Students, recent grads get advice from Pitt almuni

‘How many people here are concerned with what kind of job they’re going to get after… ‘How many people here are concerned with what kind of job they’re going to get after graduation?’ Leland Patouillet asked to a packed lecture hall on the 3rd floor of Alumni Hall last Thursday afternoon.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Scores of hands belonging to Pitt students rose to answer him.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Thursday night, the Pitt Alumni Association and the Office of Career Services co-sponsored three hours of seminars and career networking sessions in Alumni Hall for Pitt undergraduates, graduate students and alumni. The event, called Pathways to Professions, was designed to alleviate some of students’ job concerns.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ More than 300 Pitt undergraduates and another 200 job-seeking alumni and graduate students registered online through the Alumni Office Web site to attend the event, according to Leland Patouillet, the executive director of the Pitt Alumni Association. Another 100 alumni ‘mentors’ from around the country volunteered their time and expertise.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Events started at 4 p.m. with a panel of recently graduated alumni addressing the audience and taking questions from a variety of students and alumni.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ At 5 p.m., Frederick Hill, a College of General Studies class of ’75 alumnus and executive vice president of marketing and communications at J.P. Morgan Chase, addressed the assembled students and alumni with a 30-minute speech.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Among other things, Hill stressed some key points for success to those in attendance by giving examples from his own professional life.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ To illustrate the importance of both risk-taking and selling oneself, Hill told an anecdote about his days with aerospace company McDonnell Douglas, now Boeing-McDonnell Douglas. He said he attended one of the aerospace industry’s bi-annual ‘air shows’ in England, at which the world’s major airplane makers announced their sales.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ That year, sales had been terrible, but his company needed to appear competitive to attract clients. At great financial and professional risk, his company paid for an extremely expensive blimp bearing the company name and logo to fly over the greater-London area for millions of people to see.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ By the end of the show, because of the marketing move, his company had picked up a few sales and the risk had paid off.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ In regards to entering into an uncertain job market, Hill recommended that young job seekers read a book by Andy Grove, the former CEO of Intel, titled ‘Only the Paranoid Survive.’ The book describes Grove’s navigation of personal and professional challenges that resulted in eventual financial success.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ He also related advice his grandfather, who had experienced all the negative effects of segregation in America in the era before the Civil Rights Movement, had given to him about going out into the working world

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘He told me, ‘wherever you go, and whatever you do, always act like you belong,’ Hill said, urging the audience to show ‘that you have just as much right to be there as anyone else.’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Later, another panel of older alumni addressed Pitt alumni and post-graduates who were seeking jobs.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Meanwhile, down in the Alumni Hall ballroom, Pitt undergraduates met for an hour with alumni from 40 different professional fields, including entrepreneurial business, writing, finance and dentistry.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Pitt junior Michael DaParma, who is majoring in computer science and business, said he hoped to meet representatives from technology companies who could give him advice on how best to enter that industry. He added that he liked the face-to-face informality of getting to talk with such people at the event, instead of the more formal and pressured environment of interviews.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Here, you don’t feel like you’re being interrogated, or that someone’s drilling you on your skills, or picking apart your resume,’ DaParma said. ‘The people you talk to here get to know who you are with the pressure off and decide if you’re a good match for their company.’

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ One alumni mentor networking at the event was Stephen H. Segal, College of Arts and Sciences class of ’97, who is managing editor of Pittsburgh Magazine. Segal, who is a former editor at The Pitt News, said he had been talking to students interested in the fields of journalism and publication about how to pursue various opportunities in those industries, both locally and beyond.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Eva Blum, CAS class of ’70, was also present at the event. Blum, a senior vice president at PNC Financial Services Group, as well as president of the Alumni Association, stressed the importance of alumni getting to know undergraduates at such events

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I feel very strongly that, coming back as alumni, we have a responsibility to talk to students and help them in thinking through what careers they want to pursue,’ Blum said.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ After meeting with undergraduates, the alumni got a chance to hold an hour-long ballroom networking session of their own.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ Patouillet said the idea to hold Pathways to Profession sprang from a variety of focus groups the Blue and Gold Society, Pitt’s student representative branch of the Alumni Association, held last fall. The focus groups revealed a large demand within Pitt’s student body for more assistance from Pitt alumni in finding jobs and internships through career networking.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We’ve asked them [the alumni], ‘Knowing what you know now, what would you have liked someone to tell you when you were a university major here at the University of Pittsburgh?” Patouillet said.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ According to Patouillet, in what is currently a difficult American job market for recent college graduates and older alumni alike, more than 80 percent of all jobs are found through career networking.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ He also said that, while events like this can play a big part in reversing the local trend, or ‘brain drain,’ of Western Pennsylvania college graduates leaving the region with their newfound skills, networking is also important for those Pitt graduates who end up moving to other regions, where they need to find receptive job contacts.

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We acknowledge the opportunities here, locally,’ said Patouillet, ‘but we’re also saying, ‘If you decide to, for whatever reason, move to Colorado, or L.A., or San Francisco, or Miami, wouldn’t it be helpful to meet alumni who could help do career networking in that area?”

‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ He added that having a degree from a well-known and respected university could also help Pitt graduates looking for good jobs.