Taking Advantage of What the College of Business Has to Offer: Workshops/Seminars/Lectures

Every year, every semester, every month, and nearly every week the college of business hosts workshops, seminars, lectures, or some other event to help students become better professionals. Just this past month of September we hosted events for goal setting and action planning, developing your personal mission statement, and learning how to remove doubt in an interview. In the 'real world' professionals have to pay for this sort of thing, but College of Business students get access to information like this and more for the low, low price of FREE! Besides, we like you and love helping our students develop into well-rounded professionals.

However all we can do is offer these workshops, whether you decide to take advantage of them is entirely up to you. Obviously physically attending events is the most important step, but in order to take full advantage of what is offered you should make sure to mentally attend as well. Make sure to pay attention to the speaker/instructor and try to take as many notes as possible - if allowed (some events require you to move all over the place, making note-taking difficult). Often times you will be shown outside resources such as web sites or offices related to a workshop for you to visit on your own time, a gift that can keep on giving, so make sure you know how to access them. You should also have some sort of idea of what you want to get out of the workshop beforehand, as this will help you to come up with questions to ask; and you should ask questions! One of the greatest benefits of a workshop is getting a direct response from someone with knowledge and expertise on the subject at hand.

While there are times that we'd love to make students attend these events, we're aware that you will get more out of them if you are inspired to attend on your own. So please do yourself a favor and keep an eye out for upcoming events offered both inside and outside your major, because it is all for your benefit. For upcoming events within the college of business you can check out the BPC Calendar for the most up to date schedule.

Written by: Jon Robben, Business Placement Center

Making an Impression AFTER the Interview!!!

How to Write an Effective Thank You Note
(This advice has been customized with core content from http://www.thesimpledollar.com)

We are in the thick in interview season and one of the things I find most students (and even non-students) overlook is the interview follow-up. The first thing you should do following an interview is to SEND A THANK-YOU NOTE! Ideally you will send this within 12 hours of your meeting with a potential employer.

First of all, thank you notes can be written on basic stationery. You can pick up regular stationary just about anywhere - A bookstore, Staples, even Wal-Mart. There are plenty of styles to choose from that you can use to fit your personal taste. University Bookstore has notecards with the SIU seal embossed on them - these can be a great way to help personalize and 'brand' the note even further.

Second, always hand write a thank you note. A handwritten thank you note has a certain level of elegance that you just can’t capture by typing and printing a note. Take out your pen and write down your thoughts. If you prefer, you can draft the note at the keyboard, but then copy your final text from the screen to the card. If your handwriting is terrible (like mine), it's wise to practice on regualr printer paper before making the jump to the actual card (yes, I really will do this from time to time!)

Given that, it’s okay to use printed labels when addressing the envelopes. Not only does this save time, it also ensures accuracy of the address. As long as the note inside is handwritten, this is completely appropriate. Remember to get the appropriate address for your interviewer – You can ask for their business card, look at their email signature (if you’ve been emailing with them) or even ask the receptionist on your way out of the interview.

Addressing the thank you note: Start off with the word “Dear,” then imagine you walked into a room and saw this person (or these people) without having seen them for a year. How would you address them? That’s what you should use next. During your Externship did you call your sponsor 'Mrs. Smith' or 'Heather'?
The first sentence Say “thank you for” and state the opportunity you’ve been given. Here are four examples:
Thank you for the interview for the marketing internship
Thank you for the opportunity to learn how your business works.
Thank you for all of the professional insights you gave me last week.
Thank you for the advice you provided in terms of becoming successful in the sports marketing industry.

The second piece: Express a further detailed appreciation of the gift or opportunity by explaining what it meant to you or what you plan on doing with the gift. Continuing with the above examples:
I learned a great deal about Edward Jones and the financial services industry.
It was exciting and interesting to learn more about your organization and the educational technology field.
I feel extremely prepared in regards to my professional future.
Your insights have greatly helped me in figuring out that I really do want to work in the sports marketing arena.

The third piece: Try to build towards a future connection with the note target. Some examples:
I look forward to speaking to you in the future about other potential possibilities with Edward Jones.
I would greatly appreciate any other career-oriented advice, and I hope that your organization and I can have a long and happy relationship.
Next time I am in the area I would appreciate the opportunity to have lunch with you.
Feel free to call me anytime you visit Carbondale - I would enjoy the opportunity to show off the College of Business to you.

The signature: Sign it pleasantly and friendly, no matter what. I usually sign my notes “Thanks again!” or "Sincerely," and my name under that. I also generally like to enclose a business card for the recipients' records.

Preparing for a Phone Interview

A lot of organizations like using the phone for their initial screening interviews. The reasons for this are pretty reasonable. They may want to save on travel costs, have multiple individuals on the phone call and see how the applicants' communication skills are.

That being said, phone interviews can be frightening - you don't know the reactions of the HR rep on the other end of the phone as easily as you would if you were being interviewed in person. The more you prep for a phone interview, however, the better you can come across. Follow these simple tips to stay comfortable and make your brand shine during a phone interview:

• While you could do the interview in your underwear - DON'T! Dress as if you are really going to the company. It has been proven that you perform better if you are professionally dressed (yes guys, this means wearing a tie).
• Try to schedule the call where you can use a landline phone. A phone interview is the wrong time to have your cell drop out. If you simply can't, make sure that wherever you call into the interview (or where you wait for their call) has strong service.
• Set up a well-lit and comfortable place to sit (or stand, if you are more comfortable) during the call.
• Have a notepad handy to jot notes down on during the call.
• Key tip here: Have copies of your resume, references, company info, and job description laid out. While you should know these documents inside and out, it's nice to have them handy.
• Have some questions for them! Remember, the interview is as much for you to get to know them as it is the other way around. This may lead to a career for you - make sure that you will be happy there. You can get some ideas about what to ask them here.

The BPC can help you prepare for any type of interview - phone, in-person, panel - you name it. Come by 113 or call 618.453.2603 today to schedule a consultation.