CIO Guest Lecture: Staying Employable in a Prevailing Economic Scenario

Thank you to INFORMS Student Chapter, UIC for contributing this post.

“Staying employable in prevailing economic scenario”

A Guest Lecture by Ed Earl, CIO , Littelfuse Inc.

Organizers – INFORMS Student Chapter, UIC

As winter paves way for spring, Nature is all set for casting its rejuvenating spell on us after a hibernating slumber. With Spring looming around the corner, means it is the season for job and internship hunting! With companies going all out to recruit the best in the academia a student feverishly edits his resume: looking back at his life to add to the bullet list which might catch the eye of a recruiter at the career fair the next day.

I’m sure we are all going through this phase where career has taken center stage. Looking for internships or full time jobs can be taxing from a student standpoint, especially not knowing what it takes to make the cut. It was therefore an opportune moment to listen to Ed Earl, CIO of Littelfuse Inc. deliver a guest lecture on  “How to stay competitive in the job market with the current economic conditions‟  on Friday, February 17. Mr. Earl brings with him more than 20 years of IT industry experience, serving as the IT Director at Allied International before joining Littelfuse. Ed is a wonderful supporter of  the Liautaud Graduate School of Business and takes a special interest in INFORMS activities.

The event started out at 6 p.m. in Douglas Hall.  After a brief introduction to Ed by an INFORMS Student Volunteer, Ed then introduced himself and started his lecture to the group with a question: “What is your career objective?”

Responses from audience varied with “Consultant”, “Data Analyst”, “To be in Healthcare IT”, and “Business Analyst.” Ed replied “When I was at that juncture all I wanted was a job!”

The light hearted ice breaker set the conversational tone for the evening, engaging the audience to discuss their concerns with finding a job by establishing a comfortable zone. Topics of discussion covered the entire spectrum of necessary aspects of a job search including the use of social media like  LinkedIn and Facebook to understand how they are used by employers and how they can be used by applicants to broaden their network.  Also covered was the importance of practicing the interview with as many recruiters as possible in career fairs, information sessions, and through the Liautaud Career Services resources. Ed also spoke extensively on the need to develop communication skills and to be able to work as part of a team for  career growth. He discussed the importance of mentorship, how to break the  ice in an interview,  and how to assess a company from an employment perspective while negotiating a quality compensation package.  Through this conversation, Ed invited questions from the audience and provided real life examples in his answers.

Students learned beneficial information and gained an understanding of how recruiters think, how to get that first interview, and how to shape your career. The guidance given by a CIO provided a unique and invaluable perspective.

Among the attendees were Professor Ramaprasad, Head of IDS Department at Liautaud, and Jeff Wilson, the newly appointed Liautaud Career Services Director. After an eventful and engrossing ninety minute conversation, the session concluded with much thanks from INFORMS followed by a presentation of a memento to Ed by Professor Ram. INFORMS capped off the event with an informal networking session over pizzas, snacks and refreshments.

Learn more about Ed Earl here.