Quinnipiac University business students taught how to outclass the competition at etiquette dinner

Karla Natale, right, director of special events at Quinnipiac University, assists Quinnipiac student Marsel Alickolli, at the School of Business’ etiquette dinner on Nov. 6 in the Mancheski Executive Seminar Room. (Photo by Mark Stanczak, manager of photographic services.)

The Quinnipiac University School of Business is always looking for ways to give its students a leg up on those they will be competing against in their professional lives.

The school hosted an etiquette dinner Nov. 6 in the Mancheski Executive Seminar Room, where 50 business students gathered around white-clothed tables to learn business etiquette and dining skills from Karla Natale, of Cheshire, director of special events at Quinnipiac.

“We went course by course explaining what to do and showed what to do on a sample plate,” said Natale, who is certified in both business etiquette and international business protocol and has led etiquette dinners for five years at Quinnipiac.

“Etiquette still matters, especially when you’re looking for a job or networking,” Natale said. “You don’t want to come off sloppy or unkempt. You want to make sure you are projecting confidently. I feel like people hear the word ‘etiquette’ and get turned off because they think of being prim and proper, but it doesn’t have to be like that. It just means conducting yourself in a professional way that is respectful to others.”

The dinner consisted of three courses, including minestrone soup as the first course, chicken for the main course and pumpkin pie for dessert. During each course, Natale discussed the continental and American styles of dining as well as general etiquette, including accepting invitations, seating arrangements and their meanings and interacting with guests.

Lisa Alessandrello, of North Haledon, N.J., a junior international business major said she found the information to be beneficial. “There are everyday things that you do and you could have bad habits that you don’t even know about,” Alessandro said. “I think she did a really great job and the setting was very practical. She really covered the bases and people asked great questions.”

Belizabeth Serrano, of Meriden, a junior international business major, agreed that etiquette is important for interacting with people. “Etiquette allows you to take your time to eat and talk with people,” she said.

Giosué Improta, of Hamden, a junior accounting major, said, “I came to this the last few years and it helps me learn these lessons over again. It’s a great way to be with my peers and learn. As an accounting major, you need to learn how to schmooze your client and to set yourself apart from competitors.”

Lauren Berger, ‘The Intern Queen,’ to speak at Quinnipiac Oct. 9

Lauren Berger, the CEO of InternQueen.com, addresses the audience at a previous visit to Quinnipiac University.

Lauren Berger, the CEO of InternQueen.com, will speak to students about finding internships and career opportunities on Tuesday, Oct. 9, from 9:15-10 p.m. at Burt Kahn Court on Quinnipiac’s Mount Carmel Campus. This event, part of the School of Business dean’s distinguished speaker series, is free and open to the public.

Berger will discuss how to find and apply for internships, offer resume review tips and discuss career-building skills. She will also discuss how she successfully secured internships and developed her popular website, InternQueen.com, in 2008.

Berger, who earned a bachelor’s degree in organizational business communications at the University of Central Florida, held 15 internships while she was an undergraduate. She completed internships at various companies, including NBC, Fox, MTV and BWR Public Relations.

Berger is number five on “Business Week’s” annual list of the 25 Best Young Entrepreneurs Under 25. She has spoken at 50 colleges and universities. Mobile Youth placed her in the top 10 Youth Marketing Minds of 2010.  She has also published the book, “All Work, No Pay: Building Your Resume, Making Connections and Gaining Job Experience,” in January 2012.

For more information, call 203-582-8652.

School of Business and Engineering students prepare for internships, careers

Hundreds of our students took advantage of a special School of Business and Engineering career services boot camp offered in Burt Kahn Court on Sept. 6. Each of our colleges and schools offer different opportunities to best prepare our students for life after graduation. (Photo by Kyle Gravitte ’13.)

School of Business and Engineering students converged on Burt Kahn Court on Sept. 6 for career services boot camp.

• Please click here to see more photos from the event.

