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Career Services Newsletter

Angie Powers - Friday, October 2, 2020
 Events   Jobs & Career 

 

 

PMBA/MBA’s News you Can Use!

October 2, 2020

Wow! It is October already! The semester if busy and so are the recruiting opportunities. Thank you to those of you who attended/attending the virtual career fairs! Interviews and virtual employer events were happening everywhere and many students found a great deal of success, either with interviews or making connections and building networks. Good luck as you continue to attend the National MBA diversity fairs! Please update me on your success.

Please schedule an appointment with me to practice interviews, review cover letters, resumes and job applications. If you have a job/internship offer or internship conversion, send me the details and we can talk through next steps, salary negotiations and expectations. Keep up the good work, I am hearing a lot of great success on your job search!

2020 NBMBAA Career Fair Survey (For attendees only)

Please take 2 minutes to complete this survey about your NBMBAA Experience for those who attended. Thanks!

Begin the Survey Now

Company/Alumni Event Spotlights:

 

MBA Alumni Conversation with Melissa Chua '14, October 6th 4:00-5:00 p.m.

 

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAodeCppj0vG9Eew2vu34VExlTzH-LBChui

Join a conversation with Melissa Chua - Gies MBA Alumnus 2014 and current MARCH candidate at Pratt Institute.

Melissa Chua is a video storyteller and founder of Lean by Design, a creative firm involved in community-informed architectural design, city planning, preservation advocacy, and social history documentation projects. She brings 10 years of experience producing films, designing graphics and crafting brand identities for clients in research, education, design and architecture. She is currently leading the development of and co-hosting the Healing Spaces podcast (NY—Brooklyn), which explores the healing modalities present in the intersection of space, sound, and the sacred.

Melissa came to her own sense of place by immersing herself in diverse cultural contexts, creating music, and cultivating a deep practice in Raja yoga. Her aesthetic is rooted in nature, humanity and sacred space. In addition to pursuing an M.Arch at Pratt Institute (Candidate, 2023), Melissa holds a BS in journalism (g. 2010) and an MBA (g. 2014) from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

 

AT&T Information Session for MBA, October 8th 5:00-6:00 pm

Join the conversation with AT&T as they highlight their (LDP) Leadership Development Program and (FLDP) Finance Leadership Development Program for MBA graduates. Hear directly from the AT&T University Relations Manager - Becky Parson for an interactive discussion to learn more about AT&T and what they are looking for in their candidates.

NOTE: You will need to also register through this Zoom link in order to receive the Zoom dial-in information for 10/8. https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvdOGrqj0tGd2ihSuRaxAye7Hd7eGvIC-S

MBA Alumni Conversation with Philip Akporiaye @ Microsoft - '17, October 12th 4:00-5:00 pm

Register in advance for this meeting: https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqceqhqD4sE9fW6qSHO0SYnBrsS8zfeTDc

Join a conversation with Philip Akporiaye - Gies MBA Alumnus 2017 and current Business Analytics Specialist at Microsoft. Philip is with Microsoft and is a Strategic and analytic professional with 10 years of success in finance, decision support, project management and problem solving. Skilled in business modeling, MS Excel, SQL, R and Power BI. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipakporiaye/
 

MBA Alumni Conversation with Smitha Soman @ IBM - '10. October 15th 4:00-5:00 pm

Register in advance for this meeting: https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIoduyqrzopH9yEC0mLYGdUWUAUZ2-1mH29

Join a conversation with Smitha Soman - Gies MBA Alumnus 2010 and current Blockchain Strategist at IBM.

Smitha Soman has spent the last 4 years immersed in blockchain and has created more than 16 pieces of research and thought leadership charting the evolution of blockchain, as part of IBM's business think tank - the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV). She is a passionate advocate for blockchain’s potential to transform business and uses every opportunity to share her expertise at various IBM and external conferences.

Pre-blockchain, Smitha Soman has over 10 years of experience as a strategist in Business & Technology Transformation, Organizational Change Management, Project Management and IT Services Management. She has worked with multiple global and national clients from various industries including electronics, automotive, manufacturing, health care, retail, education, Windows and Linux data center and web hosting.
She’s a computer engineer, a trained IBM Design Thinking practitioner and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Smitha believes that ‘a small group of committed people can change the world’, and serves her community and company as an executive speaker, volunteer, mentor and recruiter.

