B2B Overview

Highlights of Last Month’s Backpack to Briefcase Programs

• February 1 – Dress for Success and Professional Image Event

This event was very helpful in giving students an idea of what is appropriate to wear in the work environment in the business world. Ashley Reichenbach and Nancy Dachille who both work in the Career Development Office,  presented an informative presentation about what exactly to wear and also what not to wear. Some things they said to wear were: for men – a suit with a tie and dress shoes and business socks and to be clean shaven; for women they said to wear a pant suit, or a long skirt with an appropriate blouse, and appropriate high heels, and pantyhose. Also during this event CHC students modeled clothes from Banana Republic that helped give students a good visual of what to wear and what is fashionable business attire. In addition to talking about work attire they also talked about keeping a “Professional Image” which for example could have to relate to how you represent yourself on the internet (i.e. Facebook, Twitter)

• February 8 – How to Create Great Job Search Materials

At this event Ashley Reichenbach gave really helpful information and guidelines on how to create great job materials and also explained why we need them. She gave great tips on how to make your job search materials shine and stand out! Job search materials include: a resume, cover letter, and references. Some tips she gave that are really important to college students are 1.) Start Early! – Start your resume early and keep it up to date. 2.) Make your resume a “Snapshot” of yourself. Use detail to explain who you are and were involved in and highlight your achievements. 3.) Structure your materials properly (you can find information on how to properly outline your materials on Bb under Career Development) 4.) DO NOT USE TEMPLETS (this was a good tip given by Nancy Dachille) – Create your own formatted resume.

• February 15 – Tips for Effective Interviewing  

During this event Ashley Reichenbach talked about what to do and what not to do in an interview. She gave tips about what to wear and how to interview. She mentioned things like not wearing perfume/cologne, dressing appropriately, arriving on time and prepared, not asking about salary, and to not be nervous. She also explained ways to sufficiently respond to an interviewer’s questions. Also during this event was a mock interview with Career Development Staff. There was an interviewer and two interviewees, one interviewee displayed what not to do in an interview and the other displayed the best way to act and dress in an interview situation.

• February 22 – CHC Alumni Networking Night  

During this event Ashley Reichenbach explained what Networking is and who should be in your network: i.e. professors, family friends, people in community, etc. Also she mentioned places on the Web that you can use for networking like Linkin.com. During this event students had the chance to sit down and talk to Alumni from our very own school and network with them and talk to them about where they are now and how they got there. This helped give a little preview to what students can expect after they graduate and each student was able to talk to an alumnus who graduated in their same major.

• February 29 – Etiquette Dinner

The Etiquette dinner was a very fun event that was intended to show the proper etiquette to use when in a Restaurant on an interview or out with a boss. A full course meal was provided and members of the Career Development Office and the manager of Chartwells at CHC explained how to properly act in a restaurant setting. Tips from which fork or spoon to use were given, as well as what to talk about with your interviewer. Dressing appropriate was talked about and also there were tips about interviewing. One tip that was important was if there is any small talk, to keep it light (sports, weather, etc.; not anything about politics or religion) They gave tips on what to order to eat and drink and basically explained that you should follow your interviewers lead. (If they do not order an alcoholic beverage then it would be inappropriate for you to do so).

All the B2B events and programs were very helpful and resourceful and had powerful tips that will help you as you migrate into the business world. I highly recommend attending these events and any other events given by the Career Development Office in the future. If you were unable to attend any of these events and have questions about any of these topics you can set up an appointment with anyone in the Career Development Office and they will be happy to give you all the information you need!

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