MBA Alumni Accelerator Program Overview Matt Soroka, Smeal MBA Career Coach
Program Purpose To provide students and alumni with a platform to deepen their career development knowledge-base, functional and industry expertise, and marketability To provide opportunities for students to develop their professional network through alumni outreach, informational and mock interviews, and strategic career planning 2
Leadership Team Matthew Soroka, Smeal MBA Program mas95@psu.edu Bronte Hamilton, TE Connectivity and AAB Member bronte.hamilton@subcom.com Email Matthew Soroka (mas95@psu.edu) for information on becoming an Alumni Accelerator 3
Areas of Expertise Resume Review Cover Letter Review LinkedIn Mock Interviews Informational Interviewing Case Interviewing Networking Strategies Offer Negotiation Career Switching Start-up/ Entrepreneurship Elevator Pitch International Students Federal Employment Consulting Veteran Students 4
Student Best Practices Review LinkedIn profile and bio before selection Research industry & function before outreach Develop self-awareness around any skills gaps Program runs on a first-serve basis, so have more than one Alumni Accelerator in mind Establish expectations on level of engagement Please provide feedback and suggestions to enhance this program 5
Accelerator of the Week Hi All- I hope everything is going well for you. The accelerator of the week is: Satya Vaswani Manager, Ernst & Young Capital and Credit Risk Management Advisory Satya (https://www.linkedin.com/in/satyavaswani/) is a manager in the Credit & Capital, Advisory Services of Ernst & Young LLP. Over 9 years' experience in the financial services & regulatory industry. Experience in developing cash flow & valuation models & working in corporate banking space. If you re interested in Consulting, Finance, Risk & Regulatory Compliance, or Commercial Banking please feel free to contact Satya. If your interest lies in other fields, please remember that Alumni Accelerator is a great resource. Just go to SmealConnect and you will find a very diverse group of alumni. 6
SmealConnect Email [date] Dear [mentee_fname] and [fname], [mentee_fullname] has selected [fullname] as an Accelerator to connect regarding function and industry of interest. Here is contact info for both of you: [fullname] - [email] [mentee_fullname] - [mentee_email] [mentee_fname], please reach out to [fname] soon with your availability to schedule a meeting. If you have any questions about this process, please contact Matthew Soroka, Associate Director of MBA Career Services at mas95@psu.edu Regards, MBA Career Services 7
Student Introduction Email Dear [student name], Congratulations on taking advantage of the MBA Alumni Accelerator program to connect with an alumnus regarding your career interest. Please read these instructions completely BEFORE attempting to select an Accelerator on SmealConnect. Log into SmealConnect. Go to MBA Accelerator Program tab. Click View to read an Accelerators profile and bio. Once you click Interested on an Accelerator profile, you have selected them. You will NOT see a confirmation page on SmealConnect, just the Accelerator s profile (again) but shortly thereafter you will receive an automatic note including your Accelerator s email. DO NOT click on Completed Relationship at the bottom of the screen. That will TERMINATE your connection to the Accelerator and leave him/her open to other students (even though you will have received a confirmation email that was sent automatically when you clicked Interested just a few seconds before!) PLEASE DO NOT select more than one Accelerator at a time. We want to give all the students the opportunity of choosing an Accelerator. Log out, find your email confirmation and reach out to your Accelerator, ideally within 24 hours of choosing them. Please let me know if you have any questions. Best! Matt 8