Career Development Series: Online Job Applications

• February 11th, 2014
• in Career Development Series

It is affectionately referred to as the “black hole,” making it only slightly more popular than the flu. If you guessed the online job application process, you are correct. In the last ten years, the first step to almost any full-time position involves completing an online application. As with all things related to the era of the Internet, there are myths and truths.

Myth: All online applications are scanned and are never reviewed by a human. In most cases, there is human contact with your application. In many cases, especially in situations where an employer may receive thousands of applications for a position, scanners are first used to look at word content/connections, before being reviewed by a set of human eyes. Using a tool like a word cloud can give you some guidance on key words that an employer may be looking for in your application, cover letter, and resume. Check out www.tagcrowd.com-it is a free word cloud.

Truth: A cover letter that gets to the point in the first sentence, gets noticed. If your online applications aren’t getting noticed, maybe it’s time to change the rules. Instead of a traditional cover letter that starts with what you do and where you are, start with three or four bullets that match your skills, expertise, and experience, to fit exact requirements in the job description/requirements. Companies are trying to fill openings with people who match the requirements-make it easier for them.

Myth: If it’s online, it doesn’t matter if words are misspelled or my grammar isn’t that good, because they probably don’t care. Wrong. Playing fast and loose with the English language tells a potential employer that you you are sloppy and have an aversion to details.

Truth: It’s okay to contact the company to see where they are in the hiring process. If you can find someone to update you on the status of your application, it shows you are industrious and are willing to take initiative, both qualities of successful employees.

Myth: Companies don’t ever look at my application again once a position has been filled. There is too much anecdotal information out there that indicates companies do keep and recheck their electronic files as positions open.

Truth: It’s a very competitive job market and the slightest thing can make a difference. Your resume and cover letter can set you apart, but don’t forget to manage your image when it comes to social media. The “slightest thing” can be only one negative post on a social media site. Diligence, Diligence, Diligence.

Online applications are here to stay. Analytics will continue to grow and assist companies use to determine what makes for a “successful” employee. Online applications will morph into being more detailed. It will always come back to what you can do to set yourself apart from the crowd.

For more information on Manderson Graduate School of Business academic programs, EMBA, M.B.A., online and specialty Masters programs, visit our Web site at http://manderson.cba.ua.edu/.

EMBA Elite Spotlight: Kathi Dawn

• January 30th, 2014
• in EMBA Elite Spotlight Series

Our first EMBA Elite student spotlight for 2014 is Kathi Dawn, a member of UA’s Huntsville EMBA class of 2014. Kathi received a Bachelor of Arts in Gerontology from the University of South Florida in Tampa and has been working for Genesis Healthcare as an assistant administrator at River City Center in Decatur, Alabama for the past year and half.

“I absolutely love it,” Kathi said. “A month into the EMBA program, Dana (Briley) Runager, another MBA classmate, and I were discussing being busy at work because we were both doing two jobs. After inquiring more, I learned that she was looking to hire an assistant administrator. One month later, I had toured the building, had an interview, and was hired. I ended my seven-year public health career to accept a position in healthcare management, and since then have completed a 1,000-hour administrator-in-training-program and acquired my Alabama Nursing Home Administrator license.”
Kathi says her purpose for pursuing her MBA degree was to find a new career with room for vertical growth. “Joining the EMBA program is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made and has had a powerful impact on my career,” she said. “The biggest benefit I have received is my career change, and therefore my ROI. I loved my career in public health, but at the end of the day, there wasn’t much room for growth.”

Kathi is engaged to her fiancé, Kevin, and together they have a 3-year-old son, Kameron. According to Kathi, a supportive family is crucial to being successful in the EMBA program.

“Balancing work, home life and school definitely has its challenges,” she said. “To help manage the balance, I try to get as much work done for the next class session as soon as we finish up with the current weekend of class. That way I don’t have to worry about what comes up during the week at work or home.”

Kathi believes that success is in the eye of the beholder. “I feel it’s important to note that success truly is one’s own idea of possibilities, and it is within that framework that we either declare success or failure.” She says that for her, it’s the idea of success that drives hard work, creativity and perseverance.
“I believe Orison Swett Marden had it right: ‘Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.'”

