Sean Li (left)and Joe Begley (right).
ANDREW MANNION / THE QUADRANGLE
By Andrew Mannion, Sports Editor
Joseph Begley ‘91, visited Manhattan University and spoke to members of the economics and finance society (EFS) in a speech tailored about his experience in the industry.
Begley shared plenty of stories that he has acquired over the years, having had much experience in over 20 years within the industry. He spoke to students about his many different ventures with companies such as Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan Chase and Bank of Montreal. Begley spoke on his experience in various positions managing projects and how he views prospective employees as a recruiter.
“One of the most beneficial things in my years of experience in the industry is coming back to talk to students of the school of business here, and hopefully I can help them resonate with my experiences and formulate what they want to do in their careers down the path,” Begley said.
A story within Begley’s years in the industry, which he told at the event, was about meeting a prospective employee. He suspected some bluff on the candidate’s resume, which included the candidate saying he knew how to do origami.
Begley then ripped a piece of paper from his notebook, and asked the candidate to, “Make a bird out of that paper, and make sure the wings flap.” The candidate wasn’t able to create anything close to a bird, and left the table in embarrassment.
Upon telling this story, the room started to fill with giggles, with students not only finding the story funny, but as a valuable lesson to only tell the truth on their resumes.
Begley shared many stories that some students found to be helpful. A senior about to enter the workforce, Sebastino Paccione, attended the event and spoke on how events like these help students such as himself.
“I’ve found it more difficult to find time to go to school events, but alumni speakers are events that I always find time to go to,” Paccione said. “They provide such unique experiences, show industry perspectives that I would not have been able to see and give mountains of useful information that are extremely practical for the younger generation looking for work.”
Even after all these years, Begley loves to come back to his alma mater and help current students. While the advice he gives helps current students, Begley still finds that he remains helped by the Jasper alumni network himself.
Begley remarked on how the alumni network is one of the more valuable things that any Jasper will have in their career, and how the people students are walking around with on campus will be the ones who help them the most in the future.
“The most defining thing is the alumni network that we have here at Manhattan University,” Begley said. “Now, 30 something years later, I still have a lot of friends from Manhattan. I still keep in touch with a lot of people from Manhattan and and there’s a lot of alumni that are willing to go above and beyond, present students or students that have recently graduated, that are looking for career advice, or even actually help them get a foot in the door and help them with an interview process.”
As the talk wrapped up, many students saw their careers in a slightly different light. One student, junior Sean Li, spoke on how alumni like Begley and others helped him shape his early career path and what he has learned through talks like these.
“They have that insight to let you know certain things which you could try to implement to differentiate yourself, or beef up your resume,” Li said. “They give good advice, because they’re actively in that field. It’s also a great opportunity to network as well. In this modern day and age, connections are arguably the most important thing you can have to break into a career to get that foot in the door.”