Don't miss out on this opportunity to get hands-on training directly from Bloomberg LP representatives, Eric Schwartz and John Fox who operate out of the New York-based Core Analytics group. They will be on campus in Douglas Hall 170 for two 1-hour sessions to train students on the following:

- Introduction to terminal navigation, finding tickers, and communication

- News & the Economy - which numbers do we watch, how to stay informed!

- Overview of Equity research and company analysis, the Fixed Income markets and rates, Foreign Exchange markets, and Commodities

- How to create and manage a portfolio on the terminal

- Leveraging our people search functions to assist in career searches

- How to extract Bloomberg data into Excel (time permitting) 

Students can also get hands-on experience using the new Bloomberg terminals during walk-in hours from 2pm-4pm with Professor John Miller, PhD.

RSVP today because seats are limited in the lab!  E-mail jpmill@uic.edu to reserve your seat.

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DATE:  Wednesday, October 23

LOCATION:  CME LAB, Douglas Hall 170

HANDS ON TRIAL WALK-INS:  2pm-4pm

TRAINING SESSION #1: 4pm-5pm

TRAINING SESSION #2: 5pm-6pm

RSVP: jpmill@uic.edu

Boost your Knowledge & Credibility with Bloomberg!

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Concentration(s): Marketing and Entrepreneurship

Undergraduate degree in: Nursing

Undergraduate School: UIC

Organizations involved with:MBAA, GMARK, and Innovation Incubator

What prompted you to return to school to achieve your master’s degree?

I wanted to get the knowledge and well-respected credential to launch a career in the fashion business, successfully switching from Nursing.

What was the most important factor for you in choosing an MBA program?

I was looking for a business school that got what I was trying to do. I am a non-traditional MBA student (a nurse) going into a non-traditional field (fashion). Not every school gets that or is willing to support that.

Why did you choose UIC Liautaud for your graduate study?

I was heavily influenced by the entrepreneurial mindset at UIC Liautaud. I also participated in a mock MBA class to experience how it would feel to be in the program. It was a simulation of the Interdisciplinary Product Development (IPD) marketing course taught by Prof. Jelena Spanjol, and I LOVED IT! And the rest is history…

Which class/professor has been your favorite so far and why?

I really enjoy every single class, even Financial Accounting. I am having the most fun with my Introduction to Marketing course, where I am working on the different aspects of marketing a product. 

Are you interested in the venture funding process and in science/technology ventures? Are you exploring MBA programs to prepare for a career in entrepreneurship and/or venture funding?

If this is true, you could be a candidate for a two-year fellowship offered by UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business and IllinoisVENTURES. These fellowships offer:

·       An opportunity to work with entrepreneurs and technical founders to build world-changing businesses with the potential to create new market opportunities or significantly expand existing ones.

·       Tuition remission and a monthly stipend in exchange for working 20 hours per week with IllinoisVENTURES

Over the past six years, IllinoisVENTURES has led or collaborated on the initial funding of over 40 new ventures spanning a broad spectrum of scientific and technological innovation across multiple domains. Conceived and launched by the University of Illinois, IllinoisVENTURES has been consistently named by Entrepreneur Magazine to its national list of the Top 100 Venture Capital Firms.

Eligibility: Candidates must have prior education and professional experience in science, engineering or technology and must apply for FALL 2014 admission to UIC Liautaud Graduate School of Business.

Learn more about this exciting MBA funding opportunity at tonight's info session! 

Liautaud Informational Session

Blog Content Contributor: MSAA VP-Event Coordinator, Danni Zheng

On a clear Sunday morning of the Chicago Marathon day, the weather was pretty nice, with cool breezes anticipating Fall. Our MSAA volunteer group got up super early and went to the Lincoln Park Community Shelter (LPCS) to prepare a healthy and hearty breakfast buffet for the shelter guests. This was MSAA’s first volunteering event in this Fall semester.

Although we had some troubles with the transportation due to the bus rerouting for the Marathon, surprisingly most of our volunteers arrived at the site on time. Everyone was really supportive and we started to cook and arrange as soon as the groceries arrived.

While the shelter residents were patiently waiting for the breakfast, our volunteers were busy preparing in the kitchen: Chufan and Huizhang fried the bacon; Chen Chen, Haohao, Archie and Danni heated up the hotdogs, washed the fruits, and set up the table and utensils.

After around half an hour of work, the shelter guests started to enjoy our hot breakfast buffet. Here’s what we provided: muffins, bread, cupcakes, hash brown, hot dogs, cereal, bacon, milk, coffee and fruit! The residents loved our cafe-style breakfast, and they even shared with us their compliments: ”We love that you provided us a little of everything! It’s great that we can choose different things that we want!”

We are really happy that LPCS guests appreciated our breakfast preparation, and we are also glad to see that out volunteers had a great time cooking together, talking and sharing the recent updates of study and life during the event. It was a wonderful start for a beautiful Sunday morning!

Once again, we would like to express our thankfulness to our lovely MSAA volunteers: Archie Masawi,Chen Chen, Haohao Li, Danni Zheng, Chufan Lin, Huizhang Zhou.

