10GM – Career Advice

Matt Russo states that there are still career opportunities in a down economy.  His message is that there is still a need for financial services professionals, and Northwestern Mutual is looking for candidates interested in developing their careers. To download this podcast, click here Matt believes that you can really feel the downturn of the economy in New York City. The days of new graduates going to Wall Street to get jobs with the big companies are over. However, Northwestern brought in 27 new financial representatives in 2008, and plan on hiring more in 2009. When Matt talks to candidates, he talks to them about independence, income, and impact. In the past, Matt said there was always an emphasis on income, but now people are worried about job security. However, employees at Northwestern are there to build a career. The company has representatives that specialize in all different areas. The interview is a learning experience, regardless of whether the candidate gets the job or not. By the time an employee joins the company, they have already been in the office about 5 times. The hiring process has to be a mutual decision between the employee and Northwestern. Matt Russo is the Managing Partner of Northwestern Mutual’s midtown Manhattan office. In 1995, Russo joined the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network as a financial representative, concentrating his market within the medical field and the hospitality industry. As a financial representative, he had achieved Forum honors since 2000, and had been the recipient of numerous individual sales awards. In 1999, Russo was appointed Managing Director of The North Shore Group in Wakefield, Massachusetts. Under his direction, The North Shore Group had been awarded the District Network Office Growth Award for the last 6 years, and the Outstanding Achievement in Recruiting and Selection for the last seven years. Matt Russo received a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Administration in 1990 from Cornell University. http://www.nmfn.com/nyc To watch video interviews of Matt, visit Prendismo Like this podcast, why not share it?

In this podcast, Sharon Dauk gives advice on career strategies in a tough environment from her perspective as both an executive coach and industry professional. Her unique perspective lets people see what it’s like on both sides of the interview table. To download this podcast, click here Tough times can present opportunities, and Sharon suggests that creativity is key. First, try and figure out what you are good at. Even though the big names in investment banking may not be recruiting right now, find other companies that have similar characteristics and seek them out. Networking is very important, and you have to present your value proposition – what are your passions and what will you bring to the table. Sharon believes that hard economic times can increase entrepreneurship. She graduated during a downturn in the economy and ended up starting her own investment firm. How can a student stand out in an interview? Sharon suggests that you should be yourself and show how you are going to dedicate yourself to making the business successful. Attitude is just as important as skills. Sharon remembers a particularly good interview with a student who asked questions about how their participation would benefit the bigger picture. People are hiring you to do a job for them and achieve something they need. Present yourself as providing a solution to that problem. From a corporate point of view, someone who seems really ready to work is more attractive than someone asking about work-life balance. From Sharon’s experience as a coach, she suggests doing more research outside of the interview to find if the work-life balance would be right for you. Sharon Dauk is a Managing Director of Dauk/Wagner Investments, LLC a private investment company and an Executive Coach for business leaders, entrepreneurs and key leaders. Sharon has spent six years on Wall Street first at Smith Barney in their Mergers and Acquisition department and then at Morgan Stanley in their Corporate Finance Group with specific focus on large real estate transactions. Sharon earned her undergraduate degree at University of Southern California and her MBA at Cornell University. http://www.sharondauk.com To watch video interviews of Sharon, visit Prendismo Like this podcast, why not share it?

Sharon Dauk gives advice on career strategies in a tough environment from her perspective as both an executive coach and industry professional. Her unique perspective lets people see what it’s like on both sides of the interview table. To download this podcast, click here Tough times can present opportunities, and Sharon suggests that creativity is key. First, try and figure out what you are good at. Even though the big names in investment banking may not be recruiting right now, find other companies that have similar characteristics and seek them out. Networking is very important, and you have to present your value proposition – what are your passions and what will you bring to the table. Sharon believes that hard economic times can increase entrepreneurship. She graduated during a downturn in the economy and ended up starting her own investment firm. How can a student stand out in an interview? Sharon suggests that you should be yourself and show how you are going to dedicate yourself to making the business successful. Attitude is just as important as skills. Sharon remembers a particularly good interview with a student who asked questions about how their participation would benefit the bigger picture. People are hiring you to do a job for them and achieve something they need. Present yourself as providing a solution to that problem. From a corporate point of view, someone who seems really ready to work is more attractive than someone asking about work-life balance. From Sharon’s experience as a coach, she suggests doing more research outside of the interview to find if the work-life balance would be right for you. Sharon Dauk is a Managing Director of Dauk/Wagner Investments, LLC a private investment company and an Executive Coach for business leaders, entrepreneurs and key leaders. Sharon has spent six years on Wall Street first at Smith Barney in their Mergers and Acquisition department and then at Morgan Stanley in their Corporate Finance Group with specific focus on large real estate transactions. Sharon earned her undergraduate degree at University of Southern California and her MBA at Cornell University. http://www.sharondauk.com To watch video interviews of Sharon, visit Prendismo Like this podcast, why not share it?

