Kelley School of Business

Your Own True Success


Helping women discover their own pathway to meaningful careers.

VIDEO: Develop an Authentic Voice

Posted on by Hannah Carroll

Theresa Krier, MBA’09 and founder of Big T NYC, has discovered that, in the male-dominated business world, there is a unique set of leadership skills for women. Her advice for entrepreneurs who “don’t want to be one of the boys?” Adopt strategies from leaders you admire to cultivate your own personal leadership style and brand.

Watch the video to see how she developed an effective leadership voice.

Learn more about Theresa, who was named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s 15 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2015, in Momentum, a digital magazine from the Kelley School of Business. 

Your Own True Success: Theresa Krier Finds Her Leadership Voice from Kelley School of Business on Vimeo.

Anna Herold, BS’18: Dare to Stand Out

Posted on by Hannah Carroll

My internship experience was unconventional. This summer, I had the opportunity to work at a startup accelerator in Bangkok, Thailand. I applied for the position on an external job site not expecting much to happen. But when the opportunity arose from some luck and good interviews, I took the risk and went for it.

Growing up in Bloomington, Ind., and attending the Kelley School of Business, I wanted to experience something different in a new part of the world. And I got it—I was in Southeast Asia on my own for three months. My summer in Thailand pushed me out of my comfort zone in ways I could not imagine.

In my internship, I contributed to exciting projects for Thailand’s economy and collected a large group of friends from around the world. Living in Bangkok was exciting—trying spicy foods, visiting temples and experiencing Thai culture. After I completed my internship, I went backpacking around the country for several weeks. I “island hopped” (because the islands are in close proximity to each other via ferry) and explored some of the most beautiful locales in the world.

Immersing myself in a new culture, taking initiative to meet new people and make friends—these are things I did not see myself doing 8,000 miles from home. Through my experience, I developed a great deal of confidence and learned that you have to take risks to do so. (more…)

Promote Your Brand—Even When You Have a Job

Posted on by Hannah Carroll

Kendell Brown
Associate Director
of Alumni Career Services

By now you are likely familiar with the idea of an elevator pitch. It’s a concise summary of an individual’s brand. I like to think of it as a 30-second commercial highlighting someone’s strengths and leverage-able skills. We talk about elevator pitches all of the time in job search circles. It can be used as an intro at a coffee chat, it’s the foundation for an answer to the “Tell me about yourself” question and if you happen to see a hiring manager on an elevator, well you figure it out. Bottom line, they are useful and you can use them throughout your job search.

The thing is, once people find a new job, they typically abandon their elevator pitch. The thinking is, “I’ve got a job, why do I still need an elevator pitch?” If you take a more expansive view of an elevator pitch and define it as not just a tool to help me get a job, but instead as a professional executive summary you’ll see that you can use an elevator pitch in a variety of settings.

Entrepreneurs and salespeople often have a pitch ready to go, because they recognize that they cannot let an opportunity pass that could lead to an investment or sale.

But what about you, the woman who’s just trying to get ahead—do you need an elevator pitch? Yes! Just because you have a job, doesn’t mean that you are not still trying to sell yourself. Let’s say that you are working on a big project, it’s your No. 1 priority and you feel as if you are really rocking it. Sure your manager and everyone on your team know how well things are going and they recognize that you’re the reason. But what about your manager’s manager? Or the VP that your director reports to?
(more…)

Reflections on Today’s Young Women

Posted on by Hannah Carroll

In June, the Kelley School of Business in Bloomington hosted young women from around the country for our 10th annual Young Women’s Institute(YWI). This is a chance for us to share business, Kelley and Indiana University with very talented students.

This year’s participants, with an average high school GPA of 3.8 and stellar extracurricular resumes, hailed from across the U.S., from California to Massachusetts. All of the girls are between their junior and senior years in high school. In their time with us, they interact with a dozen Kelley faculty in the classroom and also complete a sophisticated case analysis and presentation. By the time they leave us, they have a good idea of whether business generally, and Kelley more specifically, are in their future.

