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2009 CBA Career Conference Presents Diverse Opportunities
On September 18, CBA's Career and Leadership Development Center hosted the 2009 CBA Career Conference at the Omni William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. The program was made possible through the support of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., Target Corporation, ALDI, and KPMG LLP.
The Career Conference was attended by more than 550 CBA students—which set a record for the program—and more than 100 professionals representing 46 diverse organizations. Students were shuttled on buses from CBA's home in Sennott Square to the conference site; some students began lining up for shuttles as early as 6:15 a.m.
The Career Conference was held in the style of a professional conference, with a number of the workshops running simultaneously. The advantage for students was having the flexibility to pick and choose the workshops they wanted to attend, whether they hoped to explore a variety of areas or focus exclusively on one particular industry. Through panel sessions, students were able to learn about opportunities such as accounting, finance, consulting, management, marketing and sales, retail management, and even graduate school. The panels allowed students to interact with a variety of organizations and to hear about the qualities they are seeking in prospective interns, permanent hires, and future students.
Professional development workshops were also offered and were facilitated by corporate representatives. Featured workshops included Interviewing Techniques, First Impressions Management, Effective Leadership and Communications Skills, Business Etiquette, and Financial Planning.
A networking luncheon and an informational fair provided students with ample time to speak one-on-one with corporate representatives about specific opportunities within their organizations.
The Career Conference provided an excellent opportunity for all CBA students (freshmen through seniors) to develop professionally, connect with companies, and learn about internships and full-time positions. "The program takes an educational approach," says J.P. Matychak, director of the Career and Leadership Development Center. "For example, a freshman who attends the conference will be able to learn about the opportunities available at different companies, what's required for them, and how to prepare for the most competitive internship opportunities in the future."
Organizations Represented at the 2009 Career Conference:
- ALDI
- American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
- Beard Miller Company (now ParenteBeard LLC)
- Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University
- CBA Study Abroad Program, University of Pittsburgh
- Defense Contract Audit Agency
- Deloitte Consulting LLP
- DICK's Sporting Goods
- Dollar Bank
- Enterprise Rent-A-Car
- Ernst & Young - Pittsburgh
- FedEx Corp.
- First Commonwealth Financial Corporation
- FSC Marketing Communications
- GEICO
- Giant Eagle, Inc.
- Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh
- H.J. Heinz Company
- Highmark
- Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh
- KForce Inc.
- KPMG LLP
- MassMutual Financial Group
- Maxim Healthcare Services
- Northwestern Mutual Financial Network - Pittsburgh
- Office of the Comptroller of the Currency - Pittsburgh
- Parente Randolph (now ParenteBeard LLC)
- School of Law, University of Pittsburgh
- PNC Financial Services Group
- PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Protiviti Inc.
- Prudential Financial, Inc.
- Schneider Downs & Company
- School of Information Science, University of Pittsburgh
- The Sherwin-Williams Company
- Target Corporation
- The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation
- The Pitt News
- University of Pittsburgh
- University of Pittsburgh Department of Athletics
- UPMC
- Waddell & Reed, Inc.
- Walt Disney World
- Wolseley North America