Author: r.mandry

In an attempt to learn more about business, I attended an interest meeting for the corporation S&P Global Inc. The meeting, which required that I wear business attire, may very well have been my first step into the world of business. I was allowed to speak with representatives who work for their company about their jobs, and it was much different from what I expected. The primary focus of their experiences was not on the skills they practiced in classes but on the skills they acquired through communicating with people. This was a surprise to me, as I did not expect that charisma would be just as valuable a tool in the job market as a college degree.

The representatives, who were in their early 20s, first explained what their jobs actually are. Working for S&P, their task at hand is to “assess the ability and willingness of a company to pay back obligations in full and on time.” They gather information from management teams so that that company’s ratings are as accurate as possible.

While having the financial capability to complete their work is definitely a requirement, the representatives explained that your personality is just as important in gaining and keeping a job. Most of the people applying for the job have mathematical and analytical prowess, but the representatives explained that it is your own personality that sets you apart from those you are competing with. In interviews, you have to show parts of yourself that aren’t on your resume and sell yourself. Your enthusiasm for the job may very well be what earns you that position. When asked for career advice, the representatives said to be open and proactive and to seek mentorship.

Overall, I learned a lot from attending this interest meeting. I found myself very attentive to what the representatives were saying and became more motivated to enter the job market with high grades and an open personality. One of the great things about Baruch is that it has interest meeting from different companies all the time which truly allows its students to expand their networks and learn from experienced people. This is definitely one of the college’s aspects that I will find myself taking advantage of more in the future.

Attending Leadership Weekend may have been the best way to start off my college experience at Baruch. This trip to Camp Speers in the Poconos was at first of interest to me because it would put me in an environment that I enjoyed much more than the big city in which our campus resides. By the end of the weekend, I realized that what I was truly taking away from this trip wasn’t the environment, but the connections I made with other people and things I learned about myself. During this trip, all students were encouraged to step outside of their comfort zones and do things they wouldn’t normally do. This encouragement strengthened my leadership skills as well as my teamwork skills.

Before leaving for the trip, students were required to take a test that determines your top five strengths. Throughout the weekend, we not only learned more about our own strengths, but about the strengths of others as well. While working with the handbook, we learned about all of the strengths by directly talking about them. But while participating in teamwork building activities, we could see the strengths of others shining through their actions.

While realizing all of these things, I also had a ton of fun participating in the activities and meeting new people from Baruch. The overall atmosphere of the weekend was positive and friendly, making it much easier to try all the new things that Leadership Weekend made available to me.

By meeting all of these people, I learned a lot about many of the clubs that Baruch has to offer and am much more interested in these clubs than I was before. Attending Leadership Weekend was definitely the best way to begin my journey as a Bearcat because I was able to quickly become more comfortable with my school and am now able to take advantage of the many opportunities that Baruch has to offer.