Fall Career Guide 2012

START HERE TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

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THE DIAMONDBACK | FALL CAREER GUIDE | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Navigating the career fair

By Meghan Hoffman For The Diamondback

During these conversations, students should demonstrate knowledge about the recruiters’ organizations by First impressions can make all the doing research ahead of time. Addidifference when approaching potential tionally, students should highlight employers. It’s a fact rendering some experience or personality traits they students apprehensive about stepping in front of recruiters at the fall career fair that begins tomorrow and lasts through Friday.

“I never know what to expect or how to act or if I’m making a good impression. And that’s the whole point: impressing them,” sophomore journalism major Jessica Nicolao said.

“It’s so much pressure.”

Kate Juhl, a program director at the University Career Center, said students should prepare ahead of time to put their best foot forward at the career fair.

“Do solid research before,” she said.

“You don’t want to just show up.”

As there are different organizations present each day of the fair, Juhl said students should plan to target a few specific recruiters each day. Students can search through a database of the 359 organizations attending the fair through the career center’s website, which includes search options such as academic majors and positions.

The attire for the fair is business casual, and Juhl recommended students wear comfortable shoes.

A polished outfit would convey to recruiters that a student takes the fair seriously, she said.

Students should bring multiple copies of their resumes but should not be offended if a recruiter does not take one, as some organizations are legally prohibited from doing so.

During the fair, confidence and positive body language is key. Recruiters will notice solid eye contact and a firm handshake, which conveys assertiveness, Juhl said. Students should arrive with one or two questions in mind for each of the recruiters they plan to target. Preparing an “elevator speech” – a small introduction including name, major, year and school – may also be helpful.

“Remember, recruiters are people.

They want to have a good conversation as well,” Juhl said.

could offer to a potential employer.

“Keep in mind the fair may be crowded, so make the most of your time, which is limited,” Juhl said.

“Ask how to follow up, and try to get a business card.”

And the work of making a good impression does not end after the fair is over. A simple follow-up email or phone call can go a long way in standing out in a sea of potential employees.

Finally, Juhl said underclassmen should not be afraid to join the graduating seniors in approaching recruiters at the career fair, as some organizations may be specifically

looking for younger students as potential interns.

“Freshmen and sophomores should go and gather information, so when they are older they are ready to swing into gear,” she said. “You can never be too young to come to the fair.” news@umdbk.com

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 | FALL CAREER GUIDE |THE DIAMONDBACK

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Making it on his own Alumnus wasn’t satisfied with his law career, so he started his own Bethesda-based business instead

By Neha Sastry For The Diamondback

ALUMNUS PAUL MANDELL thought he had found his ideal job as a lawyer, but instead went on to create his Bethesda-based consulting company, Consero Group LLC. photo courtesy of mark pasetsky

Until two years ago, ’95 university alumnus Paul Mandell thought he was living out his dream career as a successful lawyer. But a series of frustrations led Mandell to quit law and start his own Bethesda-based consulting

company, Consero Group LLC. Consero’s mission is to facilitate conferences where CEOs and industry experts can meet and discuss solutions to problems within their businesses.

These conferences are tailored to each company’s specific needs and promote a more casual,one-on-one atmosphere rather than a typical business meeting.

“It’s very laid back and relaxed,” Mandell said.“I never thought I’d be in an office where I could wear jeans and play ping-pong with my co-workers.

I’d never want to go back to an office.”

During his years working as a lawyer, Mandell said his firm constantly dealt with unorganized and uninformative company conferences. He said the final straw came in 2010 when he attended a conference expecting to meet the CEO of another company, but instead found himself with the CEO’s assistant.

“It was just really ineffective and frustrating,” he said. “I wanted other companies to come to these conferences, figure out what problems they’re having and actually know they are being helped.”

Consero Group is not the first business Mandell has launched.

In 2007, he founded and served as president of Clutch Group, a legal services company, but sold it in 2010.

