GWU PMSA

Career Center Webinar

Are you aware of the services available through the F. David Fowler Career Center?  Do you know they Career Center has career coaches available for both campus and distance students.  Have you used their online resources?

To answer these questions and more, the PMSA and the Career Center are teaming up to offer a webinar to cover the services available to you.  Sylvia Gray, a career consultant with the Career Center, will deliver the presentation and also answer your questions.

A lot of things have changed since most of us went through orientation.  I’ve been using their services to help me plan for a career transition and I’ve been really impressed.  I encourage you to attend the webinar to learn more.

The webinar is open to students and alumni only, so we’re asking you to register with your GWU email address.  There is more information on the webinar below and you can always send questions to pmsa@gwu.edu.  I hope to see you there.

The webinar is now available here.

It runs 1 hour and 20 minutes.

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The F. David Fowler Career Center (FDFCC) provides full service to all MSPM students.  We have a myriad of resources including:

In-house or telephone appointments with a career coach for:
· Career strategy and advising sessions
· Professional document review (resume and cover letter)
· Self Marketing Plan construction
· Networking advice
· Interview prep
· Offer negotiation

An extensive Resources webpage which includes access to:
· Our online job board (GWorkSB). Access GWorkSB through our webpage and Register to create an account.
· A full suite of online tools including VAULT Graduate, GoinGlobal,  Selectory (for in-depth company research), and Interview Stream.
· Meridian University Solution’s online career management course,  Career Navigator, as well as Quantum Career Momentum for professionals transitioning within their own company, and Entrepreneurship for those students wanting to determine if starting their own business is right for them.

Be the CEO of your Career

I recently finished an article in an older issue of the Harvard Business Review entitled What Only the CEO Can Do (May 2009, by A.G. Lafley)  As I read it, I realized, like many HBR articles, that the principles described can be applied in another way.  In the article, then Proctor and Gamble CEO A. G. Lafley suggests a company’s CEO is the link between the operation inside the company and the world outside.  In this capacity, there are four tasks that only the CEO can perform.

I’ll paraphrase the four tasks because they’re slightly out of context here, but I highly recommend reading the article (Reprint R0905D):

1. Define the what’s important to the company in the outside world.
2. Decide what business the company is in.
3. Balance short term and long term goals.
4. Shape the values and standards by which the company operates.

If you think of yourself as the CEO of your own career, you can translate these four tasks into crucial activities that only you can do:

1. Define what is meaningful to you
2. Decide what you’re going to do with your career
3. Balance the immediate needs of your life with long term goals
4. Determine your personal values and standards and hold yourself to them

Let me break these down. Read more »

Welcome to Spring 2010!

One of my duties as president is to speak to the incoming MSPM students about the PMSA. Orientation was last week, so I headed down to DC, taking the opportunity to meet with a few groups while I was there.

First, I’d like to welcome the 41 new students and wish all of you luck. The program you are entering is a challenging, yet rewarding one. You will meet a lot of talented people from a wide range of backgrounds, industries, and locations, making this an excellent way to increase your network. At the same time, you will undoubtedly learn something new regardless of how much experience you have in project management.

If you’re a student who has been in the program for a semester or more, you may be interested to know that orientation has changed somewhat. Anne has expanded the previously 1.5 day program to two full days and the first day now includes the Bridge Game from the Fundamental class, a change that allows distance students to participate. Read more »

Hello PMSA!

If you’re returning to school this semester, I’d like to wish you (belated) Welcome Back! My name is Craig Baker and I am the 2009-2010 PMSA president. Some of you may remember me from last year when I was the VP of Marketing.

I’d like to give you a brief idea of what we’re planning for the upcoming year but first Read more »