Tag: hiring

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Volvo Group Seeks Students Interested in International Business for Management Consultant Development Program

Recruiters (including Eric J. Brown ’02) from Volvo Group’s management consulting unit, Business Transformation Services (BTS), visited campus for an information session in Union 209 on Tuesday, Sept. 17.  BTS provides targeted decision support and analysis products to executive-level stakeholders across Volvo’s divisions and business areas.

Volvo’s global headquarters are in Gothenburg, Sweden, and its American headquarters are nearby in Greensboro, North Carolina.  Volvo is a multinational company, selling products in 190 countries with production facilities in twenty of those.  This year Volvo ranked number 227 on the Fortune Global 500 as a company with a large presence and successful products.  Volvo owns a few truck brands in the United States, India and China.  They also sell construction equipment, buses and engines for maritime use.  Their Finance and Business sector works within the company to maximize profits and handle finances.

Brown emphasized some advantages of working in internal consulting versus external consulting, although he claims that both have benefits and that he enjoyed previous work in external consulting for the federal government.  Brown pointed out to the students that internal consulting typically demands a 45-50 hour work week while external consulting typically demands a 65-70 hour work week.  He also said that external consultants often focus on sales, while internal consultants focus on delivery and making sure that the company works as well as possible.

Once accepted, the new hire will have a “trial by fire” opportunity to learn management consulting.  The consultant will immediately work in the field while receiving extensive training and coaching from a mentor and other consultants at the company.  The job starts out with a five-month program which begins in Gothenburg, Sweden (all expenses paid with a stipend and a per diem) and moves into an initial consulting project, which could be anywhere in the world.  The consultant will work in the Greensboro, NC office following the completion of this project.

Volvo BTS is only recruiting from three top-tier colleges and universities and is seeking Davidson students who have a minimum GPA of 3.3 and strong problem-solving abilities and who can perform well in case interviews.  The prospective hire must also be a team player, have a strong interest in international business and be excited about living and working overseas.

Interested students must apply on WildcatLink by Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 11:59 p.m. The first round of interviews will be at Davidson on October 7.  The second round of interviews will be at the Greensboro campus on November 21.  Davidson candidates may contact class of 2013 alum Elise Breda (elise.breda@volvo.com) to hear more about her experience in this role.

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Get “Linked In” With Your Future

By Paul Van Peursem, Career Services Ambassador

LinkedIn has always been somewhat of an enigma within the adolescent and young adult groups, typically seen as the “other” social networking tool or only for “grown-ups.” However, you shouldn’t brush this networking tool off as either irrelevant or daunting. Although it cannot guarantee a job offer, LinkedIn can help facilitate the job search through group discussions & forums, connections with co-workers and peers, and  provide a positive web presence.

Groups
Whether based around a company, university, interest or location, groups provide a forum for participants to share news and, most importantly, job references. By joining groups, you give yourself the advantage of hearing about jobs – either in your group’s industry, location, or at your school! Instead of fostering a competitive atmosphere between job seekers, all of the LinkedIn groups I have been a part of were a place for employed members to help out the job searchers. Especially if a group is connected by a common interest or location, members want to see other fellow members succeed in their job career.

Co-worker Connections
If you have the chance, “link-in” (connect) with your fellow co-workers. Although they may not be potential employers, they can send job opportunities your way, grow your network of friends, and provide recommendations. LinkedIn allows people to “recommend” your work; so those you have worked with, or for, can comment on one of your positions with praise for your character, work ethic, etc. They are the ones who actually know your job skills and can provide a legitimate reference when future employers are checking your job history. If you have a close relationship with your boss, be sure to ask for a recommendation – even a sentence or two of praise could go a long way. Also, as you gain more and more connections, you are more easily searchable within the LinkedIn database.

Web Presence
Most importantly, with the proliferation of Facebook and Twitter, it is essential that young adults have a positive image projected on the web. I have heard countless stories of employers ‘googling’ potential hires and what better place to steer them than LinkedIn (and away from Facebook!) Keeping your page updated and professional, although similar to your resume, illustrates that you care about your professional success and that you are able to present yourself well. Using the recommendation tool and filling your profile with responsibilities or skills lets you go beyond what could otherwise fit on a one-page resume.

I was highly skeptical when I first joined LinkedIn, but the help it’s provided in job searching and networking with senior executives has convinced me that it is essential for any college student looking to join the professional world.

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Managing F.E.A.R.


By Damian White, Career Services Ambassador

Throughout my undergraduate experience, I have found that some of the most interesting and powerful lessons are learned outside of the classroom.  On September 18th, I had the opportunity to attend a talk given by Hill Harper at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.  Hill Harper, an alumnus of Harvard Law School, is an author, activist, and actor who is most recently known for his role in CSI: NY.

After the hustle and bustle of the crowd settled, Hill Harper asked the audience: “What do you think is the number one obstacle the keeps young people from achieving their dreams?” Silence overcame the crowd, and he answered, “F.E.A.R.” Not a “scared of the dark” type of fear, but Hill asserted a “False Evidence Appearing Real” type of fear.  His point was that students often constrain and restrict their dreams by succumbing, consciously and unconsciously, to outside factors that set limits on their potential.

