Final report written by undergraduate peer coaches in Foster Career Services.

1. Spring 2019 Peer Coach Project
University of Washington Michael G. Foster School of Business
Foster Career Services
Peer Coaches: Serena Allendorfer, Amanda Ellinghaus, Christine Ly, Sarah Tam

2. Table of Contents
I. Peer Coach Project Overview
II. Types of Skills the Industry is Seeking based on Employer/Alumni/Hiring Manager Feedback
III. Types Skills the Industry is Seeking based on Job/Internship Descriptions
IV. Types of Skills and Events Students are Interested In
V. Competitive Analysis of Other Career Centers’ Programming
VI. Recommendations

3. I. Peer Coach Project Overview
The purpose of the 2019 peer coach project was to determine how Foster Career Services (FCS) can further
add value to the Foster student experience through events and skills-based programming. This report will
focus on further developing skills at the undergraduate level that are both technically-based, as well as soft
skills. The following research compiles information from students, faculty, alumni, and companies that
addresses where the education stops and FCS can step in to prepare students for career opportunities.
II. Types of Skills the Industry is Seeking based on Employer/Alumni/Hiring Manager Feedback
To gather information about the types of skills the industry is seeking, we pushed out a survey targeted at
recruiters within companies. A survey targeted at Foster alumni is underway. The purpose of this survey is
to determine how Foster Career Services can further add value to the Foster student experience through
events and skills-based programming (both technical and soft). Our goal is to address where the education
stops and FCS can step in to prepare students for career opportunities. The survey questions are listed
below:
Recruiter Survey
1. Email
2. Which option in the Foster School did you recruit for this past year (or plan to in the coming
year)? Check all that apply.
a. Accounting
b. Marketing
c. Information Systems
d. Finance
e. Operations and Supply Chain Management
f. Entrepreneurship
g. Human Resources
h. Master of Professional Accounting
i. Master of Science in Business Analytics (New Fall 2019)
j. Master of Science in Entrepreneurship
k. Master of Science in Information Systems
l. Master of Science in Taxation
m. Master of Supply Chain Management
3. Please rank from 1 - 5 each of the following soft skills that your company might look for in an
entry-level candidate (5 being “very important”, 1 being “not important)
a. Adaptability
b. Leadership
c. Critical Thinking
d. Analytical
e. Collaborative
f. Emotional Intelligence
g. Conflict Resolution
h. Time Management
i. Work Ethic
j. Interpersonal Skills

4. 4. Please rate from 1- 5 how Foster students have met the above soft skills in the past (overall), as
you considered them as candidates for entry-level positions. (5 being “met all expectations”, 1
being “did not meet any expectations”)
a. 5
b. 4
c. 3
d. 2
e. 1
5. Which of the following technical skills is your company looking for in an entry-level candidate?
(Check all that apply).
a. Statistical programming: SQL
b. Statistical programming: R
c. Statistical programming: Python
d. Data Visualization: Tableau
e. Data Visualization: Power BI
f. Advanced Excel (ex: VBA/Macros)
6. Please rate from 1- 5 how Foster students have met the above technical skills in the past (overall),
when considering them as candidates for entry-level positions. (5 being “met all expectations”, 1
being “did not meet any expectations”)
a. 5
b. 4
c. 3
d. 2
e. 1
7. Are there any skills not listed above that Foster students are lacking which would be helpful for
them to have/develop prior to entering the industry? Please list.
8. Would you or your organization be interested in providing technical skills-based training or
programming for Foster students?
a. Yes
b. No
9. Additional comments?
Foster Alumni Survey
1. Email
2. Foster Major(s)
a. Accounting
b. Marketing
c. Information Systems
d. Finance
e. Operations and Supply Chain Management
f. Entrepreneurship
g. Human Resources
h. Master of Professional Accounting
i. Master of Science in Business Analytics (New Fall 2019)
j. Master of Science in Entrepreneurship
k. Master of Science in Information Systems
l. Master of Science in Taxation
m. Master of Supply Chain Management
3. What are the most valuable soft skills you learned from the Foster school? Please list.