Jim Byrnes talks about the realities of a financial career in today’s economy. His advice is great for young professionals just starting their careers now, and explains what people can do to get ahead in the future. To download this podcast, click here It is a tough time in financial services. Wall Street is still hiring, but competition is increasing, and salaries are decreasing. Jim suggests that students need to think about jobs in finance elsewhere or even in other industries. In this economy, more customers are moving to local banking because of their discomfort with the larger firms. In investment banking, there is a tremendous variety of smaller companies that can offer students interesting career opportunities with hands-on experience. Students will have to work a little harder to find and sell themselves to these smaller companies by focusing their pitch and working one-on-one with the company representatives. Jim thinks the salaries at these smaller companies are reasonable given the cost of living in the location of the smaller companies and will have more opportunities to move up in the company. However, students should think about their long-term career path, because, realistically, large firms are going to be looking for new MBA graduates, not people coming from these smaller companies. Mr. Byrnes is a 1963 graduate of Cornell University and received his MBA from there in 1964. He served as an Army infantry officer from ’64-’66 and has worked in banking since then, including positions at Citibank and Bank of Montreal. Jim is a past Chairman of New York Bankers Association and is currently the Chairman of Tompkins Financial Corporation, a holding company with over $2 billion in assets. http://www.TompkinsFinancialCorp.com Like this podcast, why not share it?

This podcast is part 2 of Scott Goodfellow’s interview with 10GoodMinutes. He discusses strategies on how to get noticed by recruiters. He shares pre-interview tips, specific interviewing strategies, and explains what makes a candidate stand out in an interview. To download this podcast, click here Scott says that when he is looking to hire someone for a job in finance or accounting at Proctor & Gamble, he wants to see a broad experience base beyond those two specialized areas. During an interview, recruiters are not necessarily just looking for depth of experience, but for experience in leading others and making a difference. How do you set yourself apart from other interviewees? Go to career fairs and talk to the recruiters. Make sure everything on your resume is quantifiable – not just through action verbs, but through metrics. Once you get past the initial contact and into an actual interview, the recruiter will want to know how you are going to fit into the company and if you are willing to take on leadership. If you take an hour or two to really think through your resume, you can be prepared with direct, succinct answers. Lack of preparation can be a huge downfall, especially for undergraduates, since they haven’t had the real world experience of selling themselves. Familiarity is your best friend – get to know previous interns, speak to recruiters at multiple job fairs, and learn all about the company. Quality of preparation is more important than quantity of interviews. Alumni references can help, but are not the sole decision factor in an interview. If you don’t understand a question in an interview, try rephrasing it for clarification. Scott Goodfellow is the Procter & Gamble Chemicals Finance Manager and has been with the company since 1993. He also recruits for finance and accounting roles. As the Chemicals Finance Manager, he is responsible for developing regional and global business and business strategies for the $2B/yr oleo-chemical group. His previous position at P&G was the Finance Manager for Folgers Coffee, an iconic $1.5B/yr brand. In this role, Scott was responsible for financial leadership of investment decisions, market expansion choices, product initiatives, pricing and market spending options. Scott holds an MBA in Finance from Xavier University and a BS in Engineering, Computer Science from Cornell University. Like this podcast, why not share it?

Scott Goodfellow discusses strategies on how to get noticed by recruiters. He shares pre-interview tips, specific interviewing strategies, and explains what makes a candidate stand out in an interview. To download this podcast, click here Scott says that when he is looking to hire someone for a job in finance or accounting at Proctor & Gamble, he wants to see a broad experience base beyond those two specialized areas. During an interview, recruiters are not necessarily just looking for depth of experience, but for experience in leading others and making a difference. How do you set yourself apart from other interviewees? Go to career fairs and talk to the recruiters. Make sure everything on your resume is quantifiable – not just through action verbs, but through metrics. Once you get past the initial contact and into an actual interview, the recruiter will want to know how you are going to fit into the company and if you are willing to take on leadership. If you take an hour or two to really think through your resume, you can be prepared with direct, succinct answers. Lack of preparation can be a huge downfall, especially for undergraduates, since they haven’t had the real world experience of selling themselves. Familiarity is your best friend – get to know previous interns, speak to recruiters at multiple job fairs, and learn all about the company. Quality of preparation is more important than quantity of interviews. Alumni references can help, but are not the sole decision factor in an interview. If you don’t understand a question in an interview, try rephrasing it for clarification. Scott Goodfellow is the Procter & Gamble Chemicals Finance Manager and has been with the company since 1993. He also recruits for finance and accounting roles. As the Chemicals Finance Manager, he is responsible for developing regional and global business and business strategies for the $2B/yr oleo-chemical group. His previous position at P&G was the Finance Manager for Folgers Coffee, an iconic $1.5B/yr brand. In this role, Scott was responsible for financial leadership of investment decisions, market expansion choices, product initiatives, pricing and market spending options. Scott holds an MBA in Finance from Xavier University and a BS in Engineering, Computer Science from Cornell University. Like this podcast, why not share it?