career development

Career Center Hosts First Graduate Job Fair

ilseu — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 03:07:11 +0000

Career Center Hosts First Graduate Job Fair ilseu Tue, 11/22/2022 - 19:07 More Blog Posts Jordan Driscoll '23 November 22, 2022

The Graduate Career Development Center hosted their first Graduate Business Job Fair on October 14, 2022. The purpose of the fair was to provide an exclusive opportunity for graduate students to meet and learn more about potential employers. Rachel Murray, a representative for Hub International Insurance, was enthused with the fair, stating that there were several students interested in the company's programs, including their Early Career Programs, which is seeking motivated students and college graduates to join in their mission. They offer several internship programs across America focusing on different aspects of their business. HUB employs over fifteen thousand individuals across North America, and is ranked fifth in the world among the largest insurance brokers.

UCR Business MBA student Cassidy Davidson weighing her options at the Graduate Business Job Fair

The event featured over a dozen companies and government representatives, including:

Advanced Building Technologies, Inc.
Aragon Construction
Basic Products
Best Babie Distribution
Caltrans HQ
Consolidated Electrical Distributors
Continent Solution System, Inc
County of Riverside
DVBE Insurance & Financial Services LLC
Eadie + Payne, LLP
Federal Bureau of Investigation
HUB International
MPK Advisors & CPAs
Mutual of Omaha
New York Life Insurance Company
ProAction Insurance Services
Riverside County Office of Education
San Bernardino County Assessor
Sorenson Engineering
Sun Yin USA
Thrivent
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Volcus LLC

Students in attendance were glad to see a graduate-student-focused job fair. Sanjeev Prakash Rao, a finance MBA student, spoke with New York Life Insurance Company representatives and plans to follow up regarding future opportunities.

Three graduate students at the 2022 Graduate Business Job Fair

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PMBA News

Alumnus Advises AGSM Ambassadors to Persist

ilseu — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 18:16:40 +0000

Alumnus Advises AGSM Ambassadors to Persist ilseu Wed, 06/29/2022 - 11:16 More Blog Posts Darin Estep June 29, 2022

Kyle Maudlin ’11 has several positive things to say about LinkedIn. It’s a rich source of networking. It offers a variety of training opportunities. And it’s a great place to showcase professional skills to potential recruiters.

But it’s also easy to fall into the “comparison trap,” he said, where you wonder how some of your peers are so much further ahead in their careers or how they landed that dream job.

“But everyone’s mountain is different, and some people know sooner than others where they’re trying to go,” he said. “You just have to be comfortable with that and trust that if you put enough hard work and enough time into something you’ll get to wherever you’re trying to go.”

Maudlin, a senior marketing analyst at Salesforce in San Francisco, was sharing his career experience and advice as part of the virtual speaker series with AGSM Graduate Student Ambassadors. Speaking from his home via Zoom, Maudlin assured his audience that everyone is going to take a different path, and his was anything but a straight line.

“I had no idea what I was doing after I graduated,” he said. “I was one of those folks that was really good at taking tests, really good at studying. I graduated magna cum laude, but I had no idea what I wanted to do. I moved to Los Angeles, and I couldn’t find a job for the life of me.”

He worked briefly in personal banking. He spent three years with Macy’s Executive Development Program managing fine jewelry and women’s clothing. He sold digital search ads for Yelp, a popular online business directory and rating site, and he worked at three different ad agencies. It was all part of his journey to find a job in a field that he not only enjoyed but where he was able to thrive.

‘Bet on Yourself’

For him, that meant picking up and moving hundreds of miles on faith and taking some considerable pay cuts along the way. He said he was making a decent salary as a sales manager at Macy’s, but he didn’t see that as his future.

He reached out to friends in the tech world who urged him to move to San Francisco and get in the tech game. “I was like, what’s tech? … I’ve been folding clothes for three years,” Maudlin said. But he packed his things and made the move.

He spent six months selling digital search ads, but it was at a significantly lower salary. He described it as the “worst job experience” he’s ever had, bringing his confidence to an all-time low. That wasn’t where he wanted to be either, so it was time to pivot again, he said. He found a job at an ad agency that came with another pay cut.

He said he felt like he was regressing with his pay cuts, but his mentors encouraged him to keep going. “Don’t be afraid to bet on yourself,” he said. “It really was the best move that I could have done. It set me up for all of this.”

Relying on Networks

Maudlin said luck has played a large role in his success, but his network connections and mentors have been invaluable. A connection at Macy’s helped him enter the Executive Development Program. Another connection helped him escape search ad sales and get into the ad agency.

And in August 2020, he decided to try selling ads at PlayStation, but he knew it wasn’t for him, and the PlayStation experience confirmed it. He left and began networking full time. “I went on LinkedIn and started messaging people,” he said. “I just reached out cold.”

He contacted people with jobs at companies he wanted to work for or who had roles that he found interesting.

“I sent a message like: ‘Hey, your background looks super interesting. I was thinking about doing this. I would love to just chat for 15 minutes. … No hard feelings if not,’” he said. “People like helping people, so I got a ton of meetings.”