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smithasoman/
 

LinkedIn: Putting you Best Digital Foot Forward with Blaine Hanson MBA Alumnus, November 6th 11:30am-12:30 pm

Join Blaine Hanson, MBA alumnus and LinkedIn professional as he shares his professional insights on LinkedIn profile expertise, tips and tricks, what recruiters look for in candidates and also a bit on how to source jobs through the platform.Blaine Hanson - Senior Global Account Insight Manager: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blainehanson/
 

In This Newsletter:

  • Interview Preparation
  • What’s Happening - Upcoming events, workshops and career fairs
  • A few Jobs to Consider – Please visit Handshake and job boards for complete listing

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Interview Preparation

Invited to Interview?  Prepare! Practice!
Congratulations to everyone being invited to interview.  Prepare for the interview by thoroughly researching the company, and practicing your interview skills. 
 

  • I am available for you to schedule a practice interview with me on Handshake by clicking the advising link in Gies Groups.  Select “MBA Practice Interview” as the appointment type, and please paste in the position description of the position for which you are preparing to interview or send it to me in a separate email.  I will prepare an interview based on the position; you will prepare as though this is the real interview for that position. 

 

Interview Tips & Advice

 

 

What’s Happening – Career Related Events

Each Tuesday (Beginning September 8) from 1:00-2:00 pm - MBA Career Meet-up

What are you working on and how can I help you with your career search? Maybe you don’t have much time but need to ask me a question? I have set time aside each week in case you have any quick questions, need to chat or want to just catch-up and forgot to schedule an appointment with me. Because this is an open chat room, I ask that you schedule an advising appointment with me for a practice interview, resume review or more in-depth advising conversation.

Join me on Tuesdays: Oct. 6, Oct, 13, Oct. 20, Oct. 27, Nov. 10, Nov. 17


https://illinois.zoom.us/j/7671185862?pwd=R2dpSjJuWWRmcGFPT2s3UVMrWEtUUT09 Join Via Zoom: Angie Powers' Personal Meeting RoomYou will find all the ‘Meet-up’ event dates listed in Gies Groups –


Meeting ID: 767 118 5862
Password: 095524

Week of October 5th , 2020

MBA Alumni Conversation with Melissa Chua '14, October 6th 4:00-5:00 p.m.

 

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAodeCppj0vG9Eew2vu34VExlTzH-LBChui

Join a conversation with Melissa Chua - Gies MBA Alumnus 2014 and current MARCH candidate at Pratt Institute.

Melissa Chua is a video storyteller and founder of Lean by Design, a creative firm involved in community-informed architectural design, city planning, preservation advocacy, and social history documentation projects. She brings 10 years of experience producing films, designing graphics and crafting brand identities for clients in research, education, design and architecture. She is currently leading the development of and co-hosting the Healing Spaces podcast (NY—Brooklyn), which explores the healing modalities present in the intersection of space, sound, and the sacred.

Melissa came to her own sense of place by immersing herself in diverse cultural contexts, creating music, and cultivating a deep practice in Raja yoga. Her aesthetic is rooted in nature, humanity and sacred space. In addition to pursuing an M.Arch at Pratt Institute (Candidate, 2023), Melissa holds a BS in journalism (g. 2010) and an MBA (g. 2014) from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

AT&T Information Session for MBA, October 8th 5:00-6:00 pm

Join the conversation with AT&T as they highlight their (LDP) Leadership Development Program and (FLDP) Finance Leadership Development Program for MBA graduates. Hear directly from the AT&T University Relations Manager - Becky Parson for an interactive discussion to learn more about AT&T and what they are looking for in their candidates. The LDP and FLDP positions are targeted toward MBA graduates with 3-7 years of professional experience.

NOTE: You will need to also register through this Zoom link in order to receive the Zoom dial-in information for 10/8. https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvdOGrqj0tGd2ihSuRaxAye7Hd7eGvIC-S

Career Connections – How to Find and Land a Job in Financial Services, October 8th 6:00 p.m. CST

Join us for Career Conversations, our live virtual panel series that will explore functional career paths and provide insight into how to get started at the entry-to-associate level.

In this first installment, The Muse CEO Kathryn Minshew will host a panel of analysts and associates from Deutsche Bank, Scotiabank, and Goldman Sachs to break down what it’s actually like to work in financial services.

They'll dive into:
• What a typical day is like in their current role
• Why they chose a career in financial services and how they landed their first job
• What a typical career growth path looks like from analyst to associate (and beyond)
• What skills and traits are essential for someone to be successful in financial services
• And more!

Our goal is for you to walk away from the session with a better understanding of the industry and actionable steps for how to land a job in financial services.

