By Gurjot Singh
COVID-19 created huge challenges for everyone. It was a challenging time for me as I was starting the Master of Science in Business Analytics program at Kellstadt in the fall of 2020. I felt nervous about how I would make the most out of graduate school during such unprecedented circumstances, so I started off trying to seek help from all the resources DePaul and Kellstadt had to offer. I became a member of many student clubs at the university, got connected with the Kellstadt Career Management Center (CMC) and started attending different events.
Even as the events were virtual, they were a great source for meeting new people and helped me a lot in making connections. Talking to my Kellstadt advisor, professors and fellow classmates has helped me a lot to stay engaged and connected.
Most recently, I attended a CMC event called “Work Your Network” on how to connect with employers, increase your social reach and map your networks in today’s hybrid world. I learned many tips and best practices, but here are the three takeaways that stood out to me from the event:
1. Know your goal
It is important to have a goal in your mind as you build your network. For example, what events you choose to attend and the people you choose to network with all depends on where you see yourself in the future. Is the person you want to connect with in a field that interests you? Or do they work for a company you’d like to work for one day? Knowing your goal will help you connect with people strategically, which will not only help you gain knowledge but also confidence.
2. Networking is a skill that takes practice
In business we all know that networking is key. Every panelist at the event emphasized this, saying that no amount of networking is enough, that it’s something you must do throughout your career if you want to keep advancing. But networking is a skill that takes practice. It’s important to start networking not only with people you know but with people you don’t know. Get to know different people in the industry of your interest. Networking helps you understand what kind of candidates companies are looking for. It helps you build confidence to carry yourself through interview processes. Get tips from professionals on what helped them along their way. One of the best ways to start connecting with industry professionals is through events that CMC organizes and even through your courses at Kellstadt, as many professors invite these individuals to classes to talk about their experiences. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and reach out after these events.
3. Leverage the power of LinkedIn
Your LinkedIn profile is more important than you might think. It showcases who you are to the people in the professional world, so having a strong profile is a must. Nowadays, the first thing employers do is look at your LinkedIn profile because it helps them understand and form an impression of you. Always make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date and that you’re leveraging the tool’s networking capabilities as much as possible. Kellstadt has an alumni page, which is a great place to start connecting to DePaul alumni who are already working professionals. The great thing about connecting to alumni is that you have a greater chance of getting a response since you’re also student or alum of Kellstadt.
There were so many other great tips discussed in this event. The Kellstadt CMC is a great resource for career advice and guidance so I would highly encourage all students to attend one of their events or make an appointment with one of the advisors.
Networking can be intimidating at times and doesn’t come easily to everyone, but graduate school is a great place to start practicing and building your network. It’s a starting point that offers support, resources and a community that is eager to see you succeed.
Gurjot Singh is in the Master of Science in Business Analytics Program at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. Originally from India with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, he is trying to pivot toward a career in analytics and looks forward to applying all the concepts and skills he’s learning at Kellstadt in the professional world. Gurjot loves to spend time with his family and friends and enjoys taking walks around his neighborhood while listening to music.
This year’s Kellstadt Career Management Conference featured outstanding guest speakers, who all shared incredible insights on how to navigate the world of business that has certainly evolved in 2020. Each speaker offered unique perspectives that can be extremely helpful to DePaul students as they prepare for their careers. Here are the recaps of both days:
Day One: Discussion on Diversity and Inclusion
Each guest speaker shared their own unique ideas and experiences on furthering company diversity. It really starts with companies taking initiative. Steven Johnson, senior manager of inclusion and diversity at American Airlines, explained that the organization advances their commitment to diversity by creating outreach programs to underprivileged communities. Other speakers mentioned how companies are developing training requirements for their employees to educate themselves on diversity.
One of the key requirements of building a culture that includes awareness for diversity and inclusion is asking the right questions. For instance, how should you approach sensitive topics? These conversations can be tough, but the guest speakers emphasized that having these difficult conversations is imperative. Once people start dialogue about topics like oppression, racism, inclusion, etc., the more people become aware of how different ethnicities deal with these issues every day.