Special thanks to grocery helpers Chufan Lin, Huizhang Zhou.

Be sure to follow MSAA on Facebook! 

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Who should take this course?

Anyone interested in leading organizations or helping them make important decisions, whether strategic or managerial, will benefit from this course. The course should resonate with those expressly committed to having a positive social impact. At the same time, it is designed to enhance leadership ability generally. Note although listed under MGMT 594, this course can be used towards a Management or an Entrepreneurship concentration. You may also petition to use this course towards a self-directed concentration along with other courses from the Social Innovation and Leadership course series. If you are interested in a self-directed concentration, please contact UIC Liautaud Student Services for more information about this option.

 

Professor: Shelley Brickson, PhD

 

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ATTEND OUR ACADEMIC OPEN HOUSE TOMORROW TO LEARN MORE!

To learn more about this MGMT 594 and other academic offerings this spring, current students should attend our Academic OpenHouse tomorrow, October 30, from 4:00-5:50 in Douglas Hall 230.

 

The event will feature faculty from accounting, finance, IDS, and managerial studies. The faculty will present on some of the featured courses for the spring semester, and students will have the opportunity to talk informally with faculty after the presentations to learn more about their area of interest. Academic advisers will also be present to answer any registration or degree requirement questions. All students are strongly encouraged to attend the Academic Open House.

 

Current students can RSVP by logging into the Inner Loop student portal and going to the "Events" tab. 

 

Spring 2014 Registration for UIC Liautaud students begins Monday, November 4. 

Congrats is an order for three UIC Liautaud MIS students! Rajeev Ravikumar, Mrunmayi Gadre and Sabarie Mohhan (above L-R) won third place at the BMC case competition conducted by the Information Technology Service Management Foundation (itSMF).

The competition was held as a part of FUSION-2013, the annual flagship conference of itSMF. The competition, held at Nashville, TN in late October, had entries from leading business schools all over the nation. The team received a trophy (right) and $1,000 as its prize.

“Participating in the BMC itSMF case competition made me realize the value of UIC’s MIS program,” said Rajeev Ravikumar.  “We were able to strategically analyze the case using tools and frameworks that we had learnt in class. In addition to improving my problem solving and presentation skills, the case competition also provided me with an opportunity to expand my network by interacting with industry leaders and students from other universities.” 

The itSMF USA is an industry consortium dedicated to managing the cost and quality of IT service management. Its members include IT organizations, software, and services companies augmented by advisory and review boards of industry leaders, analysts, and customers. Collectively, itSMF USA represents those with a stake in IT service management.

This fall has been a very successful recruiting season. We are already starting to receive 2014 applications from across the United States and from all over the world. As I talk to applicants, one question that comes up often is: "What are some things I can do to be successful in the admissions process?" Here are my thoughts on this:

1) Do come to information sessions on campus or online. Information session attendees gain inside information about what we are looking for in the admissions process. I cannot stress this enough! We deep dive with attendees about the different parts of the application, including the personal statement, the resume/work history, and letters of recommendation. I provide real insider tips that cannot be found on our web site. These sessions also serve as a great way to prepare applicants for the admissions interview. This brings me to the my next point...

2) The MBA Interview is a key factor in our admission decision. We want to gauge both your communication skills and how well-researched you are about our program. Be able to describe your career plan and future goals, why an MBA and why an MBA from UIC Liautaud, what you can bring to our community; and give specific examples of your achievements. As with any professional interview you want to arrive in advance to collect your thoughts, look presentable and dress in appropriate business attire.

3) Engage with us! We are very high touch with our applicants and like to get to know you! Make an appointment to meet with us or let us arrange for you to sit in on a class. Each semester we offer mock classes; and we offer prospective students the opportunity to attend classes with one of our Student Ambassadors. Schedule an appointment with our career director to find things you can do right now to get started and find out how UIC Liautaud can help you achieve your career goals. Applicants who are highly engaged during the admissions process really standout in the applicant pool. Often, these applicants are viewed as being really enthusiastic about UIC Liautaud and are candidates who will likely carry this enthusiasm with them as they enter the program and be active in our student organizations.

4) Do make sure to review both the UIC Liautaud website and blog. These sites are loaded with great content about new courses that are being offered, student activities held off campus, funding opportunities, interview/career days so that you can get a feel for what employers are coming to campus and much more! Most importantly, our admissions blog and and sites provide detailed information about our test score requirements and other admissions criteria. We provide clear direction about our admissions criteria and give resources to assist you, such as our free practice GMAT exams.

The big take away for all prospective students is simple: PREPARE, RESEARCH, AND ENGAGE! Take the first step. Join us at our information session this Saturday. This session is our last one of the year, so I hope to see you there if you are serious about applying to grad school in 2014.

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UIC Liautaud Information Session - last admissions event in 2013! 

