Aspiring business professionals packed into the University City Sheraton yesterday evening for Wharton Women's Annual Dinner, which featured Macy's, Inc. Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Karen Hoguet as the keynote speaker.
Participants had an opportunity to network with representatives from over 25 financial-services, consulting and marketing companies, which distributed business cards and accepted resumes.
Hoguet joined Macy's, Inc. (formerly Federated Department Stores) in 1982 as a senior consultant in marketing and long-range planning. Several promotions later, she became CFO in 1997 and EVP in 2005.
But she never would have predicted that path as a Brown undergraduate.
"I had no idea what to do," she said. "I took the LSATs, the GMATs, and I ended up at Harvard Business School."
Throughout her career, Hoguet has had to balance work and family; she never expected to work full-time as a mother, but she also never expected to achieve the power and prestige of her current position, she said.
A few situational factors made it easier for Hoguet to achieve the balance. She married a man whose flexible work schedule guaranteed that "the kids always had one parent home with them," and she "went to work for a company that allowed me to be the mother and the person I wanted to be," she said.
Hoguet summarized her advice to the audience in four points.
First, stay true to yourself in the job search.
"Listen through your filter and see things through your eyes because you're old enough to know what's best for you," she said.
Second, ask three questions before accepting any job.
"Do you like the people you met at your interview? Will this position allow you to learn a lot? Will you be working for a company you believe in?"
Third, "your career is a marathon, not a sprint, so be patient. You will always be ready for a promotion before your manager is ready to promote you."
And finally, act with integrity, which "no promotion or financial report is worth compromising for."
Students interviewed were pleased with the event, and with Hoguet.
"I thought she was very real and personal, especially when she talked about mixing family life with work life," Wharton freshman Jenny Jiang said.
"It was really encouraging for me because I could relate to a lot of it," College junior Erin Chang said. "A lot of juniors are facing issues like not knowing what to do after graduation."
Wharton Women facilitates the personal and career development of females in business.
The annual dinner is the organization's largest event of the year.
