Bev Porter on What the Jenkins MBA Career Center Offers Students

A Day in the Life: Bev Porter, Career Center Director

In part 2 of our ‘Day in the Life’ video series, Bev Porter, Director of the Jenkins MBA Career Management Center, provides a glimpse into what her team’s role is in ensuring the success of a Jenkins MBA student.

A Career Center Q&A With Incoming MBA Student, Ryan Larsen

Ryan Larsen is coming to NC State this fall as a dual-degree MBA and MBB (Master of Microbial Biotechnology) candidate. With a unique perspective as an incoming student, here are a few of the questions he has regarding the services provided by the Career Center, along with responses from Bev Porter.

Ryan: What resources are available to help my resume make it to the right person?

Bev: The Poole College of Management Career Center (CMC) partners with students to provide the foundation to build a lifetime of career success. Through experiential education, strong relationships with the corporate community, resources and coaching, Jenkins students gain the practical experience, confidence and skills to enter the marketplace with a proactive approach and nimble thinking. Our staff supports many aspects of career development and provides tools to comprehensively and effectively advance their candidacy through networking. We encourage our students to engage in professional associations, connect with Jenkins alumni, and participate in industry related events to build valuable relationships for their future.

Additionally, the CMC establishes and maintains relationships with business partners representing a variety of industries in order to provide the optimal value to employers and graduate students alike.

R: What events and activities will be held to help prepare me for entering the job market?

B: The Poole College of Management Career Center (CMC) provides education, resources and coaching around leadership development, job search, and internal career advancement. Our team of career coaches work one-on-one with each graduate student to build an individualized career management plan — assessing strengths and interests, building a brand and developing marketing documents, identifying target industries and employers or entrepreneurial endeavors, networking with advocates, interviewing, and negotiating. The CMC hosts numerous virtual webinars and face-to-face learning labs workshops to cover important topics such as best-in-class resume optimization, networking and interviewing.

R: What is the process for meeting with the Career Center personnel over the course of the student experience?

B: The CMC puts the needs of our students first. From orientation to our M610 Career Course, students become familiar with CMC staff immediately after joining Jenkins and continue to see staff regularly. In addition to 1:1 scheduled meetings, we host regular drop-in office hours for graduate students. During these sessions, topics of coaching range from personal branding to interview preparation to salary negotiation, ensuring you begin to build your ideal career.

We are committed to student success. Our industry experience and flexible format allows the CMC staff to provide our students with a customizable approach to career management. Our staff promises to prepare, educate and celebrate students throughout their career journey, and align career strategies to each student’s skill set and goals.  Each phase of the process requires education and guidance to ensure an effective and successful result. For some, the discussions of discovery are more comprehensive to design a unique career strategy that fits their future needs. For others, interview practice, networking development and solidifying their career management plan is modest. Regardless of the individual, we meet them where they are to provide the resources and tools for an effective future.

R: Are there specialized Career Center personnel for specific concentrations?

B: We are passionate professionals and career experts in the field of management. With diverse backgrounds and extensive business relationships, our CMC staff provides vast knowledge in all management areas.