In this episode, Laura Lakhwara (MBA '14 - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauralakhwara/), Technology Adoption and Customer Success Leader with Soapbox, a warehouse and fulfillment tech platform, speaks with students to remind them to be sure to keep the hiring manager's perspective in mind when they're applying and interviewing. This can help decrease frustration, while keep them more strategic in their search.

Topics covered include:

• A behind-the-scenes look into the hiring manager's perspective
• How to succeed despite the market challenges
• How to network effectively and get a referral
• Using online communities to connect with individuals with similar career goals

The episode is moderated by Justyn Makarewycz, Deputy Director, Employer Relations at the GCMC (https://www.linkedin.com/in/justyndm/)

Episode Notes

The job search in and of itself can be daunting. Having to manage your job search while also navigating getting sponsorship can be even more so and it can become increasingly an overwhelming process that can feel stressful.

In this episode, we speak with MS Finance alum, Nikhil Mandhwani
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhil-mandhwani-ca-13875a1bb/), who is currently an AVP Associate at a major international bank.

Topics covered include:

• Tips on how to network successfully, best practices when reaching out to new connections, and how to maintain strong relationships within your network.
• Advice on how to remain optimistic in the job search and manage feelings of frustration and stress.
• The importance of persistence in the job and internship search
• Nikhil’s process of getting sponsorship and recommendations in your own sponsorship process.

This episode is moderated by Syd Giller, Associate Director, Employer Relations at the GCMC (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sydneyrgiller/)

Oftentimes, changing careers can feel additionally confusing and frustrating because there's no one way to be able to do it. What if there was one for entering a career as a Data Engineer?

In this episode, we speak with MS Information Systems, Data Analytics alum David Freitag (https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidkfreitag/), who is currently a Data Engineer at an insurance company. In addition to his work, David has developed content about various topics for individuals looking to get into this field. Most recently, he wrote an article called The Entry-Level Data Engineer Roadmap (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/entry-level-data-engineer-roadmap-david-freitag/) as a resource on how individuals can skill up to enter into these careers.

Topics covered include:

• Making a career change from teaching to Data Engineer
• Taking advantage of all the resources you can when you're a grad student
• Creating your own projects to put on your resume
• Common interview questions for Data Engineering roles
• The importance of finding role models who do what you want to do

The episode is moderated by Justyn Makarewycz, Deputy Director, Employer Relations at the GCMC (https://www.linkedin.com/in/justyndm/)

Episode Notes

The world is layered, complex, and noisy – especially when we’re talking about all forms of communication that we not only receive, but that we send out as well.

In this episode, we speak Baruch College alum Ben Guttmann (BBA ’11 - https://www.linkedin.com/in/benguttmann/) about some of the elements of effective messaging and communication. Ben built, ran, and sold an award-winning marketing agency, and he teaches marketing at Baruch. He also wrote a book on messaging and communication called Simply Put, and will be out in October 2023.

Topics covered include:

• The pluses about working at an agency
• The way we communicate is “biased toward complication”
• Using empathy and an entrepreneurial mindset to more effectively communicate
• 5 steps to effectively communicate
• 2 communications hacks to start off

You can find out more about Ben’s work at https://www.benguttmann.com/.

The episode is moderated by Justyn Makarewycz, Deputy Director, Employer Relations at the GCMC (https://www.linkedin.com/in/justyndm/)

Episode Notes

In any career journey, there will be challenges. They can include not getting through to the people with whom you want to connect, feeling dejected overall, hearing no to an application - or sometimes hearing nothing. Responding (or not responding) to those challenges can be even more difficult.

In this episode, we speak with Zicklin Full-time MBA alumna Adi Markus (MBA '16), who is currently Director of Customer Success in Tech (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adimarkus/). Adi shares what her process of "figuring it out" was, and if it was anything, it was not easy.

Topics in the episode include:

• Making options for yourself
• Being OK with pivoting from your original ideas of what you want to do
• You may not want what you say you want
• It's not always a linear path.

The episode is moderated by Justyn Makarewycz, Deputy Director, Employer Relations at the GCMC (https://www.linkedin.com/in/justyndm/)

Episode Notes

We've all heard how life, professionally or personally, can be more rewarding if it's directed intentionally and deliberately. But is there a step-by-step model that can help us do that?

In this episode, we speak with Rina Koshkina, an executive and career coach (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rinakoshkina/), whose own career spans over 25 years in various business and talent-development roles in financial services and tech.

