Category: Career Resources

FSB Career Development Benchmarks by Year

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The Farmer School of Business is a very busy place, which can make it hard for a student to keep track of what they should have done by when. This can be pretty difficult, and can bring a student an overwhelming feeling that they are falling behind other students. Below is a general checklist of what you should have done by the end of each year to stay up to date with your career plan!

 

Freshman Year

At the end of your Freshman year in farmer, most of what you need to have done is accomplished either in the First Year Integrated Core (FYIC), or in BUS 106. You will…

  • Attend a Basic Interviewing Skills Workshop, either online or in-person
  • Attend Fall or Spring Career Fair. This is a great time to get experience talking to employers in a low pressure environment.
  • Create a LinkedIn account and a Handshake account
  • Develop your resume – get these reviewed by the FSB Careers Office in FSB1022!

 

These are the most basic steps Freshman will take to start their professional careers, but there is more to be done outside of class, such as…

  • Conducting an informational interview about a position or industry you’re interested in
  • Enroll in BUS 206 or another Career Exploration for next year
  • Join at least two student organizations – preferably one business org and one external club.

 

Sophomore Year

During your sophomore year, you may want to…

  • attend Fall and Spring Career Fair!
  • Completing a mock interview
  • Job shadow at least one position you’re interested in
  • Decide if you are planning on studying abroad or away during your time at Miami
  • Increase your involvement in student organizations
  • Meet with an FSB Career advisor to start considering career paths
  • Meet with your academic advisor to solidify a plan to complete your majors and minors

 

Junior Year

During junior year, you should

  • Build your network and personal brand, by paying specific attention to what you unique and what you love to do
  • Run for a leadership position or committee chair in a student organization
  • Solidify your references for future opportunities – consider past and present employers
  • Create a cover letter
  • Connect with others on LinkedIn
  • Most importantly, secure an internship for the summer. You can do this during Fall or Spring Career Fair, through a personal network, or via Handshake.

 

Senior Year

Senior year can be very stressful, but also a good time to try and enjoy farmer and spread what you have learned and loved!

  • Give back to FSB by becoming an FSB ambassador or mentoring younger students
  • Stay involved in your student organizations
  • Secure a full-time position!

 

These are all important steps to take in your career journey, but don’t worry if you haven’t done some of the things it says you should have done! These are just guidelines, not requirements. If you are a bit behind, it most likely is not too late to catch up. However, if you want to talk about anything listed above or feel you need any help, please contact Victoria Morell or Monique Frost in the FSB Career Services Office!

How to Make Meaningful Connections with Alumni

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As an FSB student, professors and visiting employers have probably stressed to you the importance of using LinkedIn. This site can be a great way to make and keep connections with colleagues and mentors you’ve met in the past. One great way LinkedIn can help you is by giving you a way to talk with and learn from Miami Alumni who can give you insights into careers similar to ones you are pursuing. Connecting with fellow students on linkedin is great, but connecting with alumni and those with real industry experience could help you get the most out of your linkedin account.

 

Connecting with Miami Alumni can be great for many different reasons. Alumni have been through the recruiting process, and probably know about their own companies hiring practice. This is a great way to learn about companies you might want to work for someday, and also to get your name out there. You can also ask about things like the work-life balance, company culture, or what it’s like working in a particular city. The alumni tool can help you track peoples career trajectories and figure out how they got there.

 

Finding Alumni on LinkedIn might seem like a difficult task, but using the Alumni Tool can make it extremely easy to do. The alumni took will connect you to any Miami University graduates who have an account on linkedin. You can filter results through location, job title, keywords, and company names. It will also give you current news regarding notable alumni and how they are impacting the business world and community as a whole.

 

Once connected with an alumni you are interested in learning from, send them a message! Include your name and why you are connecting with them, and ask if they would have a couple minutes for a phone call or a video chat. Miami alumni are typically extremely willing to help current students, and if you take the time to message one of them they are likely to be excited to respond and help you!

 

For more tips on how to use the alumni tool, visit https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-linkedin-alumni-tool-2017-1

 

A New Career Resource: Jamie McCall!

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FSB Careers would like to wish a warm welcome to Jamie McCall! Jamie is the new Assistant Director for Pathways to Business and Liaison to the Farmer School of Business in the Center for Career Exploration and Success. To learn more about her, we asked her a few questions about her current role and working in career exploration!

 

 

  • Tell us a little bit about yourself?

