Off-Campus Opportunities

By Ruixiang (Richard) Wu

CPA fair, Career Fair, Corporate Presentation, Networking Event… Most students (job seekers to be exact) are more than familiar with these on-campus events hosted by STARR Career Development Center. Big four accounting firms, major banks and financial firms all come to campus to recruit Baruch students. Students just love these events since it is so convenient to attend them. However, what if the companies that you are hoping to reach have no plans to come to Baruch’s campus? What are you going to do? Should you just wait for them to come? Sometimes when we focus too much on what we see on campus, we miss a lot of opportunities outside. Going to on-campus events might be convenient, but attending off-campus events may open a whole new world for you.

During the week of September 16, 2013, I was able to attend three different events outside of Baruch campus. They were “Digital Games: You Can Be a Player,” “STEM Career Expo” and “Microsoft Career Day at John Jay College.” All of these events really broadened my horizon about different industries and the job opportunities that they have for undergraduate students.

The first event was “Digital Games: You Can Be a Player” hosted by the Center for Communications in Kumble Theater in Long Island University, Brooklyn. During the panel discussion, I had the opportunity to hear from various industry professionals, including a CEO, a game developer, a Chief Creative Strategy Officer, and a Tech Writer who all shared about how the game industry works. They explained in detail how a video game is made from an idea and then marketed to a target audience. They also provided insider information about how we can utilize local opportunities nearby to achieve our goals. If I had not attended, I would never have known about Game Jam, where people get together and develop a game within two days to train their game development skills. And surprisingly, New York City is actually one of the biggest Game Jam places in the world.

During the discussion, the panel also shared with us information about their previous student life, tips for seeking jobs, and stories of how they ended up doing what they are doing right now. Their career stories were probably the most surprising part. For example, Wade Tinney, the CEO of Large Animal Games, first started as a bartender without any knowledge about game development. It was through a networking connection that he found himself interested in this particular industry and started building his own company from scratch. Other speakers shared similar experiences. You can click here if you are interested in what they talked about during the event.

I am sure you want to hear more about the other two events, right? The STEM Career Expo hosted at the New York Hotel on 9/20 hosted many Fortune 500 companies who had small information booths for students. The companies that I approached included Intel, Boeing, Prudential Financial and many more. These are examples of companies that you may not be able to see on campus at Baruch. If you are interested in the Microsoft event and their job opportunities, here is the link for the flyer and the Microsoft Academy for College Hires [MACH] Program that they mentioned at the event.

Of course you might ask “Where can we find these events?” The answer is pretty simple. First of all, check our STARR search website frequently for off-campus events that are listed under the event tag. The STEM Career Expo was actually listed there. Keep in mind that STARR Search is not just for on-campus events. Secondly, check out the Center for Communications website for their upcoming events. They have a lot of seminars about media, theater and technology related fields. If you are interested in any of them, don’t hesitate to sign up. The events are free. Finally, read your CUNY weekly newsletter. There are many great opportunities out there as long as you look for them. The Microsoft event was promoted in the CUNY newsletter! So spend some time researching and you will find something of interest to you. I wish you the best luck on your networking and job searching!

Here are some of the upcoming off-campus events that you might find useful. You can click the event to learn more and RSVP.

1. Sports Marketing: How to Win? October 22

2. Digital Advertising: What’s Next? October 29

3. New York Student Career Forum November 1^st

4. Women Talk Tech: Starring Roles November 19

Career Corner: Leading

By Jason Ioffe / Peers for Careers Correspondent

(As orginally published in the Ticker: http://ticker.baruchconnect.com/article/career-corner-leading/)

Baruch College’s student population, which consists of more than 14,000 undergraduate students, has given rise to more than 200 on-campus clubs and organizations. The mission of campus clubs can vary from focusing on professional development to health and fitness, religious and cultural history as well as honor societies and fraternities. All students, whether they began their Baruch journey as freshmen or transfer students, are actively encouraged to participate in these student-led activities. It is important to challenge yourself and go beyond merely attending events by actually stepping into a leadership position.

Club committees and executive boards allow students to exercise their strengths in a practical setting. For example, if you like graphic design, consider being the chair of publicity for any given club.

While clubs are nonprofit, they operate with real budgets and test problem-solving skills, both of which will translate directly to the workplace.