The students were presented with opportunities that included professional resume review, interview practice, appearance presentation advice, information about on-campus organizations, LinkedIn workshops and other tools to help our students find and  secure internships and future employment.

Our career services professionals work with our students throughout the year to help prepare them for internships and careers beyond Quinnipiac. Each of our schools and colleges have dedicated personnel to give our students the most targeted and relevant advice.

School of Business shoots up unparalleled 19 spots in Bloomberg Businessweek’s ‘Best Undergraduate Business Schools’

Bloomberg Businessweek ranked our undergraduate program among the best in the country. Here, students walk toward the dome above our Lender School of Business Center on our Mount Carmel Campus.

Quinnipiac’s School of Business shot up an unparalleled 19 spots in Bloomberg Businessweek’s seventh annual ranking of “The Best Undergraduate Business Schools.”

Quinnipiac was ranked 72 out of 142 participating schools on the prestigious list.

“We are extremely pleased with our inclusion in the Top-100 Businessweek rankings and especially proud of moving up 19 steps in the rankings.  I want to thank our students for their hard work, our faculty for their dedication to teaching and scholarship, and our career services staff who give 110 percent every day helping our students find internships and jobs,” said Matthew L. O’Connor, dean of the School of Business.

“Businessweek’s Top 100 is a sign of a high quality business education and an important information source for prospective students and recruiters,” O’Connor said.

A key factor in the higher ranking was a strong showing in an employer survey.

“This award recognizes a strong partnership between career services, employers and our students,” said Jill Ferrall, assistant dean for career development in the School of Business. “It recognizes our students’ hard work, dedication and passion toward their education and pursuit of a career – as well as our dedicated employers who consistently partner with us to find their top talent.”

The Businessweek ranking is based on, among other factors, student and recruiter surveys, median starting salaries for graduates, the number of alumni each program sends to top MBA programs, academic quality based on SAT scores, full-time student-faculty ratio, average class size in core business classes, the percentage of students with internships and the number of hours devoted to class work.

Learn more about the “The Best Undergraduate Business Schools.”

‘Intern Queen’ to share experiences, advice Feb. 8

By Joseph Catrino
Assistant Dean of Career Services, School of Communications

Lauren Berger, CEO of Intern Queen, Inc., a Web site that helps students find and apply for internships and make the most of their experiences, will offer internship advice at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8, at Burt Kahn Court on the Mount Carmel Campus.

As career services professionals, we often serve as the sounding board and outlet for many students beyond the advice and guidance from parents.

In career services, we offer students the opportunity for resume/cover letter writing and review, networking, interview training and job/internship search tips among other things.

Those other things include inviting guest lecturers and experienced professionals to come to campus to impart information on their profession, specialty and expertise upon the students here at Quinnipiac University.

This allows for career information to come from yet another source beyond our offices and the students’ parents.

One of those speakers is Lauren Berger, or to some of you, The Intern Queen.

Quinnipiac University is pleased to welcome the Intern Queen to our Mount Carmel Campus on Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m. on Burt Kahn Court.

In our line of work, we encourage students to do multiple internships to gain experience in their selected fields.

My tagline in the School of Communications has been, “One internship is required, two is good, three is ideal.”  Who better to guide students on this journey, but the person who did 15 internships during her four years of college? Yes, the Intern Queen!!!

Having such a high profile person, like The Intern Queen, come to campus demonstrates how committed Quinnipiac is to the development of the students’ job and internship preparedness.

Berger will offer internship advice to students.  She will also discuss how she made the most of her internships while studying at the University of Central Florida.

Berger will offer advice on the internship application process, resumes, cover letters, interview, social media, internship trends, managing a job and internship, handling paid versus unpaid internships, making the most of an internship, and turning an internship into a full-time job.

Berger’s presentation aligns nicely with the goals and objectives of career services at Quinnipiac University, which is why this is a wonderful opportunity for students.  This event is open to the public.

For more information on the Intern Queen, visit www.internqueen.com or follow her on Twitter, @InternQueen.