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March 31, 2008
Spotlight on the Career Development Center - Introducing CareerBeam
This month the Massey e-Leader is pleased to feature a briefing by Lori LeBleu, Director of the College of Business Career Development Center, on new tools and services to aid students and alumni in all facets of their career search.
When it comes to Career Development, follow these three steps: Be Clear - Be Compelling – Be Strategic!
1) Be Clear: Clarify your goals; develop your focus; identify key characteristics about yourself.
2) Be Compelling: Present your credentials powerfully; communicate your talents and value effectively using resumes, cover letters and the interview.
3) Be Strategic: Identify contacts and networks within your industry; plan and set goals to meet your career objectives; target positions and organizations; track your progress; address obstacles; and negotiate the best offer.
The mission of the College of Business Career Development Center is to assist College of Business students and alumni through all aspects of the Career Development process. We offer individual career coaching/ counseling, resume preparation, job search strategy and interview preparation sessions.
We also focus on securing the best available online career resources. The 3 steps mentioned above are borrowed from our newest resource. The product is called CareerBeam, a cutting edge resource that has been adopted by over 50 schools including Harvard, Wharton, Notre Dame and University of Michigan. Its goal is to integrate all phases and stages of the career development process into a private labeled portal. It is unique in its strong foundation in strategic search, which emphasizes career management as a predominantly self-directed and proactive process for lead generation.
The reality is that most people were never taught how to job search, much less identify their career goals and as a result rely on open job postings as their primary source for career management. Given that only 10-20% of all positions are ever posted in the open market and less than 4% of people obtain their next career move through this process, you need a tool that will help you access the hidden job market.
CareerBeam sources powerful lead generation technologies that capture information on companies, industries and contacts within companies through sophisticated web crawling applications and actually extends access to very expensive resources that you could not otherwise reach. Then they integrate these databases and tools with a career management seminar series to help students/alumni become familiar enough with the career development process to be able to utilize the databases effectively.
Accessing CareerBeam
To get access to the information and resources provided by CareerBeam, click on the link below:
https://www.belmont.edu/careerservices/careerbeam/
Enter your BUID (Alumni, you can find your BUID by logging into the BIC Account you used when you were on campus. If you cannot access your BIC account, contact our office and we can send your information).
Click on the “CareerBeam Register Now” logo and complete the registration form. A username and password will be emailed to you to give you access to the CareerBeam system.
System Specifics
When you log on to CareerBeam, you’ll see that it has two menus. The first menu is the databases and resources located across the top of the system and the second menu is the seminar series broken into three categories down the left side. Here is what the system offers:
RESOURCE MENU – (across the top)
The items described above are part of the Organization Database. It is one of the most powerful areas in the system for those you who already know what you want to do, can articulate it both in writing and verbally, and are at a place in their career development to begin sourcing target companies and generating leads. Additionally the top row provides other resources including:
-Industry Database - provides detailed information on over 200 industries, including recent developments, executive insights and questions to ask potential employers, giving you the competitive edge to win more offers.
-Organization Database - search over 18 million organizations containing company overview, personnel and business intelligence. Database gives access to 22 million company contacts, many with biographies and contact information, which is great for connecting with potential employers and alumni. Trigger technology that continually scans more than 20,000 business sources for over 150 categories of “job trigger events” which indicate an actual job posting or event that creates opportunity.
-Multi-National Database – allows users to identify U.S. Companies that operate outside the U.S. and foreign firms with offices in the U.S.
-International Database - search for companies in over 70 countries outside the U.S. & Canada.
-E-library - provides over 300 links to relevant career development sites
-FAQ – allows you to ask or review answers to the most frequently asked career questions
-Quick Start Videos - provides instruction on using different parts of the system
SEMINAR SERIES – (left-hand menu)
This portion of the system is crucial if you do not currently have a clear sense of direction on your future career path or struggle to communicate your value effectively to potential employers. It also includes seminars to introduce strategic career search if you are not yet familiar with this process
-10 assessments - covering values, temperament, personality, interests, skills, talents, fascinations, and culture fit that culminate into a personalized career profile report
-Professional Resume and Cover Letter Builders
-Interview preparation and network development tools
-Career search planning & strategy formation exercises
As you can see, there is a wealth of information and resources within CareerBeam. There are regular demonstrations of the system. I encourage you to take advantage of these. Demonstrations are held the 1st Wednesday of every month at 8:00 PM EST and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 12:00 PM EST. Simply call: 1-877-213-1363 and enter Access code: 5000.