Week of October 12th , 2020

MBA Alumni Conversation with Philip Akporiaye @ Microsoft - '17, October 12th 4:00-5:00 pm

Register in advance for this meeting: https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqceqhqD4sE9fW6qSHO0SYnBrsS8zfeTDc

Join a conversation with Philip Akporiaye - Gies MBA Alumnus 2017 and current Business Analytics Specialist at Microsoft. Philip is with Microsoft and is a Strategic and analytic professional with 10 years of success in finance, decision support, project management and problem solving. Skilled in business modeling, MS Excel, SQL, R and Power BI. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipakporiaye/

 

MBA Alumni Conversation with Smitha Soman @ IBM - '10. October 15th 4:00-5:00 pm

Register in advance for this meeting: https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIoduyqrzopH9yEC0mLYGdUWUAUZ2-1mH29

Join a conversation with Smitha Soman - Gies MBA Alumnus 2010 and current Blockchain Strategist at IBM.

Smitha Soman has spent the last 4 years immersed in blockchain and has created more than 16 pieces of research and thought leadership charting the evolution of blockchain, as part of IBM's business think tank - the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV). She is a passionate advocate for blockchain’s potential to transform business and uses every opportunity to share her expertise at various IBM and external conferences.

Pre-blockchain, Smitha Soman has over 10 years of experience as a strategist in Business & Technology Transformation, Organizational Change Management, Project Management and IT Services Management. She has worked with multiple global and national clients from various industries including electronics, automotive, manufacturing, health care, retail, education, Windows and Linux data center and web hosting.
She’s a computer engineer, a trained IBM Design Thinking practitioner and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Smitha believes that ‘a small group of committed people can change the world’, and serves her community and company as an executive speaker, volunteer, mentor and recruiter.

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smithasoman/

 

MICROSOFT –  “MBAs at Microsoft – A Day in the Life Micro-series” webinar event happening the week of 10/12-10/16. 6:00-7:00 pm

 

*The registration links for each day can be found in this Sway deck link: aka.ms/microsoftmbaregistration

 

These webinars will feature current MBA hires at Microsoft in the primary disciplines we recruit for. This will provide students deeper insight into each discipline and perspectives from multiple panelists currently in these roles. Stories of having impact, career journeys, and growth experiences will be shared with a Q&A with following each session. This event will be for 1Y and 2Y MBA students enrolled in an MBA program. All five webinars will be hosted via TEAMS from 4pm-5pm (PST), and will be recorded in the event a student cannot attend (in person attendance encouraged).

 

Monday, October 12th: MBAs at Microsoft – Marketing: A Day in the Life

Tuesday, October 13th: MBAs at Microsoft – Business Programs & Ops: A Day in the Life

Wednesday, October 14th: MBAs at Microsoft – Sales: A Day in the Life

Thursday, October 15th: MBAs at Microsoft – Program Management: A Day in the Life

Friday, October 16th: MBAs at Microsoft – Finance: A Day in the Life

 

BP – Recruiter Coffee Chat, October 15 7:00-7:45 pm CST

Do you have questions about our recruitment process? Grab a cup of coffee and join us for a virtual careers event to learn more from the Early Careers recruiters! Additional virtual event logistics to be provided ahead of the session.

Management Consulted Website Overview, October 16th 1:00-2:00 pm

Do you want to be ready for the world's ultimate interview test, the case interview?? Are you interested in casing but don't know where to start?

Well, this is your chance to get a thorough walk through on the platform.Now, more than ever, employers are incorporating case-style interview formats for positions beyond consulting. Are you prepared? Will you make the cut and receive an offer? Casing is not something you can learn overnight and takes dedication and investment. Come learn what it takes to be successful during a case interview and see all the tools you have access to during our free webinar with the experts from Management Consulted!

Alumni Panel - International Career Festival (ICF), October 16th 3:00-5:00 pm

This event is a part of ICF hosted by the University of Illinois Career Services Council (CSC) International Connections Committee. The goal is to allow students to learn how a career can be developed from the alumni’s first-hand experience.

Who should attend this event: All international students

How does this work: Sign up for the alumni panel discussions and learn

Who are the Gies alumni: Please refer to the alumni bio on this event page

Registration Link: https://illinois.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwtcumhrzIvGN0YFHCysdMe-5DTSonhZmP-

Bonus: In addition to the Gies alumni panel session, you get ONE additional bonus opportunity to learn from alumni from outside of Gies

The entire event detail please visit the 2020 International Career Festival (ICF) - Alumni Panels event on Handshake

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Have a great weekend!

Angie :)

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