Business

Realtor

Employer: Grand Gables Realty Group, Inc.

Description of current position: Selling homes on the South Shore

Description of company: Residential Real Estate

How did you find this position? Friend

Graduating year from ENC: 2004

Concentration: Management

Where did you receive additional schooling ? Northeastern University

What was your field of study? Finance

What was your first job after graduation? Project Coordinator

What other jobs have you held? Project Coordinator at Siemens Business Services

How would you describe the current job market in your field? slow

What skills and/or personality traits are particularly important in your field for a competitive job search? Personality, negotiation and patience

Employer: Hartford Life Insurance Company
Graduating year from ENC: 1976
Concentration: Mathematics
What was your first job after graduation? actuarial student at Travelers Insurance
What other jobs have you held? VP, CFO and Chief Actuary
How would you describe the current job market in your field? wide open
What skills and/or personality traits are particularly important in your field for a competitive job search? strong math aptitude, committed to studying and working

Financial Advisor/Insurance Advisor
Employer: Tomlinson & O'Neil Insurance Agency, Inc.
Description of current position:
Advise and consult individuals, families and businesses on investment and insurance product. Using holistic methods, I determine a comprehensive plan that meets needs and goals of a client. While, I operate within the client's tolerance and affordability.

Description of company:
They have been serving the insurance (Property/Casualty, Business, Auto and Marine) needs of MA for over 50 years. I was hired to fully service their clients' needs and desires.

What do you like about your position:
rewarding and fun...by that I mean, I take great pleasure in knowing I have assisted in helping an individual, family or business set a path to success. And in a time of tragedy, I appreciate when my clients call me and say thank you for the protection I offered and implemented.

Graduation year from ENC: 2000
Concentration: Business Administration
What other jobs have you held?
Financial Services with SSgA (Analyst); Insurance Agent with NY Life; Insurance Wholesaler with BISYS

Is there anything you wish you had done differently during your years at ENC?
Became more involved with the university

How would you describe the current job market in your field?
Wide open for anyone willing to work a lot

What skills and/or personality traits are particularly important in your field for a competitive job search?
Must be a self-starter and not afraid of rejection...you will have to overcome a lot of rejections before a close

Owner/ Business Manager

Employer: W & K Goodwin Ventures Inc. dba: Comfort Keepers

Description of current position:

My wife and I own 2 franchises of Comfort Keepers, a non-medical in-home care company

Description of company: W&K Goodwin Ventures, Inc dba:Comfort Keepers

How did you find this position?
Worked for 23 years in Science/Engineering (Defense) and transitioned out after finishing a BSBA in LEAD. Read a book recommended to me by an elderly family friend. Worked with a franchise consultant to determine if we were right for franchising.

Graduating year from ENC: 1974, 2001
Concentration: Business
Where did you receive additional schooling? ENC LEAD
What was your field of study? Business
What was your first job after graduation? Construction, home remodeling
What other jobs have you held?
Research Associate at Aerodyne Research; Research Engineer at Utah State Univ / Space Dynamics Lab

Is there anything you wish you had done differently during your years at ENC?
Study the first time at ENC in the 70's. Did some interning to find myself.

How would you describe the current job market in your field?
Non-Medical home care is a rapidly growing business and will increase as the "Baby-Boomers" age.

What skills and/or personality traits are particularly important in your field for a competitive job search?
Risk Taker, Adventure Seeker (like to live on the edge), Entrepeneural, Flexible, Team Player, Servant Leader

Anything else you would like to add?
I love what I'm doing and I owe so much to my Profs at LEAD

Realtor
Employer: Keller Williams
Graduating year from ENC: 1991
What was your first job after graduation? Teaching
What other jobs have you held? Payroll at Xerox
How would you describe the current job market in your field?
Exciting
What skills and/or personality traits are particularly important in your field for a competitive job search? Multi-Task; work well with people; set own goals.

Anything else you would like to add?
Call me if you want to know more about how to start a career in Real Estate. I wish I would have known about Real Estate Careers before I finished College. I would have taken business courses instead.

Manager-Human Resources and Employee Development

Employer: Miller Paint Company

Description of current position:
My job is to manage the Human Resources function in a generalist capacity (i.e. expert in multiple areas) and oversee development of training, as needed utilizing outside resources. So my responsibilities are to oversee benefits, 401k plans, workman's compensation, employee evaluations, promotions, merit budgets, documentation, terminations, hiring, recruiting, etc.

Description of company:
Miller Paint Company is an ESOP (employee owned) manufacturer and retailer of paint specifically geared for the Northwest. We've been in business since 1890 and are one of the last regional paint companies left in the northwest.

How did you find this position?
The Oregonian newspaper of all things! Although now that I am here, we never use it---Monster.com is the resource that we use--especially for exempt/salary positions.

Graduating year from ENC: 1989
Concentration: Communication Arts
Where did you receive additional schooling?
Multnomah Seminary

What was your field of study?
One grad year of Bible

What were your jobs after graduation? My first job after graduation was to continue with the Limited Co. in Boston--I transferred to Portland in February 1990, and was recruited from the Limited to Nordstrom in December of 1990. I started on the sales floor, then managed handbags at three locations and was promoted into Human Resources. I knew when I graduated from ENC that I wanted to be involved in Corporate Training and was eventually promoted back to the Northeast as the Regional Training Director for Nordstrom from '95-'98. I moved back home to Portland in 1998 and continued working for Nordstrom until I did the grad year of bible at Multnomah seminary in fall of 1999. After completing the one year intensive study and knowing I would not go on to complete my Masters, I started working here at Miller Paint Company in August of 2000. They had never had an HR manager before me--so it has been a very good, very busy 4 years.

Is there anything you wish you had done differently during your years at ENC?
I wish that I'd had the guts to apply with one of the bigger firms there in Boston and work my way up. I got into retail and got stuck. Although it's now a blessing and provision for me, I wish I wouldn't have been so hesitant to take more risks.

How would you describe the current job market in your field?
HR in Oregon is not as bad as the rest of our economy...there are jobs and there are opportunities. If you are curious about HR there seem to be many jobs open in specific fields i.e. benefits administration, compensation etc. Not many generalist positions.

What skills and/or personality traits are particularly important in your field for a competitive job search?
Ability to listen and hear people, compassion, enthusiasm to represent your company well--that is needed to draw perspective employee's, lots of speaking, presenting etc.--I use it constantly! (That would be for any job though.) Creativity, ability to move a company and people/managers in a direction where there is resistance. The name of the game will always be flexibility and ability to adapt quickly to change. Long gone are the days where everything stays status quo... Learn how to flex, bend and change now---THAT is an asset for any company!

Anything else you would like to add?
I'm glad to help with anything that I can!!