Alumni Mocktail Panel: A Reunion To Remember

By Khalid, Khalid, Peer for Career

On a beautiful Thursday evening of March 24^th, the STARR Career Development Center welcomed back six of its former Alumni who were part of programs such as Peers for Careers, Rising Starr Sophomore Program (RSSP), and Passport to Partnership (P2P). This event was possible thanks to the collaboration between awesome SCDC staff counselors and the Alumni Committee. The night was filled with spirited conversation, networking, and chatting with the six panelists who are now successful in their professional careers.

The overall Mocktail Panel was truly inspiring, from hearing the directors speak about the resources of each of the programs to being inspired by the valuable insightful success stories by each of the panelists. Attendees were able to gain and practice networking skills while savoring delicious appetizers and fancy mocktails. As a current Peer for Career, I was personally impressed that a former Alumna like Victoria Rodriguez is still utilizing the very skills she learned as a Peer. Rodriguez explained how Peers for Careers, especially Tier 2, helped her immensely in her professional career as an HR Associate at Johnson & Johnson. Surprisingly, it was not only Rodriguez who has successfully taken advantage of her experiences at STARR; most panelists agreed that participating in STARR’s programs prepared them well for their professional paths.

There are quite a few highlights and takeaways from the event. The one that stood out the most to me was that, no matter what leadership activities or clubs you are participating in, the skills you gain will come in handy sometime in the future. I think this is valuable advice for all students to take greater advantage of the student activities at Baruch and the great resources and programs that the STARR Career Development Center offers.

As the night went on, Alex Ryshina, the moderator, kept the conversation very engaging. Attendees received great insight into how former Alumni reached their professional goals, and what steps and initiatives they took to help them to get there. Afterwards, students had the chance to participate in a Q & A session, where one of the students received valuable tips on how to make the most of her summer internship experience at EY.

The night was indeed wonderful getting to know our successful Baruch Alumni. Before the event transitioned to one-on-one networking, Dr. Ellen Stein give the panelists some beautiful gifts to thank them for their time and their support for aspiring students who want to follow in their footsteps. The event was only two hours, yet full of memories for Alumni and great advice for students.

On Behalf of the Alumni Committee, we would like to thank all the STARR Career Development Center counselors, directors of special programs, staff, and student aides for working tirelessly to put this event together. Also, we would like to extend our thanks to the Baruch Office of Alumni Relations for their support and lovely gifts for our Alumni.

Inside look at the Spring 2014 Internship Fair

This year’s Spring Internship fair was one of the busiest in SCDC history. Over 850 students visited the NVC gymnasium on February 7 to make a strong impression on recruitors – over 50 in all to choose from. The SCDC staff fully dedicated themselves to helping students and employers, and our coat check system for students helped raise over $100 towards the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

Amidst the thick crowds, I went behind the scenes at the Spring Internship fair to get a few words from students and recruitors alike.

Click here to see the video.

Career Day Review

By Soobin Choi

On October 4^th, the Career Fair took place in the main and auxiliary gymnasiums. Over 950 students attended the Fair to network and gain more information about 64 different companies. Unlike the CPA Fair on September 27^th, the Career Fair targeted all majors from Corporate Communication to Public Affairs. Among those students who attended the fair, approximately 58% were male and 42% were female.

The STARR Career Development Center introduced a bag check in addition to the coat check system with a $1 fee. Students were able to check in their personal belongings while they spent time networking with recruiters. More than 70 students checked items and the proceeds will be donated to Relay for Life to fund breast cancer research.

The Center also prepared business attire to lend to students. The goal was to help students to look professional and give a great first impression. In addition, the Center offered to take students’ profile pictures for LinkedIn, a networking website for professionals, recruiters, and students.

The students’ feedback on the Fair was very similar. Many mentioned that they had to wait in the line for a long time, which made them more nervous. A student who wanted to stay anonymous stated, “It is my first time coming to one of these fairs. I never expected to wait in line.” Although he said he was tired from waiting in long lines, he continued, “but I got to know the structure of the Career Fair and most importantly, I got a chance to experience networking with professionals.”

The most common answer from students on what advice they would give to others who go to a future Career Fair was to prepare a personal pitch. A student stated, “I would advise them to be here early and practice their personal pitch because I know I was not ready.” Another student agreed, “My best advice is to prepare your personal pitch.” It is imperative to have your personal pitch prepared because when you begin to talk to recruiters, you want to mention key points about yourself and grab recruiters’ attention.

Rachelle Unger, a representative from one of the various companies that participated, shared similar feedback. She said, “After 3 seconds of talking to a student, I know if the person is a right fit for the position or not.” She continued, “Confidence is a key and show no hesitance.” She also pointed out that having wrong information or a typographical error on your résumé can harm your chance of getting an interview. “Always proofread and have enough copies,” she said.

The Career Fair is a great way to learn about potential opportunities as well as to network with professionals. If you missed the Career Fair, there will be other opportunities in the spring for students to connect with recruiters. The STARR Career Development Center offers workshops to enhance students’ professionalism and improve their résumés, business correspondence as well as personal pitches. So remember to take advantage of the workshops and see you at the next fair!

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