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How to Break in and Stand Out in the Corporate World

We're sorry. The video on this page has been removed at this time. The corporate world provides incredible opportunities to build professional skills and cultivate your network - and those who work for large companies get to design and market products that are used the world over. Join CAREEREALISM-Approved Partner, Blue Chip Career for a totally FREE webinar (recording above) on joining the corporate world. The event will cover need-to-know topics like:
  • What large companies look for in a candidate
  • How to design a resume that will stand out from the pack
  • What to expect in the interview process
  • Which skills you need to display to advance in your corporate career
This FREE presentation will be hosted by Jessica Deckinger, a corporate brand manager (and a member of the Blue Chip Career mentor network). Jessica, who went to Harvard Business School, has worked for Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Avon and is currently in charge of product development and marketing for Welch's Fruit Snacks. She'll talk about her experiences in the corporate world and define what job seekers need to do to 1) get a job at a large company and 2) succeed once they've been hired. If you want to learn more about landing your dream job in the corporate world, tune in to Jessica's webinar! Corporate office image from Shutterstock

How Asking Questions Changed My Career Path

You never know when your career is really going to take off. I certainly didn't - I came from a family of engineers, so I grew up expecting to become an engineer, too. However, a chance encounter wound up completely changing my career path. I was working as a design engineer for a firm on Long Island. The job gave me the opportunity to meet and work with clients from Wall Street and Hollywood. We were developing a mansion in the Hamptons for one of those famous people when my career epiphany took place. I knew nothing about the client who had commissioned us to build the estate, and I only met him at a series of meetings where I represented my firm. But, without meaning to, that client totally altered the rest of my career. The client in question was Ron Perelman, a billionaire private equity investor and philanthropist. We met a number of times to discuss the house he wanted built, and after a few meetings I worked up the courage to ask him some questions about the deals his company (MacAndrews & Forbes) was doing. He was surprisingly warm and inviting; even though I was only a novice in the world of finance, he took the time to listen and respond to each of my questions in turn. Not only that, he challenged me to come back with even stronger questions - and I did. When Ron asked me what had sparked my interest in the markets, I told him that, because of my family's engineering background, I had never really considered pursuing a career in finance. But he pointed out that I had a skill set that would translate well to the corporate world - that I was bright, worked well with others and had a creative streak. While I didn't yet have the skills I would need to thrive on Wall Street, he said, I had all the basic tools necessary for a successful finance career. Our talk inspired me to think differently about the direction I wanted to take with my professional life. It also demonstrated to me the importance of being both curious and willing to ask disruptive questions, even when you think it's not your place to be a questioner. Usually, there are great people right in front of you whom you have to give yourself a chance to just talk to. Asking questions of those people can open up a galaxy of opportunities for you. But you have to be unafraid to speak up, and be open to the possibility that what you hear can completely reorient your life and your priorities. That's what happened when I met Ron Perelman, and it could happen to you, too. Want to learn more about Rich's career path (or have him help you secure YOUR dream job)? You can connect with Rich - and more than 200 other professionals in finance, consulting or the corporate world - through Blue Chip Career. Visit BlueChipCareer.com to get started - and enter the coupon code BCC at checkout to save $10 on your first purchase! Blue Chip Career is an online mentor network that levels the job search playing field by making top executives accessible. Through their platform, any job seeker can connect with an experienced mentor for personalized job search guidance. Question career direction image from Shutterstock

Blue Chip Career

Name: Blue Chip Career Websites: www.bluechipcareer.com [Website] www.bluechipcareer.com/blog [Blog] Twitter: @BlueChipCareer LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/1116832?trk=tyah Bio: Blue Chip Career is an online mentor network that levels the job search playing field by making top executives accessible. The company’s diverse network includes managing directors at bulge-bracket investment banks, successful entrepreneurs and venture capital investors, team leaders at top consulting firms, corporate executives, and senior private equity and hedge fund investors. Through the Blue Chip Career platform, any job seeker can connect with an experienced mentor for personalized job search guidance. Resources: Videos | Expert Career Advice and Interview Prep Videos from Executives Blog | Job Search Tips & Tricks, Industry News, and Interesting Insight Articles: How an Internship Reshaped One Student’s Career How Asking Questions Changed My Career Path

How an Internship Reshaped One Student's Career

Are you a college student with little to no professional experience? Read how one student's internship experience reshaped her entire career. I had a very particular vision for my career when I was growing up: I was fascinated by the Human Genome Project and envisioned myself becoming a biomedical engineer. So when I was beginning my freshman year of college, I had a good idea of where I wanted to go and how to get there - but things took a turn I could never have predicted. Shortly after the school year started, I landed an internship at a biotech consulting firm near my college campus. I thought I was on the right career track, until the founder of the consultancy pulled me aside about two months after I started and told me he hadn't taken me on because I was interested in biomedical engineering. Rather, he said, I'd been hired because of something I'd mentioned in my interview: that I helped launch new brands for my family's business. I was already thrown for a loop - and then things got even stranger. My boss pulled a recipe out of his pocket and told me I would be in charge of commercializing and branding it. I went home from work that day confused, uncertain and more than a little annoyed. I had had my whole career mapped out, and now I was being asked to do something that was completely removed from my field of interest. But my friends told me I should just go for it - and that turned out to be the absolute right choice. As the months went by, I really began to enjoy the project my boss had given me. I learned not only about building a business from the ground up but how to relate to manufacturers, distributors and others in the food industry and design the identity of a new brand. I wound up so enjoying the broad mix of challenges faced and skills required in brand development I pursued a career in brand creation and innovation - a path I probably wouldn't have taken had it not been for that internship. My experience taught me a valuable lesson about being open to new projects and different career options. In college, I was a die-hard planner who had sketched out a career in biotech. But by being open to an opportunity that came my way, I ended up in a field that energizes me and leverages my talents far more than being an engineer ever would. Having plans and goals is wonderful. But even if you're the kind of driven, type-A young person who generates plans and checklists in your sleep, you shouldn't be so committed to your plan that you close yourself off to new and unforeseen opportunities. Being open-minded is what exposed me to the possibility of a career in launching new branded businesses - and if you adopt a similarly open mindset, your ideal career could fall into your lap. Image from JNT Visual/Shutterstock