With GEICO’s backing, UB School of Management trains students to nail job interviews

By Matthew Biddle

BUFFALO, N.Y. — All undergraduate students in the University at Buffalo School of Management will be better prepared to land their dream job, thanks to GEICO and its renewed sponsorship of the school’s Practice Interview Program.

GEICO’s three-year sponsorship — a $100,000 commitment — will provide an exceptional professional development opportunity for management undergraduates through the Practice Interview Program and its capstone experience, the GEICO Interview Challenge. GEICO has sponsored the program since 2018.

Delivered by the UB School of Management’s Career Resource Center, the program is a key component of the “Career Connections” course, a requirement for all School of Management students, typically completed during junior year.

During the course, students gain skills they’ll need to succeed in the recruitment process, from researching companies and identifying relevant job opportunities, to customizing their application, to conveying professionalism throughout the process. In addition, undergrads master interviewing techniques and gain the confidence to convey their personal brand and value to recruiters.

As part of the award-winning Practice Interview Program, students conduct a graded practice interview and receive constructive feedback so they can nail the real thing. To cap off the experience, students with the best scores are invited to compete in the GEICO Interview Challenge, which simulates an interview for the company’s Management Development Program and awards prizes for the top-performing students.

“Employers consistently tell us that School of Management students perform better in the recruitment process than their peers, and they acknowledge the role of the class and Practice Interview Program as key contributors to these strong results,” says Gwen Appelbaum, assistant dean and director of the Career Resource Center. “GEICO’s renewed investment in the program and our students’ success is a testament to the company’s goal of inspiring young people and preparing them for business leadership.”

The Practice Interview Program sponsorship is just one aspect of GEICO’s partnership with the School of Management. The company participates annually in student club events and a full-semester project with undergraduate honors students, and sponsors the 52 Weeks of Leadership program, hosted by the school’s Center for Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness. In addition, School of Management students typically represent the largest segment of the company’s internship program.

In recognition of the many ways GEICO and its leaders support students’ career development, the Career Resource Center named GEICO the Recruiting Organization of the Year in 2018.

“This program and our work with the University at Buffalo — like many of our partnerships with Buffalo community cornerstones — is at the core of what we do,” says Mindy Seibold, regional vice president, GEICO. “Programs like this, which help support the next generation of city leaders, are vital to Buffalo’s growth — and GEICO is proud to play our part.”