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Gardella Joins Alumni Career Services
Robert S. ("Bob") Gardella cheerfully admits that he found his position as assistant director of Alumni Career Services (ACS) in the most unlikely way: through an ad in the newspaper. Now his job is to help give HBS alumni the skills and knowledge to launch a career search that goes beyond the want ads and marshals the full range of human and technological resources available at HBS and beyond.
Gardella joined the HBS staff in October 1997, succeeding Robert M. Armstrong (MBA '66), who moved on to the Burlington, Massachusetts office of Keystone Associates, consultants in career management. Previously, Gardella had served for five years as an outplacement consultant and trainer for a variety of firms, including Polymer Technology Corporation and Stratus Computer, Inc. "My mission," he explains, "is to increase the visibility of the ACS office and to let people know there's a value-added service here."
The ACS office has experienced a growing demand for its services, reflecting a dynamic job market and changing career patterns. Gardella fields calls from alumni at all stages of their careers - a 1997 MBA whose first job isn't working out the way she planned; a CEO of an investment firm who is reconsidering his decision to take early retirement; an alumnus who wants to spend more time with his family after two years as a management consultant.
Gardella envisions his primary role as that of a "facilitator," putting alumni in touch with a variety of resources such as the twice-monthly job newsletter ACS publishes, the 25,000-member alumni career advisors' network, career liaisons in specific fields, HBS clubs, and a range of information-technology tools at the Cole Room for researching potential employers (see box below).
In addition to increasing awareness of the services ACS provides, Gardella (email: rgardella@hbs.edu) hopes to "add value to every alumni interaction" through services that help job-seekers sharpen résumés, improve interview skills, and conduct research on firms and careers. "My goal," he says, "is not to fish for them but to teach them to fish."
Alumni Career Services, Wilder 302, Harvard Business School, Boston, MA 02163 Tel.: 617-495-6587; Fax: 617-496-5699; Web site: www.alumni.hbs.edu
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