General Electric, better known as GE, has become a household name and a trusted brand across the globe. Every year they host a Leadership at Work Conference here at Syracuse University. This year, about 30 students were selected to participate.

My Experience

I had the privilege of attending this all-day leadership conference this year. I would encourage all students, especially in the iSchool, to apply and attend this amazing opportunity. We met with current GE employees, and with students at Syracuse who will start working for them upon graduation. It was inspiring to hear everyone’s experiences and stories about how they ended up in their positions at GE.

Throughout the day, we partook in many different activities. We split up into teams with people we didn’t know from all majors and backgrounds. It helped all of us get to know each other really quickly. All the activities we did were innovative and requiring out-of-the-box thinking. During some of the events we could not speak to our teammates; we had to trust and rely heavily on one another. Others really forced us to use our creativity and imagination to complete the tasks while remaining calm under the pressure of competition.

Networking Opportunities

We were also able to get our resumes reviewed and have an open forum about how to handle interviews and elevator pitches. The leaders at GE who hosted this event shared tips and advice on how to make yourself stand out especially to their company.

This then led into a panel discussion with current employees and the students who will work for them starting in the summer. We were able to ask them questions about anything from what they did in school that helped them to get where they are today to why General Electric and not some other company. This unique insight into the company culture and organizational behavior allowed us to envision working at GE and the skills and knowledge we should have in order to achieve this goal.

The employees at GE were diverse and played different roles at the company, but really emphasized collaboration and inclusiveness. One thing that really stood out to me was GE’s new incentive: 20,000 women in STEM jobs by 2020. As we all know, STEM positions are traditionally male dominated but GE is striving to reach gender parity. For more information, watch their campaign here.

Apply!

If you didn’t get the chance to participate this year, APPLY NEXT YEAR! Enhance your leadership skills, strengthen your resume, and learn about a global and innovative company who is looking for more people like us. General Electric is still a growing company and continues to change the world each and every day.