Welcome to the University of Montana College of Business (COB) and thank you for visiting our Career Development Program Parent Page.

Working to Prepare and Connect

In 2005, the COB Career Development Program was created and funded by COB alumni serving on the College of Business's Advisory Council who saw the need for students to develop a career focus while in college, including job search training and network building. Our program focuses on preparing students for their careers and on connecting employers and students.

Why COB? Employers and alumni turn to COB Career Development when they're hiring because we have great, hardworking students; excellent faculty; an excellent curriculum; and we make it easy for them to spend quality time with students and make smart hiring decisions.

COB's Career Development program typically brings more than 60 companies into the building each semester, offering a myriad of networking opportunities for all students. One of the lauded strengths of our program is the quality one-on-one time we offer employers and students. We strongly encourage building a strong resume and a strong network while at UM through course work, internships, and other activities. There are also many benefits to being a COB alum.

Donor-funded. We are proud to report that the Career Development Program relies 100% on donor funding and benefits more than 1,000 students each semester.

Why the focus on networking? Employers are relying less and less on the pool of resumes and more on personal knowledge to hire employees. Meeting potential hires in person, or getting personal referrals, has become the preferred way to fill positions. Recruiters visiting the business college are looking to get to know students beforethe interview. In addition, we have a strong alumni network that is eager to mentor COB students and bring them into their own network circles. Our events help facilitate these relationships.

Goals. We’re sure that one of your goals for your student’s college education is to enable him/her to pursue a successful and rewarding career. We want to help toward that end by offering your student the opportunity to participate in career development events during their four years at COB. We have structured our program to follow a logical career development progression, with a host of workshops and events offered every semester, and assignments embedded into four required classes; one at each level. However, the required curriculum is just the tip of the iceberg. We always tell students that it's up to them to take the initiative, develop their network early, and utilize everything that we have to offer. Start early, and chances are they may enter their final semester at UM with a job offer.

How can you help your student prepare for his/her career?

In her book, Getting from College to Career, author Lindsey Pollak provides helpful recommendations for parents. We highlight some of her insights below.

DO

• Encourage your student to participate fully in all of COB’s career development activities
• Review personality inventories and assessment results with your student and help him/her understand anything confusing
• Proofread your student’s résumé and cover letter
• In addition to good grades, promote the importance of membership in COB clubs, student chapters of professional associations, campus organizations, and community volunteerism
• Encourage your student to develop career-focused job skills through an internship
• Ask to see their transcripts – just as an employer will
• Introduce them to any of your contacts who may be helpful
• Practice interviewing techniques and questions
• Assist your student with the purchase of his/her professional attire
• Push your student to tidy, set tight privacy settings, and post an acceptable photo on their Facebook page

DON’T

• Write your student’s résumé or cover letter
• Send out a résumé /job application on their behalf
• Contact employers/recruiters/faculty/career counselors on their behalf
• Attend career fairs on their behalf
• Accompany your student to a job interview.

About Career Development

Thanks to our donors, COB’s Career Development Program is preparing students to participate and fully engage in the job search process using top notch marketing documents, a high level of professionalism, strong networking skills, well-prepared career plans and options, lifelong job search skills and a sense of direction.

We hope you will encourage your student to actively participate in our events and to begin planning and building their career as early as possible. Waiting until their senior year or after graduation is not a plan for success! A recent survey reports that 95% of employers look for internship experience as a factor in hiring, and candidates with internship experience were paid an average of 6.5% more than those without experience!

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer your time to our program as an employer to conduct résumé critiques, mock interviews, panel discussions, or presentations, please contact Traci Beighle at 243-6621 or traci.beighle@mso.umt.edu