Maudlin said connections, mentors and allies are more important than ever, especially in the world of remote work. At the time of his talk, he was working from home nearly 100 percent of the time, but he planned to increase his office visits as conditions allowed.

“I feel like getting those moments where you meet someone in the kitchen and have those water cooler moments can increase your brand at work, especially cross-functionally, which can also indirectly lead to your promotability at work.”

Learning New Skills

As Maudlin was still searching for his niche, he noticed the large role digital tools and data were playing in the marketplace. Whether it’s a mom-and-pop store or a restaurant, they were all using digital apps that collected data with each transaction.

“And all of that data is used to inform the business,” he said. “So, I thought data analytics is really going to become more and more important with each year.”

Following his own advice, he put himself in a position to succeed. He began teaching himself coding languages and data visualization platforms and invested in a data analytics bootcamp. That effort helped him land his job at Salesforce, he said, because they knew he was serious about learning the skills.

Maudlin also advised his listeners on how to promote those skills on a résumé or on LinkedIn, encouraging them to build their personal brand and share their accomplishments. “You have to be comfortable with being your biggest advocate,” he said.

As an example, he talked about a holiday greeting card project he led at Salesforce that had solid success with a verifiable return on investment. He made sure to lay out the key points and share it in the company’s Slack groups, thanking all the team members.

“That starts building your brand at work,” he said. “I could have done all this, and maybe my boss knows, or my immediate team knows, but no one else knows. It might be much more difficult to get promoted because no one knows who you are, especially in the current work-from-home environment.”

Remembering Riverside

The Graduate Student Ambassadors peppered Maudlin with questions throughout his talk, including asking which coding languages and platforms they should pursue and how COVID-19 has changed the approach to marketing. But one resourceful student took special note when Maudlin mentioned that he might be starting a side business helping people craft résumés and update their LinkedIn profiles.

“Can we send you our résumés before you start that side hustle and get them reviewed?” asked Seth Freeman, joking that as broke college students it would be nice to get in before he started charging.

“Absolutely. I’m totally happy to do that,” Maudlin said. “Riverside is a very special place to me, so it would be great to be able to continue the conversation with all of you.”

View a recording of Maudlin’s discussion with the Graduate Student Ambassadors.

UCR Business alumnus Kyle Maudlin ’11 kayaking

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AGSM Student Ambassadors

student success

career development

Women in Business Panel Discussion

ilseu — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 15:33:18 +0000

Women in Business Panel Discussion ilseu Wed, 03/30/2022 - 08:33 More Blog Posts Elias Almarez-Herrera ’23 March 30, 2022

The UCR Business Graduate Programs Office hosted a panel of MBA alumni and student leaders in a roundtable discussion focused on women in the workplace. This meaningful conversation provided a platform for highlighting real experiences, challenges, and solutions related to gender, inclusion, and empowerment in professional settings. The event reflected the school’s commitment to fostering dialogue around diversity, equity, and representation, while offering current and prospective students insight into how women can succeed and lead in business.

Participants in the discussion represented a wide range of industries and career stages, offering perspectives that were both personal and practical. From alumni who have built successful careers over decades to student leaders who are just beginning to shape their professional paths, the panel demonstrated the value of mentorship and the importance of having spaces dedicated to open conversations

On Inclusion:

Victoria Guidry ’23, MBA-marketing: "A great vision of inclusion happens through our guest speakers and the many women who come to share their stories with us."

Jazmin Hernandez ’23, PMBA: "Inclusion inspires innovation. I see inclusion practiced throughout our school. Now that I'm part of an MBA program, I see myself growing professionally and personally. I know I’ll be able to excel in my career."

Their remarks highlighted how inclusion is not only an aspirational value but also a lived practice at UCR. By ensuring that voices are heard and experiences are acknowledged, the School of Business is helping students develop confidence and build networks that strengthen both their academic and professional journeys.

On Change & Gender Differences:

Janice Rooths ’94, CEO of Equity Leadership Academy: "When I first started in the workforce, women couldn't even wear pants. If you're a woman, people will look at you and assume you don't already know what you're doing. I'm a short person—only 5 foot, 3 inches—but I like to say, ‘I think tall.’ You take your intellect and confront every situation. Everything in business comes down to problem-solving."

Tina Tonnu ’19, vice president of pricing and profitability reporting at City National Bank: "Whenever you start a position at a company, the negotiation room is where the money's at. That's where you negotiate your pay and your benefits. When women get in that room, we get nervous, we get tense, and that's when we start to self-sabotage. We shouldn't question our ability or our worth, we should instead practice self-promotion."

The reflections from Rooths and Tonnu underscored how much progress has been made in workplace culture over the decades, but also how much work still remains. They emphasized that confidence, preparation, and persistence are essential for women to navigate environments that may still carry biases or inequities.

On Empowerment & Support:

Renuka Kulkarni ’23, MBA: "Own up to your achievements and your skillsets. Put your foot down when it is required. Ask for a promotion or a change in project when you need it because you deserve that."