Some people may be too stubborn about questioning their pre-conceived notions, and many choose not to hear the issues that plague communities of color. Hence, this is causing division among us, and lends itself to creating conflict in society. As a result, businesses are beginning to take action when it comes to diversity, inclusion and equity, which is becoming an increasingly important part of the modern-day business model. This culture shift includes outreach programs, diversity-friendly policies and open-door policies that allow employees to speak up about diversity issues, creating a more unified workplace. The guest speakers did an outstanding job acknowledging that more needs to be done and communicating the requisite steps needed for a safe workplace culture.
Day Two: Relationship-Building & Improv Workshop
As business students, relationship-building is arguably the most important part of our job no matter what field we are in. It’s crucial to network and develop relationships throughout the workplace and beyond. And believe me – we all are going to meet a variety of colorful personalities in business, and the more connections we make, the better we will be able to find the right occupation. Jim Mourey is an associate professor of marketing at the Driehaus College of Business at DePaul and led the workshop on day two of the conference.
During the workshop, Jim discussed improvisation based on his experience from The Second City, a famous comedy club in Chicago. How much can improv techniques really help us in business? You’d be surprised. No matter the type of business we do, people will inevitably run into situations where improvisation is needed. We aren’t going to be prepared in everything we do. There’s a chance we may run into a high-level executive in a company and need to create dialogue off the top of our head in order to make a positive impression, or we may work on a project where we need to make a quick decision, or lead a sales call that is becoming stale.
The point is that the better we can think on our feet, the more we can impact the outcome in impromptu situations. We can then build relationships with anyone in business thanks to improv skills that will allow us to adapt to every unique situation we come across.
CMC Fall 2020 Main Takeaway:
All in all, both workshops proved to be indicative of the overarching themes of 2020. The first being diversity and the racial discourse within our country. The second theme being improving the way we do business, thanks to COVID-19. The workshops were examples of how society today is evolving and how we have an obligation to evolve with it.
Steven Raju is a current MBA candidate at Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. He graduated from Northern Illinois University (NIU) in 2020 with his Bachelor of Science in marketing and obtained a professional sales certificate. In addition, Steven served as vice president of NIU’s Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity and served as an alumni advisor to his undergrad brothers. He currently works as a part-time sales consultant as CarMax and is in the process of creating his own sports website and podcast.
By Jaclyn Lansbery
When it comes to career development, interview preparation is key. The Kellstadt Career Management Center (CMC) recently hosted a week-long competition to help current graduate business students develop an elevator pitch about themselves for job interviews. The “Pitch Me” Competition challenged students to submit a 60- to 90-second video of themselves answering the ultimate interview questions, “Tell me about yourself?” and “Why are you perfect for this role?”
Each participant who submitted a pitch received individual feedback from CMC career coaches while the top five pitches were reviewed by an employer partner at Baker Tilly, a public accounting and consulting firm headquartered in Chicago. A committee, consisting of Kellstadt career experts, then selected a winner who delivered the best pitch. MBA student Brad Blumenthal was chosen as the winner.
Although Blumenthal has decades of work and pitch experience, he says he wanted to participate in the “Pitch Me” competition to gain feedback from the CMC.
“The experience was great. Watching the recommended videos taught me a ton about how to pitch to a camera instead of a person,” he says. “In fact, my whole pitch was organized around the suggestions there. I’m really un-telegenic, so it was cringe-worthy to check the result, but creating the pitch was tremendously useful.”
Blumenthal, who has worked in a variety of technology roles, says he hopes to use the pitch experience to find a creative and entrepreneurial role working in R&D or an innovation organization. Blumenthal is currently pursuing an MBA with a custom concentration, primarily focusing on management and business strategy and decision-making.
Below, we outline three reasons why Blumenthal’s submission demonstrates an effective elevator pitch:
- Overall virtual professionalism and etiquette
Given the current environment in which job candidates are interviewing for positions, the judges assessed whether students could convey a professional presence from behind the computer screen. Blumenthal was “cognizant of his overall tone and presence in front of the camera screen,” says Erin Warns, a CMC career specialist who helped review the “Pitch Me” submissions. His pitch conveyed professionalism through how he dressed and by recording the pitch in front of a wall that displayed his diploma.