Coordinating amongst club members requires the ability to collaborate, negotiate and delegate. Furthermore, students will develop transferrable skills that are highly valued by employers, like attention to detail and time management.

Additionally, club leaders must constantly learn about their target audience because the student population is constantly evolving with the matriculation of new students.

Employers often look to hire students with campus leadership experience. The primary reason for this is due to the enhanced soft skills—verbal and written communication—that many club leaders possess. While courses may help you develop subject-matter expertise relevant to enter a given industry, the possession of soft skills is equally valued by employers. The constant refinement of your communication skills gained through experience leading a club will benefit you in your field of work.

It will also help you to feel comfortable meeting new people and building your professional network. By combining technical and soft skills, prospective employees show they can work well in any team to produce tangible results and stand out from the competition.

By getting involved in leadership roles during their undergraduate career, students also gain crucial insight into their own personal leadership styles and the roles they take on in group settings. Some people may be driven to achieve goals in short spans of time while others may excel at bringing people together or resolving team conflicts.

Everyone has unique strengths as leaders, and by understanding their individual strengths, students will discover what team settings work best for them. Applying personal strengths in the workplace results not only in more efficient work but also in creating a more pleasant and natural-feeling work environment.

As mentioned, there is an enormous variety of clubs in which you can participate. Take advantage of your time at Baruch to experiment with different interests and meet new people. There is no single best club to join, so explore and enjoy any that may appeal to you. Rest assured that all leadership positions on campus offer opportunities for personal development and can hold a strong place on your resume.

By making a positive impact on the college community, your legacy will live on long after graduation and guarantee a strong professional network to depend on for years to come.

Career Corner: LinkedIn

By Manal Janati, Peers for Careers Correspondent

(As originally published in the Ticker: http://ticker.baruchconnect.com/article/career-corner-linkedin/)

For students pursuing a career in business, one common piece of advice is to create a LinkedIn profile. However, the next steps to take are often unclear; after all LinkedIn is more than just an online resume. As LinkedIn users know, there are many ways to maximize its benefits. From connecting with professionals to emphasizing specific skill sets, it is imperative to create and continually develop a strong profile.

To clarify, LinkedIn is a professional social networking site where individuals can showcase their resumes and respective strengths. The site also facilitates networking, applying to jobs, researching companies and sharing information.

LinkedIn offers many great features, including the fact that job seekers are no longer limited to a one-page resume. It grants individuals the scope to upload documents and presentations to create a portfolio of their experience. Thus, you can display all of your undergraduate work and leadership capabilities on your profile.

Furthermore, you may choose to add a professional story, through which you can creatively communicate your professional objective, expertise and career goals to potential employers. You can also feature certain recommendations or endorsements on your profile. Thus, it can be helpful to ask colleagues and previous managers to write a few sentences on your skills.

Yet another way to feature skills on your profile is to list them yourself. This is a great way to add transferrable skills, such as public speaking, teamwork and leadership, all of which can apply to a broad set of career paths. Using these keywords will increase the likelihood that your profile will be found in searches, and you may even find that people will endorse your skills.

Whether you are creating a profile just now or have one already, be sure to upload a professional photo. Try to refrain from using cropped photos after a night out with friends. First impression matters, so make it a good one.

This also extends to LinkedIn connection requests. When connecting with professionals, it is recommended that you tailor the message specifically to the recipient. It may help to read their profile beforehand to find commonalities or material for questions to ask them. People have different policies when connecting with others, and some are more willing to connect with strangers than others. By customizing your LinkedIn request, you may increase the likelihood of actually connecting with that person.

On top of everything, LinkedIn serves as a personalized informational tool. As you use the system, LinkedIn will start recommending articles you can read, jobs you can apply to and groups you can join.

Getting involved with groups that relate to your career interests can help you learn about the professional world and can catalyze your networking. Once you join a group, you should also try to participate in the group discussion.

LinkedIn, like most social media tools, is constantly changing and adding more features. The best way to stay updated on new features that will strengthen your profile is to visit the Official LinkedIn Blog. There, professionals offer advice ranging from ways to improve usage of LinkedIn to the interview process and job search.

Strengthening your LinkedIn profile is an ongoing process. Investing time into the aforementioned steps will ensure that your profile is more than just an online resume.