Even though the content of the interview slants a little towards being directed to BAMM (Business Admin. - Marketing/Management) students, all students should find the bulk of it helpful and interesting.
If you enjoy this read, please like, share, follow, comment (all the works!) to let us know, and to keep up with future posts from this blog.
Note: the "answers" are summaries of her responses to questions posed, rather than direct quotes. We took care not to misrepresent her, though.
QUESTION: From a BAMM perspective, what
are the most promising jobs after graduating from South Hills?
ANSWER: Some of the most popular jobs
are Human Resources, Retail, Restaurant Management, Real Estate
Agent, and Sales. A BAMM student’s social media skills are desired
by companies in general, whether they are small or large. Banking is
also a very good opportunity because of its career path.
QUESTION: What are some opportunities
BAMM students are missing out on, or aren’t taking?
ANSWER: There are a lot of good sales jobs available, but students are often not taking them. It is perhaps because they want a job with a more “stable” income, though one of our students had found a sales position with good base pay plus commission. Additionally, a lot of students aren’t getting into franchising. If you begin working at a new franchise (example: a new Jersey Mike’s), you can go up the ladder fairly quickly if you stick with it. They also tend to shrug off Penn State positions because of the job descriptions, which sound too “administrative”.
QUESTION: What can a student do to
improve their hopes of finding a school while attending South Hills?
ANSWER: They can volunteer. Having a volunteer position on your resume that required a background check puts you ahead of the game, because of how often companies require them. Volunteer positions can also give you good experience related to a job you are applying for.
I noticed that when I teach the Job Search class, I ask students to list 3 companies they would like to work for and they usually can not. I recommend that students sign up to indeed.com to be aware of employment opportunities around the area. Additionally, students should take advantage of opportunities at South Hills such as field friends or job fairs.
QUESTION: How can Career Services help
students that’s a little out of the ordinary?
ANSWER: Career services can help students relocate; the office will call Career Service offices of other schools in different areas to help students that want to move out of the area.
Career Service also sends mass emails to graduates related to jobs, and students should
pay attention to South Hills’ “Help Wanted Wednesdays” on FB,
where they post about job opportunities. When a student finds a job,
whether it is from South Hills’ FB page, or their website, Career
Services will act as an intermediary and send the employer your
resume.
South Hills students can also seek help from South Hills’ Career Services if they are struggling to find a job. If a graduated student asks for help close to the time frame of an upcoming Career Fair, they may receive an invite to it.