- Telling a story
When selling yourself as a candidate, it is important to effectively tell a story and provide the audience “evidence” of how you might add value to the organization. In his pitch, Blumenthal described his core values and how they drive his professional and personal growth. “The audience is instantly able to sense his genuine passion for learning and his strengths in technology which are very relevant toward his dream job,” Warns says.
- Overall length
The definition of an elevator pitch is a short description of an idea that clearly conveys a concept in a short amount of time without losing the audience’s attention. “We want our students to understand the appropriate length of an interview question or elevator pitch as well as to understand that each fact or sentence in the pitch should be intentional and relevant for the audience,” Warns says. Blumenthal’s recorded pitch lasted for one minute and 30 seconds.
Watch Blumenthal’s full elevator pitch below:
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By Jennifer Johnson
What a world we are living in right now. Luckily, I am able to go to school online and continue with my MBA degree, at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. I have found that adjusting to online classes has been a lot easier than I thought it would be. On the other hand, something I was nervous about was not being able to attend career events that the Kellstadt Career Management Center would host on a regular basis.
Thankfully, I was wrong about that too! Kellstadt has put on virtual career events throughout this time and they have been just as effective.
Jennifer Johnson
One I was particularly excited about was a virtual panel held on April 29 called “Understanding the HR Job Market During a Global Pandemic.” Jaclyn Jenson, associate professor of management and faculty director of the Human Resources master’s program at Kellstadt, hosted this panel and invited four industry experts to speak. The panelists included:
- Al Crook, VP, Head of HR Business Partners, Zurich
- Katie Donohue, VP of Global Compensation, Medtronic
- Deanna Erday, Senior Manager, Marketing, Aon
- Nick Thomas, Director of the School of Hospitality Leadership & Associate Professor, DePaul University
Professor Jenson sent out a poll before each topic so the panelists could gauge how students were feeling about the current job market and virtual networking. We jumped into each topic one by one, and each panelist gave their expert opinion and advice.
Latest on Recruitment and Hiring
It is very common to look for an internship after your first year as an MBA student. I have spent hours looking for and applying to as many positions as I could find. When Professor Jenson asked how confident we were in finding a job, I clicked “Not confident at all.” Thankfully the panelists made me feel more confident as the forum progressed.
Their overall conclusion was that many companies are still extremely busy right now. It is important to do your research and find out the trends going on in different industries. The tourism and hospitality industry have been hit the hardest, so if this is an industry you are interested in, look to other countries and see how their industries have recovered once the countries opened back up. How has Singapore or Hong Kong rebounded in the recent months? Staying up to date with this will let you know what to expect and prepare you for the upcoming months.
Overall, don’t give up hope. Continue to learn about everything that is being affected by this virus and use that knowledge to possibly change industries or delay your applications.
Advice on the Job Market
As with the previous topic, panelists assured us that industries will bounce back. They may look a little differently post-COVID-19, but that is okay. Choose to do something right now that you have control over. Katie Donahue talked about knowing your personal brand, which I hear all the time from our career advisors. Start to prepare yourself for future interviews by knowing what value you bring, which can’t be taught. Companies can teach you certain skills on the job, but they cannot teach you positivity, an eagerness to learn, or any other intangible skills that are so valuable right now.
I am usually very positive, so this is something that I can bring to any company I am hired by. Especially during this time, companies need that positivity in their day-to-day when teams may feel hopeless in achieving their goals. So, find your personal brand and what value you can bring!
This is also a time where we can develop our other skills so that when jobs do open up, we are the first to get hired. Develop your skills by taking an additional class, getting an online certification, volunteering, sharpening those communication skills, reading an interesting book or listening to relevant podcasts. There are so many options.
