Lucas Graduate Connection

Alumni Resources
This section is designed to be a growing area of professional resources for alumni—whether you are a new graduate or a mid-career professional.

Business News & Trends
Networking Tips
Resumes
Interviewing Tips

Business News & Trends
LGC alumni work in a broad range of specialized industries and professions. To keep you connected with general business news and trends, here are some recommended sites:

Networking Tips
Building and nurturing a professional network is vital in today's business climate. Here's some hints to improve your networking skills:

Be an active networker. Look for new opportunities to network and work to maintain relationships with past colleagues, managers, classmates, etc.
Never stop networking. Many people fall into the trap that they only need to network when they are looking for a job.
Network with integrity. Be honest why you are networking and honor any commitments you make. If you promise to send information or write a recommendation—do it. People are more willing to assist you if you've demonstrated that you will do the same.
Leverage new networking forums. From LinkedIn to Spoke to Plaxo there any many forums and services to assist you with building a network.
Always have business cards. Never use an out of date business card. As a back-up, you can easily create personal business cards via sites such as Vista Print.
Join a professional association. This can help you meet and work with people in your field.
Join the LGC Alumni Network—and connect with other Lucas Graduate School MBA alumni!

Resumes
What makes a resume stand out—rather than sinking to the bottom of the pile? A resume is a personal document highlighting individual accomplishments, but there are some tips to make one stronger.

Resumes should be relevant and targeted for the position you are applying for. Don't recycle an old resume because it's convenient.
Ruthlessly edit your resume, and keep it focused on recent achievements and skills. Be factual.
Highlight your specific accomplishments—don't just list the job duties you had at past positions. List out your personal accomplishments, and why these were important to your employer.
Keep your resume crisp and use action words. It should look professional and be free of errors.
Have lots of people read your resume and ask questions about their reaction to it. Make sure the story you are telling is clear.
Never forget what the purpose of the resume is. It is a sales tool to get you a phone screening or an interview. It is not your autobiography.

For some sample resumes and general resume advice, visit Quintessential Careers.

Interviewing Tips
There is no denying that interviews are a stressful situation. However, there are some general strategies you can employ to better manage them:

Do your homework before any interview. Research the organization, check out current news, and look for any leads in the company you can talk to.
Come prepared with a list of interview questions of your own. Interviews are a time for both parties to learn about each other.
Take notes. If you are learning good information about the position, it's fine to take notes for reference for future interview rounds.
Be able to clearly articulate why you are interested in the position and in that specific company.
Be prepared to tell "good stories" in the interview. Show up ready to illustrate a success with a clear story or give a personal anecdote about a situation where you learned from a mistake.
Prepare a good closing question for the interview— and use it. An example is, "If your ideal candidate walked in today, how closely would this person match to me?"
After the interview is over, note what worked and didn't work while it is fresh in your mind.
Get business cards from each person you interview with and write thank you notes.

For additional interviewing tips, visit Interview Tips.Org.