Saturday, November 16, from 9:30am-11:00am

UIC Douglas Hall 

Each day, I receive many questions about the GMAT from our applicants. Questions range from what types of math questions does the GMAT cover to what is the new IR section and how should I prepare? I recently sat down with expert Kaplan GMAT Instructor, Alyson Fitch, to answer all of your burning questions about this exam: 

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CAROLINE: A common question I receive from prospective students I meet with is “How much time should I give myself to prepare for the GMAT?” Do you have any guidelines that you recommend?

ALYSON: Great question! The amount of time you need to prepare for the GMAT depends on the gap between your starting GMAT score and the score you need for admission to your target program.

If you only need to improve your score by 10-20 points, you can prep in just a few weeks. If you need to improve your score by 30-150 points, you’ll need about ten to fourteen weeks. If you need to improve your score by more than 150 points, extend your timeline to no more than twenty-four weeks. You can definitely earn the GMAT score you need for admission to your program of choice,  you just need to budget adequate time to learn the highly specialized GMAT skill set.

It’s important to think of GMAT preparation time not only in weeks, but also in study hours. In 2010 the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC, the organization that gives the GMAT) studied the top half of GMAT performers to find out how many hours those people spent training for the test. GMAC found that those who scored in the 550-590 range had spent an average of 79 study hours each preparing. Those who scored in the 600s and 700s had spent an average of about 100 hours each preparing. That was before the new Integrated Reasoning section was added to the GMAT, so we now recommend about 120 preparation hours total. The way you distribute your 120 hours will depend on the other commitments you’re juggling.

CAROLINE: Preparing for the GMAT exam can seem a bit overwhelming. Can you recommend a good starting point for someone who is struggling to figure out how to get started?

ALYSON: Take a GMAT practice test as soon as you possibly can. I know you don’t feel ready; take it anyway. You’ll be glad you did. Your first GMAT practice test diagnoses your strengths and areas of opportunity, and this is the first and most crucial step to creating an effective study blueprint. You can’t close your score gap if you don’t know what that gap is, and that means establishing a baseline score as soon as you can. 

UIC has a great partnership with Kaplan offering GMAT practice tests about once a month during the Fall and Spring semesters and for those who can’t make it to campus, Kaplan offers a schedule of online practice tests at KaplanGMAT.com. For a full listing of our upcoming events, click here.

CAROLINE: What common mistakes do you see first time test takers make?

ALYSON: The worst and most common mistake is taking the GMAT cold, with little or no practice. A tiny minority of test-takers can make their goal scores the first time they see the GMAT, but then a tiny minority of people can walk a mile or further on their hands! Your odds of being in either group are not high. Taking the GMAT is a big event, and you should train for it as you would for a major athletic event.

The second most commonly made mistake is preparing for and taking the test with no specific goal score, planning to select target business school programs based on whatever score one makes. That’s backward. Select the business program that will get you to the next place you want to be in your career and in life, then set your GMAT goal score based on what you need to be a strong candidate for that program. Your GMAT score is just a number to get you to your dreams.

The third most common mistake is identifying oneself as a “bad test taker.” You’re not a bad test taker, you’re just an inexperienced test taker who hasn’t yet learned the relevant skills needed to ace the test. Once you learn those, you’ll be an awesome test taker!

CAROLINE: Can you explain why you feel that taking a practice GMAT exam should be an essential component of any test preparation strategy? What can it tell someone who is studying for the GMAT?

ALYSON: If you have infinite time to prepare for the GMAT you can approach it as a hobbyist, but if you’re a busy professional you need to use your limited time as efficiently and effectively as possible. That means evaluating where you are in each area of GMAT content and skill, then marshaling your resources to get the maximum number of points possible out of your 120 study hours. The optimal distribution of those hours varies tremendous from test taker to test taker, so it’s important to work from personalized diagnostic results rather than from a one-size-fits-all plan.

One of the great things about the UIC/Kaplan practice GMAT is that your test performance is analyzed in terms not only of content, format, and question type, but also in terms of adaptive point distribution, so you can tailor your prep to your needs and timeline right away.

CAROLINE: A lot of the applicants I work with have been out of school and away from math for a while. How much math is required?

ALYSON: Math content is just one component of GMAT Quantitative section success. The Quant section isn’t truly a math test; it’s a logic and problem solving test for which math is only one of several vital tools. The good news is that you learned all the math content on the GMAT by the time you were sixteen years old. The bad news is that, for most of us, that was a good long while ago! You can reconnect with the content of algebra, arithmetic, geometry, statistics, and number properties in just a few weeks, but you also need to train for the tight GMAT section timing.

True confession time: On my first practice GMAT I got almost all of the Quantitative questions that I answered correct, but I only got to  twenty of the thirty-seven questions.That was quite a wake-up call! I was leaving a huge number of points on the table. My preparation for the GMAT Quantitative section was a blend of math content review, even more important GMAT-specific Quant section strategy, and pacing for speed and endurance. That’s the winning mix.

CAROLINE: The GMAT exam is a computer adaptive test (CAT)? Can you explain what this means?

