Friday, September 21, 2012

Links to Marquette AIM Program Student Equity Recommendations for September 2012


 

In the first month of a new school year, the AIM Class of 2013 hit the ground running with their first equity presentations of the semester.  Including today’s student equity presentations we will have had 24 students pitch their stock recommendations.  Follow the links below to view these AIM student equity write-ups:




Thursday, September 20, 2012

How to Properly Address a Cover Letter if You Don’t Know the Hiring Manager’s Name


This might be a useful article for students during the interviewing season. This appeared in The Finance Professionals' Post (New York Society of Security Analysts) on how to address a cover letter if you don’t know the hiring manager’s name by Penny Locey, a vice president with Keystone Associates.

You’re applying for a job online, but you don’t know the hiring manager’s name or gender. How can you find that information? Or, if you can’t get a name, what are some alternative ways to address the cover letter without being too impersonal or old-fashioned?

HERE ARE SOME TIPS ON HANDLING TRICKY SITUATIONS LIKE THESE:

If applying for a position online, your resume and letter will be going to HR and hopefully on to the hiring manager. Unless the position says who the hiring manager is and most of them don’t, you’re going to have to do a little digging.

First check the company website. If that doesn’t work use your Internet search engine by putting in the company name, department doing the hiring, and any other information that relates to the position. For example, there often is enough identifying information in the position description such as “this position reports to the VP of Product Strategy.” If you find the person’s name, but cannot determine gender (again, Google can be invaluable as the person may have been quoted, or have posted a photo), then you can put the person’s whole name and address.

If this doesn’t produce a suitable hiring manager, do a search for the head of recruiting (company name+ Human Resources+ Recruiting). The HR recruiter or head of recruiting might have posted the position and you could address that person directly.

More often than not, it will be difficult to identify those people directly, but you still need a graceful way to begin.

Avoid writing “Dear X.” You can start the letter with an identifier like: RE: JOB #12345 : Product Marketing Manager, then begin the body of your letter. Or, address it to Dear Hiring Manager and HR Partner for (“area” – e.g. Product Marketing).

If you are using a search firm, the firm may have a way they want you to address the letter (they may also rework your resume into “their” format). You can also address the recruiter or firm, since they will have posted the position.

WAYS AROUND THE SCREENING SOFTWARE

For those of you in key professional or managerial roles especially, you may want to direct a letter to the hiring manager or the head of the group with the opening directly, in addition to whatever submission you make online. This is especially true if you have a non-traditional background that could make you an asset, but get you screened out by screening software, or a casual review of your background.

These letters would be different, and you want to target those directly to the situation the company/group finds itself in, and why you might bring something key or special to bear.

For example: (to the VP of Product by name) I noted with interest that you are expanding your marketing team for (product X); this would be an exciting time to be associated with (company) as you bring this product from proof of concept to the marketplace, given the competition you face from (company Y) in this space. I am taking the liberty to write you directly, as I have an unusual background that I believe could be a strategic asset to you in this situation, but which might be screened out by typical recruiting software.

Then go on to add a few highlights that get the person to look at your resume.

I hope this helps some of you seeking full-time or internship positions.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Breaking News: Marquette's Finance Program Ranked 17th Nationally


U.S. News released its “Best Colleges” rankings today, including the Best Undergraduate Business Programs.  
 
The U.S. News ranked Marquette University 83rd among national universities. Similar to the University, the College of Business Administration was ranked 87 among Best Undergraduate Business Programs, a drop from last year’s ranking of 81.
 
Marquette's College of Busienss Administration was also recognized for top specialty programs in accounting, finance and supply chain management. Finance is ranked 17, up one spot from last year, and supply chain management is ranked 16, the same as last year. Accounting is ranked for the first time at 23.
 
Business school rankings are based solely on a peer assessment survey of deans and senior faculty at each U.S. undergraduate business program accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).
 
 
The top finance speciality undergraduate programs were:
 
1. University of Pennsylvania
2. New York University
3. University of California - Berkeley
4. MIT
5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
6. University of Texas - Austin
7. University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
8. Carnegie Mellon
9. University of Virginia
10. Indiana University
11. Ohio State University
12. University of Florida
13. Boston College
13. University of Illinois
15. Creighton University
15. University of Southern California
17. MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY
17. University of Maryland
17. University of Washington
17. Emory University
17. Loyola University - Chicago
22. Fordham University
22. Loyola University - Maryland
23. Washington University
26. University of Georgia
26. University of Notre Dame
26. University of Wisconsin