Top 5 Reasons an EMBA Should Visit the Career Services Office
- May 29th, 2014
- in Career Development Series, Helpful Tips and Advice
As members of the Culverhouse College of Commerce family, The University of Alabama Executive MBA students are given access to all of the same career services and resources as graduate and undergraduate students. How might these resources be used differently by EMBAs? Gary Ward, Director of Graduate Career Services at the Manderson Graduate School of Business, has the answer.
Career Counseling
Career counseling is essential to ensure that each student is informed and focused on meeting their goals. Since EMBAs at The University of Alabama have an average of 15 years of experience, they usually have a good idea of where they would like to be; career counseling provides them with the knowledge and resources to get there. Instead of forcing each individual into pre-packaged options, the Manderson Career Services office helps students construct their own personalized plans based on their unique desires. By adopting a position of neutrality, Gary understands each student’s aspirations and transforms them into reachable realities. This transformation includes prioritizing and planning by dividing an overall vision into smaller, more manageable steps.
Interview Advice
Since EMBAs have interview experience, many believe that there isn’t much room for improvement; however, practice and advice are always beneficial. The Career Services office can keep EMBAs refreshed on the basics as well as up-to-date on the latest interview etiquette. Recently, interviews on video chat services such as Skype and Google Hangout have become popular and require their own customs and norms. Mock interviews can give EMBA students the familiarity they need to feel calm, collected, and comfortable during innovative as well as traditional interviews.
Resume Building
If a picture says a thousand words, a resume says a million. Since UA EMBA students must have 5 years of experience, they have at least half of a decade of knowledge to shrink onto one page. The Career Services office can assist EMBA students in writing and formatting to ensure a clean and informative document. For example, Gary helps refresh resumes by replacing an unoriginal list of responsibilities with achievements and skill development. Gary can also give advice about building Linkedin profiles, which are becoming a leading resource for hiring companies.
Online Reputation Management
The Internet is constantly evolving, and with this evolution comes increasing opportunity for expression via social media. But exactly how much should we share and who should we share it with? From Facebook and Twitter to Pinterest and Linkedin, the Graduate Career Services office can help EMBA students understand what information to reveal or conceal to ensure a professional online reputation. For more about managing your online reputation, check out this blog post.
Flexibility
Just like the UA Executive MBA Program, the Manderson Career Services office goes the extra mile to work around students’ busy schedules. Since EMBA students are usually full time employees, Gary is available by phone, email, and appointment before, during, and after business hours. He also holds extended office hours on Tuesday evenings and Thursday mornings during the fall and spring semesters.
For more information about the Manderson Graduate School of Business Career Services, contact Gary Ward at gsward@cba.ua.edu or (205) 348-4502.
For advice about how the Executive MBA Program at The University of Alabama can enhance your career, contact Cheryl Altemara at caltemara@cba.ua.edu or (205) 348-4501.
