Archive for the 'Professional Development' Category

Women’s MBA Association Featured at Pfizer’s Employee Diversity Day

Published by Meg Standing on November 10, 2009 in Student Experience, Professional Development and On the Job Front. 0 Comments

Thanks to Pfizer employee and MBA student Anita Hernandez, the Women’s MBA Association & the UR MBA program were featured at the company’s Employee Diversity Day two weeks ago. Here’s what Anita had to say about the event:

“The University of Richmond’s MBA Women’s Association was one of many sponsors showcased at the newly acquired Pfizer Consumer Health care Plant (formerly Wyeth) in Richmond, Virginia, Thursday, October 22nd.  Pfizer was celebrating their “Exploring our Community” themed Diversity Day by hosting organizations from around the Richmond community.  The University of Richmond’s MBA program coordinator, Lois Vogle, along with several current Pfizer employees - Anita Hernandez (current MBA student, Social/Networking Chair of the Women’s MBA Association) & Samantha Brock (Alumni of the MBA program, Member of the Women’s MBA Association), spoke with employees on the benefits of joining the MBA program at University of Richmond, emphasizing the fact that it is never too late to go back for your MBA.  Ms. Lois Vogle had many employees interested in attending her “Lunch with Lois” events to gather more information on the program and to meet current students and alumni.   The event ran all day, and many brochures were picked up by interested employees, hoping to take advantage of tuition benefits offered by Pfizer.  All in all, the event was highly attended, and it was said to be the best diversity day ever held at the plant.  Through attending these events, University of Richmond and its Women’s MBA Association, continue to play an integral part in helping to broaden the knowledge and experience of the employees working in companies around the Richmond community.”

Thank you Anita, Samantha and Lois for your work on this great event!

Anita, Lois and Samanthapfizer-employee-diversity-day-2009-8.jpgpfizer-employee-diversity-day-2009-9.jpg

Women’s MBA Association Hosts New Female MBA Students

Published by Meg Standing on August 22, 2009 in Student Experience, Professional Development and General. 0 Comments

On Tuesday, August 11th, the Women’s MBA Association hosted an enjoyable networking evening for the incoming female MBA students at my house. About 25 current and incoming female MBA students, as well as a few recent graduates, came to meet the new students, share their experiences in the program, and have an opportunity to network with one another. Although the group is only about eight months old, participation in our events continues to grow and we look forward to making this welcoming event a tradition!

The Robins School of Business Women’s MBA Association was started last winter after a lot of discussion around the challenges that women face in the workplace and how to best support and educate one another as students and alumni of the MBA program. We understand the power of learning from one other’s triumphs and mistakes and the benefit of having strong, intelligent female mentors to look up to in the business community. The mission of the Women’s MBA Association is to be a resource for female MBA students and alumni; we will serve as a forum to empower one another and address issues facing women business leaders through networking, speaker series and mentoring. We will accomplish our mission though quarterly speaker series on a variety of topics, dedicated social and networking events, as well as school-sponsored recruiting events for potential students. Our next event, a speaker series on “Changing Careers” will take place on Sunday, September 13th from 2-4pm. Our speaker series are open to all current female MBA students and alumni, prospective MBA students, female faculty and staff, and other invited guests from the community. Please contact me for more information: meg.standing@richmond.edu.

“Pushing” Our Students

Published by Richard Coughlan on July 16, 2009 in Global/International Business, Student Experience, Professional Development and On the Job Front. 0 Comments

One of our MBA students wrote to me and several of his professors today to let us know he’s decided to accept a job offer in Lausanne, Switzerland beginning on August 3.  He’ll therefore need to put his studies on hold for a while. 

He writes, “I will deeply miss the school, the academic environment, and the stimulation…I hope to continue with my MBA at one of the schools in Switzerland and I would be thrilled if there are any opportunities to facilitate a relationship between the Robins School and one of the Swiss institutions.  There is some irony in that, if I hadn’t enrolled in the Robins School MBA, I would probably not have sought out alternative employment opportunities.  So, to some extent, it’s your fault that I’m leaving, and I thank you for the push.”

Although I am sorry he’ll leave the Richmond MBA program, at least temporarily, I am thrilled to know that his interactions with his professors and classmates led him to broaden his horizons.

Networking

Published by Meg Standing on June 26, 2009 in Professional Development, Business Ethics, On the Job Front and Uncategorized. 2 Comments

Keith Ferazzi, author and business coach, says that, “networking is the key to success in business.”

We all know that networking is important yet this loaded word often brings about emotions such as anxiousness and uncertainty. Why? Is it because we feel we don’t know how to network “properly” or that we feel it is unauthentic? Do we set expectations for ourselves too high in networking situations?

