Many students that meet with us (naturally) ask for two things: (a) advice on how to connect with Mason and College alumni for job information purposes; and (b) alumni names that we can recommend for contacting. The key to opening the door to these people is to become familiar and comfortable with the numerous online resources available via the MCS web pages. Here are four examples:

• my1693 is an online directory of alumni not only of the Mason School but as well the College.  Administered by the William & Mary Alumni Association, my1693 contains contact information of alums who are interested in getting connected and/or re-connected with fellow graduates and soon-to-be-graduated students. Alumni can be identified by location, employer, or profession. To set up a single sign-on account, go to www.wmalumni.com, then click on my1693 and follow the instruction for establishing an account.
• LinkedIn is equally helpful as an alumni connection source. There are innumerable opportunities for you to connect with alumni by joining LinkedIn Groups (e.g , the William & Mary and Mason Alumni groups) volunteer organizations, and professional associations that you may already belong to. Go to www.grads.linkedin.com to learn more about maximizing your professional network.
• The MASONlink system, used primarily by graduate students at the Mason School, features job postings from both employing organizations and W&M alumni as well as a database of MBA alumni who have agreed to serve as mentors to current MBA students. Go to mba-wm-symplicity.com/students/ to access this storehouse of information.
• Experience/Alumni Career Network offers alumni mentor connections representing all disciplines of the College. Accessed via my1693, you will need to register as an alumnus/a. Go to www.wmalumni.com and click on ”Alumni Career Network” to learn more about accessing this helpful database.

Of course, all of the databases available to us do not take the place of actually reaching out to people by phone and through your network. But the more comfortable you become with the these alumni connection tools, the more “in control” you will feel with respect to your job search prospects. Please feel free to contact us in MCS if you would like additional information on building your professional networks.

The plan was to present the “Yellowtail Marine” business case study to this group.  The day before I arrived Google launched its Nexus One phone and had a situation with China arise.  The phone release created a slew of customer service complaints.  People looking for support online (which is the method Google handles complaints) were unable to find answers and were required to email questions to Google that would take at least two days to respond to.

This situation presented an opportunity to insert a “real time ” problem into an academic case study and discussion.

The Yellowtail Marine case study seeks to enable individuals  to think about prioritizing and decision making when they’re in a place of upheaval and unintended consequences – almost exactly like the situation Google was faced with in the week following the phone launch.  The case study provided framework for the discussions, while Google’s customer service problems  were analyzed and suggestions discussed.

In the Yellowtail Marine case, students are encouraged to examine who their customers are, what they want and how to satisfy those wants.

During the session, I worked with Consumer Operations group to explore the reasons for the problems and different strategies for improvement. It was important for Google to understand that the Nexus One phone is hardware and different from the search engine and advertising vehicle that Google operated.

Recently I signed up to work with the Taproot Foundation, which gets people in the marketing field to work on marketing projects for small non-profit groups. I helped one community service group that serves the chronically poor (their description) and provides after school enrichment, job training, GED classes, and more with developing a Key Messages and Branding Document.

My role in the project was Marketing Manager, which was a new title and position on my resume. I just started another project as the Project Manager for a group that sponsors walking tours and other cultural events in Washington, DC. Again I added a new title and position on my resume. In this new position I will also learn to use a project management software package and gain new skills.

This really is a win-win. I have gained valuable skills that I hope to parlay into a different job and the non-profits have benefited from my services.

To make it a win-win for you, begin by thinking about what kind of volunteer service will benefit you and your resume. Then politely turn down the offers that do not match your needs.

When you do say yes, it will be a win-win.

We will will fly out to Colorado in late February to compete with other business school teams chosen to advance to the next round.  Out of 68 online first-round submissions, only 20 teams were invited to the semi-final round and are still in the running for the prize money totaling $10,000.

Each year, the LEEDS Case Competition focuses on an issue of sustainability.  For the first round, teams were charged with finding a solution for the increasing food demand in the face of increasingly limited farmable land and putting together a presentation intended for the USDA.

The solution that our team created and proposed was a two-part implementation plan called T.U.R.F. – Technology for Urban & Rural Farming.  Although there were strict rules on how a presentation could be assembled, we figured out how to make our presentation stand out among the rest.

