Alumni Board is Helping Prepare Seniors for Job Search and Interviews

Two well-attended career seminars have been presented by the VCU School of Business Alumni Board in October and January.

Over 50 business seniors attended a "Getting in the Door" lunchtime seminar October 1 that covered writing resumes, cover letters and interview follow-ups. Alan Hiss, human resources generalist and recruiter with First Union Securities and Joe Becht, (MBA '80) and partner, Ernst & Young, presented the program with Mike Bickford (BA '97) director, VCU Institute for Structural Biology and Drug Discovery, serving as moderator.

"Interviewing: The Power of Preparation" was held on January 29 with an attendance of over 60 students. This was an encore presentation for Ann Odehnal, director of recruitment at Trigon, who made a similar presentation last year and was invited back. She was joined by Kent Cox (BS '78), senior vice president with Salomon Smith Barney and Edgar Gunnels, a clothing consultant. Cox gave the students straightforward advice and emphasized the need to start job searches early. Gunnels gave advice to both men and women for appropriate interview attire. Both Cox and Gunnels stressed the power of first impressions. Greg Vaeth (MBA'88), VCU Office of Budget & Resource Analysis, served as moderator, with students asking the three speakers follow-up questions for about 30 minutes.

Assisting School of Business seniors in job preparation is a goal set by the Alumni Board last year, and they have been following through on this commitment.

School of Business Office of Development and Alumni Affairs