If you have questions or would like make an appoitnment, contact Lori LeBleu, Director of the Career Development Center at 460-6217 or via email lebleul@mail.belmont.edu.
David Beckmann to Speak on on "Connecting Faith and Ethics to Economic Life"
IT’S NOT TOO LATE! If you have not already signed up, there is still time for you to register to attend the presentation by David Beckmann, noted economist and President of Bread for the World, on Tuesday, April 8, at 5:00 PM. Along with his unique perspective as a minister and economist, Beckmann brings a wealth of experience from 15 years with the World Bank to his presentation.
The April 8 presentation by David Beckmann on "Connecting Faith and Ethics to Economic Life" will be held in the Frist Lecture Hall in the Gordon E. Inman Center on Wedgewood Avenue. There will be a Reception at 4:30 PM and Beckmann’s presentation will begin at 5:00 PM. This event is free, but seating is limited. If you would like to reserve a seat, send an email to cobaethics@mail.belmont.edu .
A Lutheran minister and an economist, Rev. David Beckmann earned his Master of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics, a Master of Divinity from Christ Seminary in St. Louis, and his undergraduate degree from Yale University. He has received honorary doctorates from Villanova University, the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale and Capital University.
Rev. Beckmann was called by his church to be a "missionary-economist," and he served in a church-supported development program in rural Bangladesh from 1975-76. He then moved to the World Bank for 15 years, where as a World Bank economist he played a prominent role in the Bank's heightened focus on poverty reduction and fostered greater collaboration between the Bank and grassroots groups that work for poor people. He supervised slum improvement projects, wrote speeches for the president of the Bank, and finally led the Bank's efforts to engage with religious, environmental, and other grass-roots groups around the world.
Rev. Beckmann served for several years on the board of Bread for the World before becoming president of the organization in 1991. Bread for the World is a grass-roots, Christian citizens' movement against hunger. Its 56,000 members and member churches urge the U.S. government to take actions to reduce hunger, both domestic and international. Rev. Beckmann is also president of Bread for the World Institute, which does research and education on hunger. Rev. Beckmann has written numerous books and articles. His books include Grace at the Table: Ending Hunger in God's World, Transforming the Politics of Hunger and Friday Morning Reflections at the World Bank.
April Power Lunch with VF Imagewear
The April Power Lunch will be held Thursday, April 10th at VF Imagewear (545 Marriott Drive, Nashville, TN 37214). We will be hearing from Steve Cochran, president of VF Imagewear. Visit http://www.vfsolutions.com for more information. To RSVP for this event, please email masseygrad@mail.belmont.edu by Monday, April 7 at 2:00 pm.
Volunteers and Resources Needed for Belmont Literacy Day
The Massey Networking & Community Service Committee needs your help with Belmont Literacy Day, Saturday, April 12th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The Massey Graduate School of Business is hosting a “Fun with Food” themed reading circle in which we will read to and with children from Pre-K to 6th grade.
Volunteers and materials are needed. If you would like to volunteer your time, or make a cash or book donation, please contact April Khoury at april.khoury@gmail.com (Cash will be used to purchase books that can be used for this and future Literacy Day events. Books donated and purchased will become property of the Massey Graduate School of Business Alumni Association Networking Committee).
For more information about Belmont University's 8th Annual Family Literacy Day, click here.
Massey Students Travel to Spain
Thank you to Becky Gann for sharing her experiences and photos from the Massey international trip to Spain.
I attended the Spring 2008 International Business Field Study trip to Spain this March with Dr. Overby and 23 classmates from the MBA and MACC programs. During the trip we stayed the entire week in a lovely hotel in the center of old Madrid just blocks from the Royal Palace.
Our week was packed with intriguing visits to area businesses such as Deloitte Madrid, Grupo Santander, Inditex, McCann Erikson, Repsol, Club Atletico de Madrid, Union Fenosa, ONO Spain, Adolfo Toledo Winery, and Unilever in Aranjuez. It is hard to believe we experienced so much in one week.
From the cuisine to the historical sites and business visits, we even had time to see the works of Picasso at the Reina Sofia Museum and experience flamenco at Casa Patas. One of our colleagues even attended a championship futbol game, Real Madrid vs. Roma. In real Massey School fashion, we all learned an immense amount in a short amount of time with a great group of friends and a great professor.