ALYSON: It means that the reward of success is more hard work, but also more points. You start the respective Quant and Verbal sections with a medium difficulty question, what we could call a 550-level question. If you answer that first question in the section correctly, you earn a question rated at a much higher level, but if you answer that first question incorrectly you earn a question rated at a much lower level. You aren’t getting points for answering correctly or losing points for answering incorrectly; what you’re getting is more like the serve in volleyball or tennis. You’re earning the opportunity to play for more points. Between the second and third questions the swing up or down is smaller, then even smaller between the third and fourth questions, the swing ever decreasing as you work through the section. This means that your score can go up or down very steeply and quickly in the first third of the Verbal and Quant sections, but by the final third your score moves up and down within a narrow range. You want to earn questions that place you in the highest possible range by that final third, then maintain that high level. It’s your question level at the end of the section that that determines your score for that section.

Of course as you earn harder questions, you still have the same time constraints. This means that in addition to focusing on timing for the individual questions in a section, you’re playing a larger pacing game to get the best possible score out of both sets of seventy-five minutes. It takes at least four practice tests to get your pacing under control, and usually five to eight practice tests total to optimize that pacing.

CAROLINE: The Integrated Reasoning section (IR) was recently added to the GMAT exam; and I know there are still a lot of questions about this section. What does this section cover?

ALYSON: Let’s talk about what the new section appears to be, and what it actually is. The Integrated Reasoning section is not a math section with some verbal attached. It is a complex data management section, and as in the Quantitative section, math is just one of several tools needed to strategically wrangle all that data. Quick stats: The IR section has been live on the GMAT since June of last year, and contains 12 multi-part multiple-choice questions answered in thirty minutes. It is scored on a scale of 1-8, and this score does not affect your 200-800 Quant/Verbal score.

The most important thing to know about the IR section is that it is designed to be nearly impossible to complete in thirty minutes. There is a crashing wave of information to evaluate, and more questions to answer than one can reasonably address before the clock runs out. That sounds discouraging, but only if we take the IR section at face value. You can make an excellent IR score by not falling into the trap of doing more work at a more frantic pace, but by instead doing the same amount of work in a much smarter way. Getting a top Integrated Reasoning score is the ultimate GMAT high wire act of test format knowledge, strategy, and time management, and I’ve seen students go from a score of 2 to a score of 7 in a single test just by allotting time and efforts more tactically. The section looks insurmountable, then it just topples before you.

CAROLINE: Finally, if you could give one piece of advice to applicants preparing for the GMAT, what would it be?

ALYSON: Start now. You can’t cram for the GMAT. To get you started, we have an exclusive event coming up soon. For details and registration, click the register button below. Space is limited; sign up now!

 

If you are looking for an argument about why you should be on LinkedIn, you won’t get it here. I assume that if you are a student in the UIC College of Business Administration or in the Liautaud Graduate School of Business, that you are indeed interested in a job when you finish your degree. If this is not the case, stop reading now.

For those that are still with me, join LinkedIn now.

OK, now that everyone that is interested in working is on LinkedIn, let’s talk about a few ideas on how to beef up your profile so that it is working for you.

PICTURE– No FaceBook pictures or passport photos. Put on a suit and ask a friend or family member to take a picture in front of a non-distracting background. This is a professional networking site, so you should look professional. I don’t want to see your dog or the shoulder of the boyfriend you cropped out.

TAGLINE– This defaults to your current job title and company. You should not define yourself as your current job. Own this and come up with a tagline that tells me who you are. Worst case scenario… use “Marketing Student at University of Illinois at Chicago.”

SUMMARY– Lots of people skip this, because it requires some thought. Don’t let that be you. Tell me who you are and what you want to do. If you are an accounting student, tell me why you are passionate about accounting and what within that field most interests you. This will double as your elevator pitch. Two birds with one stone… Bam!

EXPERIENCE– This should be consistent with, but not a copy of your resume. Yes, you can use bullets if you want, but I would rather you explain it to me as you would if you were sitting across the table from me. Use language particular to the field you want to pursue whenever possible. While you have more real estate here than you do on a resume, don’t write a book – a few paragraphs will suffice.

SKILLS & EXPERTISE – Read job descriptions (in your chosen field), particularly the “qualifications” section. What are they looking for? Use this section to intentionally highlight legitimate skills that align with the job you want. Endorse other people on their skills (if you have some basis for it) and they will do the same for you.

GROUPS– Don’t ignore this section! A robust Group section will allow you to communicate with people well beyond your personal network. Join all relevant UIC and UIC alumni groups, the University of Illinois Alumni Association, Linked N Chicago, and any professional organization that is relevant to the career you are pursuing.

RECOMMENDATIONS– LinkedIn is a good place to collect and store recommendations from former employers, faculty and others that have been well positioned to speak to your performance. You are not looking for a novel here… just a paragraph or three that highlights both technical and soft skills.

CONNECT– Now that you have beefed up your profile, start connecting! Stick with people that you have actually met. They don’t all have to be life-long buddies, but you should have some human interaction with them before you ask them to connect. Never, ever use the default invitation! Jot them a quick note that gives them some context (how you know them, where you met, what you talked about, etc.).

A quick summary… LinkedIn is not an option or something that you will get to later. Join, create a robust profile and connect. Do it now!

