WALTON COLLEGE C A R E E R C E N T E R Q U A R T E R L Y
Brought to you by The George W. Edwards, JR. Career Development Center
Summer 2014
Career Center
helping you get there
STAFF UPDATES
After 8 years as the Career Center Director, Heather Sprandel transitioned to an adjunct faculty role within the Walton College as of March 31, 2014. We are currently in the process of searching for a new Director.
After 11 years as the Career Center’s Employer Relations Manager, Tommi Featherston has retired as of May 31, 2014. Trisha DuCote has been hired to fill Tommi’s role and started with our office June 2, 2014.
(left to right: Sara Phillips, Aundrea Sheeler, Tommi Featherston, Renee Clay
Renee Clay continues to serve as Assistant Director for the Career Center, and Sara Phillips as the Manager of Special Programs. Our Student Assistant, Aundrea Sheeler, will graduate in May 2015, and will continue with our office until then.
SPRING RECRUITING Business Career Fair The March 2014 Business Career Fair was delayed due to inclement weather. Thanks to collaboration with the University Career Center, we were able to blend the Business Career Fair with the STEM Fair. The result was the largest career fair ever held on the U of A campus, with 140 total companies in attendance and over 1375 students. The fall Business Career Fair will be September 30. Employer registration for the event began in early June. Companies New to the Business Career Fair:
The Career Center developed a new recruiting event in an effort to accommodate the organizations affected by the weather delayed fair. “Chocolate Chat,” an informal networking event, was held in April, attended by 38 companies and over 100 Walton College students.
On Campus Interviews
Companies On-campus to Conduct Interviews: 60 On-campus Interview Schedules: 99 Students Interviewed On-campus: 613 Job/Internship Postings for Business Majors: 1,452
COMPANY SPONSORSHIPS
Cintas partnered with Leadership Walton in the 20132014 academic year, sponsoring several programs and events, including hosting a company visit, participating in a trail cleanup, and hosting a business bowl networking event.
Spectrum Brands will provide sponsorship in the 2014-2015 academic year. We look forward to building a relationship with the company through service projects, guest speakers and various other events.
SPRING PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS Heifer Alternative Spring Break In March 2014, nine Walton College students participated in the Heifer International Alternative Spring Break Program in Perryville, AR. Six of the participating students were Leadership Walton members. Through the week long immersion at the Heifer Ranch, students experienced lifestyles from around the world and engaged in service work, community building, and hands on educational learning activities focused on hunger, sustainable development, and caring for the earth.
Beijing, China Internship Program Two Leadership Walton students will participate in the summer 2014 Beijing Internship Program, a one month internship in China. Interns are given the opportunity to experience working in this unique country and become immersed in its culture, history and business world. CRCC Asia arranges internships for both multinational firms and Chinese companies in many industry sectors.
Career Closet To date, over 520 Walton College students have benefited from the Closet, taking more than 2,400 articles of clothing from the over 4,000 donated items. In addition to serving Walton College students, the Closet provides assistance to other students on campus through overstock events, including one hosted in February 2014. Over 750 U of A students have benefited from these overstock events, with additional overstock items donated to the Salvation Army and Goodwill. Leadership Walton students continue to staff the Closet by volunteering every Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the semester, assisting students with clothing selection and check out.
Leadership Walton In 2013-2014, 619 students were active in Leadership Walton. These students completed over 350 community/volunteer service projects; and in addition to their regular classroom attendance, they attended over 600 lectures/guest speaker presentations. 54 members completed the requirements and graduated from the program in May 2014. We are currently accepting applications for the next group of Leadership Walton members. Approximately 200 students will be selected to join in August.
Company Visit In March 2014, the Career Center coordinated a visit to Koch Industries in Wichita, Kansas. During this company visit, students networked with Koch Industries' executives and young professionals while learning about internships and full-time job opportunities. Koch hosted a lunch, a Market Based Management workshop, a tour of the facilities, industry specific job shadowing, and a Q&A session with company representatives.
