Early reviews of networking expos are positive, but room for improvement remains
Steve Tapley Explains
Steve Tapley, WG'07
Issue date: 9/25/06 Section: Perspectives
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While many university students associate the start of fall semester with moving into dorm rooms, sitting through boring lectures, and watching bone crunching hits on the gridiron, second year MBAs are busy strategizing about full-time career opportunities and preparing their personal marketing campaign.
Just as the UPenn Quakers started their season off last week with a victory over the Lafayette Leopards, 21 - 11, so did the Class of 2007 kick off the recruiting season with the Career Expo, a new event design by the Career Management Office to alleviate the "hyper-recruiting" that students have felt due to the current hot economy.
The Expos, divided into two one and a half hour sessions, were held last Friday, Monday, and Tuesday in Houston Hall's Hall of Flags. Approximately 250 students and 25 employers were brought together each session. In hindsight, it is obvious that the Expos are off to a winning start, but there is still room for improvement.
First, the diversity of industries represented at the career fair matched that of the student body. Investment banking, consulting, life sciences, consumer products, and other firms were stationed throughout the hall. I was able to pick and choose the companies I wanted to speak with and how long I wanted to stay; unlike the former Employer Information Sessions (EIS), I was able to escape to a different firm if the conversation ran dry or if the company was not in my area of interest.
Second, I was impressed with the respect and ability of the student body to spread out among all companies. Originally, I was worried that students would crowd around the "Wharton Recruiting Powerhouse" (you know who they are). However, this did not happen. Access to both the giant firms as well as the small niche players was easy. Students showed respect by not dominating a conversation and ridiculous questions were minimal.
The final positive of the Career Expo was time compression. During my first year, I spent four or five hours over the first couple of weeks of recruiting attending EISs or receptions. By bringing students and companies together, the time spent was reduced to a total of 4 and a half hours. Also, since the Expo was held on campus additional time was saved by not requiring me to travel to Center City or some other off site location.
While the Expos presented a number of positives, time was still the major issue. Even though I implemented my FranklinCovey time management skills, I still felt it was important to spend 15 - 20 minutes with each employer. Using my OPIM skills, I calculated my capacity was at best six firm visits. I recommend capital investments be made to either expand the event by 30 minutes to an hour, reduce the number of firms each day, add another day, or a combination of the three. By so doing, it will give even more exposure with minimal increase in time commitment.
Overall, the Career Expos are a great addition to the Wharton recruiting season. Having access to a diversity of firms, reducing time commitments, and showing mutual respect to students allowed me to better navigate the 2nd year recruiting season.
Just as the UPenn Quakers started their season off last week with a victory over the Lafayette Leopards, 21 - 11, so did the Class of 2007 kick off the recruiting season with the Career Expo, a new event design by the Career Management Office to alleviate the "hyper-recruiting" that students have felt due to the current hot economy.
The Expos, divided into two one and a half hour sessions, were held last Friday, Monday, and Tuesday in Houston Hall's Hall of Flags. Approximately 250 students and 25 employers were brought together each session. In hindsight, it is obvious that the Expos are off to a winning start, but there is still room for improvement.
First, the diversity of industries represented at the career fair matched that of the student body. Investment banking, consulting, life sciences, consumer products, and other firms were stationed throughout the hall. I was able to pick and choose the companies I wanted to speak with and how long I wanted to stay; unlike the former Employer Information Sessions (EIS), I was able to escape to a different firm if the conversation ran dry or if the company was not in my area of interest.
Second, I was impressed with the respect and ability of the student body to spread out among all companies. Originally, I was worried that students would crowd around the "Wharton Recruiting Powerhouse" (you know who they are). However, this did not happen. Access to both the giant firms as well as the small niche players was easy. Students showed respect by not dominating a conversation and ridiculous questions were minimal.
The final positive of the Career Expo was time compression. During my first year, I spent four or five hours over the first couple of weeks of recruiting attending EISs or receptions. By bringing students and companies together, the time spent was reduced to a total of 4 and a half hours. Also, since the Expo was held on campus additional time was saved by not requiring me to travel to Center City or some other off site location.
While the Expos presented a number of positives, time was still the major issue. Even though I implemented my FranklinCovey time management skills, I still felt it was important to spend 15 - 20 minutes with each employer. Using my OPIM skills, I calculated my capacity was at best six firm visits. I recommend capital investments be made to either expand the event by 30 minutes to an hour, reduce the number of firms each day, add another day, or a combination of the three. By so doing, it will give even more exposure with minimal increase in time commitment.
Overall, the Career Expos are a great addition to the Wharton recruiting season. Having access to a diversity of firms, reducing time commitments, and showing mutual respect to students allowed me to better navigate the 2nd year recruiting season.
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