Interested in more tips and tricks for LinkedIn? UIC Business students can check out what the experts say about LinkedIn at http://uic.beyondb-school.com/ . Use your UIC email address as both your username and your password.

2014 hasn’t even begun, but we are already receiving applications for Fall 2014. International applicants have started early this year and applications are pouring in! Here are some helpful tips to help you avoid common mistakes in the process:

You can apply online now. You will complete the UIC Liautaud application, the UIC supplemental application, and pay the $60 application fee. Please note, when you are directed to the UIC supplemental application, create a new account log in since this is a different account. These three components are due by February 15, 2014.

It is important that your full name is consistent throughout the application, your application documents and on your submitted test scores.

If you have additional documents that need to be added to your application after it is submitted, please log back into your UIC Liautaud application to upload them, or email your documents as PDF attachments to us. Do not upload any documents to the UIC supplemental application. If you are emailing us documents, please include your full name and birth date to verify your information.

We are using a paperless process, so please DO NOT mail any hard copies to our office. All documents must be electronic copies or uploaded to your application.

Applicants have a one month grace period to submit all documents, which are due March 15, 2014.

You will only be asked to submit Official sealed documents to the University Office of Admissions once you are admitted, which most students submit them during their first semester.

You can check on your status and missing documents by logging back into your application. You only need to submit documents that are listed as “not received.” 

Join us on December 17, 2013, from 9 am-10 am, for our Webinar for International Applicants. Caroline La Torre, our Director of Recruiting and Enrollment, will present the UIC Liautaud programs offered, discuss admissions information and answer your questions during this live online event. 

A few weeks ago I sat down with Myriam Del Angel-Miranda, Director of Corporate Engagement in Career Services, to find out the inside scoop about the newly expanded staff of the Business Career Center over the summer.  I headed over to Douglas Hall, and was ready to find out why the change? What’s the future for Career Services? And what does this mean for UIC Liautaud students? First I asked Myriam to tell us a little bit about herself and how she landed her current role at UIC’s College of Business Administration. Read on to see what I've uncovered!

      Fun Facts:

      Born and raised in Chicago

      Completed the 2013 Chicago Marathon

      Bilingual (English/Spanish)

      Co-Founder & CEO of Latino Cultural Academy, a cultural program for Latino Heritage for kids that meets on campus at UIC every Saturday

Can you start off with telling us a little bit about yourself?

"Actually my story starts right here at UIC. I started my undergraduate degree here and studied at UIC for three years before transferring to Northeastern IL University. While I was at UIC, I realized I wanted to focus my studies on Human Resources Development, which UIC didn't offer, so I had no choice but to transfer to another school that offered the program I was looking for. After completing my undergraduate degree, I started working at Arthur Anderson as an HR Coordinator. Then, I worked at Microsoft for four years, Accenture for five years, PwC, Deloitte, and finally Ernst & Young before coming here to UIC."

How did you end up working at UIC?

“With my previous jobs, I was traveling most of the time to recruit for the company I was working for. After a while that gets tiresome, especially when you have children, and I started to look at opportunities that would offer me more stability in my life. I was familiar with UIC, having gone here to school and also holding multiple jobs on campus as a student, so it was top of mind when I began my search. An opportunity for a part time job at the university caught my eye and I applied for it. When I came for the interview, I was asked if I would be willing to consider a full time job opportunity. So of course I said yes! I'm extremely excited to be back at UIC!”

What direction do you see Career Services going? What is the vision of the Corporate Engagement division?

"Our goal for this spring is to design programs that help students get on the right career path and that continuously develop their skills in order to prepare them for jobs after graduation. Thinking about securing a job is not something you do in your last semester of your studies, it is something you design into your day-to-day life from the moment you step foot on campus. Our programs are aiming to do just that: get students to think about their careers early on and develop their soft skills as time goes on. In addition, we are trying to bring more companies to campus in order to present our students with more job opportunities. We are engaging companies by saying 'Look, we have great students just down the block from your company, this can be a great value to your company - it saves you time and money that it would take to travel to other schools.' One of UIC’s greatest assets is its location- it is in close proximity to major corporations. This makes our students more readily available to companies and their schedules are more flexible since they don’t have to commute."

What are the strategic goals for the Corporate Engagement group?

What I am working on currently is building relationships with strong companies. Some of my strategies include inviting companies to come to campus and asking them to advise our students or come teach a class on 'Latest trends in the Industry' or similar topics. What I am trying to do is create opportunities for companies to come and interact with our students and engage students early in their careers. This allows companies to have priority when it comes to scoping out talent early on and in return, students get an opportunity to build relationships with companies they want to work at one day. I am trying to nurture the relationships we already have and also build new ones. The Corporate Engagement team is also speaking to companies showing them why they should choose UIC Business students."

What is critical info students should know about?

"Students should understand that “leadership” is more significant than GPA, according to current trends in business. What sets you apart from everyone else is what defines you outside of your grades. Companies want to see that you've worked in various groups and want to see organizations you are  involved with. As a student, it is your responsibility to show passion and innovation on your resume if you want to be at the top of recruiters' lists."