5. 4. Which soft skills are necessary for the industry that you did not learn at Foster?
5. What are the most valuable technical skills you learned from the Foster schools? Please list.
6. What technical skills are necessary for the industry that you did not learn at Foster?
7. Please select the option that reflects how you feel the skills you learned at Foster prepared you for
the industry:
a. I was sufficiently prepared for my job
b. I was adequately prepared for my job
c. I was not at all prepared for my job
8. Would you or your organization be interested in providing skills-based training or programming
for Foster students?
a. Yes
b. No
9. What else would be helpful for Foster Career Services to know to help improve the skills sets of
Foster students?
10. Did you complete an internship before beginning a full-time job? If so, where?
Designing both a recruiter and alumni survey provides two important perspectives:
1. The feedback from recruiters provides insight on whether or not Foster students are equipped with
the skills to seamlessly enter the workforce from an external perspective. Given that they have
multiple contact points with students interested in their company, they are able to discern what
skills Foster students have mastered, and where there may be room for improvement to meet their
expectations. ​See full results in career services shared drive.
a. Key takeaways:
i. 17 responses
ii. Primarily accounting and finance company responses; marketing and IS with a
close second
iii. Desired soft skills: work ethic, interpersonal skills, adaptability, time
management, collaborative, critical thinking
1. 35% of responses: 5
2. 59% of responses: 4
3. 6% of responses: 3
iv. Desired technical skills: Advanced Excel (VBA/Macros), tie among statistical
programming: SQL and Python, as well as data visualization like Tableau.
1. 24% of responses: 5
2. 47% of responses: 4
3. 30% of responses: 3
v. Other desired skills: financial modeling
vi. Interest in providing skills-based technical training/programming for Foster
students
1. 65%: no
2. 35%: yes
a. Neiders
b. Terex
c. ECGMC
d. Deloitte
e. Moss Adams
vii. Additional comments

6. 1. Some companies would like to hear more about/get involved with clubs
on campus like BAP/UWFA
2. The feedback from Foster alumni provides insight into how prepared Foster students are to enter
the workforce. This target market is able to identify the skills that are important for their role in a
particular industry and give feedback as to whether or not they felt prepared by Foster. If there are
areas where they didn’t feel prepared, they can list events/services they wish they had access to at
Foster which would have helped prepare them.
III. Types of Skills the Industry is Seeking based on Job/Internship Descriptions
The following table highlights the main soft and technical skills desired in the Foster business verticals.
These have been compiled from job descriptions on LinkedIn and Handshake, as well as web searches of the
top skills desired in each industry.
Industry Soft Skills Technical Skills
Finance ● Interpersonal
● Communication
● Problem-Solving Skills
● Project Management
● Innovative
● Creativity
● Decisive
● Financial analysis
● Reporting
● Knowledge of IT software
● Quantitative and statistical
analysis
● Microsoft Excel
● Accounting Skills
● Forecasting
● Strategic Planning
● Valuations
● Investments
Accounting ● Verbal and written
communication skills
● Strong business writing skills
● High attention to detail
● Self-motivated
● Knowledge of GAAP
procedures and regulations
● Understanding of
Sarbanes-Oxley implications
and changes
● Compliance Reporting
● Knowledge of IT software
● Quantitative and statistical
analysis
● Microsoft Excel
Marketing ● Organization
● Time Management
● Comfort with Ambiguity
● Self-Starter
● Detail-Oriented
● Ability to manage multiple
projects
● Oral Communication
● Written Communication
(editing and proofreading, AP
style)
● Industry Knowledge
● Customer Service Experience
● Email and Social Media
Campaign Management
(MailChimp, Hootsuite, Marketo,
CMS)
● CRM (Salesforce, Oracle)
● Google: Analytics and Ads
● Adobe: Creative Suite
(Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign,
Publisher), Experience Manager,
and Marketing Suite
● HTML/CSS
● Wordpress
● Video Editing (Final Cut,

7. Premiere Pro)
● SEO (Search Engine
Optimization)/SEM (Search
Engine Marketing)/PPC (Pay Per
Click)
● Market Segmentation
● Market Research
● Microsoft Office Suite
Information Systems ● Verbal and written
communication skills
● Strong business writing skills
● High attention to detail
● Self-motivated
● Demonstrated initiative to solve
problems
● Ability to work independently
and on a team
● Professional proficiency in C#
and SQL
Beginning understanding of
scripting languages, such as
Python
● Microsoft Excel
● Business Intelligence tools
(Tableau, Microsoft Power BI)
● Strong desire to learn new
systems and software
Operations & Supply
Chain Management
● Strong analytical, planning, and
problem-solving skills
● Ability to handle multiple tasks
simultaneously
● Good interpersonal and
excellent verbal and written
communication skills
● Basic understanding and
working knowledge of both
purchasing and supply
management and how it relates
to operations
● Ability to work both
independently and collaborate
as part of a team
● Strong relationship
management and interpersonal
skills
● Superior leadership skills with
the ability to thrive in
ambiguity
● Overall business acumen and
end-to-end general management
approach
● Ability to nurture and
contribute to innovative and
creative solutions
● Economic value creation
mindset
● Proficiency in Microsoft Office,
particularly Excel
● Professional proficiency in
business analytics/database
languages, such as SQL
● Business Intelligence tools
(Tableau, Microsoft Power BI)
● Strong desire to learn new
systems and software
Consulting ● Collaboration
● Curiosity
● Emotional intelligence
● Data collection, analysis, and
interpretation
● Qualitative Analysis

