Rolling Up Their Sleeves

Baruch Students Exhibit Strong Work Ethic on the Job

When you interview students from Baruch, you may be surprised at the diversity of experiences and career paths they bring to the table. You might find an accomplished accounting major who started out as a concert pianist, or a financial modeling whiz who used to run a small business while providing for his family. Typically, Baruch students haven’t been handed an E-ZPass for life’s toll booths; they know that getting ahead requires effort and a willingness to learn.

What makes Baruch’s students different? “It’s hard to define exactly, but for some people, there’s a particular path of graduate school and career preparation that begins at a very young age – they are guided systematically down that road, and it becomes a natural expectation,” says John Elliott, dean of Baruch’s Zicklin School of Business. “For many Baruch students, however, it’s something that they had to choose to do themselves. That self-driven process of earning one’s way through life builds character. It gives them an appreciation for opportunity.”

Marilyn Calister, a managing director at Wealth and Tax Advisory Services Inc., agrees. “The Baruch students I’ve hired all have a clear sense of what they’re here to accomplish. Every moment of their educational experience was spent learning or working toward a goal – and consequently they don’t waste time on the job. They don’t come in with a sense of entitlement – they know that they have to strive to move up in their careers.”

Baruch students, Elliott adds, have a realism and a sense of purpose that makes them stand out. “They have stood up to life’s challenges; they have knocked on doors and said, ‘Give me the chance, and I’ll show you what I can do,’” he says. “Many employers tell us they hire our students because of their willingness to demonstrate their abilities and to work their way into the next position.”

Jane Pendergast, a training director at Standard & Poor’s, says the Baruch students and graduates her department has employed have been smart and capable. “They have a broad understanding of business issues,” she says. “In the equity research department, we hire people for both their quantitative and qualitative skills – and everyone has been bright, hardworking and without an ego.”

The students’ atypical backgrounds and life experiences are especially important assets in today’s diverse work environment. “Our students come from many places; when they are put in our school community, it immediately mirrors the kind of multicultural and global team atmosphere they will be asked to participate in at their internships and full-time positions,” Elliott notes. “Companies are looking for diversity not just of gender or ethnicity but of management styles, personalities, experiences. Our students exemplify such variety.”

Calister says the diverse experiences of her Baruch hires are especially relevant at her company: “We are a global firm, and our clients come from different backgrounds. Having employees who understand how to work with people of multiple cultures and styles is a great asset.”

Elliott also notes that Baruch students’ experiences helps build the “soft” skills – leadership, ethics, teamwork, and the like – that are so important to long-term career success. “Our students know we take ethics seriously – we discuss it actively throughout the curriculum, and we have many programs focusing on the topic. We have a leadership initiative and a mentoring program that emphasizes learning, change, and development throughout their time at Baruch.”