The Johnson Career Center, located in the Business Building, can be a great resource for students looking to enter the job market, according to Dean of Business, Brent Hathaway.
College of Business Dean, Brent Hathaway, has a strong conviction that UW provides students with a lifetime of potential that will serve them throughout their career. Many businesses and organizations, ranging from engineering to business, internet technology to medicine, have continuously shown their support for the university by hiring its graduates.
“I’ve always believed higher education gives you more choices than what you would have otherwise. That’s the power of higher ed. in my mind,” Hathaway said while sitting in his office in the new Business building, a testament to the university’s support from companies in the state.
Companies are looking not only for graduates that have performed well in school, but also for the experiences they have gained through internships and leadership opportunities.
“It’s important to have repeated internships with experience and relevance to the industry sector that you are interested in,” Hathaway said. “Success at that level becomes more about EQ than IQ. The Emotional Quotient, or how stable you are as a human, has a very strong correlation to success. EQ is the human element that allows us to be effective with others and in groups; very rarely do you work in isolation. Working with others really helps you to stand out in an organization.”
“It’s less about how well you do on an exam and more about how you interact with others,” he continued. “It gets at why some people are so good in the professional world: they know who they are as a person, they are comfortable in social interactions and they have empathy for others.”
With the economy still recovering from the 2008 housing market crash, college graduates are not guaranteed a job right out of college. In fact, almost half of those who are hired work in a job that only requires a high school diploma. Worse, 11 percent work a job that does not even require a high school diploma, according to a study by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. So how do students avoid becoming one of those statistics?
“Private companies are always looking for talent and an aptitude for technology and communication. They want people who can learn and adapt,” Hathaway said. “Entry-level jobs are often related to the degree you have. After that, opportunity flows to those who perform well.”
Working in the same field as a lifelong career can sometimes leave a sense of apprehension in recent graduates. A chapter of learning and school has come to a close and the future looms with uncertainties. Hathaway said The College of Business offers a great resource in the Johnson Career Center which is dedicated to informing students about different career opportunities.
“The Johnson Career Center is a unique investment from our college and it makes us a competitor globally. The Career Center is focused on the student population and offers a lot of one-on-one interaction. It has the resume roundup, advises the internship program, offers career counseling and hosts the job fair. These are just a few examples,” he said.
Students should find what they enjoy and make a career out of it. “One of the things I believe is you should find something that you’re passionate about; do something you love doing. Frankly, those are the best employees.”
People who see their work as more than just a job stand out noticeably to everyone according to Hathaway, including companies looking for new employees.
“When you run into someone who is passionate you’re drawn to them. It’s not about the paycheck to them. They buy into the difference that they make and that’s what makes them so much more successful,” he said.
“This goes back to students: at some point they will have an entry position with a company or organization. At this point, so many opportunities follow from fully engaging their heart and mind into the job. The results will surprise them. Then, they need to do the same thing in their next promotion. Success is often based off of repeatable, positive performance and integrity. Those are a great combination. If you pattern behaviors off of this, success will follow.”
