Additional Thoughts on NAWMBA...
If you haven't yet read Stacey Schroeder's Post about NAWMBA, make sure you check it out! In addition to her summary of the high points, here are a few of my own insights from the conference this past weekend...
1. You are at an advantage because you attend Fisher. The conference included a variety of sessions and events throughout both days, as well as a career fair on Saturday. Ohio State was the lead academic conference sponsor which offered our students a variety of extra perks during the weekend. I was consistently impressed with how often professionals and recruiters specifically sought out Fisher women to connect, network, or talk about job prospects. Major kudos to our career services and NAWMBA planning teams for helping Fisher stand out in such a unique and positive way.
2. Elevator speeches (and other things that you think don't matter) DO MATTER. I am admittedly a people watcher. One of my favorite parts of this conference was simply watching candidates from other schools speak with recruiters during the career fair. I could literally see a difference in a recruiter's facial expression and body language between candidates that were well prepared with a brief self-introduction (mostly Fisher women) and those who approached recruiters blindly. Trust me... it is worth the 15 potentially awkward minutes of standing in front of a mirror and practicing to perfect your elevator pitch.
3. Yes, Lynn Tilton IS that ridiculously awesome. Stacey did a good job of explaining why Lynn Tilton's message was so captivating - but actually seeing her in real life is another story. Lynn has long blonde hair, wears a minimum of 6" platform heels (which is both painful and impressive), and dons a wardrobe that made me blush from the furthest row back. She gives her audience just enough time to form an opinion based solely on appearance, then she absolutely smashes it. You quickly learn that this woman has purchased and "flipped" 150 companies, single-handedly saving 250,000 jobs. I found her to be so impressive because she is who she is, and doesn't apologize for it. That's not to say I'll be copying her fashion trends anytime soon, but I definitely aim to inspire others as Lynn has.
Thanks again to all those who helped coordinate such a successful conference!