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You have a job to offer and you're seeking a qual¬ ified student. Or you're a student who needs that job. Where do you go to satisfy both needs? Easy. The Management Placement Information Center (MPIC).
The MPIC was established in 1981 as a resource for employers and students. Located on the main floor of the Krannert Building in Room 160, it serves as a reference area where students can find litera¬ ture about career counseling, corporate and indus¬ try data—annual reports, career information, and job postings. In addition, it provides counseling ser¬ vices and information to assist students in career planning and job search strategies.
The center also functions as a meeting place for students and representatives from corporations and firms. Prospective employers, who provide much of the resource material, use the MPIC to help arrange visits and interview schedules. They discuss with the MPIC staff recruiting needs and types of students to fit those needs. Management placement statistics are prepared annually and are mailed to recruiters ^pon request.
The staff plans and coordinates placement-related activities such as career symposia and employer- hosted events. On October 28, the 1982 Banking Symposium featured representatives from nine banks—American Fletcher National Bank; Citibank, N.A.; Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Company of Chicago; First Wisconsin Bank; Lafayette National Bank; Mellon Bank, N.A.; Mer¬ chants National Bank; Purdue National Bank; and The Northern Trust Company. They discussed in concurrent sessions general opportunities in bank¬ ing. An open forum fielding individual questions from students followed the session.
Mary Welch, director of placement, says, "The whole idea for the Banking Symposium came from banks' coming in to talk to us. They were having dif¬ ficulty attracting good students on interviewing schedules because Purdue students didn't seem to have a banking orientation, being predisposed to operations, heavy manufacturing, the more tradi¬ tional kinds of jobs. So the symposium was a chance for students to explore opportunities in banking."
Welch says that because of new legislation which is moving toward banking deregulation, banks are
eing forced to be more competitive in the mar- etplace in development and marketing of services to their customers as well as attracting new busi¬ ness. Students with a quantitative background are
an ideal source of talent to develop this trend. Qualified people are also needed for the traditional areas such as commerical lending and retail.
The Banking Symposium points to a more general problem. The impact of the recessionary economy on traditional jobs has created the need for a fresh approach to placement. Welch stresses both stu¬ dents and recruiters focus on "transferable skills. We want to broaden some horizons. First, we want our students to think about employment in all types of firms where their talents could be applied, and we also want to attract employers from a broader spectrum of firms."
The Retailing and Merchandising Symposium planned for next year will represent another area not usually considered by management students. They need to be made aware that merchandising applies not only to fashion, but to hard goods of all kinds—from Sears & Roebuck to IBM.
Another fall-semester plan is for management students to help market the school and its programs by visiting with employers who are on campus recruiting engineering students. Welch explains, "The purpose is to acquaint the representatives with the school and the Placement Information Center, invite them to visit or review our material, and call us if they are interested in a management interview¬ ing schedule next time they come to campus." Some organizations are looking primarily for engi¬ neers, and are not aware of the programs at Krannert.
Students peruse center's extensive reference materials.
Purdue University
SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT
West Lafayette, IN 47907