McCoy College Academic Advising Blog: April 2011

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

On your way to joining the workforce... but will you be competitive?

If you're a college student preparing for your entrance into the workforce, you probably have plenty of folks around you eager to share about their own lessons learned and mistakes made during those first few years that they worked a 'real job.' While you may find some of those stories to be of some help (or a source for a good laugh), you will definitely benefit from spending some time checking out the valuable information shared at Job Start 101. A program based on a business round table that asked hundreds of employers what skills they felt graduates were missing when they started their first jobs, Job Start 101 consists of 6 video modules which provide students with tips on real world training to build critical on the job skills. The modules are interactive, professional, and informative - so check it out: http://www.jobstart101.org/.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Business Leadership Week Speaker Blogs About Net Impact

Graciela Tiscareño-Sato is the author of Latinnovating: Green American Jobs and the Latinos Creating Them, a book about the businesses started up by the Latino community. Graciela was the distinguished lecture during Business Leadership Week 2011 this past February and had the opportunity to meet many students and engage with the Texas State community.

Just yesterday Graciela blogged about our very own student organization, Net Impact, and highlighted business student, Natalie Rodriguez, and her leadership in environmental entrepreneurship. Take a look at the full blog post here: http://blog.latinnovating.com/?p=171

Congratulations to Natalie and Net Impact for this recognition!

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Suiting Up for Success

Wondering what color suit to wear to that interview or even how to style your hair? What about your jewelry and tattoos? Should you carry a purse, portfolio, or briefcase? Make-up or no make-up? Diane Gottsman, our etiquette expert from The Protocol School of Texas, says the answers to these questions do matter. When it comes to dressing for an interview, Diane suggests that both men and women wear dark, two-piece suits in gray, navy or black, with a light colored blouse or underpinning. A small leather purse or briefcase is okay. Men can carry a leather briefcase or portfolio. Avoid noisy or flashy jewelry. Other key things to avoid are visible body piercings and tattoos, bow ties and suspenders, jeans, t-shirts and sneakers, wet or over gelled hair and strong cologne.

Check out our etiquette web page to learn more tips for dressing for success and what NOT to wear.

Make Your Cover Letter Stand Out! - Follow Diane Gottsman's Tips

Do you want to make great impressions and land the perfect job? Sure you do, who doesn't? Diane Gottsman shares 7 useful tips that will make your cover letter stand out head and shoulders above the rest. A well-written cover letter has the power to open doors, so why take chances with yours? Let the expert show you how to avoid creating that dry and boring letter, maintain form and grammar and use your letter to make invaluable connections between your experience and the company’s needs. Diane also shares advice on how to avoid rehashing your resume and relying on spell checker. For these tips and more, check out the article on Diane's blog.

Forbes Magazine highlights Diane Gottsman's etiquette tips

Our very own nationally recognized etiquette trainer from The Protocol School of Texas, Diane Gottsman, was recently published in Forbes Magazine. Originally posted on the Pretty Young Professionals website, Diane's article on dining etiquette was picked up by ForbesWoman.

Find her article here: "Dining for Success: 15 Tips to Avoid Business Meal Mishaps".

"Should I drink from the next person’s water glass? Should I skip the breadbasket? Should I offer my neighbor a soiled napkin? How we choose to answer these uncomfortable questions sets us apart in the professional world. We can avoid such problems by learning basic dining etiquette." -excerpt from Diane Gottsman's article

Friday, April 1, 2011

Attention MARKETING Majors! Know your options for specializing your degree

As a marketing major, did you know that you could do a concentration along with your business marketing degree? A concentration is one way to specialize your degree and help you stand out to employers. There are two concentration options for marketing majors:

You may be thinking, "this sounds cool, but WHAT IS A CONCENTRATION!?" So, let me answer that for you.... A concentration is similar to a minor but it typically requires less course hours. Concentrations are made up of courses that specialize in a particular area that is related to your major.

1. Professional Sales Concentration (Professional Selling Corporate Partners Program)
Students who participate in the sales concentration take challenging courses that focus on both theory and action learning, which enhances their understanding of the sales process. Students in this concentration have won several national awards by competing in sales competitions.

Course requirements:

MKT 3358 (Professional Selling -note: all marketing majors are already required to take this)
MKT 3360 (Sales Management)
MKT 4396 (Directed Study in Professional Selling)
MKT 4399 (Corporate Sales Internship)

2. Services Marketing Concentration <--this is new! (available Fall 2011)
In the modern economy, nearly 80% of economic activity is produced by service organizations. This concentration is designed to prepare students for a career in services marketing.

Course requirements:

MKT 3365 (Services Marketing)
MKT 4325 (Advanced Topics in Services Marketing)
MKT 4399 (Marketing Internship for a Services Organization)
Restricted Elective Chosen from MKT 3355 (Retailing), MKT 3380 (Sports Marketing), or MKT 3390 (Marketing Health Care)

INTERESTED?? Meet with your academic advisor to add a concentration and to be sure you plan accordingly!

Have you heard about the new registration system on catsweb?!

I know it's April 1st, but I promise this is no April Fools joke!!

Texas State is changing over to a new registration system and you will be registering on this system for your Fall classes. The key thing to do before then is check your Texas State bobcat email! You will receive information about your registration times, the new system, and how to set up your new ID number that you will need to register with.

Don't forget - Registration for Summer I and II is going on RIGHT NOW! Check your registration eligibility on catsweb for your registration access times and to be sure you don't have any holds. You will advance register for summer classes the same way you are used to - in catsweb, under Registration & Schedule Changes. Late registration will be in the new system.

Fall Registration begins April 13th - You will be sent an email with your registration access times. You will register for Fall classes in the new system but you will access it through the Catsweb Menu.

Professional Selling Ambassador Program Department of Marketing

The McCoy College of Business is excited to offer a NEW program called the Professional Selling Ambassador Program.

The purpose of the program is to involve and reward star students, provide access to corporate partners’ job opportunities, fulfill the needs of companies who have a relationship with Texas State and take the Professional Selling Corporate Partners’ program to a world class status.

Students will get the opportunity to interact with professional selling corporate partners. They will gain experience and receive employment opportunities – both full time and internships.

The requirements are:
*3.00 G.P.A.
*Professional Selling Class – currently enrolled or have already taken it
*Must adhere to dress code while performing duties
(Navy sport coat & khaki slacks; either wash/wear or dress slacks for males & females)

The interview procedure is as follows:
*Sign-up on bulletin board outside office 419 for personal interview
*Contact Professor West (contact information below) for dates

Criteria for acceptance:

*Professional appearance

*Positive attitude
*Initiative
*Ability to interact effectively with senior executives
*Past role-play winners will be given priority selection

Duties are to:
*Provide campus guidance for corporate partners

------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information about the benefits of the Professional Selling Corporate Partners Program or to learn how to become a sponsor, please contact us.