When Matt Hanlon (BBA ’08) got an email from Career Management Services announcing a networking event that would put him in front of a number of prospective employers in a little over an hour, he thought it would be a great opportunity.
It was.
Within a few weeks of the April 16, 2009 event, Hanlon started an eight-week internship, working on an IT audit, at Ryder System, Inc., one of the employers he met as he, and 65 other students and alumni of the business school, rotated among three tables.
Format and feedback make event a success.
“Each table had representatives from an employer and five to eight students,” said Hanlon. “We had been told to bring business cards, a one-minute elevator speech and a statement about what we were looking for in a position.”
“I got very useful feedback on my elevator speech and by the end of the third rotation felt very comfortable and confident with it,” said graduate student Irina Maxwell.
One of the Ryder System representatives expressed interest in Hanlon’s qualifications that evening, which included conventional networking following the speed-networking activity. An onsite interview and the internship offer, followed swiftly.
Representatives from Bank of America, Burger King, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, FedEx, LAN Airlines, Right Management, Target, Terremark, Titan America, Walgreens and the chair of the college’s Alumni Circle, in addition to Ryder System, Inc. participated. Forty-two of the attendees responded to a survey on which they gave the event exceptionally high marks, noting that it was a great chance to meet with different companies, that it served as good practice and that it provided a valuable feedback session.
As Hanlon summarized it, “There is nothing better than getting that face time in front of an employer, even if they are not hiring at that moment. It’s much more effective than submitting an application.”
More events planned, more resources available.
CMS plans to offer more events during the fall semester. Information is posted on the CMS web site at http://careers.fiu.edu. To take full advantage of the tools and resources available, students and alumni need to register in the office’s database. Registration is free.