Kathi’s immediate goal upon graduation from the EMBA program is to advance within the Genesis Healthcare system as an administrator. Her favorite inspirational quote is one from Elizabeth Edwards, lawyer, author and wife of 2008 Presidential candidate and U.S. Senator John Edwards, just days before she passed away from breast cancer in 2010.

“The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And, yes, there are certainly times when we aren’t able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It’s called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful.”

Strategic Thinker + Technology Geek = Hottest Hiring Commodity

• January 21st, 2014
• in UA EMBA Latest News/Events

MBAs in the 90’s were groomed to be strategic thinkers. The following decade netted technology geeks. Today, the two have merged to integrate into the hottest hiring commodity. Extracting information from vast amounts of corporate data is crucial for companies to enhance the ability of an organization to make better decisions.

How is the Manderson Graduate School of Business at The University of Alabama addressing the analytical career explosion?

According to Denise McManus, associate professor of management information systems, “To stand apart, our MBA students have stepped up to meet the rising needs of the corporate world of big data.” Technology advances allow individuals to analyze larger and more diverse data sets very quickly to answer information intensive questions. “It is important that managers understand the ‘why’ behind the request,” said McManus.

“Employers ranging from insurance companies, financial institutions, big box retailers, consulting firms, basically any and all businesses that benefit from data driven answers are looking to recruit analytical talent,” said Connie Chambers, director of corporate and alumni relations.

The Manderson Executive MBA Program at The University of Alabama emphasizes critical problem solving skills, concise communication delivery and strong intellectual curiosity – skill sets that are crucial in the area of data mining and data analytics. EMBA students begin their first semester with a statistics data analysis project that produces return on investment back to employers and skill sets that our alumni tell us they use every day.

For more information on the EMBA Program at The University of Alabama, contact the EMBA office at 205.348.4501.

UA’s MBA #1 Over-Performing Program In Nation

• January 17th, 2014
• in EMBA Program Information, UA EMBA Latest News/Events

A new review by on-line business school website Poets & Quants reveals that the Manderson MBA Program at The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce may not be ranked as high as it should be and is being undersold. The analysis is based on the U.S. News and World Report 2014 business schools rankings.

UA’s MBA program came in as the top over-performing school on the list, indicating that the school is producing far better MBA graduates than U.S. News peer assessments would indicate.
“For our MBA program to move up 20 spots in the rankings is quite an accomplishment,” Culverhouse Dean J. Michael Harding said. “We just need our peers to take note and understand what we have been doing here at the business school with our undergraduate and graduate programs so our peer assessment is more aligned with our core ranking. My goal is for Culverhouse to be in the top 25.”

U.S. News bases its rankings on objective measures (average GMAT scores, average undergraduate GPA, acceptance rate, average starting salary and percentage of students with jobs at graduation) and subjective measures (assessments by corporate recruiters and peer assessments from deans and MBA directors of other business schools). One quarter of a program’s U.S. News ranking is based on peer subjective opinion of business school deans and MBA program directors. The analysis by Poets & Quants compared the actual U.S. News ranking of a school to its ranking based solely on the peer subjective rankings. Those schools with higher actual rankings (lower peer rankings) were labeled “overperformers” and those with lower actual rankings (higher peer rankings) were labeled “underperformers.”

“Dean Hardin and his staff have been doing an excellent job in making UA’s business school competitive and its reputation known,” said Dr. Robert Witt, Chancellor of the UA System. “This is a another step forward in achieving Dean Hardin’s goal of Culverhouse becoming one of the top 25 business schools in the country. This is excellent news for the entire University of Alabama system.”

Alumni: Get Involved, Get Active, Give Back

• January 10th, 2014
• in EMBA Alumni Network

As much as Universities are proud of their alumni, Universities need active alumni to promote, to participate, to be a voice for their alma mater. The Executive MBA Program at The University of Alabama is kicking off 2014 with a call to alumni to “Get Involved, Get Active, Give Back.”

• Give Back. Assist your College in recruiting strong candidates by promoting the EMBA program to your company, co-workers, friends and colleagues. Invite them to lunch or to an EMBA event. Make a donation to The University of Alabama – Roll Tide!

Are you ready to Get Involved, Get Active and Give Back?  Contact Donna or Cheryl today at 205.348.8748 and Get Started.  Roll Tide!