SPRING SERVICES & EVENTS What does the Walton College Career Center do throughout the semester? In addition to undergraduate and graduate career advising, below is a partial list of services and events offered: January
MBA Orientation, Mock Interviews and Summer Internship/GA Interviews Leadership Walton Welcome Back Event with Cintas General Mills and PepsiCo Information Sessions In Class Presentations of Career Center Services and Events Spring Co-op Marketing and Enrollment
February
Extreme Makeover: Resume Edition Career Closet Overstock On Campus Interviews and Company Information Sessions In Class Presentations of Career Center Services and Events Arkansas Cooperative Education Program in Business Scholarship Selections
March
Business Career Fair Koch Industries Company Visit On Campus Interviews and Company Information Sessions Leadership Walton Scull Creek Trail Cleanup Two Social and Dining Etiquette Trainings CRCC Asia Summer Internship Selections Heifer International Alternative Spring Break
April
Social and Dining Etiquette Training On Campus Interviews and Company Information Sessions Collect Placement Data Leadership Walton Scull Creek Trail Cleanup
Leadership Walton Graduation Celebration Collect and Calculate Placement Data Summer Co-op Marketing and Enrollment
May
UPCOMING EVENTS Below is a partial list of upcoming Career Center events for fall 2014: June & July
New Student Orientation Presentations of Career Center Services Fall Career Fair Marketing and Registration Leadership Walton Applications CRCC Asia Internships
August
New Student Orientation Presentations of Career Center Services MIS and MAcc/IMAcc Orientations Leadership Walton New Member Orientations Fall Co-op Marketing and Enrollment
September
Career Closet Overstock MBA Presentation Competition Extreme Makeover: Resume Edition ** Save the date! September 23 & 24 ** On Campus Interviews and Company Information Sessions Leadership Walton Scull Creek Trail Cleanup Mock Interviews In Class Presentations of Career Center Services and Events MBA Poster Session and Networking Event ** Save the date! September 29 ** Business Career Fair ** Save the date! September 30 **
October
Diversity in the Workplace Panel ** Save the date! October 15 ** On Campus Interviews and Company Information Sessions Leadership Walton Scull Creek Trail Cleanup Social and Dining Etiquette Trainings Mock Interviews Company Visits
November
On Campus Interviews and Company Information Sessions Mock Interviews Collect Placement Data
December
On Campus Interviews Revision of Incoming MBA Resumes Collect and Calculate Placement Data
HIRING TRENDS The National Association of Colleges and Employers has released its “Job Outlook 2014 Spring Update”; and “employers appear to be holding true to their original hiring projections made for the Class of 2014.” “Employers say that they plan to hire 8.6% more graduates from the Class of 2014 for their U.S. operations than they did from the Class of 2013. That’s up a bit from fall 2013 projections when employers anticipated a 7.8% increase in hiring for their U.S. operations.” “The early outlook for the Class of 2015 looks promising. Approximately 43% of employers say they expect to hire more new grads during their fall 2014 recruiting season than they did in fall 2013. In comparison, both last year and in the previous year, less than one-third of employers were positive about fall hiring.”
Skills and Qualities in Demand “Current respondents rated decision-making and problem-solving skills as most important, just nudging past communications skills—the historical favorite. Note that employers deem nearly all the skills cited as ‘very important’.”
Hiring Expectations by Degree Level “Current demand by degree level is consistent with 2013 results.”
Hiring Expectations by Major “By major, employers continue to target graduates in business, engineering, and computer science fields. This is consistent with results from previous years and reflects the nature of responding employers. Within the business disciplines, accounting majors are on the “wish-list” for almost 60% of respondents.”
Data from NACE’s “Job Outlook 2014 Spring Update”
Stay connected with the Walton College Career Center
Sam M. Walton College of Business Career Center Leadership Walton
@WaltonCDC
Sam M. Walton College of Business Career Center