 

JAMIE: Prior to coming to Miami University, I spent a year at Ball State University on the employer relations team. The majority of my career has been in recruiting and human resources where I spent 16 years hiring in a variety of different industries and organizations to include banking, telecommunications, information technology, healthcare and corporate retail. While I’m originally from the Dayton area, my career journey has allowed me to live in 6 different states and to utilize my strengths to collaborate with all levels of an organization.

 

 

  • What does it mean to be a liason to FSB?

 

JAMIE: I support career advising functions in FSB as well as CAS specific to majors in Math, Stats, Econ and Strat Comm. Additionally, my role is aligned to “Pathways to Business”. Therefore, I can assist students who may not have a “business” related major, but have an interest in exploring a business related career field.  I generally hold office hours in FSB on Mondays and Thursdays from 2-5pm, as well as additional hours in the Center for Career Exploration and Success in Armstrong.

 

 

  • What is your best piece of career advice?

 

JAMIE: I can’t stress enough the importance of networking and follow-up. It is the relationship building piece of making intentional connections that can take your career to new heights. Follow your passion and maintain consistency with networking and follow-up throughout your career journey.

 

 

  • What is your favorite thing about Miami?

 

JAMIE: While I’m still getting to know the many facets about Miami, my favorite things are the beauty of the campus, and the students and staff that I get to interact with on a daily basis.

 

 

  • Anything else students should know about you?

 

JAMIE:  Fun fact- I spent 6 years in the Army National Guard as a Water Purification Specialist.

 

We are so excited to welcome her to the team! Once again, her office hours in FSB are as follows:

  • Mondays: 2:00-5:00pm
  • Thursdays: 2:00-5:00pm

Be sure to stop by FSB and say hello!

How Big Interview Can Help You

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By: Jaclyn Geygan

 

With Career Fair quickly approaching, it’s time to start thinking about perfecting your resumes and figuring out how to score an interview with your dream company! However, it is important not to stop your career fair preparation there. Once you secure an interview with a company, be ready to talk to your future employer!

Along with mock interviews offered by the Center for Career Exploration & Success, there is another extremely helpful resource Miami students can use to prepare for their interviews, called Big Interview! Big Interview is an online resources that give students the chance to learn proper interviewing techniques, and put them into practice!

 

Big Interview Layout

Big Interview works in three helpful steps to ensure you are ready and confident when you walk into your Interview. First you will learn how to answer different types of interview question, then you can practice responses that will show potential employers who you are, and lastly you will analyze the answers you have given!

  1. Learn

Big interview offers helpful tips on all types of interviews you need to know about. These include tips on how to conduct yourself in 1 on 1 interviews, group interviews, panel interviews, phone interviews, online interviews, and any other type you may be asked to participate in by a company. There are general videos and tips on proper body language, rhetoric, and ways to answer questions. Big Interview also offer tips on how to answer different types of questions, such as inquiries about your strengths and weaknesses, why you want to work there, behavioral questions, and many more. You will leave knowing all possible questions you may be asked, and given a way to answer them that expresses who you are and why you are the perfect fit for the job.

 

  1.  Practice

After watching these training videos and learning the do’s and don’ts of interviewing, you will be given the chance to practice these questions. Big interview has a feature that allows you to record yourself answering any type of question. This gives you the chance to hear yourself answer, and Big Interview will even give you feedback on your answers!

 

  1.  Analyze

Once you have learned how to interview and answered some practice questions, Big Interview gives you the chance to watch your answers back. This may be the most helpful facet of Big Interview, because you can see what your interviewer will be seeing, and it gives you the chance to notice anything you may want to improve on.

 

Industry Specific

Another extremely helpful feature of Big Interview is how it provides industry specific questions. Depending on what type of job you are interviewing for, you may be asked different types questions. For example, if you are interviewing with a Big 4 Accounting firm, they may ask you about your analytical skills. And if you are interviewing for a marketing position, you may be asked how you showcase your creativity.

These questions can be tricky to answer, but luckily Big Interview has you covered. You can practice questions for when you interview for different business divisions, the government sector, admissions boards, and more. These specialized questions are vital to your success in an interview, so this is a perfect opportunity to learn what type of questions they will be asking you and how to answer them!

 

Ways Big Interview can Help You

Big Interview will give you the confidence to nail interview questions without second guessing yourself. You’ll go to your interviews prepared for any questions they could throw at you and know exactly how to answer them while conducting yourself in a professional manner. Big Interview will make you feel comfortable and ready, putting you one step closer to receiving a job offer!