The company has seen great success so far and will be hiring 200 people in the next three years, according to spokesman Mark Pasetsky.

Mandell is also working with aspiring entrepreneurs from his alma mater. Last year, he came to the campus to speak on a panel hosted by the business school’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship and the University Career Center.

Senior government and politics major Zach Cohen interned at Consero for the past two summers.

Although he is currently applying to law school, Cohen said the experience he gained at the company was so valuable he may consider going back to work there in the future.

“I was working and making an actual difference with my work, like presenting it to the other partners and working one-on-one with Mr. Mandell,” he said. “It was unlike any internship I’ve ever had, and if I can go back, I definitely will.” news@umdbk.com

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THE DIAMONDBACK | FALL CAREER GUIDE | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Looking for some extra cash?

Students’ on-campus jobs range from DOTS to dining services

By Sarah Sexton For The Diamondback

I get to do what most people can’t,” Moreland said. “I have the ability to drive a bus – a vehicle that is 35 They can be found all over the to 40 feet long and weighs over 19 campus, from the front desk of McK- tons. Pretty awesome.” eldin Library to the driver’s seat of a Ibzan Castro DOTS shuttle – students working Sophomore mechanical part-time jobs to make a little extra engineering major money in between classes.

North Campus Diner “This campus is really like a small employee city,” said William Jones Jr., an associate director at the University Castro’s first day on the job did Career Center. “We need a lot of people working together to keep not go exactly as planned. When he carried a tray of chicken behind this place running.”

In fact, more than half of the university students who graduated this past May were employed part-time during their studies, Jones said. Here are just a few of the jobs that students are working around the campus.

the value meal counter, he underestimated the slickness of the greasy floor beneath him.

“I slipped and fell on my butt on my very first day!” he said. “It was like one of those silly cartoons where the guy slips on a banana peel. But don’t worry, I held on to the tray of chicken.”

Castro works four-hour shifts every Tuesday and Thursday, along with a nine-hour shift on Saturdays.

His responsibilities include serving food, cleaning tables and “flipping See jobs, Page 6 chris moreland has been driving buses for DOTS since January.

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Chris Moreland Senior Russian major DOTS bus driver Moreland began working with the Department of Transportation Services last fall and began driving buses in January. This semester, he works 20 to 28 hours each week as a dispatcher, monitoring the buses via radio and making sure they run smoothly and on time.

Moreland described his job as fairly easy but often thankless, especially when he works overnight Friday shifts driving jam-packed buses to Route 1. Despite the stress and occasional sleep deprivation, he said he is still pleased with the $10.75 he makes per hour.

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 | FALL CAREER GUIDE | THE DIAMONDBACK

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Ready to impress? Prepare for the biggest Career Fair in university history

By Allison Gray For The Diamondback With more than 350 employers expected to set up booths at Comcast Center this week, this year’s Fall Career and Internship Fair will be the largest in this university’s history.

This is the first year the fair will be housed at Comcast Center instead of Stamp Student Union.

The larger venue allows University Career Center officials to take more

employers off their waitlists and increase employer participation in the fair by 24 percent from last year, according to Career Center Associate Director William Jones.

Jones said the move will also increase space at the fair, which has been a major complaint in previous years. The 18-foot aisles at Comcast would replace the previous 8-foot aisles at Stamp.

T h e t h re e - d ay fa i r s ta r ts Wednesday and will be open from noon to 5 p.m. through Friday. The

organizations attending include big-name companies such as AOL, Amazon and Geico as well as government agencies such as the State Department and the CIA. “We actually can’t allow employers to come multiple days,” Jones said. “So it’s important for a student to come each day.”

This year, 254 of the attending companies are looking to fill technical positions such as computer science and engineering, while 211 are looking to fill nontechnical positions, such as graphic design and marketing, Jones said. Moreover, 104 of these organizations are looking to hire both types of positions, he added, noting students should not assume certain

organizations would be unwilling to hire someone from their academic field. “[The] IRS came to a career fair one year, and when you hear IRS you probably think, ‘Well, it’s a business-related position or an accounting position,’” Jones said.