UA EMBA Countdown to End of Year

• December 27th, 2013
• in EMBA Alumni Network, EMBA Program Information

December is the month of holidays, family and memories.  A time to remember and celebrate.  As the month draws to a close so comes the lists, and believe me, there are lots of lists.  Top 100 songs of the year, best movies of 2013, and top 10 iPhone apps – it’s Candy Crush Saga followed by YouTube. Then there are the strange lists like the ESPN Dallas Cowboys’ Craziest Losses – no matter how heartbroken you may be if your team lost this year the Cowboys take the “smack in the head, I can’t believe that just happened” award. Then there’s the 2013 Google’s top 10 searches that ranges from Nelson Mandela to the Royal baby…the lists goes on and on.

Not to be left out, we decided to present our own countdown for 2013. So here goes – the EMBA at The University of Alabama top five highlights for 2013:

#5 – Social Media reigned in the EMBA office.  We started our UAEMBA blog, University of Alabama EMBA LinkedIn group and company page, and UAEMBA Facebook page.

#4 – Istanbul, Turkey was our destination for the EMBA Class of 2013’s global strategy course.  Students encountered a rich cultural adventure and successful company visits. They were also treated to a warm welcome by chairman and CEO of Istanbul-based Bayraktar Group and UA graduate, Mustafa Bayraktar, at his company’s headquarters overlooking the Bosphorous. This year, we also offered spouse/guest optional packages and a post trip to Izmir. We also announced that alumni may join us on future trips.  The alumni package will include the same accommodations, meals, company visits and city tours as is provided to students. In 2014, we will have alumni on our Chile-Peru trip and encourage other alumni to join us in 2015.

#3 – Our 2013 EMBA Alumni survey yielded many success stories that we will be sharing with you in future blogs.  One of many highlights is that after graduation, 46 percent of our alumni received promotions within their company, 30 percent changed companies for promotions and 11 percent started their own business.

#2 – The EMBA Alumni Association was established.  The EMBA program has graduated 766 students.  In November, we celebrated the creation of the EMBA Alumni Association with a return to campus event that included faculty presentations, networking, updates on continuing education and certification programs that are now available to EMBA alumni, and a Welcome Back to T-Town party at Dreamland BBQ.

#1 – UA EMBA welcomed our sixth class in Huntsville and our 30th class in Tuscaloosa.  In 1985, we enrolled our first EMBA class in Tuscaloosa, and we will be graduating our 30th class in May 2015.
It has been an exciting and thrilling year.  From all of us in the EMBA Program, we wish you Happy Holidays and a bright New Year.
Donna, Brian, Cheryl, Linda, Matt, Courtney and Gary

UA EMBA Welcomes Tuscaloosa-EMBA Class of 2015

• December 13th, 2013
• in UA EMBA Latest News/Events

The Culverhouse College of Commerce at The University of Alabama welcomed the incoming Tuscaloosa EMBA Class of 2015 on December 3, for orientation-immersion week. Twenty-three students began their 17 month, four semester program in Tuscaloosa. The average age is 39 with an average of 15 years of work experience.  This year’s class is comprised of 33 percent women (according to the EMBA Council, a non-profit association of over 200 universities and colleges from around the world that run EMBA programs, the average is 25 percent).

The orientation week covers team building and career development. Students also began their first semester classes with accounting for financial control, statistics for business application, marketing and managerial economics.

Companies represented in the EMBA 2015 class include First Partners Bank, Tuscaloosa VA Regional Medical Center, The University of Alabama Office of Information Technology, UA Facilities, Private Law Practice & Miles Law School, CRI Carr Riggs & Ingram, Ricoh USA, Sterne Agee, KBR Inc., Aerotek, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Nucor Steel Birmingham, JMJ Associates, U.S. Army, Regions Financial Corporation, Rumsey Environment, Pittman Financial Partners, ZF Chassis Systems, Southern Nuclear and Young Medical Associates.

This class also represents our 30th intake.  The EMBA program at The University of Alabama began in 1985. In addition to the Tuscaloosa EMBA that begins in December, Culverhouse also has an EMBA program in Huntsville, Alabama, that begins in August each year. For more information on the TEMBA and HEMBA programs at The University go to emba.ua.edu.