Some of the insights these young women bring to the classroom are astonishing. They create business ideas for a new phone app that turns on lights and makes coffee. They ask about risk, timing and hedge funds when corporate representatives from Charles Schwab are teaching. This year, they are analyzing a cooperative business in a remote part of Costa Rica, proposing business-to-business partnerships to help a developing cacao producer grow. They name and address questions of gender hegemony and corporate social responsibility. (more…)

Simone Siew, BS’19: Business Savvy Artist

Posted on by Hannah Carroll

Simone Siew is an artist. She writes and performs slam poetry. She creates watercolor paintings and collages. She plays piano and viola.

She’s also a freshman at the Kelley School of Business.

 

“Often people ask, ‘Why did you pick business?’ They’re surprised I’m a business major,” Siew says. “No matter what you choose to pursue in your career—even if you want to be in the arts and humanities—business will always be an integral part of that, and your skills will always be valuable.” (more…)

Ellen Ernstberger, BS’16: Achieving More at Microsoft

Posted on by Hannah Carroll

Before Ellen Ernstberger, BS’16, earned her job at Microsoft, she attended the Young Women’s Institute at the Kelley School of Business. The experience fueled her desire to pursue a career in business—and to study at Kelley.

Ellen Ernstberger, BS’16, landed a coveted Microsoft summer internship, and she received a full-time offer to return to the Seattle-based tech company after graduation.

She’s not a coder. Or a developer.

She is curious. She is driven. And she fit Microsoft’s unique workplace culture.

“On my first day of my internship, a teammate told me, ‘It’s OK that you don’t know a lot about tech. We can teach you that. What we can’t teach you is how to be a good fit for this team,’” Ernstberger says. (more…)

VIDEO: Chrissy Vasquez, MBA’07: How We Succeed

Posted on by Hannah Carroll

Chrissy Vasquez, MBA’07, believes every opportunity—especially those that challenge you—can help you grow and change. She sees it daily in her efforts to help combat homelessness in Indianapolis. No matter how many times you’ve been knocked down, keep getting back up, she says. You’ll discover things you thought were never possible.

To learn more about Vasquez and her role as executive director of Back on My Feet Indianapolis, go to the How We Succeed website.

How We Succeed: Chrissy Vasquez from Kelley School of Business on Vimeo.

VIDEO: Caroline Jansen, MBA’17: Finding Your Focus

Posted on by Hannah Carroll

Finding your career fit isn’t always easy. After four years as a financial analyst at Intel, Caroline Jenson, MBA’17, chose the Kelley Full-Time MBA Program to help her transition to consumer marketing. But in her first few days on campus, she questioned her original plans.

Watch the video to see how Me, Inc. and the career coaches at Kelley worked with Caroline to focus her career path.

MBA Career Coaching | Caroline Jansen from Kelley School of Business on Vimeo.

Do You Have the Superpowers of Wonder Woman?

Posted on by Hannah Carroll

As a young girl in the 1970s, I was fascinated by the Wonder Woman television series—the one portrayed by Lynda Carter with her dark hair and sparkling blue eyes.

I’m sure I was first drawn in by the fact that Lynda was pretty. But over time, I was attracted to her power. She had SUPERPOWERS, and I thought that was cool. She had bulletproof bracelets, the lasso of truth and a tiara. It was an odd combination—yet powerful.

Over my 15-plus years working in corporations, I have learned that I have these powers, too, and have called upon them many times. Bracelets? Check. Lasso? Check. Tiara? Check. Every item has been in my invisible carry-on, neatly and protectively placed, so that I can access them when needed.

Bulletproof Bracelets

I’ve always carried my metaphorical bracelets around to guard me against bullets, whether naysayers, layoffs, disappointments or self-doubt. If you live a life and take any risks, many of those bullets will come your way.

Very early in my Human Resources career, I was in a job where my manager was toxic. I remember waking up, feeling OK. Then, as I put my keys in the ignition to drive to work, there it was—a headache. A dull, aching, persistent, why-isn’t-this-Tylenol-working throbbing. Every. Day. (more…)

VIDEO: Erica Smith, MBA’17: Setting Yourself Apart

Posted on by Hannah Carroll

For Erica Smith, MBA’17, career coaching started months before her first Kelley Full-Time MBA Program class. She connected with her coach, Nicolette, in April. They worked together to prepare Erica for the Consortium Orientation Program, an intensive career development conference that Erica says helped set her apart in the job internship market.

Watch the video to see how Erica’s coaching support at Kelley contributed to three internship offers in her first semester.

MBA Career Coaching | Erica Smith from Kelley School of Business on Vimeo.

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