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ELW Winners!

Congratulations to the members of Team 4!

This winning team presented a business plan for a company they named “PoolA Palooza.”

This service would allow inground pool owners to utilize the area of their pool during the fall, winter and spring months by installing a safe and effective covering system.  Their cheery slogan “Take back your backyard” concluded a very professional presentation.

Our panel of distinguished alum declared them the winners, with a 3-way tie for second place.  They announced that all of the teams presented very innovative, creative, and organized proposals.

The week wrapped up nicely with a closing banquet, where students could relax and interact with our panel of mock “venture capitalists,” and murmurs of applying to the Summer Business Program passed throughout the room.

The only questions left is: How do you want to return from your Spring Break next year – Sunburnt or Successful?

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor
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From inside the Executive Leadership Workshop

40 students are dressed in business attire, they’ve already sat through an hour and a half of valuation presentations, they are neck deep in the financial data for Kayak and Google — and it’s only 10 a.m. on day 2!

Over the course of the week, these adventurous students (who have opted out of the typical Spring Break vacation) will get an intensive view of how to build, grow, and sustain a company.

Their teachers are Holy Cross alum that coming back to campus to share their stories and introduce important business techniques that will help these students be more prepared for jobs in the business world.

The schedule looks something like this:

Monday: Starting A Company

Tuesday: Valuing and Growing a Company

Wednesday: Business Market Game

Thursday: Managing the Momentum of a Global Enterprise

Friday:  …. is a little different.

On Sunday night, the students were broken into teams and given the task of (over the course of only this week) creating a business geared towards the 30-45 year old demographic.  Each team is responsible for coming up with a new idea, creating a business plan and presenting their business to an executive panel that will pick a winning team at the end of the week.

Friday morning, all 8 teams, will present their plans in hopes of being the victor!

We’ll update you on Friday afternoon with the results!

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor
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10 Etiquette Tips for the Young Professional

All information provided by Mannersmith

1.       The Hand Shake.

Hands should be placed web to web in a firm grasp.  2-3 shakes (any longer and it gets awkward).

2.       The Art of Conversation.

Be prepared with a few interesting things to add to any conversation (ie. Books you’ve read or an event you’ve recently attended).  Be sure to ask open ended questions to create lasting conversation.

3.       The Compliment.

Make sure to accept compliments with a thank you and a smile.  Avoid attempting to down-play the compliment with a negative response to avoid attention. Accept it, appreciate it, and move on.

4.       The Business Suit – For women

Skirt suits are considered more formal than pants. Make sure to tailor every suit – fit really makes a difference.  Skirts should always fall at the bottom or top of the knee, no higher.  Remember that the person wearing the most clothing holds the power, so plan accordingly with dark tights or long sleeves.

5.       The Business Suit – For men

Pants with cuffs are considered more formal than those without cuffs.  When determining the number of buttons on your jacket, remember that the shorter the V created by the top of the jacket, the shorter you appear. Sleeves should cover your wrist bone, but not much longer (you don’t want them falling mid-hand).  Shirts without buttons on the collars are considered more formal than those with.

6.       The Color Scheme.

Know what the color of your shirt, tie, suit, or accessory is saying about you.

Dark Purple = royalty, power & money

Green = money

Pink = calm

Red = power

Navy = trust

Brown/Orange = friendly

7.        The Early Departure/Late Arrival.

If you are invited to an event and you have to leave early or arrive late, inform the host prior to the event.  This can help the host plan around your schedule and alert other guests as necessary.

8.       The Dietary Restriction.

If you are invited to a dinner and you have any specific dietary restrictions, make sure to inform the host as early as possible so that he or she can plan accordingly. Failing to do so could end in you not eating and a very embarrassed host.

9.       The Active Listener.

When engaging in conversation, make sure to be attentive and responsive.  Eye contact is very important, but be careful not to stare. A well placed nod can go a long way.  Make sure to ask pointed questions to display you are engaged in the conversation.

10.   The Thank You Note.

Never underestimate the value of the handwritten thank you note. While an email may be sufficient, a handwritten letter says you took the time to care.

Enjoy!

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor
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Presentation is everything.

Disclaimer: This is the post where I shamelessly plug my new workshop, which happens to be on Monday night.

As Holy Cross students, you’ve been given a great foundation in presentation skills.  All of you write and speak very well.  You are a step ahead of the majority of your peers.  I’ve seen several of you brush elbows with some extremely powerful people and make comfortable, interesting, and (most importantly) educated conversation.  You have plenty to say and possess resumes that can open most doors. Give yourselves a hand—I was thoroughly impressed with the caliber of HC students when I started here in September.

Then I participated in the ELW interviews…

Don’t worry. I’m still impressed by your professionalism. But there is always room for improvement in your interview skills.

Here’s where my new workshop comes in.  After sitting through almost 60 interviews, I have started to see that most of you fall victim to filler words (like, um, uh) and nervous habits (tapping toes, twisting pens, playing with your hair—yes ladies, I am talking to you!) when speaking in public.  This workshop will address these issues and help make all of you more polished interviewers and presenters.

The details:

I’m offering a one-hour workshop in which a few volunteers will present three-minute talks and be critiqued by their peers and myself.

We’ll record each presentation so we can review point-by-point with each presenter.  All criticism will be constructive, but it will give you all a chance to really look at how you come across to a crowd and get some insight from others about how to up your game.

If this workshop is successful, I’ll offer a series of smaller workshops so everyone can have a chance to practice.  We can work on both presentation and interview skills.  Please don’t confuse this program with Career Planning’s mock interviews.  We are not working on content, only on form.  Your presentation can be on your love of Kraft macaroni & cheese—I don’t care. The plan is to flush out distracting movements and superfluous words that take away from the content of your presentation.

So mark your calendars: Monday, January 31 at 7 p.m. in Smith Labs 155.

If you want to volunteer to “go first,” send me an email or RSVP on our Facebook event page.

Since presentation is everything and practice makes perfect, I hope to see all of you there.

Kaithlyn

Kaithlyn Kayer
Associate Director, Entrepreneurial Studies

David Chu
Director, Entrepreneurial Studies & Pre-business Advisor