And that is exactly what we intend to do in the next round of competition.  If you are interested in learning more about the competition, check out the LEEDS Net Impact Case Competition site.

Currently, we’re trying to raise enough funds to cover our travel expenses. We have raised enough to cover most of the trip, but we are still in need of about $600.

If you are interested in being one of the team’s sponsors, please make a donation online by following these steps:

1. Go to the mason.wm.edu/supportingmason
2. Click on the “Give now” button on lower left side of page
3. Fill in all fields with an asterisk (*)
4. Very important: Copy and paste the following text in the comments field of the form: “Please donate this to the Mason School Annual Fund to be used for the LEEDS Competition in February of 2010.”
5. Complete your payment information and click on “Proceed to confirmation.”

For more information about team sponsorship, contact Bryce Ritter at: Bryce.Ritter@mason.wm.edu.

Wish us luck!

Watch for further information after the holiday break!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the process of building relationships with employers is time-consuming. In this shaky economy, many employers are hesitant to add another business school to their list of targets. Fortunately, the MCS staff understands that building credibility with employers requires many action steps that, over time, can result in great full-time and internship opportunities for everyone.

Over the last few months I have made inroads with over 50 employers, strengthening existing relationships and developing new contacts.  This includes Mars, Credit Suisse, American Express, and Deloitte.  Students and alumni with MASONlink accounts may find a list employers and their relationship statuses in the document library (look for Employer Relations F09). If you don’t have an account and would like to see the list, contact MCS.

There will be many more firms to add to this list in the weeks and months to come. Some of the resulting opportunities may come at a moment’s notice.  Many employers ask for a resume drop for a specific position.  When this happens, we don’t always have time to notify students and wait for resume submissions.  Instead, we conduct a search of the MASONlink system and create a publication containing resumes of the students who meet the employer’s qualifications.  In other instances, we send links to the functional, opt-in resume books already existing on the system.

My point in all of this is that it’s in your best interest to be sure to have an updated version of your resume posted in MASONlink so that when employers ask us to forward a resume book, yours will be included.  Your resume should be updated at least once every six months in order for it to remain “live” in the resume book(s).

Please know that the MCS staff is ready to assist you with any job search or resume/correspondence needs that you have. Although you don’t see our behind-the-scenes employer relations activity, it’s happening and our hope is that each of you will benefit in some way from this effort.

Energized by the buzz in Alan B. Miller Hall’s Boehly Café, Sabina was gracious enough to give me a one-on-one preview of her incredible work in China over the past 30 years and to offer some helpful insight on higher education in China.

On the business front, as an American woman, impacting Chinese business development and industry, it will be interesting to learn how she grew Groupe Schneider’s China automation market faster than any other foreign competitor, in a market that was surely male-dominated.

Without enticing Sabina to share too much of her upcoming lecture, we were able to discuss her commitment to the country’s emerging non-profit sector.

I was highly enthralled by her passion for philanthropy, including her service as the first China Country Director of the William J. Clinton Foundation, an organization that focuses on global issues that demand urgent action. She also demonstrated her ardent commitment to education, civil rights, public health and energy.

Our conversation was stimulating and I encourage Mason students, faculty, staff and friends to attend tonight’s event.

Sabina Brady’s discussion “Beyond Business and the Shining Seas” is a MBAA Distinguished Speakers Series presentation not to be missed.

But not so for the MBA students of the Mason School of Business. The School has a strong international presence in its MBA student body, amounting to around 40 percent of the total class strength, of which 70 percent are from India.

In Indian tradition and culture, Diwali is represented as the Festival of Lights, as the celebration of the victory of good over evil, of light over darkness. Considering the dull and gray weather in the ‘burg over the preceding two days, the  warmth and energy  of  Diwali proved to be a big draw, packing the beautiful Brinkley Commons with students, faculty, Executive Partners and guests.

The evening was one filled with dance, music, good Indian food and whole-hearted enjoyment. Diwali is traditionally a time to be with family and with friends. For the international students, there couldn’t have been a better occasion and a better way to celebrate the festival than with their classmates and their colleagues.

The Diwali celebration was organized by the MBA International Student Association at Mason. The event was a huge draw not only for the international student population at the school but also for their American counterparts,  faculty and staff, giving everyone an insight into what makes their Indian colleagues break into song and dance at every festive occasion.