How to Network Online
Networking is very crucial when in graduate school and something that has been made available to us with different Kellstadt career events. However, now is the time to learn how to do it all online. The general rule of thumb that I got from these panelists was not to make new connections, but to re-connect with past connections. It is a very hectic time for people in the full-time arena, so they advised not to reach out to someone you have never met before on LinkedIn right now. Odds are you will get crickets.
Instead, think of colleagues, professors, old managers, old work friends, and see if they have been active on LinkedIn. If so, send them a short message asking if they could spare 15 minutes to chat in the following week or so. Fifteen minutes is a short amount of time to commit to, and if you know this person already, odds are they will say yes. Don’t simply ask for a job but ask them if they could keep you posted if anything comes up. And have an agenda. Know exactly what you want to ask them when you get them on the phone so that you don’t waste their time.
Well, there you have it! I am happy to say that my previous poll answer, “I am not confident at all in getting a job,” has changed to a more optimistic answer. I really did learn a lot from this forum and am so excited to be able to listen in on more of these as the year goes on. Kellstadt continues to impress me with their ease in adapting to this new normal.
Jennifer Johnson is a full-time MBA candidate in the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. She has a custom concentration, focusing on marketing and management. She also works as a graduate assistant in the Recruiting and Admissions Office at Kellstadt.
By Maddie Shaw
What makes the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business unique is that it has its own career center dedicated to providing both academic and career advising services and resources to graduate business students at DePaul. The advisors in Kellstadt’s Career Management Center (CMC) serve as singular points of contact for students throughout their time here, and are trained to provide three main types of advising services: individual coaching conversations, online resources and tools, and professional development events with alumni and employers. Read on to learn about how we prepare Kellstadt students for success through these three different approaches.
Individual Coaching Conversations
Kellstadt students enjoy one-on-one coaching sessions with advisors who help them navigate their academic and career choices. From how a student’s career goals can and should affect course selection, to the potential career impacts of different degrees or MBA concentrations, these conversations evolve throughout a student’s time in Kellstadt, based on their individual needs and where they are in the program.
For example, when a student first begins their program, our conversations tend to focus on course selection and planning, and job/internship search strategies. As our students move through their programs, the focus of our conversations then shift to more advanced topics, like interview preparation and salary negotiations. Our goal as advisors is to ensure that a student’s academic path matches their career goals, so our conversations tend to move back and forth between career goals and academics naturally.
Online Career Resources and Tools
We also offer a wide variety of online resources for students to reference when making career and academic decisions. Designed specifically for Kellstadt students, our career-focused platforms provide assistance with all stages of the job search, from career and industry exploration to preparing for final interviews.
These platforms can help with interest and skill identification (CareerLeader), exploration of potential occupational paths (O*Net), resume review (VMock), industry research (Vault), and interview preparation (Big Interview, Beyond B-School, Interview Stream). At the CMC, we carefully chose and curated these platforms to serve our students during each stage of their journey with us. We also point students to other helpful DePaul resources available online and on campus.
Professional Development Events with Alumni and Employers
Finally, we are constantly finding new and innovative ways to connect students with employers and our vast alumni network for job, internship and networking opportunities. We host regular events both on campus and on-site at companies across Chicago and work every day to foster new relationships with the Chicago business community.
Some examples of events we held last fall include Kellstadt alumni panels on campus, company site visits and Q&As with current employees, and on-campus company presentations and networking receptions. There are always plenty of events to choose\ from depending on your industry of interest.
Setting You Up for Success
As Kellstadt career advisors, we strive to understand your academic and career goals and help you navigate important decisions, connect you with online tools that can put you ahead of the game, and provide you with expert advice about the job search process, including the specific differences in this process across industries and functional areas. As both career and academic advisors, we have the unique ability to see both sides of a coin that can often feel complex. Our job is to demystify the complexities and simplify the way you receive career and academic guidance during your time at Kellstadt.
Maddie Shaw is an assistant director career specialist in the Kellstadt Career Management Center at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. She advises a variety of MS and MBA students on academic and career-related matters. Maddie received her MS in higher education from Northwestern University and her BA from George Washington University.
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