Massey to Host Presentation on International Business
On Thursday, May 8, 2008, the Jack C. Massey Graduate School at Belmont University will be hosting a presentation entitled “Global Trends and Cultural Practices That Will Impact Your Business.” The presentation is offered in conjunction with the Society of International Business Fellows and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Clark Plexico, president of International Strategies, Inc., will be the speaker. Mr. Plexico’s bio is attached below. The event will begin with a continental breakfast at 7:15 am followed by the program from 8:00 am to 9:00 am. Alumni and current students are welcome to attend. Register by visiting http://www.sitemason.com/form/hgIyS4.
Bio
Clark Plexico is President of International Strategies, Inc. located in Raleigh, North Carolina. International Strategies, Inc. conducts seminars and coaching in international business protocol and cross cultural competency for corporations, NGO’s, and government agencies preparing them for international business ventures, trade missions and to develop and maintain effective and efficient multinational teams. In addition, Clark Plexico works with educators throughout the United States helping them to internationalize education as a way of preparing the next generation of leaders for success in the 21st century global workplace.
Mr. Plexico brings a diverse professional background to his work with clients, having experience as an international entrepreneur, elected official and corporate executive. He is a former North Carolina State Senator who was elected to four terms before becoming the state president for law and government affairs for AT&T. Before being elected to public office, Mr. Plexico was the owner of an international real estate company located in London, Tehran and Hong Kong and lived and worked abroad for over a decade.
In addition to his professional experience, Mr. Plexico earned his M.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California, is a graduate of the School of Arabic at Middlebury College, and is trained and certified as a corporate and international business protocol consultant by the Protocol School of Washington and in cross cultural competency by both Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business in the United States and Richard Lewis Communications in the United Kingdom.
Highly involved in the life of North Carolina and serving on many boards, Mr. Plexico is also a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), the Southern Center of International Studies, and the Society of International Business Fellows. He has served as a facilitator for the Central Eurasia Leadership Academy (CELA) for six years, having been involved since its inception.
Massey Supports Habitat for Humanity
A combined group of Belmont/ Massey faculty, students and alumni spent Saturday, March 29th on a build project sponsored by Habitat for Humanity. Coordinated by the Massey Graduate Council President Aaron Murdock, the project represented an opportunity to partner with other volunteers from Caterpillar Financial in a joint effort to complete a home for a very deserving single mom and her two kids. As one volunteer said, “Though we had to fight the cold and rain, we all stuck with it (pun intended),” a reference no doubt to the 5-10 pound boots that many volunteers were wearing by the end of the day based on the accumulation of sticky mud on their feet.
Workers spent much of the day putting up siding on the outside of the house, as well as installing insulation and cabinet bracing on the inside of the home. Other volunteers from various Nashville organizations were also working in the same area on at least 10 other homes at the same time. Overall, the day was a huge success, with volunteers indicating they would definitely want to be included in future build opportunities. This could well be the start of a new tradition, with plans currently on the table for repeating this experience next year.
Networking Luncheons
Massey Networking Luncheons are held on the third Thursday of the month (some exceptions apply during holiday months) and provide Massey students and alumni with an opportunity to stay in touch with one another, as well as to meet new potential business contacts.
The next luncheon will be held on April 17th at 11:30 a.m. at Mambu, located off of West End (1806 Hayes Street, Nashvile, TN, 37203). Contact Londa Morgan at londa@hardcastleconstruction.com or (615) 500-1443 for more information. Upcoming events include:
Other Upcoming Networking Luncheons
May 15 - Networking Luncheon at Bucca di Beppo, Franklin, 11:30am
June 19 - Networking Luncheon at Tin Angel, Nashville, 11:30am
Successful Power Lunch at CMT
The March Power Lunch was hosted by CMT, a division of MTV Networks. We heard from Chet Flippo, Editorial Director of content for CMT and CMT.com, and Evan Kroft, Senior Director of Music Programming. Chet’s experience as a journalist and editor with Rolling Stone and his continued impact on the music industry through his work at CMT were inspiring. Evan’s enthusiasm, impressive track record and scope of responsibility for someone under 30 were also motivational. 
Both speakers shared their personal career path, gave an overview of their current respective positions and fielded questions from the group. The luncheon wrapped up with a tour of the downtown facility, which includes CMT Radio Networks and the video production facilities. Thank you to CMT for its support of the Massey School of Business. 