EMBA Families – Students’ Biggest Supporters

• December 5th, 2013
• in Helpful Tips and Advice

In the midst of the holiday season, we want to recognize the strongest support network for students in The University of Alabama’s EMBA program — their families.

The decision to return to graduate school and pursue an M.B.A affects not only the student, but their family members as well. It is important for students to work together with their spouse and children to maintain a healthy balance between school, work and family time.

According to Susan Maples, having a spouse attend grad school is an adventure for the whole family. Susan’s husband, Sam Maples, graduated from the UA Tuscaloosa EMBA program in May of 2013.

“Be ready to give up many of the things you do together as a family for about 18 months, and be ready to say no to other things and invites that are not as important. That way, the little time you have together will be quality time doing things you enjoy,” Susan said.

Susan previously worked for 10 years in manufacturing engineering and management for Toyota, but is now a stay-at-home mom. She and Sam have four children — three girls, ages 14, 12 and 10, and their youngest a boy, age 7.

“Seeing their father studying at home had a good influence on the kids. They were able to see it takes time and effort to achieve goals, and they also learned it takes the whole family working together to help each other,” she said. “It wasn’t always fun for them, though. They had to learn that we make choices in life and sometimes the choice made was not always what they desired at the moment.”

Finding a balance between work, school and family time that worked for everyone can be difficult. Susan recommends using study breaks and mealtimes to spend time together and catch up. She also suggests trying to take interest in what your spouse is learning.

“If you are able to help them study, that is still time spent together,” she said. “Get to know the members of your spouse’s team as well. We enjoyed having Sam’s team study at our house and spending time time with them.”

Andrea Elrod agrees that finding a balance between home, work and school is difficult for EMBA students, as well as their families. Andrea is married to Russ Elrod, UA Huntsville EMBA class of 2013.
“It was difficult for everyone, but we all saw that it was the most difficult for Russ to juggle the pressures of work, home and school,” Andrea said. “I was personally amazed at the way he carved out time for the children in the evenings and stayed up late almost every night to read and study.”

Andrea is a CPA and Director of Accounting for Davis Lee Companies in Guntersville, Ala. She and Russ have two daughters, ages 7 and 9.
“Russ used his books and study time as teachable moments with the girls anytime possible. He enjoyed his professors and classes so much that the children even enjoyed hearing about them,” she said.

According to Andrea, spouses of EMBA students should expect conversations to revolve around interesting topics in the classroom.
“I found that even though Russ and I had some stressful times during the program, we also grew closer in some ways because he got me involved,” she said. “He even convinced me to read and enjoy some of his books and articles!”

While the EMBA program requires help and support from the family, it also provides them with new and exciting opportunities. Both Susan and Andrea accompanied their husbands on the 2013 UA EMBA international trip to Istanbul, Turkey.

“Istanbul was not on my list of places to visit prior to Sam starting his EMBA, but it turned out to be an incredible experience,” Susan said. “The optional excursion to Ephesus was definitely a highlight. It was a time where Sam and I could enjoy traveling together since the ‘class’ part of the trip was over, and gave us a chance to enjoy a few stress-free days.”

“The trip to Turkey was a fun and wonderful experience. It was the one point in the entire program where I was truly able to bond with the other students and their spouses,” Andrea said. “My tip for future spouses on the international trip is to research and plan outings with other spouses before your trip. The students have plans all day and night, but the spouses have plenty of time to goof off, so make the most of it!”

Another point in the program that is enjoyable and rewarding for all members of the family is graduation.

“We enjoyed the reception hosted by the EMBA department and the graduation ceremony,” Susan said. “We felt it was important for our children to see their dad receive his degree so they could realize it was one of the rewards of completing the program. We also had a graduation party for him at home.”

“The EMBA office does a great job with their reception before the ceremony, and we enjoyed and appreciated that,” Andrea said. “The most memorable part of the ceremony was when our normally non-emotional 9-year-old looked up during the graduation and admitted that she was so proud of Daddy, she wanted to cry.”
We welcome spouses to attend an upcoming event or an open classroom along with their spouse who is considering the program. For more information on the EMBA program or to attend an upcoming event, contact the EMBA office at 205-348-4501, or caltemara@cba.ua.edu.