What are the differences between graduate students and undergraduate students when it comes to career trajectory?

"There are positive things about both types of students. With graduate students, they have experience in the working field so it is easier for them to get jobs because they have acquired skills. However, with undergraduates or graduates that have little work experience, they are more open to opportunities and willing to take internships which can be extremely beneficial in the long run, and often easier to secure a job at a dream company. As a student, you have to think about what you can bring to the table, whether that's schedule flexibility, salary flexibility, work experience, etc. and play that up to companies you are trying to work for."

Our students are always short on time. If you had to prioritize one task, what would you say that would be?

"Make an appointment to come and see the Business Career Center! We know you are busy, we know you are having a hard time prioritizing your studies and personal life, but your career shouldn't take a backseat. Come and see us and we can make a plan on how to integrate your career goals with your studies. We do the hard work for you; we make sure you have the right materials and information to put you in the best position for securing jobs and internships."

Why should students use career services?

"Statistics show that you have a higher percent of finding a job using Career Services than [searching] on your own! Also when you do get an interview through the Business Career Center, we can guide you through the interview process. We prepare you, we connect you with alumni that are working at the company, and we put in more effort to see you succeed. You have an entire team working for you to make sure you look good. If you were doing this on your own, you would be trying to research companies on your own, worrying how you’re going to do, and wondering what types of questions the company will be asking you. We take a lot of the guessing out of the interview- we make sure you are prepared on all fronts. "

How can students find jobs/internships?

1. UIC Careers - The university receives on average 60 NEW JOB LISTINGS A DAY! We look at those listing and see which ones pertain to our business students and post them on our website. Our database gets updated every day, so keep checking it if you don't find what you are looking for the first time.

2. Networking - look up alumni from UIC on LinkedIn and see which ones are currently working for a company you want to work for

3. Indeed.com- this is a really great website, the only problem is that it is nationwide and often times hundreds of people apply for the same position.

Any final words to UIC Business students?

What does this mean for UIC Liautaud students?

As you can see Myriam has worked at various reputable firms; this translates to an extensive network that she has built and maintained throughout the years and is now available to UIC Business students through the Corporate Engagement group within the Business Career Center. Myriam’s new team is equipped to help you plan your career path -- whether it’s to acquire a position at a big firm or an internship, or to prepare and connect you with companies to succeed. As a student, this information is critical when trying to find a job and starting your career.

Our challenge to you:

With the end of the year approaching, make signing up for an appointment with the Business Career Center your New Year's resolution and actively take charge of your career goals! What do you have to lose?

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MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CAREER SERVICES:

·         Business Career Center

o   Staff Contacts/Location

o   Make an appointment via go.uic.edu/innerloop or go here.

·         UIC Office of Career Services 

There are many exciting courses being offered next semester. Check out the list below and sign up today! Spots are filling quickly! 

Saturdays 9-11:30 A.M. 
*appx. 7 on-line classes

Overview

Information technologies are an integral part of the corporate and industrial world today They are being used in organizations for such purposes as: providing products and services; creating competitive advantage; managing global corporations; developing and implementing global sourcing strategies. Moreover, new strategies, business models and whole new industries are emerging as information technologies become more integrated into the activities of organizations as well as society. Understanding, managing, and leveraging these changes requires examining the information system, which includes the technology as well as processes, people, and structures.

Course Objectives

• Gain understanding of how to design and implement successful information systems

• Learn how to troubleshoot problematic information systems implementations, e.g., CTA Ventra card roll-out, Healthcare.gov

• Examine the latest trends in information technologies and systems, such as public social media platforms, cloud computing, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), mobile computing, and internal social platforms such as Jive or MS Communicator.

• Analyze a number of business cases to examine and illustrate course concepts. We will examine the organizational, competitive, and technological strategies of such companies as Zara, Hilton Hotels, and Carnival Cruise Lines

• Work in teams to investigate an emerging technology trend that has significant business and organizational implications.

MGMT 594: Leading for Impact

Overview

Organizations are the world's most powerful actors.  As such, those at their helm, leaders, have enormous potential to make an impact.  Most leaders want to have  a positive impact of some kind, but doing so effectively is not easy.  It requires  keen awareness of two things – how to have an impact through organizations and what kind of impact one wants to have.  First, leaders need to understand key levers for generating positive outcomes through organizational structures and relationships. Second, plotting a coherent course requires an understanding of distinct types of impact that one might have as well as insight into one’s their own personal strengths, values, and objectives. Alignment with one’s own values  enables people to plot a course that is both meaningful to themselves and maximally  consequential to others.In this class, we will explore each of these two topics in depth.  We will  analyze major levers for making an impact, and then examine how each is used to generate distinct types of impact.  Students will gain  appreciation for how these paths differ and for what factors lead each to be  effective. They will also come to more deeply understand themselves, their unique strengths, and their preferred ways of having an impact.  By the end of the  class, students will be equipped with the necessary analytical and self­ reflection  tools to begin to chart their own desired course as leaders.  The class should leave  participants more capable in their careers and more energized about their futures.

