Oct. 3—Matthew Power-Koch, Manager of University Internships at the Office of Career Services & Internships, led a College of Management: M.A.P. workshop at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Held on the third floor of the McCormack Building, Power-Koch spoke on the unwritten rules while entering and while in the workforce.
The Management Achievement Program, or M.A.P., offers students in the School of Management opportunities to help in their future professional life. All students are required to partake in different activities to earn “M.A.P. miles” in order to get into higher-level classes. While they offer workshops, M.A.P. events also consist of speaker-series, on-site visits to companies, and networking events.
Power-Koch started the event with each of the 30 attendees standing up, giving their name, major, when they graduate, and what they hope to get out of the workshop. This allowed him to offer advice on their presentation and how to carry themselves as if they were in a board meeting. With every person, he expanded on their style, points they made, and what they did well. Power-Koch praised a senior management student on his body language. “You’re paying attention, that’s clear. *These* are some of the unwritten rules—your body language. You say a whole heck of a lot without saying anything.”
He made a major expansion on a student’s request to talk about important skills going into a job. Power-Koch stated, “This is the thing people that don’t tell you but is probably the most valuable skill set that you already have. There’s IQ, which is related to your intelligent quotient. There’s EQ, which is related to your social and emotional intelligence. That is actually the most valuable thing you will take with you wherever you go.” He also stated, “Nothing is cruising, otherwise we’d all be making the big bucks. Struggle is important. Struggle is a part of it! That’s another unwritten rule right there. Failure is a part of the success process. It’s how we deal with failure that often dictates how quickly we’ll move up.”
After the mini-presentations, Power-Koch asked the students what they should do to prepare for the first day of an entry-level job. He touched on confidence, preparation, eating a good breakfast, practice, asking relevant questions, and the importance of dressing for the job you want. With being prepared, he talked about networking and karma, “I will absolutely tell you a rule, and I think this is a rule for life that you can take no matter where you go. Treat others how you want to be treated.” “Not acting better than anyone else is another unwritten rule,” Power-Koch told the room, “and when at a job, roll up your sleeves and get down to work because that’s the person people want to work with.”
He made it clear, “You are always being watched. Just because an employer, or your supervisor, doesn’t come to you and say, ‘Hey, you didn’t do this right,’ that doesn’t mean you have gotten everything right.” Power-Koch told the students to anticipate and be proactive, going back to the point of people always taking note of what you are doing.
M.A.P. events are open to all students, no matter their major.