Remembering to slow down and find gratitude

• November 27th, 2013
• in Helpful Tips and Advice

Written by EMBA Director Donna Blackburn 

If you are like me, your days are filled with activity and your mind with an ever growing list of “to do’s” and “things to be done right NOW.”
Every morning as I back out of my garage, I am thinking of the first meeting or project I need to work on, so by the time I get to the end of my street, I wonder, “did I close the garage door?”  I say, “every morning”, because this happens a lot with me backing the car up my street to my driveway to ultimately face a closed garage door.  And no, it is not creeping dementia.  It is, as I like to put it, so much mundane in the brain clouding the wisdom.  In other words, simply too much to do in a small window of time.

So, how to overcome the clouding of the brain?  For me, it was remembering something I read by Arvind Devalia.  Devalia said, “Gratitude is a way of reaching back to your natural state of happiness. Notice what’s right instead of what’s wrong and begin to see every “problem” as an opportunity for growth and development.”

We often find ourselves overworked and second guessing ourselves.  Did we do this? Did we forget something?  Usually because we are looking ahead instead of focusing on the now.  We can fall apart or get frustrated when we miss a step or make a mess along the way, or we can take a breath and take a moment to give thanks for the opportunity to learn and make it right.

The garage door has now for me become a moment of reflection.  No matter what may be racing through my head as I leave in the morning, as I back up my car, I stop. I take several deep breathes thinking of nothing but breathing in and out as the garage door closes. One benefit has been that the mind stops racing, even if it is only for a few minutes.

What is your garage door? What is your problem that will lead to a growth opportunity?

The University of Alabama will be closed the rest of this week for the holiday.  From all of us in the Executive MBA office, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Current EMBA Class Set to Tour South America

• November 15th, 2013
• in UA EMBA Latest News/Events

On Nov. 8, The University of Alabama EMBA class of 2014 met in Birmingham for an international prep session for their February trip to Santiago, Chile and Lima, Peru. Students in the Tuscaloosa and Huntsville groups formed international teams for their global strategy projects.

This class will visit and meet with executives from the following companies:

• Banco Estado
• Frito-Lay Chile
• Viña Veramonte (Winery)
• Garden House Lab (transnational pharmaceutical laboratory)
• Central Bank of Peru
• Hunt Oil Peru
• Grupo Breca (Conglomerate owned by Peruvian family Brescia-Cafferatta)
• Clinica Ricardo Palma (Private medical clinic)
• Compañía de Minas Buenaventura (Peru’s largest publicly-traded precious metals company)

The Culverhouse College of Commerce Executive MBA at the University of Alabama includes an international trip as part of a three-hour international business course, IBA 550, Global Business, taught by Drs. Glenn Richey and Chad Hilton, in the final semester of study. This course provides an introduction to the complex world of managing in a global context and provides a country/region specific examination of the challenges that face international managers. Students visit a variety of organizations and have the opportunity to examine strategic management, marketing and branding, the role of business in society, public-private sector relationships, business and economic development, financial and foreign business valuation, and cultural issues germane to the region. Students are formed into international teams that are responsible for an in depth strategic review of one of the companies visited and are required to conduct their final team projects/presentations on the last day of the trip.

Preparation for the international trips are very important. Understanding protocol and how to do business in another country begins early in the planning process for the trip. During the information session, the class had the opportunity to hear from Eduardo Cuneo, Latin American sales director for Valley Rubber, who travels extensively to do business in Chile and Peru. Discussion topics included conducting business in Peru, business etiquette, local customs and sightseeing. Afterwards, Drs. Richey and Hilton gave a lecture on cultural differentiation and modern international business practices. Finally, Donna Blackburn, director of the EMBA Program, went over the protocol for the international trip and provided many helpful hints and tricks from her vast travel experience.

“The international trip is a highlight of the EMBA experience for our students, providing an opportunity to expose our students to other countries – their business and culture,” said Blackburn.
In addition, UA EMBA alumni are welcome to come on the trip and participate in the business and cultural events. While the signup deadline has passed for the Chile-Peru trip, the 2015 international trip will be decided at the beginning of Fall 2014.

For more information on the EMBA program, please contact Cheryl Altemara at 205-348-4501 or caltemara@cba.ua.edu.