June 2008

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Michigan News

The University recently opened its Business Engagement Center, which provides one-stop shopping for businesses seeking student talent, University expertise, professional development for employees and research partnerships. The center shares 17,000 square feet of second-floor space with the U-M Office of Technology Transfer. The two offices will work together to strengthen the University’s ties to business and community partners while helping to revitalize and diversify the state's ailing economy. The center is located in the Galleria Building at 1214 S. University Ave. in Ann Arbor. For more information about the Business Engagement Center, visit www.bec.umich.edu, email um-bec@umich.edu or call 734.647.1000.

AAUM Member Benefits

Looking for a job? Make inCircle, the online community for U-M alumni, your first stop. You can search for jobs from employers who are specifically targeting U-M grads, find connections at companies you're interested in, and network with the entire Michigan alumni family—more than 460,000 strong. inCircle is free to you—get started at www.umalumni.com/incircle.

Now your son, daughter, grandson or granddaughter can wear the Michigan Alumnus or Michigan Alumna T-shirts with pride. The Alumni store features a variety of Michigan items exclusively designed with alumni in mind, from clothing to books, CDs and electronics. How about a brand new Michigan classic tote or silk tie handcrafted from Vineyard Vines®? Or consider our line of campus chinos for men and women, or our custom designed T-shirts. For a complete selection of merchandise, visit http://alumni.umich.edu/store/index.php.

One of the greatest benefits of being part of the Michigan family is your connection to thousands of talented leaders in every profession throughout the world. Alumni NetWorks is your way to leverage these connections for career success. It's a search tool that uses your criteria to comb through our comprehensive volunteer database and connect you with alumni mentors who are waiting right now to give you career information and advice. Alumni NetWorks is free for members of the Alumni Association and current students. To learn more, visit www.umalumni.com/career.

Michigan alumni have a way with words. That's why we've created the Alumni Author Series—to connect Michigan grads who are published authors with other Michigan grads. This resource has information about alumni authors, the books they've published, links to their Web sites and ordering information. Check to see which books might help you in your career or your job search. Would you like to be included in the Alumni Authors Series? Just complete our quick online form.

Stay even more connected to U-M through our special e-newsletters available only to Alumni Association members:

• e-TrueBlue: Sports—U-M sports fans will love this extra coverage of U-M teams, current and former student-athletes, and upcoming events.
• e-TrueBlue: Travel—For our members who love to travel, this e-newsletter gives you important travel news, hints and tips, recommendations on travel-related books, information on Web sites and TV shows, and ideas for great trips around the world.

Each e-newsletter is sent monthly and is an exclusive benefit of AAUM membership. Subscribe online.

On the Job

No matter how outstanding employees might be on the job, bad habits can ruin how they’re perceived in the workplace. Mannerisms and habits can play a significant role in irking coworkers, according to Laverne Ludden, author of “Job Savvy.” Ludden lists some of the most common career faux pas that can keep employees from progressing in their career and fitting in:

• Using tobacco products
• Wearing earphones
• Chewing gum
• Using slang or profanity
• Picking and pulling, such as tugging their ear or scratching their nose more often than they realize, which can be distracting to others.

Featured Article

If you think a business card is only for those who already have a job, think again. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, a business card is a vital part of any job search. The article explains the importance of a business card and gives these tips for creating one that works best for you:

• Don't sell yourself short.
• Exploit the reverse side.
• Be creative — within limits.
• Use a simple typeface, high-quality paper and an elegant design. Match your résumé font.
• Create different cards for different opportunities.

Career Tip

Don’t have a business card? Just check online services such as VistaPrint, which is currently offering 250 free business cards. All you have to do is go online, choose a card design and fill in the boxes with your information. The company emails you a proof of the card before you place your order. Note that the VistaPrint logo appears on the reverse of the card and that you pay for shipping and processing.

Book of the Month

The secrets to success in business aren’t secrets at all. They’re obvious, so obvious that they’ve mostly been taken for granted or ignored. In “The Obvious: All You Need to Know in Business. Period.” James Dale, ’70, has compiled words to live by, lucid truths as likely to be found in a fortune cookie as an MBA textbook. While all of his advice is obvious, its implementation isn’t. Dale, co-founder of the business consulting firm Richlin/Dale and former president and CEO of advertising agency WB Doner & Co., shares ways in which any businessperson can carry out these simple lessons and achieve success. To read Dale's own words, visit our Alumni Author Series Web site.

Hot Jobs

Our alumni job board has more than 3,500 jobs listed right now. Below are just a few of the jobs listed by employers looking to hire U-M grads. If these aren’t right for you, visit the careers section of inCircle and you may just find your next job.

• Project Leader, Dart Container
  Mason, Michigan
• Senior Accountant, Detroit Salt Company
  Detroit, Michigan
• Sports Sponsorship and Advertising Sales, Modern
  Chicago, Illinois

This Month's Poll

Do you remember to carry and share your business cards? Tell us in our online poll.

e-TrueBlue: Career is sent to all members of the Alumni Association via email as a benefit of membership. If you prefer not to receive it, please send an email to malumni@umich.edu with a subject of REMOVE ETRUEBLUE CAREER. If you would prefer to receive the text-only version of this newsletter, send an email to malumni@umich.edu.

Unless indicated, the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan does not have a relationship with any of the Web sites or businesses mentioned in e-TrueBlue. The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan is not responsible for any inaccuracies found on these connections.

Alumni Association of the University of Michigan, 200 Fletcher St., Ann Arbor, MI, 734.764.0384, 800.847.4764, m.alumni@umich.edu