finishline

Employability Skills Seminar

January 30, 2007

1:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Room 4090

Knight Campus

Our approach to meeting this requirement was to invite a National Advisory Member Organization to campus. Many of us attending the Collegiate Leadership Academy were impressed with the presentation made by Mr. Larry Gibson of Finish Line. We thought that our members and other students throughout the college could benefit from this program. As Mr. Nima Alahmad of Finish Line had agreed to participate in our Business Panel and conduct this seminar/workshop we thought we would host both the Employability Skills Seminar with the Business Panel Activity on the same day.

The presentation given by Nima was very informative. All students in attendance took away a great deal of good advice. He described the process of how to land a job. All students were asked how they would approach applying for a job. Nima then described a sure fire way to get the attention of a potential employer. First of all, you must dress to impress. Wearing proper business attire is usually a good way to do this. Also make sure that you are well groomed and presentable. Once you enter the establishment in which you wish to attain a job, ask to speak to the current manager. This shows that you already display a certain respect for authority. Once you meet with the manager you should: shake his hand, introduce yourself, and tell him your implications (acquiring a position within the company). After you fill out the paperwork, you should wait three to five business days and then call back and ask for the manager you met with. Once you are speaking with that manager you can ask about your possible employment and possibly land an interview. If you gain an interview, (which you are almost guaranteed if you have followed these steps so far) you should dress in proper business attire and properly groom yourself as well. Once you meet the manager for the interview, you should shake their hand again and thank them for taking the time to meet with you. You should try to talk about yourself as much as possible. After all, the manager wants to know if you are someone that he wants to hire or not, and the more information he has about you, the better your chances are of being hired. At the end of the interview you should ask your interviewer if they have any questions for you and answer them to the best of your ability. If you’re not given a job on the spot, be sure to call back in about three business days. After all students heard this speech given by Nima, many admitted that they would be changing the way they went about getting a job.

Article by Sarah Nichols