Articles by Tara

I am always amazed when I think about how some companies get their few years of fame and mass sales and then they fade back into the abyss while another company emerges for a time. This comment comes partially from looking at the transition of computer companies over the years. Although I am not terribly knowledgeable about this history of computer sales, from what I understand Apple was a key player in ensuring that many households purchased their very first computers. Everyone knew the Apple logo and they came to understand DOS in time. Then, with the creation of Windows, Microsoft spent many years in the spotlight as the computer of choice. This lasted for quite some time, at least in my observations. My family had to have purchased about three Microsoft computers within a decade’s time. However, all of a sudden, Dell showed up not too long ago using the pull system. They were making computers to fit every bit of the consumers’ needs, which was appealing to a great deal of people who cared about differentiating their purchase from others. Penn State even hopped onto this bandwagon and purchased quite a few Dell computers. However, with defects being prominent, the Dell craze did not last long. Finally, this leads me to speak about Apple once again. With new technology that dummy-proofed the now ancient Windows, the Mac has become the computer of choice for many.

Perhaps this is not terribly interesting to you, but I think it is worth acknowledging how a company can have its few years of glory at the front of the race and then runs out of steam. However, if the company continues fighting towards innovative, it can come back into the spotlight as Apple has done.

As a member of the Smeal Student Society, I occasionally take on the responsibility of giving tours of the Business Building to prospective students. This is always such a pleasure for me, because I really love being a member of Smeal and Penn State and I want to be able to express that to others with the hopes that they can find such a community-feel in their college experience.

Anyway, I was giving a tour the other day to a high school junior and his father. After about 20 minutes into the tour, the dad turns to me and jokingly expresses that Penn State students must be required to follow a dress code in which they wear PSU branded clothing so many days out of the week. What a comment. All that I could say was that “it’s school pride”. Everyone has heard of Penn State; everyone knows somebody who has gone to Penn State; our alum are often desperate to maintain communication with their alma mater; and of course…who can forget about Penn State football.

Never before had I taken the time to watch people pass by on this campus, noting whether or not they had any sort of Penn State apparel on. However, I suggest you do it just just to gain perspective. We’re addicted to this school. We bleed blue and white, as they say. Why did you come to Penn State? Smeal? For many Penn Staters, school pride and branding is a huge factor, because it is a label that can stick with you forever if you allow it.

It’s hard for me to believe how quickly this semester has gone by. I know people always say that…but if you are the type of person who likes to stay busy, it really holds true. So, now it is time to think about potentially late dropping a class (before April 11th), summer plans, scheduling, subletting your apartment, getting everything out of your dorm, internship or job transitions, grad school decisions, exams, papers, etc. We each have our own story of what will occur over the next few weeks and on into the summer.

Yes there is a lot going on, and yes you will likely get stressed and pull at least one long study night. However, I have always found that all of that balances out when I can have something to look forward to. For example, I have a huge test coming up on Wednesday, which I will put hours into studying for and reading over the chapters, so that I can retain every ounce of information possible. But through all of that, I can look forward to Saturday when I will go out to dinner with a bunch of my friends. Sure this doesn’t sound like much, but I promise you that having something to look forward to (no matter how small) invites more positive energy and spirits, making studying and the long list of 20+ things that need to get done before tomorrow manageable.

The ethics code is in every syllabus. On the bathroom stalls in the business building, there are ethics posters. We are required to take BA 242 (Ethics). Management majors are further required to take MGMT 451W (More Ethics). Why is is that this college focuses so much time and energy on ensuring that they have drilled this concept into our heads? I know that many people feel these required classes are not necessary because they already have strong ethics. Furthermore, this subject does not have right or wrong answers that can be evaluated in a test format.

However, with historical cases such as Enron and the Pinto Ford fires, the focus on ethics at the college level is at an all time high. These cases all started with individuals, just like you and me, making decisions that may have seemed harmless, but snowballed into disaster. In our work-life experiences, it is likely that we will be faced with with ethical concerns where the solution is not cut and dry. For example, do we take a gift from a customer and if not, how do you decline? Or, if your boss asks you to lie for him/her, should you do so or risk your job by saying no? We need to be made aware of real-life situations and analyze the various choices that we have, so that when we are faced with these dilemmas, we are better prepared to deal with them. Penn State really does know what it is doing in requiring such courses, despite the fact that they may seem redundant.