“They’re actually looking for art majors because they wanted people to do art appraisals.”

Additionally, 303 recruiters are hiring full-time employees, 42 are hiring part-time employees and 189 are hiring interns. For international students, 103 organizations are willing to sponsor visas.

Sophomore criminology and criminal justice and psychology major Julia Fuller said she plans

to be the first in line at the fair Wednesday in hopes of finding an internship.

“I’ve always wanted to work in the federal government,” Fuller said. “I looked on the website for the Career and Internship Fair and I found that most of the ones I want to go to – the big ones – are on the first day. So I have to figure out a way to make sure I can get there on the first day.”

Adam Hamot, a sophomore computer science major, said he will be looking to find a summer job with a major company.

“I look for the big [employers] like Google, Microsoft,” he said.

Jones said students should not necessarily expect to get job offers at the fair, but he noted students can obtain business cards from potential employers and find out how they can apply for jobs or internships with the company online.

“It’s a great opportunity for you to network, which can then lead on to other things,” he said. news@umdbk.com

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THE DIAMONDBACK |FALL CAREER GUIDE | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

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From PAGE 4

burgers and buttering buns.” He earns $8.25 an hour.

“I hate standing all day,” Castro said. “But I really enjoy talking to my co-workers. They’re really funny!”

Anae’ Goodwin Senior accounting major Building manager at Stamp Student Union “Where’s the coffee bar?”

That is the question Goodwin said shehearsmostfrequentlyfromstudents while sitting chair behind the information desk, where she rents out laptops to students and signs out keys to the students hold an array of on-campus jobs, including dining hall positions. file photo/the diamondback Student Involvement Suite.

As building manager, Goodwin also oversees Stamp’s daily operations, unlocks the doors on weekends and closes the building every night. She typically works eight to 12 hours a week at $9.25 an hour.

“Withvisitingfamilies,wehelpsellthe experience of Maryland and make sure they feel comfortable here,” Goodwin said. “We’re just basically helpers.”

Disha Penmatcha Telecommunications graduate student Front desk at McKeldin Library As an international student from India with a student visa, Penmatcha is only allowed to work on the campus.

She works for the library’s information and research services 20 hours a week, earning $8 an hour.

Penmatcha said she most enjoys being at the front desk when students flock into the library between classes.

However, she noted the job includes plenty of lag time, which she fills by pulling out her laptop, working on assignments or reading.

“When it gets slow, it gets really slow,” she said.

This is not Penmatcha’s first job on the campus. She said she also worked as a grader for the math department earning $11.25 an hour. news@umdbk.com

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012 | FALL CAREER GUIDE |THE DIAMONDBACK

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Not your average 9-to-5 job

By Rachel Barron For The Diamondback

shewas9yearsold,jumpedatthechance to continue the sport after graduation.

While also working as a project manager for her father’s company, she devotes three days of her week to the Ravens – two for rehearsal with the rest of her squad and one for the big performance on game day.

Johnson always arrives at the stadium five hours before the game begins to prepare, practice and make special appearances for the fans.”

“I have the opportunity to continue to do what I love, because for most, cheerleading ends after college,” she said. “The Ravens have the best fans.”

For alumna Brianna Becker, her love for her fellow members in Kappa Delta sorority turned into a full-time career opportunity.

Becker now works for Kappa Delta as a leadership development consultant. She travels all around the country to different chapters assisting with recruitment, leadership and officer training. She said she loves visiting so many different college towns,and these experiences have allowed her to realize sorority bonds extend beyond individual chapters. Becker added she is now considering a career in student affairs and Greek life at a university.

“I wanted to be able to do more for Kappa Delta since it has given me so many opportunities,” she said.

Many new university graduates stepped off the stage this past May with diplomas in hand and one question on their minds: What do I do now? While some would go on to work the typical 9 to 5 desk job,there were a few who found unconventional ways to pay the bills.