Rina walks listeners through her professional organization model called O.C.C.A.(R.), which she developed through her work with students and working professionals, and which she uses in her coaching practice. Rina shared the model in a Forbes article called "Ready For A Career Upgrade? Tidy Up Your Professional Life First" (https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2021/12/01/ready-for-a-career-upgrade-tidy-up-your-professional-life-first/?sh=42c8e4b41bfe)

Another article written by Rina which was referenced in the podcast is called "What Crisis Can Teach Us About Crafting A Meaningful, Multidimensional Life" (https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/08/24/what-crisis-can-teach-us-about-crafting-a-meaningful-multidimensional-life/?sh=257817a17010)

Topics include:

• Having clarity can take you to the next level of your career
• None of us live on an island, therefore it's important to take stock of your relationships and networks
• We live in a world of ambiguity, but we have agency to help ourselves get to where we want to be
• Change the way you connect with others to make it about them
• We are all multidimensional, and that's a good thing

The episode is moderated by Justyn Makarewycz, Associate Director of Employer Relations at the GCMC (https://www.linkedin.com/in/justyndm/)

Episode Notes

There are many aspects of thinking strategically, and one of them is thinking a few steps ahead in any scenario or question you might have.

In this episode, we speak with Kapil Khetan (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kapilkhetan/). Kapil works at Mizuho Bank and is also an Adjunct at New York University SPS, where he teaches courses in Quantitative Techniques, Statistics for Market Research, and Financial Management.

Kapil shares how important it is for students to think a few steps ahead to help them be more strategic thinkers.

Topics include:

• Seeing the why and not the how
• Having the confidence to know the impact you can make
• What a difference it makes to think about your customer’s customer

The episode is moderated by Justyn Makarewycz, Associate Director of Employer Relations at the GCMC (https://www.linkedin.com/in/justyndm/)

Episode Notes

Case competitions are an opportunity for students to work alone or together in teams to analyze a problem specific to a case study.   There are many benefits to participating in case competitions, such as  

• Applying the knowledge and skill sets learned in the classroom learning environment to solve complex, real-world problems and receive feedback from industry professionals
• Developing and improving leadership, organizational, presentation, case analysis, and teamwork skills

• Building your resume, boosting your confidence, and providing real-world industry exposure   In this episode, we speak with these two graduate students who participated in the 2022 Adobe Analytics Challenge, and were one of 20 teams from over 3,000 who made it to the semi-final rounds:  

• Letty Uy (MS Business Analytics, Data Analytics Concentration)

• Praveen Vungarala (MS Information Systems)   We discussed details of the Challenge, focusing mainly on how participating impacted them. Topics include:  

• Relying on your intuition when not having all the information

• Confidence gained through participating
• Solidifying their career choice to be in Analytics
• Resume boost
• Tips for students   The episode is moderated by Justyn Makarewycz, Associate Director of Employer Relations at the GCMC (https://www.linkedin.com/in/justyndm/)

Episode Notes

In tech, Customer Success roles are a conglomerate of various functions and activities, which include Marketing, Strategic Client Relationship Management, Technical Account Management, Sales, Training, Implementation, Sounding Board, and much more.

When interviewing for these roles, candidates need to be prepared for different interview scenarios and questions, but all with a common focus: helping customers succeed and stay on.

In this discussion, these Baruch alumni talk about interviewing for Customer Success roles, what hiring managers look for in candidates, and other thoughts:

• Tim Aaron (MBA '21), Customer Success Manager at Optimove https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothy-aaron/
• Bobby Koch (MBA ’20), Customer Success Manager at Adobe https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertekoch/

The episode is moderated by Justyn Makarewycz, Associate Director of Employer Relations at the GCMC (https://www.linkedin.com/in/justyndm/)

Episode Notes

In this episode, we speak with Zicklin MBA alum Eric Pliner (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericpliner/), CEO of YSC Consulting, a global leadership strategy services consulting firm, about decision making, leadership and his recently published book, Difficult Decisions: How Leaders Make the Right Call with Insight, Integrity, and Empathy (https://www.ysc.com/difficult-decisions-book/).   Eric shares details about his career journey and background, the work he does, as well as discussing topics including:  

• How values, morals, ethics, and stakeholder expectations impact decision making
• How the “personal” is a real part of our work life
• The difference between a role and a job
• How reflecting on the things that shape and drive you personally has impact on others
• ... and more

The episode is hosted by Justyn Makarewycz, Associate Director of Employer Relations at the GCMC (https://www.linkedin.com/in/justyndm/)