Category: Career Development Series

Top 5 Reasons an EMBA Should Visit the Career Services Office

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.

Career blog picInterview 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.

Career Development Series: Online Job Applications

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.

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Gary Ward, Director of Graduate Career Services for Manderson Graduate School of Business at The University of Alabama

 

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/.

Career Development Series: What is your online reputation?

Graduate students at the University of Alabama, including those enrolled in the Culverhouse College of Commerce Executive MBA program, have access to a wide range of career services through the Graduate Career Services office. These services provide students the knowledge and skills necessary for professional advancement, no matter where they are in their career.

Pursuing an M.B.A. is in and of itself a step toward professional development. Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, attempting to climb the corporate ladder, transitioning to another professional field, or looking for job opportunities with another company, taking advantage of these career services can help you achieve your professional goals.

The Career Development Series will highlight some of the services available for EMBA students at UA. For the first article in this series, we will discuss the importance of maintaining your “online reputation.”
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According to Gary Ward, Director of Graduate Career Services, there is no time like the present to be sure that your “online reputation” is in good order. “Despite what you might think, potential employers have ways of checking on how you appear on social media. Your own company is probably doing this as well.”

As social media continues to evolve and expand, it is increasingly important for working professionals to be aware of who is viewing their profiles and to maintain a positive social media presence. Updating your privacy settings can help by making your content visible to only those who you have approved. This also reduces the risk of others posting inappropriate material to your profile.

Although privacy settings are helpful, social media outlets such as Facebook and LinkedIn are constantly changing what these settings include. Ward suggests taking a moment every 30 to 60 days to review your privacy settings. You may also want to review and update all of your personal information, and make sure to highlight any achievements or work that enhances your “online reputation.”

For more advice on how the UA EMBA Program can enhance and promote your career, call 205.348.4501, www.emba.ua.edu.