Jeanette Ordonez, director of the AGSM Career Development Center: "At AGSM, we have the Executive Mentorship Network to support women and all students. We have mentors from different occupations in different industries to guide students through the career opportunities they share about during the program. It is because of the women who came before us, the women today, and the future women leaders that glass ceilings continue to be broken."

These insights emphasized the importance of advocacy, mentorship, and community. By owning their skills and seeking support, women can move past traditional barriers and position themselves for advancement. The role of mentorship, as highlighted by Ordonez, also demonstrated how structured programs at AGSM are designed to ensure that students are not alone as they pursue ambitious goals.

The roundtable discussion ultimately reinforced that women in business thrive when they have opportunities to connect, share experiences, and support one another. Events such as this not only celebrate the achievements of UCR alumni and students but also prepare future leaders to continue breaking barriers and shaping inclusive workplaces.

View a recording of the virtual panel discussion:

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Women's History Month

student spotlight

career development

MBA Class of '18 Achieves 90% Employment

kmcnally — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 18:49:30 +0000

MBA Class of '18 Achieves 90% Employment kmcnally Mon, 01/14/2019 - 10:49 More News January 14, 2019 Riverside, Ca

A Leading School for Employment in Inland Southern California

The A Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management (AGSM) is a leading school for employment in Inland Southern California. The MBA graduating class of 2018 reached 90% full-time employment within three months of graduation. Full-time MBA graduates are mostly early career professionals with an average age of 26 and two to three years of work experience. In addition to employment, 9.5% of MBA graduates are entrepreneurs starting a new business, and 9.5% will continue to pursue higher education.

The MBA program has consistently climbed in rankings to place at No. 89 for Best Full-time MBA Programs. As the UCR School of Business continues to rise in rankings in the top 100 Best Business Schools, MBA graduates are accelerating their careers and are in high demand by employers across industries.

In the past three years MBA graduates have been hired by the Big 4, Fortune 500 companies, start-ups and government organizations.

Recent employers include PepsiCo, Thomas Reuters, Amazon, Deloitte, Esri, AT&T, AEG Worldwide, Toyota, Dell, Kaiser Permanente, Ernst & Young, PWC, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, FBI, Walt Disney Company, SolarMax Technology, California Public Utilities Commission, and UCR.

For more information about the AGSM Career Development Center, to employ students or participate as a speaker or trainer, contact John Mattson, director of the AGSM Career Development Center, at john.mattson@ucr.edu or call (951) 827-6202.

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career development

student success

Alice Weiting Li, MBA ’18

kmcnally — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 20:57:41 +0000

Alice Weiting Li, MBA ’18 kmcnally Thu, 01/10/2019 - 12:57 More Blog Posts January 10, 2019 Riverside, Ca

Alice Weiting Li, MBA ’18

During her MBA, Alice participated in the AT&T Case Competition with fellow MBA students. Through the project, she applied and was chosen to be one of only 26 graduates from across the country for the AT&T Leadership Development Program. The AT&T program is a two-year rotational program for recent graduates who show outstanding leadership potential.

Transitioning from the science field to the business field, some of the most valuable MBA experience I had was through the Career Development Center. They provided career development opportunities, including the Case Competition with brand-name companies, and networking events with top recruiters. I personalized my career goal and took my MBA experience to the next level.”

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Executive Mentor Network

kmcnally — Thu, 13 Dec 2018 16:45:10 +0000

Executive Mentor Network kmcnally Thu, 12/13/2018 - 08:45 More News December 13, 2018 Riverside, Ca

UCR School of Business Launches Executive Mentor Network

This Fall, the Career Development Center at the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management launched a new Executive Mentor Network (EMN) aimed at developing a mentor and mentee partnership for graduate business students. The Director of the AGSM Career Development Center, John Mattson, commented, “While we have had an informal mentor program for several years, this will be the first time that business professionals, alumni, and friends of the UCR School of Business will be able to volunteer to be matched with one or two mentees.”

Dean Yunzeng Wang believes this program will enrich the graduate student experience at AGSM. “Experiential learning programs are a very important component to the business school experience at most of the 100 top-ranked MBA Schools, as AGSM is. For many years, we have had a mandatory internship requirement for our MBA students. Last year, we recruited 16 companies to participate in our MBA Capstone Class – providing consulting projects to assigned student teams during their final spring quarter. This year we will launch the Executive Mentor Network, which will allow students to have much more contact with business leaders -- regionally and globally.”

A newly admitted AGSM MBA student, Y. Iris Hou -- who received her Master of Food Science degree from the University of Helsinki -- is excited to join the Executive Mentor Network. “This new program, offered through our Career Center at AGSM, will be a unique opportunity to receive mentoring from a business professional. Besides monthly coaching sessions, it will be exciting to visit a mentor at their place of work. I am also planning to invite my mentor to various events at the School of Business.”

If you are a business professional and would like to be a Mentor to one or two students at the UCR School of Business, please visit business.ucr.edu/cdc/students.

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