DUKE UNIVERSITY
BUSINESS CAREERS PAGE


READ ME FIRST!!
You will maximize your chances of finding that prime business opportunity if you follow these five steps.

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1998-99 IMPORTANT DATES

for Duke students seeking opportunities in Business

Duke Annual Career FairOctober 1st
Duke Annual Summer Job FairFebruary 3rd
Conference on Careers in International Business (UNC-Charlotte)
Details: (704) 547-2407; mbzink@email.uncc.edu		TBA

Interview Training SessionsWeekly
CDC web site/OCR Training Sessions (CDC J.O.B. rm)Daily (by appointment)
CDC Resumé Review Walk-Ins (no appointment)Daily 1-5pm

SEARCH THE CDC EVENTS CALENDAR


Please carefully read these pages before making an appointment
with Dr. Maskel!

Appointments: 660-1050

Duke Students and Business Opportunities

Each year, hundreds of Duke students graduate and begin careers in business. Many enter career path positions while others seek only to work for a few years before attending business or law school. Each summer, hundreds of Duke undergraduates work for businesses in paid and unpaid internship positions and summer jobs. The process of preparing for a career or a job in business is not a difficult one as long as you recognize that it will take some time and energy. The more time and energy that you devote to the process, the greater will be your chances for success. This information handout is designed to help you maximize your time and assist you throughout the search process by suggesting programs, resources and strategies that have been helpful to earlier classes of Duke students seeking careers and jobs in business.

What types of business opportunities are available?

You will find hundreds of different jobs and internships available in the business sector. In the Career Development Center (CDC), jobs and internships are classified by job function. Job functions of interest to those seeking business opportunities might include the following: Business and Management, Accounting, Banking and Finance, Hotel/Motel, Insurance, Real Estate, Customer Service, Sales and Marketing, Purchasing, Distribution, Merchandising, Telemarketing.

Many Duke students interested in business careers consider pursuing a graduate degree but want to work for a few years before applying to business or law school. Most of these highly competitive "2yr." opportunities are offered by investment banks, consulting firms, and law firms. See the CDC web site and the business sections of the CDC Library and J.O.B. room for more information.

What do business employers seek in a candidate?

While all business employers will look at your academic achievements, grades are not the only (or even the most important) consideration in the hiring process. In most cases, employers will look within your background for balance and depth among several categories of skill, training, and experience. You should be able to demonstrate in a letter, resumé, and interview that you have an appropriate combination of analytical and communicative skills. Leadership and team (cooperative) skills are also very important. In some cases, you will need to demonstrate your quantitative skills and abilities. Employers will look at your coursework, your summer jobs and internships, your part-time academic year jobs, and your activities on campus and in the community. They will look for business related experiences and training. They will look for evidence that suggests your "fitness" for the work culture of their company. They will look for evidence of your enthusiasm and knowledge of their industry, their company, and the job for which you are applying.

Business Resources on the Internet

For links to additional industry, company, job, and business school information, you should explore some of the Business Resources on the Internet.

What programs and resources are available at the CDC?

The 1998-99 Career Handbook provides essential information about all CDC programs and personnel as well as sections about writing letters and resumés and preparing for interviews. Free copies are available at the CDC.

Links to Internship & Summer Jobs Web Sites will help you in locating a wide variety of business related summer opportunities.

The Ventures Internship Program offers semester-long volunteer internships in local area businesses. Internships are available to all undergraduates. Information sessions are scheduled during the beginning of each semester. Participating area employers are listed on the CDC web site. Contact Ms. Donna Harner, Career Specialist, for more details.

On-Campus Recruiting (OCR) offers interviews for summer and post-graduation positions with a wide variety of businesses. Interviews are conducted in the CDC interview facility (03 Page). Information about OCR employers and schedules is available on the CDC web site. To learn more about OCR policies and procedures, refer to the 1995-96 Career Handbook and attend an OCR System training session in the J.O.B. room (106 Page). OCR System training is essential for students interested in on-campus interviews.

CDC Web Site is an on-line resource system that provides information at computer clusters located throughout the University and is available 24-hours a day. By using the CDC web site, you may review bulletins, information about the Center, OCR schedules, and summer or post-graduation correspondence opportunities (advertised job listings). Training sessions for the web site are offered by appointment in the J.O.B. room. Questions about our web site should be directed to Mr. Jeff Henley, Career Specialist.

The CDC Library (217 Page) houses a business section with books, directories, periodicals, video and computer resources. See the business section for industry resources and information about companies. A recommended starting point is the Business Careers Resources Notebook. Additional business resources are located in Perkins Library and the Fuqua Library.

The CDC J.O.B. Room (106 Page) acts as the primary repository for information about specific job opportunities. In addition to a designated business section, the J.O.B. room houses CDC web site terminals. A section of the room is reserved for take-away materials supplied by OCR employers and designated for pickup by candidates with scheduled on-campus interviews.

DukeSource is the Center's career advising network available on a database containing thousands of alumni and parent volunteers from across the country and overseas. DukeSource volunteers are ready to advise you about specific career fields and job-hunting strategies. DukeSource is available on the CDC web site. Contact Ms. Antoinette Qutami, Coordinator, for details.

The Duke Career Fair (Oct. 1, 1998) and the Duke Summer Job Fair (Feb. 3, 1999) will bring employers on campus to inform students of post-graduation and summer opportunities. Many employers will collect student resumés at their display tables. Both of these annual events are held in the Bryan Center.

Interview Training Sessions are scheduled weekly throughout each semester. See the CDC web site or the CDC bulletin board for scheduled times and locations.

Employer Information Sessions are scheduled on campus by many companies during the fall and winter. Take advantage of these opportunities to meet and talk with employer representatives as they provide information about their companies and jobs. See the CDC web site for details.

The Business Electronic Mailing List will keep you informed about the latest CDC news related to business jobs and OCR activities. You may subscribe to this two list by using your e-mail account and following the mailing list instructions in the CDC web site.

How should my resumé look?

See the "Resume Information" and "Cover Letter" sections in the 1996-97 CDC Career Guide for help in constructing your resumés and cover letters. Other resumé writing resources can be found in the CDC Library and Perkins Library. For business resumés, be certain to emphasize your experience, training and skills in the following areas: quantitative, analytical, computer, communications, leadership, teams. If you have business or business-related experience (paid or volunteer), you might consider listing it within a general category headed "Business Experience," "Business Related Experience" or within a more specific category (e.g., "Retail Experience," "Management Experience," "Banking Experience"). For additional assistance in preparing business resumés, make an appointment in the CDC with Mr. Henley or Dr. Maskel. To have your resumé critiqued by a CDC professional staff member without an appointment, visit the CDC any afternoon (1-5pm) and inquire at the appointments desk.

To MBA, or not to MBA!?

For information about graduate programs in business, contact Dean Martina Bryant, 03 Allen Bldg., 684-2075. View information about Business Schools.

Where do I begin?

First, pick up a Career Handbook and read it! Next, become familiar with the CDC and the business career resources which will aid you in your job search. Attend any/all of the program orientations, fairs and information sessions related to your interests. Subscribe to the Business and/or OCR electronic mailing lists. Learn to use the CDC web site and to access job information on the internet. Take full advantage of the professional expertise, information resources, and advanced technology of the CDC.

Get organized, and get started!

Please send your suggestions or comments about this page to Lary Maskel, Ph.D. (lmaskel@stuaff.duke.edu).