It’s 6 p.m. on a weeknight and the dress is business casual. The topic of the evening is interviewing for jobs.
Mary Goldy, a Target recruiter, reaches the end of her presentation and asks, “Are there any questions?” The audience, listening intently and suddenly put on the spot, is quiet until University senior Mandy Sherman says, “I never know what to say when they ask for weaknesses.”
Sherman, vice president of the Women in Business club, gets the ball rolling and the group starts raising questions, swapping stories and confessing to the uncomfortable – and sometimes miraculously successful – interviewing experiences they’ve encountered.
 

The Lundquist College of Business’ student group, Women in Business, began four years ago when the school was struck by declining female enrollment. Today, the group has grown to 40-plus members with five executive members and meets several times during the term to listen to speakers, discuss business, jobs and internships, and meet women professionals who have a wealth of tips to offer.
 
Providing encouragement, support and a sense of community that caters to women’s issues in the workplace, the group continues to appeal to women on professional and academic career tracks.
“The biggest thing is the sense of community,” said Holly Kimball, a University senior and executive member. “It gives female students within the business school a place to interact, outside of your own network.”
A common misconception of the group, said club president and University senior Kayla Graham, is that it’s only open to women.
“We don’t discriminate,” Graham said. “If you’re a male and you support what we do, you’re welcome to join. But I think most men are intimidated by a group of intelligent, confident women.”
While the history of women in the workplace is long, faculty adviser and finance instructor Deb Bauer said women still face gender-specific challenges at work and in the classroom.
“There’s a real benefit in making our students aware of some of the challenges women face that still exist,” Bauer said.
Female admissions in the business school have increased during the past few years, but Bauer said the recruitment and retention of female students still need work. Women in Business serves as the supportive environment that might help achieve those goals, she said.
Besides hearing from guest speakers, who visit the club frequently, offering anecdotes and advice on what makes women successful in the business world, members also have the chance to lead the club, plan and assist with events and attend site visits to businesses in the area.
Bauer said the opportunities to learn practical skills and information make the club more than a resume-builder.
The club is a safe space, outside of a competitive classroom or job market, for members to practice their networking, interviewing and etiquette. This isn’t just idle busywork, Bauer said, it’s practice-makes-perfect for a leg up.
“These days, you need that extra piece of education,” she said. “You can’t learn everything you need in the classroom.”
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