Designated networking events often do put people on edge because we know that we are expected to perform at a certain level and keep up with those to whom networking comes naturally. But truthfully, networking comes naturally to most all of us. Think about the last time that you went to a wedding or out to dinner with a group of friends you may not know too well. Did you consider those events networking events? Did you feel nervous before leaving your house? Probably not because you weren’t focused on networking – you were focused on having a nice evening and the chance for good conversation with new people. So over the course of the wedding or the dinner out you were able to relax, enjoy the moment and allow new people to get to know the real (although maybe the best behaved version of) you.

Personally I find weddings and other social events the perfect time to network. Often you are at these events with at least one other person that you know, and there is a good chance that they know at least one more person, who knows one more person, etc. Over the course of the event you may discover that the person seated across from you is in the same line of work that you are in or that you are interested in transitioning into. Because you are not concerned with networking, you ask valuable questions, make interesting comments, and leave with a new connection.

So the next time you’re at a formal networking event, just remember that these events are actually just a chance for you to meet some interesting people, have some valuable conversations and hopefully leave with a few new contacts.

Lastly, I have to add that electronic networking is huge and only likely to grow in the coming years. Sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter can be valuable networking opportunities, but we must all remember that the same rules apply online as they would in face-to-face situations: do not say anything that you would not feel comfortable saying to someone’s face; remain honest about who you are and what you have accomplished; follow-up when leads are provided to you; make sure you monitor pictures of yourself and things written on your profile very carefully as you never know who else will be able to access your pages (whether or not they are a friend/connection). And my final suggestion, do not hide behind your computer; it is fine to make an initial connection via the Internet, but there is nothing more valuable than face-to-face or phone conversations.

Some tips for creating valuable networking opportunities:
1)    Always be 100% authentic.
2)    Remember that a first impression is everything – go in with a smile, firm handshake and an optimistic view.
3)    Ask interesting, open-ended questions and say something meaningful that others will remember you by.
4)    Remember the golden rule – “do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” If you want your connections to pass your name along or help you find a new job, you must to be willing and able to reciprocate this same help to others.
5)    Realize that not all of your connections will be able to help you now, so be sure to stay in contact so that they will remember you in the future when an opportunity arises.
6)    Have your brief “elevator pitch” ready at all times so that you can quickly and concisely articulate what it is that you do/want to do when people ask. Practice this self-introduction to close friends and family and ask for constructive criticism, but always remember to remain genuine in what you say and how you say it.
7)    Practice makes perfect. If you hate formal networking, force yourself to go to as many of these events as you can so that you feel comfortable. Get involved in activities you enjoy in the community and use these as ways to practice your networking skills.
8)    Follow up on leads and be sure to thank the person who helped you make a connection. The handwritten thank-you note will always help make a good impression.

Spending May in Austria, Slovakia and Hungary

Published by Richard Coughlan on June 23, 2009 in Global/International Business, Student Experience and Professional Development. 0 Comments

Select MBA students spent much of May in Vienna, Austria, and surrounding areas, earning course credit at Wu Wien (Vienna University of Economics and Business).

Earlier today, Paulina Hidalgo sent this reflection on her time there:

The Vienna Spring Program was a very fulfilling experience.  During the two week program, the group had the opportunity to learn from local professors about valuable topics including:  current situation of the European Union, local business practices, marketing strategies, management knowledge transfer, among others.  Personally, I enjoyed hearing the perspective of the European professors and discussing current business practices in other countries, which I consider invaluable information given the global nature of business nowadays.  The discussions were enriched by the participation of a high caliber group of students from a few different Schools across the US, Canada and Argentina, and from eight different nationalities (American, Canadian, Argentinean, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Taiwanese, Chinese, and Ecuadorian).

As part of the program, we made company visits to a couple banks (Raiffeisen Bank and UniCredit Group in Budapest), leaders in the industry across the European Union, and to a very successful construction company (Strabag).  We heard from company leaders and learned about their perspective towards business, in their respective industries, and how they are overcoming the global economic crisis that has undoubtedly affected their practices and made them rethink their strategies.

The academic experience was enhanced by several city tours, not only in Vienna, but also in Bratislava, Slovakia and Budapest, Hungary, and a few social programs.  During our visit to Budapest, we had lectures at Corvinus University, where we learned about local entrepreneurs and their business practices with their successful ventures.

In the end, I can say that while the work was intense and some days were exhausting, this was a very rewarding opportunity that I highly recommend to any student interested in international business, willing to sacrifice a few nights of sleep for a lifetime experience!