8. ● Multitasking
● Interpersonal
● Organization
● Communication (verbal,
written, presenting)
● Relationship-Building
● Responsive to Feedback
● Prioritizing
● Structuring Ambiguity
● Resourceful
● Leadership
● Strategic Thinking
● Problem Solving
● Critical Thinking
● Identify Needs
● Quantitative Analysis
● Research
● Microsoft: Word, Excel, Outlook,
Powerpoint
● Financial/Data Modeling
Experience
IV. Types of Skills and Events Students are Interested In
1. Technical Workshops
A common misconception within technical careers is the abundance mindset, and thinking that the most competitive
place to be in would be mastering a multitude of languages. After conducting several informational interviews with
business analysts and people comfortable in the information technology space, the entry-level skills that are most
sought are being well-versed in Microsoft Excel and Structured Query Language (SQL).
2. Creative Workshops
Seattle is without a doubt, up-and-coming in the technological, digital, and innovation space. The Foster School of
Business has excelled in providing technical and consulting workshops; however, there is an opportunity to provide
workshops highlighting creative skills. Analytics and data skills are significant and high-valued, and there is an
opportunity to showcase design and communication skills, especially for marketing majors. Based on the desired
skills analysis above, marketing majors are expected to know the following skills; however, there is no training in
design or visual aesthetics. Many come into the Foster School already experienced in design matters, and this should
be seen across the board as a skill that can be communicated to more marketing majors. Some potential workshops
to support students desiring a career in creativity could be the following:
➢ Portfolio Creation/Design Workshop
➢ Data Visualization Workshop/Storytelling
➢ PR/Ad Agency Site Visits
3. Authentic Career Discussions
Job recruiting and career ideation can feel like a full-time class and can be a large stressor for many students
juggling classes, jobs, and extracurricular activities. After conversing with several students, job recruiting
accompanied by rejections have caused many to experience challenges with their mental health. Similar to the
“From the Table” talks hosted in Deloitte Commons, many students could benefit from an authentic conversation
from recent graduates about their career choices, and how life has shifted for them post-graduation.

9. V. Competitive Analysis of Other Career Centers’ Programming
We looked at the career center programming at universities whose business schools were ranked the best 13
undergraduate programs based on the U.S. News and World Report. These schools include the University of
Pennsylvania, MIT, UC Berkeley, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, NYU, Carnegie Mellon, UT Austin, UNC
Chapel Hill, University of Virginia, Cornell, Indiana University Bloomington, University of Notre Dame, and USC.
Undergraduate business programs at 6 of these universities do not have career centers specific to their programs and
are served by central career centers instead.
Like Foster Career Center, most career centers offer:
● 1:1 Appointments
● Drop-In Appointments
● Peer Coaching
● Mock Interviews
● Career Fairs
● On-Campus Recruiting
● Variety of Workshops/Events/Panels
● Mentoring
● Career Exploration Opportunities
However, there is also programming at some of these career centers that Foster Career Services could also
implement here.
At the University of Pennsylvania, students can email their resumes and cover letters to a career coach and receive
feedback within a week. This provides students a different avenue to get their resumes and cover letters reviewed
and could be beneficial for those who are not available for in-person appointments or who are more comfortable
receiving feedback virtually. Peer coaches could be responsible for reviewing these resumes and cover letters during
their shifts when there are no drop-ins.
Part of peer coach responsibilities at UC Berkeley is to take requests from RSOs or classes to do a variety of
career-related workshops. Foster Career Services could offer workshops on LinkedIn, resume and cover letter
writing, general job search strategies, and more. This would help increase awareness about what FCS has to offer
and would educate and encourage students to come in.
Peer coaches at Carnegie Mellon are each assigned to a dorm where they offer office hours in addition to helping out
with drop-in appointments. Foster Career Services could collaborate with HFS to implement a similar service for the
business LLC, which could help direct admits get a head start on their career in a less intimidating environment.
Foster already has an established mentorship program, but it could be extended to include less formal opportunities
and other people beyond alumni such as MBA students and faculty like NYU does. It could be helpful for students
to have less formal and structured ways to connect with others such as facilitating informational interviews, job
shadowing, and having phone or email contact with professionals. Extending the pool of mentors to MBA students
and faculty could be useful for students who are considering getting their MBA or plan to go into academia.
In addition, many career centers mentioned helping students with negotiating job offers and decision making which
is something that Foster Career Services could emphasize more.