Hajoon “HJ” Yun
Dr. Parrish
ISM II
8 Oct 25
This year, I was honored to volunteer at the ISM Business Symposium that took place at Panther Creek High School. The first quarter of my senior year in ISM was spent preparing the ISM I students for the Business Symposium. From helping students rewrite resumes, prepare them for mock interviews, and shaking many hands, being a leader within the classroom has been very insightful.
At the Business Symposium, I met many wonderful people - students and professionals alike. During the first networking event, I had the opportunity to meet professionals from all walks of life. I also was able to encourage ISM I students who looked scared, a throwback to how I acted during my first time at symposium.
After the networking event, I was pulled aside by Mr. Chetty and assigned to conduct mock interviews for the morning session. During the 8 interviews I conducted, I met a diverse group of ISM students spanning the entire district. Many of the students had the same common errors when being interviewed. The most notable trend was when students would put education at the top of their resumes. I would always repeat myself whenever I saw this mistake. I would tell the students that there was nothing wrong with boasting a spectacular education. However, the experience that people have is more valuable. In ISM, I reminded them, everybody has similar academics and qualifications; but it is the experience that sets students apart.
After the morning session concluded, I was able to snag an extra sandwich box from the ISM green room. I initially went in the get some water but a sweet volunteer offered me a sandwich box, something I gladly accepted and ate. After the lunch break, it was time to prepare for the afternoon session.
The same events happened, such as the networking opportunity. For this session, I took a step back from actively networking to helping ISM students get connected to professionals, regardless of their fields. The networking session flew by and shortly thereafter, it was time for rotations and interviews. I helped out again for the interviews for about 3 rounds and then was reassigned to help the Blue group with rotations.
The Blue group offered me a fresh perspective on the Symposium. As I rotated through different workshops and lectures, it offered me a chance to get some rest and remind myself of the key pillars of the ISM program. One of the last events was the Student Networking event, an event that allowed students to talk to each other and connect with their peers. Students approached me with many questions and I dispensed advice accordingly.
In conclusion, the ISM Business Symposium was a huge success for me personally. As a volunteer I was able to gain valuable insight from a different perspective compared to last year. As I embark on my ISM research one last time before graduating, I will be sure to utilize my connections made at Symposium, as well as the lessons learned.