Pre-Conference Webinar Kasandra Gunter Robinson July 24, 2013

1. Pre-Conference Webinar Kasandra Gunter Robinson July 24, 2013 OFFICE OF CAREER SERVICES

2. Agenda • Welcome • Common Conference Concerns • Registration & Logistics • Researching Companies • Conference Checklist

3. CAREER FAIRS/CONFERENCES

4. Common Conference Concerns Is it worth it? Will I get an internship or a job? Am I ready? Mixing Business with Pleasure

5. Schedule of Conferences • 9.12 – 9.13.2013National Black MBA Conference(Career Expo), Houston, TX • 9.21.2013 National Association of Asian MBAs Conference (Career Expo), New York, NY • 10.3 – 10.5.2013 MBA Women International Conference, Boston, MA • 10.11 – 10.12.2013 National Society of Hispanic MBAs Conference (Career Expo), San Antonio, TX • 10.17-10.18 MBA Veterans Career Conference (Career Expo), Chicago, IL • 10.17 – 10.19.2013 Reaching Out (LGBT MBA) Conference, New Orleans, LA • 10.24 – 10.26.2013Net Impact Conference, Networking Fair, San Jose, CA

6. Registration & Logistics

7. Optimal Registration/Logistics Register on the conference web site and HireSmith as soon as you know you will attend Book airline tickets now for best prices. Many students share hotel rooms with classmates Early bird pricing, Pre-Conference Pricing For many conferences, student members of the organization receive discounted pricing, e.g. Member of the NBMBAA at Smith OCS Reimbursement – 3 Criteria Register on HireSmith Attend both the Pre-Conference Workshop and the Mock Career Fair Complete the Post-Conference Survey Inform your professors if you will need to miss class Do not miss any part of the first day of the career fair!

8. Resumes & Interviews Submit resume prior to conference Once approved by OCS, upload your Smith resume to conference web site Have a separate resume for each focus area Start applying for posted internships and jobs! Fewer open interview slots once you arrive Goal: to arrive at the conference with at least one interview scheduled. If not, be ready to meet your target companies and secure an interview on-site Be conscious of scheduling multiple interviews Allow time in between interviews for preparation and transition

9. Researching Companies

10. Company Research Why our company? Why this industry? Why us, over our competitors? Where can you have an impact? Are you a good fit? How can you add value?

11. What You Need to Know About Employers • Organizational structure • Top management and their backgrounds • Geographic locations including corporate headquarters • Types of training programs • Typical career path in your field • Identify a division or initiative where you can make an immediate impact • Culture • Corporate Social Responsibility practices • Name and correct spelling of employer contact(s) • Size of organization in industry • Industry: trends, forecasts, challenges, opportunities • Growth potential • Profitability: revenue, growth - long term and short term; funding sources (for nonprofit organizations) • Complete product lines or services/Value proposition • Pipeline of new products or services • Competitive landscape    • Recent developments reported in the news

12. Research • HireSmith has several resources for company research. A detailed list is included in the Appendix. • Read the news/journals for that industry. Take note of those organizations that are making headlines, for better or worse. Also look through member directories of professional associations and read their newsletters. • Blogs, social media tools and discussion forums are all ways to find out more about a company or a job. You can find insider information and ask questions. • A company’s blog can provide a voice for a company that educates and informs readers; it is typically updated more frequently than the web site. There are several good examples of company blogs, like the Google blog, that are supported by the company and often provide information on the corporate culture.

13. Research Tools • How to Conduct Employer Research on LinkedIn • Company pages on LinkedIn are filled with current information • Key statistics, stock information, operations • Activity – shows what is going on within the company, e.g. promotions, job postings, campaigns, etc. • How you are linked to current and former employees • New Hires – see new hire positions, background of new hires • Follow your top companies of interest on LinkedIn • Research the people with whom you will interview, meet at a corporate presentation or career fair • Use the information as a conversation starter

14. Important Tips! • Find your “Digital Dirt” and eliminate it if possible! Scrub Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Pandora and any other social media sites • Enable Privacy Settings • Update LinkedIn • LinkedIn webinar on Incoming Student Website • Professional phototaken during Orientation

15. Important Tips! • Prepare “Thank You” note templates • A hand written note will go a long way!

16. Conference Checklist - What to Bring • Business professional attire is required • Conservative is the way to go • You may also need Business Casual attire • Comfortable shoes • Mints, hand sanitizer • Minimum 50 resumes and portfolio • Flash drive • Business cards • Smith name tag

17. Upcoming Workshops • Pre-Conference Workshop – September 4Co-sponsored by OCS, BMBAA, LAMBASA, AMBAA, PCC • Mock Career Fair – September 9 • Register on HireSmith • Events/Workshops

18. Hope to See You There! • Smith OCS will have a booth at the major career conferences • Coaches and Employer Development team will be present • Find a friendly face – Smith students typically use the Smith booth as home base

19. See your OCS Career Coach for Questions

20. Appendix: Research Tools

21. HireSmith Research Tools • HireSmith Links • Vault – Launches to Career Insider, a web site that provides company and industry information, employer rankings, career advice, blogs & discussions, downloadable insider guides, job search engine and anonymous interviews with current and past employees • Hoovers – Provides insights and analysis about companies, industries, executives. A well respected staple in employer research • Wetfeet – Provides industry profiles, insider guides, company snapshots, articles on careers • Indeed – A mega job search engine • Uniworld – Find American firms with international operations and find international firms operating in America. Includes data on company size, revenue, contact information and whether they provide career postings

22. HireSmith Research Tools • HireSmith Links • VBIC – Industry information from various sources • LexisNexis – A repository of business-related articles from periodicals • Business Source Complete – a business database of journals, SWOT analyses, industry and company reports and much more • Factiva – a comprehensive database by Dow Jones to search business and international news publications. Includes newswires, periodicals, market information from Dun & Bradstreet and Reuters, key media outlets and more • TopMBA Careers – Provides international job postings, global employment market information and salary guides • Internships.com – Provides job postings, online career coach, company directories • Internships USA – Internship job postings

23. Other Resources • Subscribe to www.smartbriefs.com– delivers industry briefs to your email box free of charge • Nonprofit Resources • Net Impact – netimpact.org • Green Dream Jobs – sustainablebusiness.com • idealist.org • MBA Nonprofit Connection – mnconnection.org • nonprofitcareer.com • usajobs.gov • Presidential Management Fellows – pmf.opm.gov • Common Good Careers – cgcareers.org • Other Web Sites – and there are lots of them • Indeed.com – a search engine site • glassdoor.com – an insider look at company reviews and salaries provided by current and former employees • simplyhired.com – a search engine site • cpgjoblist.com – provides a wealth of information about the Consumer Packaged Goods industry including job postings, career information, interview guide • ventureloop.com – job postings from venture-backed companies