Vol. 38, No. 18

2-15-2007
By: Julia Harris

Putting Fisher MBAs in business

Steve Singer turns dreams into careers

Steve Singer has some advice for job seekers: Be prepared, be punctual and don’t wear tube socks to an interview.

He’s more than qualified to offer tips to prospective employees. As the director of corporate and graduate relations in Fisher College of Business’s Office of Career Services, Singer helps students land jobs.

With a placement rate of more than 90 percent, he and his colleagues must be doing something right.

Singer works primarily with first- and second-year MBA students with concentrations in accounting and finance as well as those enrolled in the Master of Accounting program. Altogether he interacts with roughly 180 individuals.

The services he provides range from helping students develop and polish résumés, draft cover letters and master interview skills. Singer also leads what he calls “boot camps,” which are intensive one-day seminars that inform graduate students about potential areas of career interest.

Additionally, he meets with recruiters from local and national firms to discuss hiring needs and strategies and consults with students who are scouting out MBA programs.

Statistics from his department’s annual report for 2005-06 reveal that 399 graduate students signed up to receive services. Almost 180 companies — places like Cardinal Health, Deloitte Consulting, JPMorganChase and Young Isaac —  held on-campus recruiting efforts, resulting in 2,041 interviews.

“We’ve got employers competing for high-level talent,” says Singer, who earned his own MBA from Franklin University before coming to Ohio State almost three years ago. “And the talent pool here is pretty deep.”

Julie VanDeLinder, part of Nationwide’s recruiting team, agrees that Fisher students are impressive. The company first became interested in on-campus recruiting two years ago, she says.

“Steve and his team were great in helping us manage details and iron out logistics,” VanDeLinder says. “And the students we’ve hired have fit in really well. They have good teamwork skills, they understand collaboration and they’re flexible, which is essential in our ever-changing environment.”

And for those employers who don’t come to him first, Singer is willing to go the extra mile. He and his colleagues lead annual expeditions to Wall Street and Chicago to expose students to major investment banks and big-name employers like Coca-Cola and Goldman Sachs.

He also works one-on-one with students who are interested in working for companies that don’t have a presence on campus.

“Last year, a student wanted to work at Walt Disney World in Orlando,” he recalls. “We had no contacts there, no alumni we could reach out to, so I did some research, made a contact, worked with the student to tailor his resume and cover letter, and he got an internship there that led to a full-time offer.”

It’s a big job, but one that Singer says he loves.

“I pursued this position almost to the point of stalking my boss,” he jokes. “I’m proud to be part of such a terrific team, and it’s great to help students achieve their goals.”

One student who is well on her way to achieving her goals is Ly Zamora, a first-year MBA student. Zamora knew she was interested in Ross Laboratories, a major Columbus company, because of its philosophy of “global citizenship,” ethical business practices and helping the community.

She sought Singer’s help and was rewarded with a position as a financial analyst intern for one of Ross Lab’s product lines.

She has advice of her own for her peers: “Be proactive. Make an appointment to meet with the consultants and keep them updated on your progress. They can only help those who reach out to them.”

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