Office illuminates job market picture

 by Joseph N Hermiz
 published on Thursday, April 10, 2008

America's poor economy is giving many graduates a rude awakening as they enter the job market.

However, the School of Global Management and Leadership, or SGML, is trying to make the transition from student to professional as realistic and effective as possible through its Office for Professional Advancement and Engagement.

Ursula Scheren, academic services manager and head of the Office for Professional Advancement and Engagement, said the program strives to get "students who are going through their degree and certification programs to better prepare for more realistic expectations for when they get into the work force."

Scheren said she and the Office for Professional Advancement and Engagement also analyze what jobs students are being offered and provides them with expectations for what their salaries will be, based on what the industry is normally paying.

The real reason the program was started, Scheren said, was to allow students and alumni to have a competitive edge in the job market.

"While I was doing recruiting, I went to a Jobing.com event, and I was promoting SGML, and many individuals there said to me, 'I cannot do anything with my degree program,' " she said.

Tanya Moushi, global business sophomore, said she knows firsthand the pressures of the job market right now.

"Most of my family is involved in the financial services at some level or another," Moushi said. "They are now experiencing the difficulties of originating business, and if SGML can help in preparing for the workforce, then it is definitely an added benefit of being a student of SGML."

The program is designed in three phases that take place during each semester, including a short summer session.

Phase one of the program is workshops that take place every Friday morning for students to talk through the subjects they are studying and have to effectively demonstrate skills in that focus. If they do not complete this activity, they cannot progress to the next phase.

Phase two consists of a series of panels pertaining to related industries and fields that the students are looking to go into, in the hopes of giving SGML students better connections to the power players in the financial community.

Phase three provides mentoring opportunities for students with professionals in the industry, giving the student time to make that first connection.

Internships that will be geared toward specialties and other sectors of the financial-services industry are also being provided for students in the program.

Reach the reporter at: joseph.hermiz@asu.edu.