Essential Sessions for Essential Skills

04/05/2022 10:15 AM

Let’s be honest – the most important part of college? To be able to get a job when you graduate. You may learn many of the skills specific to your career, but are you learning what can get you into your career?

This is where the Essential Skills Symposium comes in. Hosted in late March, the two-day conference, sponsored by Caterpillar Inc. and organized by Bradley’s Smith Career Center, introduced and fortified the key skills students need to enter and sustain a career.

Speakers from diverse backgrounds presented on topics from the following eight areas: career and self-development, communication, critical thinking, equity and inclusion, leadership, professionalism, teamwork and technology. Discussions happened during breakout sessions, with many of those sessions including interactive exercises and audience participation. Networking opportunities and exercises filled the times in between.

“I think it’s set up really well,” said junior Talia Elliott, who is planning to go to law school after graduation. She found the networking exercises to be particularly useful.

Carmen Umberger, the associate director of the Smith Career Center who led some of the networking exercises, noted it’s been exciting for students to engage with each other at a deeper level after years of putting yourself behind a wall due to the pandemic.

“You got to advocate for yourself, you have to put yourself out there,” she stressed.

Randy Dojutrek from Blue Cross/Blue Shield (IL/TX/OK/MT/NM) focused his session on technology and professionalism, an important feature in the world of virtual interviews and hybrid work.

He reminded the audience that virtual settings, like visual backgrounds, personal appearance, facial expressions or distractions, mean “when you are on, your world is reduced to that rectangle.” Charlie Drier, regional vice president of Auto-Owners Insurance, echoed that view by using humor to demonstrate topics such as demeanor and humility, leadership and confidence.

Baylin Petrillo from BKD stressed the concept of being intentional in pursuing career development at all levels. She reminded students to take full advantage of being on campus. “This is such a special, cool time in your life, where you really do have so many resources,” she said. “So if you can capitalize on these moments, put yourself out there … it can really open doors for you.”

Senior Ravi Chand, a mechanical engineering major, took this advice to heart. “I really like the point she made about capitalizing your time, as there are just so many opportunities available,” he said. “What I learned is to keep educating myself.”

A number of Bradley alumni served as symposium presenters, including Krista Barrett ’98, Max Sawa ’15, Mindy Stumpf ’17, Alanis Nash ’19, Mikki Tran ’19 and Rachel Copeland ’21.

Nash, now at Microsoft, focused her breakout session on difficult conversations – how, why and when to have them. Using examples from her own career, she emphasized preparedness and professionalism, as well as empathy. In the same way, Copeland, who is from the Center for Prevention of Abuse, highlighted moments from her career in stressing the need for active listening as a key component of effective communications and teamwork.

Sherilyn Weaver, the enterprise inclusion and diversity lead for Caterpillar Inc., delivered the opening keynote. She emphasized the advantages of diversity and inclusion as corporate policy, both on the bottom line and in the human factor.

“Not only are people happier at work, but they are much more productive when they feel truly included,” she stressed. “Leveraging diversity in an inclusive environment enables every person to achieve their fullest potential.”

Barrett and her colleague Drew Butts from Enterprise Holdings challenged students to “get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” Barrett reminded the audience companies can mandate diversity, but cannot mandate inclusion. Senior Max Englert called the session eye-opening.

Bradley’s Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Warren Anderson focused on the challenges of diversity and inclusion on campus and in the workplace in the closing keynote. He urged his audience to be proactive.

“This is the most diverse workforce you’ll ever engage with,” he said. “Diversity may not be valued … it depends on the kind of employee you want to be.”

Anderson said people need to do their research and to put thought into how they can enhance the organization they seek to join.

“Ask what the organization’s stated commitment to DEI is,” he said. “It’s incumbent on you to ask.”

Events like the Essential Skills Symposium are a key component to helping students start a successful career path. Senior Jocelyn Navarro said it best.

“I want to have these skills when I’m going into the workplace.”

– Mel Huang