Monday, September 29, 2008

CareerBeam Values and Vision


My ideal future includes graduating from Loyola University with a BA in International Business and a minor in Spanish Language. The minor is Spanish is to help set me apart from others in this industry, and to help facilitate communication between foreign businesses. I plan on also continuing my education and receiving my MBA from Loyola University. I believe it is extremely important to have a master’s degree in today’s world, especially in such a competitive industry such as the business world. After graduating and completing my education, I hope to accept a great job offer with a fortune 500 company in either Miami or Los Angeles (my two favorite cities). The company I have been mostly interested in is Burger King because it was founded in Miami and I have grown up driving by its headquarters. I would love to be able to become a part of the Burger King family and work my way up the chain of command until one day reaching my dream of being the C.E.O. Working here would give me the opportunity to accomplish my goals and to also move back to my home town to be close to my family. After I feel like my life is on track, I would like to get married and start a family, while balancing my career.

The benefit to writing a vision statement, whether it is for a business or a personal statement, is to keep you on track of your goals and how you want to accomplish them. Vision statements can work as a check list that you refer back to time and time again to make sure the decisions and actions you are taking are getting you one step closer to your final goal. However, writing a vision statement can be quiet difficult and time consuming. You must sit and think hard of what it is you want to accomplish and how fast you want to attain those goals. After thinking of what you want, you then need to come up with some sort of strategy, realistic or fantasy. Obviously, you can never truly plan out your life because sometimes life throws curve balls your way and you need some leeway for unexpected changes. In my life vision statement my most important value, according to careerbeam, is to be “The Maximizer Set.” After reading the description of this value set, I realized it describes me very accurately. I am the type of person who is motivated by usefulness and practicality. I focus on realistic goals and achievements but am not scared to aim high and take risks. I am constantly measuring my success by my efficiency and effectiveness. I rely on myself to do things in a timely matter, and to get it done as soon as possible with the least interruptions.

The company that I found had similar values to mine is Cold Stone Creamery. Their values are; “Do the right thing”, “Be the best…Be #1”, “Bring out the best in our people”, “Profit by making people happy”, and “Win as a team.” Their mission statement is basically "We will make people happy..." Working for a company that prides itself on being the best and making people happy is a company I would definitely love to work for in the future. I would be working in a company that strives daily to exceed the day before in profits and in over all excellence. This is exactly what I try to do constantly. (It’s a lot harder than it sounds.) I have always believed Cold Stone Creamery has one of the best mission statements that I have found to date.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Executive Mentoring Program

As a freshman in Loyola University, if you are enrolled in the College of Business then you are part of what is called the Executive Mentoring Program. This program helps us meet powerful business people in our New Orleans community who can guide us and show us a little bit about the business world outside the classroom. The mentors are assigned alphabetically and each mentor is assigned around 5 students to be in their group. The group meets with their mentor once a month; whether it be to listen to a lecture, go to dinner, or anything else they choose.
My mentor is Lee Vorisek, he graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Engineering and then received his MBA from Tulane University. He has held many high titled positions over his life, served in the military, and has a great deal of experience. In most of his positions he has dealt with Steal but at the end of the day he is a true business man. Lee wants us to consider him a "Dutch uncle" because he said although he was not part of our family, we could go to him to seek advice or to just confide in him. From the Executive Mentoring Program I expect to learn a lot about the real business world, not just what the classroom offers. Also, I expect to meet many influential business people in my community, who can teach me about their journey on becoming who they are today. I believe the Executive Mentoring Program is a great idea to give first year business students an inside look at their potential careers. This allows freshman to see if business is the right degree for them. Having the Executive Mentoring Program as a part of your resume really sets you apart from many other people who will be competing for the same positions. It gives you the upper hand and makes you more valuable as a person and employee. I'm glad I can be part of a school who gives their students this great opportunity, especially at the freshman level.