Who should take this course?

Anyone interested in leading organizations or helping them make important decisions,  whether strategic or managerial, should benefit from this course.  Because we address a  number of different avenues for making an impact, it should appeal to students with  diverse skill sets and philosophies. The course should resonate with those expressly  committed to having a positive social impact. At the same time, it is designed to enhance  leadership ability generally. As we will discuss in the class, effective organizations are  inherently impactful. Please note although listed under MGMT 594, this course can be used towards a  Management OR an Entrepreneurship concentration. You may also petition to use this  course towards a self­directed concentration along with other courses from the Social  Innovation and Leadership course series.  If you are interested in a self­directed  concentration, please contact UIC Liautaud Student Services careers and more energized about their futures. We will draw from a wide range of teaching methodologies in this course. These will include cases, videos, activities, discussions, andstudents will come away with a deeper understanding for a) levers for having an impact, b) distinct Pedagogical Approach and Take­aways cutting­edge thinking and research. Through these different means, types of impact that might be achieved through those levers, and c) personal strengths and objectives to draw upon when charting an impactful career.

go to myuic.edu to sign up

If you’re familiar with the show Shark Tank, you can get an idea of what it was like at the 2013 UIC Concept2Ventures (C2V) Business Plan Competition on December 16-17. The C2V Challenge is an opportunity to pitch a business idea win cash prizes. A total of $10,000 was awarded to winning teams.

Teams are placed into different tracks to present to a panel of distinguished judges. Our judges include serial entrepreneurs, industry professionals, and investors. One winner from each track advances to the finals. All teams return for the Elevator Pitch competition. All finalist teams compete for the grand prize. The C2V Challenge is open to both undergraduate and graduate students from any of UIC’s 15 colleges which showcase the entrepreneurial spirit present throughout the university.

The following C2V Participants competing in the Graduate/Alumni/Faculty division included UIC Liautaud graduate students, alumni as well as students from the CMBA program:

Brittany Chibe, Jason Rebello, Flor Fernandez

C2V Participant, Vasiliki Thomeas (System Science Corp), shared that through this experience, she’s been able to network with people highly involved in the entrepreneurial community and she appreciated the opportunity working with everyone and receiving support and mentorship through stories and advice. We asked Vasiliki if she would recommend participating in the C2V to her classmates, and her response was “It’s an experience that will bond you and your classmates – an experience you will never forget!” She mentions that the C2V experience was transformational and adds, “preparing for the C2V has taught me a lot about myself and what I’ve learned will only help me in the future.”

Since a major part of the C2V competition involves pitching ideas through presentations and elevator speeches, many of the Liautaud graduate students have also put into practice what they’ve learned in the MBA 590 “Improv & Leadership” course. Basically MBA 590 raises student’s soft skills to the level of their hard skills, or at least gets them closer. According to Lecturer Michael Popowitz, who often teaches that course, “Professional presence without expertise just makes you slick, but even expert skills without professional presence makes you ineffective.” Jason Rebello, from the NuFortis winning team, took the MBA 590 course and expressed that he had an “immense appreciation” for what he learned in that class and was able to apply some techniques during the C2V competition.

So, what’s next now that the competition is over? Many of the students will continue to participate in more business plan competitions across the nation, and as Vasiliki says, “more entrepreneurship courses!”

We are very proud of our winners and want to congratulate all the students who decided to embark on the entrepreneurial journey and participate in the C2V competition this year!
 

MORE RELATED INFO:

• UIC Concenpt2Venture website
• UIC Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies
• More photos of the C2V event

Felicia Cox                                

Class of 2013

Major: Accounting - MSA

Full-time Position with CBIZ MHM, LLC

Title of Position: Audit Associate

Why did you chose your current position?

In deciding between two great companies, I chose CBIZ because I felt that it was a great company to begin establishing my career. They are one of the top nationally ranked accounting firms by Accounting Today; the people at CBIZ  were great and the opportunities they had seem endless.

Describe your new role?

As an audit associate, I will be a part of a team that provides both audit and tax services to its clients.

How did you obtain your current position?

I applied through UICcareers, although I was only chosen as an alternate. I was given the last interview slot.

What advice do you have for students currently searching for internships or full time positions?

Never stop looking. There are countless opportunities out there, even if you feel you may not possess the skills to do the job remember that skills can be learned. Do not get discouraged when you don’t get the response you desire. I have been on countless interviews and actually received two full-time job offers this time around.

When you’re a new college graduate applying for graduate school, it can be very intimidating. You look at the percentage of graduate students who have full-time jobs and are much older than you and you become nervous. I know the feeling all too well. In the fall of 2013, I entered my first semester of the Liautaud MBA program. A lot of things went on during the fall orientation; however, the only two words I remember were “Informational Interviews.” Jeff Wilson, Director of Liautaud Career Services, spoke about how informational interviews were essential to figuring out what you want to do career-wise and gaining connections. The fact that I was being encouraged to ask someone for their time and sit down and question them about their career frightened me. Following orientation, Liautaud hosted a social, a.k.a a networking event, at a local pub (like I wasn’t already nervous enough). Needless to say, all of these events made me extremely nervous, and I was terrified of public speaking, until I enrolled in MBA 590 Improvisation and Leadership with Michael Popowits.