For alumnus Ben Small, it meant joining his two friends and starting their own ice cream truck business in East Windsor, N.J. Small said the decision to launch the BHB Ice Cream Truck was easy – nowhere else could he start a company for such little money and with so few risks.

“We wanted real-life experience we couldn’t learn in a classroom,” he said.

Small, who also works at an accounting firm, said managing his own business is nothing like regular employment. Along with driving around and selling frozen desserts on weeknights and weekends, he must oversee the company’s employees, inventory, maintenance and insurance.

The job is not all work and no play, however. Small said if he feels the urge to play basketball while he is doing his rounds, he simply parks the ice cream truck and starts up a game.

Alumna Hillary Johnson will be starring in some games this year as a cheerleader for the Baltimore Ravens.

Johnson,whohasbeencheeringsince news@umdbk.com

alumna hillary johnson will be cheering in Baltimore Ravens games this year. She has been cheering since she was 9 years old and now spends three days a week training. photo courtesy of hillary johnson

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THE DIAMONDBACK |FALL CAREER GUIDE | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Mike & Cookies takes over

By Steven Ruiz For The Diamondback

More than a year after he turned his childhood love of baking cookies into a real business, 2011 university alumnus David Botwick-Ries said in spite of the ups and downs, running Mike & Cookies remains his passion.

Botwick-Ries recently signed a one-year deal with Dining Services to sell his signature Mike & Cookies-brand snacks at 13 locations on the campus, which is up from just six campus locations at the end of last semester. Customers can buy a pouch of two cookies for $3 from all six Dining Services shops and several campus cafes, including McKeldin Library’s Footnotes and Rudy’s in Van Munching Hall.

For Botwick-Ries, fulfilling his dream also meant drastically changing his business strategy. In

2011, he pitched the idea of selling cookies out of a food truck to the Pitch Dingman Competition and won $2,750 in seed money. The idea also yielded him a $50,000 investment offer from Bob Karetsky, a co-founder and owner of women’s clothing retailer Delia’s.

However, Botwick-Ries had fallen in love with the College Park community and wanted his company to become a campus fixture rather than a nomadic bakery. So he turned down the $50,000 from Karetsky in order to do business his own way.

“The offer to start the food truck would entail a much different approach and lifestyle,” Botwick-Ries said. “I get to [run Mike & Cookies] myself, and even though it’s probably harder, taking the offer wouldn’t have yielded into the work I have with campus and the ability to stay

universities in the next year or so.

However, because his decisions were not based solely on finances, he said he was able to keep Mike & Cookies running independently.

“It’s not about the money; if it were about the money, I would have taken the investment offer, hired a bunch of people and completely avoided the dirty, hard labor of it,” Botwick-Ries said. “For me it’s about not only a financial balance sheet but also an emotional balance sheet, so I can do good and do well.”

And at the end of his first year of business, Botwick-Ries said his love of baking hasn’t waned.

“That nostalgic childhood love of baking is still strong and keeps me grounded, because at the end of the day, even when there’s loans to process, regulations to figure out, money to pay and obstacles to hurdle, it’s only cookies,” he said.

with my alma mater and develop a company I love and care about.”

Having very little business training, Botwick-Ries often had to learn on the job and look to mentors for advice, including entrepreneurs at this university’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship. Despite the steep learning curve, Karetsky said Botwick-Ries’ passion and desire to help his community gave him an edge.

“His instincts are really good and so are his ethics — he has a social agenda, in a way. He’s conscientious of doing the right thing by cookie eaters,” Karetsky said.

Botwick-Ries said running his business himself has limited his ability to focus on the financial aspects of the company, adding he hopes to hire more staff in the near future and expand to other news@umdbk.com

Check back next Tuesday, Sept. 25 for The Diamondback’s College Park Restaurant and Bar Guide and Oct. 10 for The Diamondback’s Sex in College Park Guide