by Alexandria Bottiglieri MBA '21 Concentration Analytics and Quantitative Modeling As a graduate student studying analytics and quantitative modeling, I am continuously fascinated by the ways in which data is utilized to help organizations make strategic business decisions. Meeting the modeling team at Neustar on a site visit with other Zicklin students in August offered more insight into how data is used within the business sector, and how companies can leverage data in myriad ways. Coming from a technology background myself, I was excited to learn more about what professionals are doing within this field, since it's where I will be in the future. Zicklin Site Visit to Neustar I am pursuing a graduate degree in business analytics to learn the ways in which corporations use quantified data in order to better serve and understand the needs of consumers. My career goals include utilizing scientific processes to help streamline business operations and create product i...

Hiring managers talk all the time that they want “curious” people on their teams. If you even Google “importance of curiosity,” you’ll get pages of results from places like Harvard, videos of thought-leaders like Bill Gates, and articles from psychology blogs about why it’s important for individuals to “be curiosity.” Many of us have a sense of what “having curiosity” means, but what is curiosity and how can you make sure you are and stay curious? In this episode, we speak with Zicklin alumna Elyse Kane (MBA ’87), who was most recently Vice President, Insights and Analytics, North America at Colgate Palmolive. With a professional background in consumer research as well as experimental psychology, Elyse discusses curiosity with us, including: Why hiring managers want curious people on their teams Why it is so important to be curious – both for you personally and for your teams at work How curiosity is tied to making the world a better place Ways you can flex and main...

By Tanuja Ramchal It’s reported that 85% of job openings are filled through referral. This means your network is a critical factor when it comes to advancing your career. Yet, for so many job seekers, networking is one of the scariest aspects of the career process. Why does it induce such fear? From my experience, it boils down to how networking has traditionally been viewed from a career perspective - to schmooze when you need a job. This approach treats other human beings as a means to an end, a way to gain favor. And since for most people it feels icky to use others for their own gain, they resist networking. If this is networking, I would rather mindlessly watch Netflix than interact with others too. Fortunately, it’s not. You see, the reason networking is emphasized ad nauseam is because statistics prove that most jobs come through a person's network. What many overlook, though, is that the contacts through which these jobs came in most instances were not p...

Ritagya Mehrish (MBA ’19) Working at Deloitte as an IT Audit Senior Consultant has been a valuable learning experience for me with numerous opportunities for professional and personal growth. During the last few months, I have worked across a range of projects from Cybersecurity to IT Audit, expanding my understanding of the technology risks faced by businesses and the role I can play in minimizing it. Prior to receiving this offer, I was looking out for both internship and full-time opportunities, which was a bit challenging since I was enrolled full-time in school. To build my professional skills and get in touch with prospective employers, I utilized every possible service offered by the school, including GCMC services like one-on-one mentoring, resume and cover letter reviews, attending events like Mock Interview nights, networking events and the Executives on Campus program. I also volunteered for events organized by the graduate clubs such as office site visits and Meet the ...

Image Credits, Copyright:(c) Henrik Sorensen By Tanuja Ramchal On a weekly basis, I meet with students who tell me that they’re applying to jobs and are either not hearing back or are getting called for roles they’re not interested in. Understandably, this is frustrating. In cases like this, I start by looking at their resume. From a quick glance, I can tell whether the resume is effective or not. A strong resume is highly targeted, which boils down to marketing yourself the right way. To better understand this, let’s look at an example of marketing done well. Consider the approach of Whole Foods. The chain is known for appealing to customers who are willing to pay premium prices for quality products. This is intentional in terms of branding. If Whole Foods, though, was not deliberate in its marketing and messaging, it would be viewed as just another generic grocery store that sells milk, bread and eggs. Without highlighting the specific needs it aims to meet for its specifi...

This is part three of our series “Journey from School to Work,” where our Office Assistant Rudaiba Islam (BBA Finance ’21) is interviewing six Zicklin students and sharing their journeys from class to work. Jiaxu Han MS Finance '19 Interned as an Analyst at an Investment Bank/Brokerage Did your internship meet your expectations? Overall, my internship was important for my growth within the industry. What has been the most valuable thing that you have learned at your Internships? I was a research intern at a Financial Services company. I maintained and improved the company's extensive research database, and collected market and trading information from the database for company clients around the globe. This encouraged me to learn more about how to use the Bloomberg Terminal and analyze realtime financial market data. In my second internship, I worked as an Analyst at an Investment Banking firm. I worked with Capital IQ and Bloomberg. In this internship, my skill...

This is part two of our series “Journey from School to Work,” where our Office Assistant Rudaiba Islam (BBA Finance ’21) is interviewing six Zicklin students and sharing their journeys from class to work. Jocelyn Qiaoshuang Li MS Financial Risk Management ‘18 Interned at CENTSAI.com Why did you choose Baruch after obtaining a Bachelor’s from Cornell? When I decided to get a Master’s, I wanted to go to a well-known university that had a good location along with good academics. Zicklin has a very strong Finance program, and Baruch has a really strong alumni network. There are also a lot of opportunities to go to conferences, and meet new people. Our student body is also extremely diverse. So when it came to doing a cost-benefit analysis, Baruch was and is still the best option. How did you get your internship? There was an NYC based annual conference called "LendIt." Through the GCMC, I got free tickets for its 2017 conference. While there, I met with the founder...