As cliché as it may sound, this course was truly life-changing. I saw the faces of fear from the first day of class evolve into confident, calm expressions by the last day of the course. Though the class experienced nerve-wrecking activities and unexpected improvisation assignments, we endured and gained self-assurance more and more each day. In November, I saw a posting for an internship career fair at Discovery Communications in Silver Springs, Maryland. I really wanted to go but then again who wants to pay for a roundtrip for a possible internship? In short, I took the risk, booked the flight, and attended the fair. I used all the information that Popowits and the assigned books introduced me to and took along my new found poise as well. Two weeks ago, I received a call offering me a marketing internship with Discovery Communications. Did I take it? Heck yea!

I recommend this class to anyone who is eligible to enroll and if you are ineligible, I advise that you write a letter to someone who would be able to change that! MBA 590 Improvisation and Leadership is the reason why I am a Discovery Communications intern, and is also responsible for the confidence that I have gained in such a short period of time. Thank you Michael Popowits!

What prompted you to return to school to achieve your master’s degree?

A master’s degree in accounting is more career-oriented, which in my opinion not only offers me the academic skills that I would need in the future career but gives me a sense of what a real accounting job would be like. I knew that I would pursue a master’s degree from the first day of college, because a person who works right after finishing college is far less competitive than one who works with a higher relevant degree in hand. Additionally, a CPA license is always what I tell myself to get before I am too old to take any exams. Studying in school helps me prepare for the CPA exams, because I know that once I get out of school and start to work, I will lose the passion to take any exams.

What were the factors you considered in choosing a master’s program?

I considered three factors while thinking about what program to choose. First and the most important was that “is this major going to make it easier for me to find a job?” I can’t always be a student at school. There will come a day when I need to work to support myself. I figured obtaining an MSA would be helpful, because no matter what the company does, it has to have an accounting or tax department. Therefore, I believed there would always be companies who are looking for accountants or auditors. Secondly, I considered whether accounting was a field I would be successful in. Since my college major was accounting, I at least had a general understanding of what I would be doing in an MSA program. Finally, I thought that I would want to do something that I would like both at school and in future work. When I started to think about choosing a master’s program, I had already been studying accounting for almost four years. But I have to admit that I was not very into accounting. But now as I have taken more courses in UIC Liutaud in accounting, I became very interested in this major and I am very happy that one year ago I did not make a wrong decision!

Why did you choose UIC Liautaud for your graduate study?

A CPA license is of great help in my future career. The MSA program in UIC Liautaud has always had a reputation of a high CPA exam passing rate, which you can tell by our professors’ way of giving lectures, because they always focus on the CPA exams.

We all know that people pursue graduate school to increase their business knowledge, but since you have started the program, what has been the most unexpected gain the program has given you?

Networking skills! Chinese students have a reputation of not having strong social skills. People know that we have excellent grades, we study really hard, but we never actually network with others. This comes from the overwhelming workload that we had while we were in China. Since we did not even have enough time to finish the homework, who cared about social network! But things changed when I came to UIC. I meet with different people every day. Whether you want to obtain networking skills or not, group work and school events help facilitate stronger networking skills.

Which class/professor has been your favorite thus far and why?

So far one of my favorite classes would be Accounting 516 Financial Statement Analysis by Professor Ramakrishnan. It is this class that makes me so interested in reading financial reports. Even though I have taken so many accounting courses so far, I had never learned how to read financial reports. In all the other courses I just learned how to make financial reports, which now companies do not usually do by hand. However, I think reading financial reports is more important. In this class I learned what to analyze when I get a financial report. Now when people hand me a company’s annual report I can tell them this is what can be done, instead of saying “oh I don’t know how to read it, I just know how to make it”.

Professor Popowits’ Fraud Examination is my other favorite class. It was a hard class for me because of all the new fraud related words that I had never seen before. But I really appreciate the way Professor Popowits teaches. Instead of just giving lectures on the content in the textbook, he used his former experiences to make the concepts easier to understand. He also included lots of videos to bring the class closer to reality. What made the class better was that he always invited guest speakers to his class to share their stories about their forensic auditing jobs.

What is your favorite aspect of the UIC campus and why?

I love the location of UIC! It is close to everything. Isn’t it awesome to look at the beautiful scene of Chicago’s skyline while waiting for class to start in Douglas Hall?

What advice would you provide to incoming UIC Liautaud students?

Take advantage of the people, events and all the opportunities out there! Because they are awesome. If you hesitate, you lose. UIC Liautaud has offered so many fascinating events. For example, it has offered everyone a free opportunity to take the Bloomberg Aptitude Test. Besides letting students take the test, they also invited people to come and show us how to use the Bloomberg Terminal, which has so much information that we can take advantage of. Another piece of advice is to make good use of the Innerloop News. All the job fairs and important events are shown in the Innerloop News.