Business Career Connections (BCC) held its first San Francisco Career Trek the week of October 10th. Four graduate students, and 13 undergraduate students attended the trip with Sue Wyman, Director, BCC, and Stephanie Sindt, Career Advisor, BCC.  Students came from Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, International Business, Human Resources and MBA programs.

The group visited Salesforce, Fitbit, Braintree (PayPal), Bain & Company, Uber, Bank of America | Merrill Lynch, PENSCO, LinkedIn, and Google SF.

“All of the companies were very generous with their time and we were lucky to meet with 29 representatives from the nine companies.  Getting a view into the unique cultures and work environments of such high-profile companies was very exciting.  Three of our companies are ranked in Glassdoor’s Top 10 Best Places to Work for 2016, and one was in the Top 50.” said Wyman.

Company host comments included:

“I was floored by the insightful questions they asked — they are a really fantastic group.” (Uber)

“It was our pleasure to host the talented students from CU Denver – several have connected on LinkedIn and sent follow-up emails. Impressive group!” (Salesforce)

“They came prepared with some great questions and we had a great time chatting with them all. Hope to do more in the future with you.” (Braintree)

The group toured Braintree and Google SF offices and received presentations and panel discussions at all nine companies. Students heard from Business Development, Investor Relations, Global Tax, Global Marketing Operations, Corporate Communications, Consulting, Banking Senior Vice Presidents, COO, Controller, Strategy, Recruiting, and IT professionals. The competitive San Francisco hiring market was discussed and tips on key job and networking skills were provided by many of the company representatives.  Four of the nine firms have Colorado offices.

“Every employer that we met with was willing to give out their email as well as connect with us on LinkedIn. Learning about each person’s background and the work they did that got them to the place they are in now is extremely encouraging.  Another great aspect to the trip was the connections that were made between the students.  It was great to have such a diverse group, the opinions and perspectives from other students enhanced the entire trip.  It is also great to know that when we are all out of school and working, if an opportunity opens up, we will first turn to our peers.” said Jordan Ditirro, Bachelor of Science, Accounting student.

“The highlight of my trip was visiting San Francisco while being able to connect with a lot of professionals that have been working in elite companies that we use on a daily basis. Being able to ask questions and ask for advice was the best part of the Trek. The trip gives you first-hand experience being in the city during real business hours.” said Eric Robles, Bachelor of Science, Business Administration student.

“This is a rare opportunity to see how companies are run from an insider perspective. It was a great way to determine the type of culture I will be searching for once I am finished with my degree. But just as important, it showed me sides of companies that may not be conducive to how I like to work, and thus what not to look for. Going on the trip gives you ample opportunity to meet like-minded people, both students and business leaders, and establish relationships. Business is all about the connections you make and these career treks deliver that kind of value when it is typically a challenge to make connections starting out in your career.” said Ryan Condor, Bachelor of Science, Finance student.

Business Career Connections coordinated the Trek and helped prepare the students for the trip with one-on-one resume sessions and four trek preparation workshops. Student ambassadors were assigned to each company and did research, introductions, and question preparation.

”In my role, I get to see how exceptional and hard working our students are every day. The companies on the trek got to see this first-hand and it was clear that they were impressed by our students, their professional presence, and the impressive questions they asked.  The 17 students who attended did an amazing job researching companies and preparing for the trek, all while working, attending classes and even taking make-up tests the day after they returned from San Francisco.  They are truly an amazing group of students.” said Sindt.