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UT Tyler Soules College of Business Primes Students for Career Success

The UT Tyler Soules College of Business prepares students for both academic and career success. In 2009, the college added a mandatory course, MANA 3170: How to Build & Manage a Successful Career, to its course catalog. The course was designed to help UT Tyler students develop their professional brand values and strengthen their job search, networking and career management skills.

Leading the course since its conception is nationally recognized professional branding author, speaker and business partner/owner, Gail Johnson. Johnson has over 30 years of professional experience working for Fortune 500 and 1000 companies and high-tech startups. 

She has taught career management and critical thinking courses at UT Tyler since 2005, with her primary teaching interest focusing on professional branding as a career management strategy. She believes the course gives UT Tyler undergraduates the edge they need for career success.

“New college graduates often have difficulty finding employment in a competitive job market,” said Johnson. “With many career management resources available, students still need direct instruction for communicating their values to a potential employer.”

The culmination of MANA 3170 is the Mock Team Interviews, which serves as the final exam. Juniors and seniors from the Soules College’s MANA 3170, ACCT 3170 and TECH 4372 classes participate. The event’s first segment involves a networking session where students practice communicating their elevator speech to business professionals from across the region, state and parts of Oklahoma.

“The networking session is followed up with small group breakout sessions where business professionals work with students one-on-one to strengthen their interviewing skills using open-ended and behavior-based questioning,” Johnson said.

An array of professionals participates – from local businesses to Fortune companies to accounting firms and non-profit organizations. Trane Technologies, Martin Companies, Amazon, Walmart, Sherwin Williams, Fastenal, Oncor, Edward Jones, Henry & Peters, Gollob Morgan & Peddy, Special Health Resources, Survey & Mapping LLC, UT Health East Texas and Jasper Ventures are just some of the companies represented each year.

In addition to experiencing professional networking and interviewing, students are encouraged to maintain the relationship established at the Mock Team Interviews by connecting via LinkedIn, a social media platform focused on career management and networking. 

“The connection provides students an avenue to seek out professional advice or be alerted to current or future internships and/or career positions,” she added. “In fact, many students have received job offers or invitations to sit for interviews at the event.”

In fall 2017, the Soules College of Business decided to expand its career development program to the K-12 community. The future of the course looks bright, and the opportunities for East Texas students are promising. Four high schools from Whitehouse, Crandall and Tyler Independent School Districts attended the spring 2021 Mock Team Interviews event. Johnson is confident more districts will participate.

So, what advice does Johnson offer for Soules College of Business students? She encourages them to “populate their professional brand.” 

"Everyone has value,” she said. “Uncover your value, and prove you own each value with an authentic and engaging story. The confidence you will gain from your efforts is life changing.”

Johnson’s teaching and research interests include career management, business communication, organizational behavior, critical thinking, cover letters and career management. She has co-authored and presented numerous academic papers to the Association of Human Resource Development, American Business Communication International Conference, Southern Management Association and Business & Professional Communication Quarterly, among others.

An avid water enthusiast, Johnson enjoys fishing, swimming, and most of all, water skiing – a pastime she began as a child.

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Read more from the May 2021 issue!

• From Marketing Major to Professional: Jones Gives Back to Alma Mater
• Cavender’s CFO Calls Soules College a “Blessing” for Students