The Alumni Magazine for Worcester Polytechnic Institute. (WPI)
Issue link: http://wpialumnimag.epubxp.com/i/277771
Spring 2014 13 alumni service Bridging the Gap AlumniBridge puts job search on new footing PAUL VARADIAN '75 felt something was missing from the way people fnd jobs. So he created AlumniBridge, a free place- ment tool that enables a job seeker's profle data – personality traits, skills, and interests – to be matched against the qualifcations and pref- erences companies have identifed for specifc positions. The data is then presented to the employers in a single multimedia screen shot. "There's too much information out there," he says, "and we process things visually much faster than we do by reading. AlumniBridge gives employers a short, easy, graphical way to review candidates. You look and within 20 sec- onds you say, 'I like this person' or 'I don't.'" AlumniBridge provides employers with insight into candidates that may have been passed over based on their resumes alone. For job hunters, it opens doors to positions they may have never considered. "Most of the time, you apply for a job based on the job," says Varadian. "Here, you may get replies from nine or 10 companies that you've never heard of, but you are what they are looking for." Universities, including WPI, also beneft. A portion of the placement fee a hiring company pays AlumniBridge for its services is gifted to the new hire's alma mater, and important data about the job market is provided to schools to make informed decisions. "We can tell WPI that certain companies are clicking on certain skills and not others," Varadian notes. Schools can then adjust their curricula and opportunities in order to better prepare students. "Knowing what employers are looking for in hires is important for schools, students, parents," Varadian continues. "It puts us a step ahead of everyone else. This is the hard data – this is what students are looking for." To see AlumniBridge in action, visit alumnibridge.com. quotable President-Elect Laurie Leshin responding to a question about Robert Goddard's Worcester origins, on WTAG radio. Goddard graduated from WPI 1908 and ran some of his earliest experiments in the basement of Salisbury Labs. Leshin, a space scientist, is a former deputy director at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. recognition ROTC Unveils Hall of Honor BEFORE A STANDING-ROOM ONLY audience, the Bay State Battalion (BSB) Hall of Honor was unveiled in a ceremony dur- ing Homecoming 2013, giving Army ROTC alumni and current cadets a place for for- mal recognition and remembrance. LTC Ciro Stefano, who assumed command of the BSB in 2011, led more than a year of planning and coordination to make the monument a reality. WPI is the host for the BSB, which com- prises 12 colleges and universities. Stefano says one of his top goals was to fnd a way to honor and integrate diverse alumni from 63 commissioning classes. The Hall of Honor is located in Daniels Hall, outside the Army ROTC offces. Among the eight inaugural inductees are two WPI graduates: Gen. David Heebner '67 (Ret.) and the late 1st Lt. Ryan Patrick Jones '05, whose parents accepted the honor on his behalf. With the attendance of active and retired offcers, and representatives of area colleges, Homecoming Weekend marked the largest BSB alumni event since its formation in 1951. "I can't even explain how amazing it is," said cadet battalion commander Marlisa Cardoso, a senior biomedical engineering major at WPI. "Their accomplishments are extremely impressive, and sometimes it's hard to believe that they were all cadets like me once. Walking by the Hall of Honor every day will give me the drive and motivation to pursue a successful military career." W π "I got a tingle in my spine when I was shown the area where he did some of his early rocket tests. It's a fantastic connection." WPI_spring14_FOB.indd 13 3/9/14 11:55 AM