The student dances were boisterous, and the crowd equally obliging with whistles, catcalls and requests for repeat performances; one could see everyone tapping their feet and shaking their heads to the rhythm of the night.
At the Mason School, the faculty doesn’t just teach their students; they identify and empathize with them.

So if students were performing so brilliantly, could the faculty be left behind? The faculty’s performance can easily be described the most anticipated and was certainly among the most enjoyed events of the entire festivities.
The faculty made a clear effort to dress up in ethnic Indian garb, and their dance left everyone asking for more.

View photos of Mason’s Diwali Celebration on Flickr.

I am definitely glad I was prepared to meet with alum because the dinner was very well attended by so many accountants and recruiters, I couldn’t believe it!  There must have been one to every student.  After having an hour or so to network and speak with several people there, we entered the dining room and sat at our assigned tables.  I sat with two other students and three accountants at BDO Seidman.

If I gained anything from attending the dinner, I learned the importance of engaging in conversation and how to do so.  To keep up that constant conversation, it is so important to be well rounded and have interest in many things besides just accounting.  I learned about the music hobbies and running interests of the alum at my table, and we even talked a little about current events.  It was a very pleasant dinner and a great way to get some insight into their professional lives at BDO, too; and as an added bonus, the food completely lived up to my expectation!

The speaker at the event was former Chair of the PCAOB and former Federal Reserve Governor, Mark Olson.  He spoke briefly at the end of the dinner on his take of the accounting profession and where it is heading.  He was very optimistic that we, as future accountants, will have opportunities to advance in the profession and affect change for the better.  I am so grateful to have had this opportunity to share dinner and conversation with many successful accountants and alums; all in all, I can say that my first Gibbs Dinner (and definitely not my last) was a success!

Our new name, Mason Career Services (MCS), reflects our commitment going forward to serving all students currently enrolled in the Mason School of Business – Undergraduates, Full Time, Flex and Executive MBAs, and Master of Accounting. Our focus is on student professional development, employer/alumni relations and superior customer service.

I have spent the past several months re-designing staff job descriptions to better fit this focus. Here are brief profiles of our staff and their areas of primary responsibility:

Mark Case, Director
Sets strategy and direction of MCS; job development/employer relations strategy and implementation; liaison to BBA Business Partners and Accounting Programs boards, Executive Partners, Field Consultancy, and Leadership Advantage; collaborates with MBA Admissions staff on various programs and incoming student issues; represents MCS at offsite Mason events; student career counseling.

Peggy Gesing, Senior Associate Director
Peggy joined our staff last month after serving as Associate Director of Professional Development for the BBA program.  She manages the marketing/messaging for MCS in collaboration with our Marketing/Communications colleagues; oversight of MASONlink and related technology;. serves as liaison to the Undergraduate Business Program in collaboration with David Lapinski, Associate Director of the William & Mary Career Center; and works with Mark on job development and employer relations; student career counseling.

Barbara Sadler, Associate Director
Manages MCS operations, including budgeting, logistical support for all programs/events, rankings surveys, on-campus recruiting coordination w/W&M Career Center; implementation of MCS policies; managing the MCS graduate assistants.

To Be Determined, Associate Director
We are currently seeking candidates to fill this position, which develops and implements the majority of MCS  programs. Also works with Executive Partners in the coordination of the EP Ambassadors, as well as significant student career counseling.

Carlie Johnston, Administrative Coordinator
First  line of communication for inquiries about the MASONlink system. Works with employers and alumni posting jobs/internships; manages the contact databases.

In addition, we are collaborating with the William & Mary Career Center on the design and rollout of several major career-based symposia (e.g., DoG Street to Wall Street and the Personal Branding Symposium) in the coming year.

Our W&M Career Center liaison is Associate Director David Lapinski, who many of you will remember worked closely with our BBA students a few years ago. Going forward, on-campus interviewing will take place at the W&M Career Center in Blow Hall for both BBAs and MBAs beginning this fall.

We’re beginning what I think is an exciting chapter for career services within the Mason School of Business.  I encourage you to stop by our offices on the first floor of Miller Hall, directly across from Java City.

Mark