I am guessing that you have been told time and time again about the importance of meeting with your adviser once a semester. Do you? I have heard horror stories from peers in other colleges who swear that their adviser gave them false information and caused them more of a headache than it was worth. They would rather master the scheduling system and do the research first-hand. Please do not let these tales discourage you, however. Yes mistakes can happen, but Smeal, in my opinion, has done an excellent job at hiring and training well qualified individuals to guide its students through their college careers.

I remember when I first went to my adviser as a freshman with no clue how to plan my next four years and a very vague idea of why I had selected management as my major. It was a pleasant surprise that I did not feel I was one of 100+ students that this adviser was responsible for; rather, I was an individual in a big school and an environment that I was unfamiliar with. This was the person to throw ideas out towards, helping me to decide what I should take advantage of and what I should just let others accomplish. This included having a minor or two or three, going abroad, determining what classes would be best for my interests, finding a internship, graduating early, switching around class requirements, etc. As I questioned my major and my mind’s image of where I wanted to be in five years, I knew that I had someone to talk to who knew her stuff because her job was solely to help students know theirs. The advisers are sitting at their desks in 202 Business Building to help you– take advantage of it. Make an appointment just to chat about a current situation, to plan next semester, or to discuss your long term goals. Get to know your adviser, because he/she is one of the best and most efficient tools that you have.

On Monday, February 18th, I attended the career fair along with hundreds of other Penn State students. I even ran into someone that I went to school with who currently attends Penn State Erie. With a Management major and a Labor Studies and Employment Relations (aka HR) minor, my job search consists of management training programs and human resource rotational programs. Although there was not a great deal to be found in HR, I found a slew of management trainee programs through my research on the Nittany Lion Recruiting site. Going to the career fair with a list of the companies that I wanted to visit and some of the job openings that I knew were available made my day much more productive and efficient. Time passed so quickly and after three hours of being there, I realized that my feet were aching and my resume load that I had brought was

During the fair, I, and a lot of my friends were able to get one or two interviews. However, in the week or two following the fair, is when those interviews start to pick up. Or at least that is my experience and that of peers I have spoken with.

My advice:

• During the interview, keep in mind that those sitting across from you are just people; they are not that different from you.
• Ask them about how they feel the corporate culture/environment fits them. This will give you a better idea if the company is a good fit for you. Plus, people like to talk about themselves and their work.
• Make sure you have a business card or contact from the person interviewing you.
• Send a short thank you email following the interview.
• Do not stop the job search, because it might not work out with this company, or perhaps you will find something even better.

Good luck to those of you looking for internships and jobs!

Well, it is that time of the year once again where seniors are scurrying to find jobs and many underclassmen seek internships. I am a senior and I must agree with those who say that finding a job is the equivalent to having another 3 credit class. You are researching, writing, presenting (interviewing), and testing yourself; the time commitment is intensive. However, I do not wish to focus on this subject further, it more-or-less is a segue.

Rather, I want to talk about networking. Although I am sure you are sick of hearing how important it is, have you ever sat back and thought about how it has impacted your life thus far?

I am not asking you to bring to memory a huge, life-changing experience that occurred because you met a corporate CEO of a prestigious company. What I am saying is that much of where our life-paths lead can be connected to networking. For example, maybe you came to Penn State because your favorite teacher went here and recommended it, or perhaps you decided to join a student organization simply because your new roommate who you just met asked you to. Is this not networking? Someone connected you to something that impacted your life, if even in a small way. Do you agree?

I consider myself a fairly sociable person, and I am always up for the occasional drop-in to say hi. So when I got to know a few people who work in the Corporate Relations office, never did I think to myself “Tara, you must network by meeting these people because it will benefit your life.” I was just being me. However, looking back, I realize that the internship I had last summer and a part-time job that I currently hold with Smeal were, in part, received because I made myself known to individuals who could recommend me or refer me to one of their networks. I was networking and didn’t even know it.

Why am I telling you this? I want you to realized that networking is not something foreign or to be nervous about. It is all around you and you simply are shifting it to a more business-oriented focus. Take the time to visit your professors during office hours or to meet some of the alum who are coming to visit their alma mater. Do this, not just for the sake of your professional career, but because you never know where the conversation will lead.