statement of value has clarity, if your story is memorable, and if you can connect with people in a way in which they can believe in you and what you can do for them, your brand notes will carry from the stage to the last row of the balcony.

Finally, just be authentic; get to know yourself from the inside out. Remember, there is no one in the world who can speak, say, do exactly what you do. Take a look at your fingerprint. You are unique. You are a brand.

Diane Baranello, President of Coaching for Distinction, is former global Training Director for The Citigroup Private Bank. She is an experienced career coach and corporate trainer with more than 30 years in financial services, an active member of Baruch’s Executives on Campus Program, was keynote speaker at the recent FWA/Baruch Mentoring Program, and will speak at the April 5th EOC Job$mart Career Hour. She’s trained business professionals around the globe and coaches seasoned executives, emerging leaders and career changers to develop new career strategies, build a unique brand and a memorable pitch, and communicate with confidence. Diane’s philosophy is simple … be confident about who you are and what you offer, distinguish yourself by building an authentic personal brand, and communicate with energy and enthusiasm! [email protected]

EOC Newsletter

by Patricia Imbimbo, Ph.D. & Jennifer Rodgers, M.S. Ed.

by EOC Founders, Norm Brust, Paul Koren & Dick Merians

by Diane Baranello, President, Coaching for Distinction

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