In the beginning of his talk, Hill told students to write down their dreams. After captivating the audience through the use of his metaphor of being an “Active Architect of our Dreams,” Hill asked the students to double their dreams. At this point, students were supposed to write down dreams twice as big as the ones they had written in the beginning of the program. The fact that so many students could double their dreams was proof that F.E.A.R. had already impacted the way they think about their goals and dreams.

So, how do we combat F.E.A.R.?
As the “Active Architects of our Dreams,” we must have a strong foundation.  Hill Harper says that education and money are the foundation that we need in order to begin to build our “dream.”  He asserts that while neither education nor money promise success, they both often lead to options that help as we navigate the often non-linear paths to our dreams.

Next, we need a framework.  This framework is found in the support systems that allow our foundations to remain stable, such as family, friends, and mentors.

Beginning to see our structure develop, we need walls. He says that these walls are made up of the choices that we make.  These choices become very influential in the way that we prepare for the metaphorical “weather” (hardships and obstacles) that we will face along the way.

Finally, Hill says that we need a door.  This door serves to let people in and out of our structure.  By regulating this door, we begin to take control of who has access to our dreams.

Davidson…I think it is time to close the door on F.E.A.R. and open it back up for our dreams.

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The 10 Worst Mistakes of First-Time Job Hunters

We are sharing an article written for college students in the career advice section of the Wall Street Journal.  Read the entire article because it lays out important advice on managing your professional future and preparing for the current job market.  The most important points:
– Start your job search early and use career services
– Gain professional experience through summer and academic year internships.  It is pretty much a requirement for post-graduate employment.
– Apply to jobs now and meet with employers visiting  campus
– Network with alumni, family, friends and other contacts.  People on the inside of organizations can provide you with the best lead on jobs.

Read the full article here

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Use LinkedIn to Find Federal Jobs

Using LinkedIn to narrow down hires for the federal government? It’s true, with the introduction of LinkedIn’s two new tools, Skills and Similar Profiles.  Both federal government websites and  LinkedIn use algorithms to highlight individuals based on their talent, influence and expertise.

When seeking jobs on LinkedIn, include a “robust” LinkedIn profile, with many contacts and recommendations, a portfolio and links to your work, and provide an interesting introduction with keywords applicable to your relevant field, with a long bulleted list of specialties.  Your “profile” then stands out to employers, and gets noticed – to federal recruiters, as well as recruiters from corporate and nonprofit organizations.

Users look at groups that are within their particular field. Frequent postings on LinkedIn will move your name up higher in the search engine rankings. Hiring managers can then “notice” you, make contact, and refer you to appropriate federal application processes, all while keeping you in mind for positions that are open.  Find out more by reading Key Words in Social Media: A New Way to Find Top Talent.

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Seniors: When Will Most of You Land Job Offers?

By Nathan Elton, Director of Career Services

I am bringing up this point because the recruiting season for the Class of 2012 has already begun.   I can name six or seven of your fellow classmates who have already accepted job offers after their summer internships in the banking industry.  Davidson also has employers in the banking, consulting and business services industries visiting campus over the next few weeks to recruit you for full-time positions.   This early recruitment creates excitement on campus, but I also pick up on some angst as seniors wonder if it is already do or die time for landing a job.

I want to share some data about your classmates from the Class of 2011.  Roughly 65% of the class have or will be entering the world of work while the remaining 35% have entered graduate school, taken time off to travel, or embarked on some other activity.

Of the 65% of graduates from the Class of 2011 who are or will be employed:

– 12.8% accepted job offers during fall semester

– 62.6% accepted job offers during spring semester – mainly in March, April & May

– 24.6% have or will accept job offers after graduation

The seniors who landed jobs in the fall mainly entered the banking, finance, and consulting fields.  This is typical because many of the larger employers in these fields recruit early in the fall.  A much wider range of employers representing areas such as, but not limited to, the arts, nonprofit and social service, public policy, communications, public health, sciences, consulting, finance and business services recruit throughout the year.

So, what does this mean for you?  Some seniors will land jobs this fall (you may be one of them) but there is a good chance that the employer hiring you may not actively begin recruiting until the spring.  Does this mean that you should put off your job search until January?  NO.   

The most successful seniors from last year started their job search in the fall:

– They met multiple times with the Career Services advising staff who partnered with them to develop and implement a job search plan.

– They connected with helpful Davidson alumni and parents who provided information on employers, offered excellent resume writing and interviewing advice, and helped them to meet additional people who were recruiting seniors for jobs.

– They met with employers visiting campus, participated in the SLAC Recruiting Days and applied for jobs in our recruiting system.

– They treated their job search like an additional class – each week they set small, accomplishable goals, which built confidence and allowed them to shine in every stage of the job search process.

Please know that the staff in the Office of Career Services are your friends and partners in the job search process.  We work in this field because we love to see students succeed in developing, implementing and achieving their goals for life after Davidson.  Stop in to see us soon.