Preparation and presentation will be your two best friends at your next career conference. Consider putting a portfolio package together in lieu of a traditional résumé.
What an opportunity! I was first attracted the third annual NAAMBA (National Association of Asian MBAs) Conference in New York last month because of the companies that were sponsoring the event (IBM, McDonald’s, Johnson & Johnson, Dell and PepsiCo to name a few). I wanted to connect with recruiters and gain some guidance how I might better approach a number of my target companies.
Make sure your elevator speech is practiced and perfect in case you're lucky enough to get some facetime with your dream employer.
Being the first conference I’ve attended, and considering I’m currently looking for employment, I was determined to put my best foot forward. I did the usual research on current job postings and companies and brushed up my elevator speech. I also searched all the panelists and speakers on LinkedIn to see if they could possibly be future sources for guidance or helpful contacts at a company that I was looking to pursue.
At the conference, I immediately had the opportunity to network with recruiters and representatives from a number of large corporations, and many offered to pass forward my resume to HR even before I had asked to connect with them after the conference.
What really blew me away was the access I had to executives at Fortune 100 firms. I met with a VP from McDonald’s at the networking breakfast, a VP from The Coca-Cola Company at the workshop on Global HR Challenges & Opportunities of Managing a Global Team of Diverse Talent and yet another VP from PepsiCo at the C-Suite Executive Round Table. I connected with a number of them in person after the event, though I am still working on getting past personal assistants of the others.
What did I really learn from this conference?: Preparation really does go a long way. Before leaving for New York, I took a trip to FedEx Kinkos to put together a mini version of a management portfolio to leave employers and future mentors. This was especially helpful because not many other job seekers had one. It bought me a few extra minutes with each recruiter and let my work speak for itself.
All in all, the conference was an incredible opportunity to connect with professionals across a number of industries and learn about current issues Asian professionals faced in corporate America. I plan to attend again next year, and hope to see more Pepperdine faces there!
What upcoming conferences are you planning to attend?
Christina Kim, MBA '11
Latest posts by Christina Kim, MBA '11 (see all)
- Why A Management Portfolio Is the New Résumé - October 26, 2011
