Staying Busy in the Summer Sun

After months of planning and devotion toward the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure WNY, WiB proudly designed a breakfast for breast cancer survivors on June 11th, 2011. Over 500 participants were welcome to enjoy a wide selection of treats before running the 5K marathon. Our time spent on idea sessions and creative fundraising did not go unnoticed. In fact, our pink tent decor and matching WiB tees were sure to grab attention from the moment we set up. We were honored to be a part of a truly great cause held in the heart of Buffalo, Delaware Park. WiB is looking forward to continue supporting Komen and the fight against breast cancer!

Check out the Susan G. Komen official site for details: http://www.komenwny.org/

Get to Know the First Lady of Canisius!

Women in Business is proud to announce that Mrs. Hurley will be speaking at Canisius Thursday, May 5th at 7 pm in the Marie Maday Theatre.  She will be speaking about women in the work force and her own personal experiences.

Maureen Hurley is Executive Vice President and Chief Administration Officer for Rich Products Corporation, the founder of the non-dairy segment of the frozen food industry and a leading supplier and solutions provider to the foodservice, in-store bakery, retail and industrial marketplaces. Maureen serves as a key strategic advisor to Rich’s most senior leaders. Maureen also oversees Rich’s global Human Resources, Corporate Communications and Legal functions and leads the Licensing Group, which leverages Rich’s Intellectual Property worldwide. During her 25-year tenure at Rich’s, Maureen has been instrumental in the development and ongoing championing of “The Rich Promise,” the company’s foundational vision, mission and value system -- considered one of Rich’s most important differentiators within the food industry and across the world. Maureen is also a Board member of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation in Buffalo and is responsible for the design and completion of the Canal Side project on the waterfront.  Maureen is a summa cum laude graduate from the University of New Hampshire with B.A. in English. She also earned her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Notre Dame’s Law School.


For more information, please visit our Facebook event page

Dressing for Success

Knowing what is acceptable to wear in the business world can be tricky, especially for women, and first impressions are very important!  One of WiB's first large group events was an etiquette dinner in order to address dining etiquette and professional dress.  Althea Luehrsen, an entrepreneur and Assistant Vice President at The University of Buffalo, was able to provide us with guidelines for appropriate business wear.  Here are some of the main points from her presentation to keep in mind!

The Interview

Stick to suits in neutral colors
Closed toed shoes with a small heel
Minimal jewelry
Minimal or no perfume
Cover visible tattoos
Do not over do your hair, make-up or nail polish

Clean, polished shoes 

The majority of the impression you make is based on non-verbal language such as body language, tone of voice, and eye contact.

Business Casual 

Monster.com defines business casual as "dressing professionally, looking relaxed, yet neat and pulled together."  

Business casual can vary depending on the company and its culture

Casual does not mean sloppy.  Your clothes should still be neat and clean

Attire should be classic, not trendy

Avoid tight or very baggy clothes

Examples of business casual:  Khaki's, modest dresses, sweaters, blouses, cardigans, capri pants, and casual shoes such as loafers or flats.  

Basic "DONT'S" for All Business Occasions...

Wear clothes that speak louder than you

Undo too many shirt buttons

Wear wrinkled clothes 

Let hair fall into your face

Busy patterns

Large dangle earrings

Extremely high heels

Anything too bright, tight, sheer or short

Basic "DO's" 

Always look professional

Dress for the audience, the circumstance, the corporate culture and yourself

Wear clothes that fit

Err on the side of conservative

Your Appearance...

Affects how you feel about yourself

Influences how others perceive you

Can make or break your success in establishing your career path

If you are still unsure if your outfit is acceptable, check out these blogs and links:

Office Fashion Ideas

Women: What to Wear for a Job Interview

USA Today:  Business Casual Causes Confusion

WiB and the City

This past weekend 12 WiB members ventured to New York City!  We took the overnight Megabus and arrived early Friday morning.  After a quick breakfast and cup of coffee at the Cosmic Cafe we were ready to take on the city.

Our first stop was The Museum of American Finance.  For many of us, this was our first time in NYC and so grabbing a cab was an experience in itself!  At the museum we viewed exhibits on the stock market and how to buy and sell stocks.  We also learned about the Great Depression era and the current financial situation.

The Museum of American Finance also included some fun facts about pop culture and finance.  There were war bonds with Disney characters, a full Monopoly set made of gold and diamonds, and an interesting exhibit that explained how the movie The Wizard of Oz was tied to economics.

After the museum, we walked down Wall St. and toured the financial district.  Unfortunately we also got stuck in a torrential down pour and had to take cover in Starbucks.

Friday night we had dinner at Trattoria Tricolori, a wonderful italian restaurant, with Canisius alumna Kayla Boorady.  Kayla is the Vice President for Corporate Resolutions, Inc.  She conducts databases research and comprehensive analysis for the firm's global background checks as well as the corporate investigations side of the business.  Kayla talked to us about life after college and moving to NYC.  She also gave us some tips on where to go in the city.  

Saturday morning was beautiful and the sun was shining. We took a walk down Park Ave and 5th and went to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  There was so much to see!  I think we could have spent days there! 

 Saturday evening we had dinner at Bubba Gump in Times Square.  Our waiters helped us celebrate Vicki's birthday with a dance off and Vicki won!  We also had fun playing trivia from the movie, Forrest Gump, with the clear winner being Arielle!

Saturday night was our last night in NYC so we were busy trying to fit everything in!  We took a ferry ride to Staten Island and had a gorgeous view of the skyline!

We ended our night with a tour of the city and Times Square...in a limo!  It was a busy weekend but well worth it.  By Sunday morning we were exhausted but we had the 8 hour bus ride home to catch up on sleep.        

Creating Your Resume

If you haven't already developed a resume, starting one on your own can be an overwhelming task.  What information should I include? How do I write an objective statement?  Should I include my references?  How should I organize my information?

There are many different opinions on what you should and should not include in your resume and it also depends on where you are in your career.  Overall, your resume should be a reflection of you.  There are also a numerous amount of sources that offer resume tips, from websites, to career centers, to books, to opinions from human resource departments and anyone able to post their ideas online.  So where do you start?  Arielle Blanchard, President of WiB, has compiled all of the basics and tips for starting your resume into a simple and easy to follow PowerPoint presentation.
(To view the presentation click here: Resume Tips-WiB )

Other useful sources:

Canisius College Career Center
MSN & Careerbuilder Search
Applying to Business School? Resume Perils to Avoid-Business Week