Alumni Spotlight

Charbel Salameh, '03

Restaurant Owner
Cafe Barada

What year did you graduate? 2003

What did you study at Clark? Majored in Management

What is your hometown? Originally from Cambridge, MA, now living in Belmont, MA.

What is your current position? My current employer is Cafe Barada. It is our family business that has been around for over 23 years.

How long have you been at this job? Three years

How did you find your current job? I grew up with it. My uncle was going to sell the restaurant and my parents and I decided to buy it from him.

Describe in a few sentences the work that you do: Since this is a family business there isn’t much that I don’t do. Some of my main responsibilities include filing all the necessary paperwork with the state and federal government, placing all the orders from the food and beverage to the plastic containers we use. I also am responsible for the catering area of the business. In addition to the business side I also wait the tables and help in the kitchen.

What do you feel are necessary skills to do your job?
Having patience is very important. Sometimes it is hard to remain calm but you need to in this industry. The ability to multitask is crucial.

How did your time at Clark prepare you for this position/work?
Clark helped me out a great deal. The marketing and business classes I took taught me many of the things I know. They come into play all the time. During my time at Clark I participated in many organizations and activities and took many leadership roles which allowed me to develop many skills that I use to run the business.

What do you like most about your job and the work that you do?
The thing I like most about the business is the fact that we own the business and we are free to try new ideas without being told we can’t. When I worked retail everything was done by the “book." Being owned and operated by ourselves we are able to write the “book."

Where do you hope to see yourself in 5 years?
 In 5 years I hope to see myself in the role I am currently in minus the waiting the tables part. I hope to see myself and the business continue to grow and expand.

What recommendations would you provide to current students interested in pursuing a similar job?  My line of work is a little different from what most people experience. The advice I would give to someone who would want to start their own business is learn as much as possible. Take many courses because you need to well rounded. I recommend networking with many people and doing an internship to see if you actually like working in that area.

Cafe Barada is located 2269 Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridge, MA. You can contact them at 617-354-2112.

Check out our new GSOM
Fishman Career Library!

Thanks to a generous gift from Mark Fishman, '82, the new Fishman Career Library has been established in GSOM. The Career Library is located on the 2nd floor of Carlson Hall in the Stevenish Career Management Center (at the very end of the hall). This library is open to all GSOM students, undergraduates and graduates, for use in their career exploration and search process. Freshmen and sophomores can browse through the books about finding careers that fit your interests and personality. Juniors and seniors can use resources on resume writing, interviewing and networking to help them with their internship and job searches. And if the library doesn't have a book or information in a specific area you are looking for, just let us know and we'll order it.

The Fishman Career Library is open Monday to Friday from 9 am - 5 pm. So stop by, grab a seat in a leather chair, prop your feet up on the ottoman, and start thumbing through some of these great books.

40 Best Fields for Your Career
Career Opportunities in Banking, Finance and Insurance
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Discovering your Perfect Career
The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers
The Princeton Review Internship Bible
Do What You Are
Opportunities in Marketing Careers
The Complete Q&A Job Interview Book
Gallery of Best Cover Letters
The Networking Survival Guide

MGMT260 Students Teach to Learn

There's no better way to reflect and tie together all you have learned at college than by teaching it to others. With that in mind, as part of this fall's senior Management capstone class, MGMT260, students have been getting involved with the Worcester area Junior Achievement. JA is an international non profit organization that strives to educate and inspire young people to succeed in a global economy. Throughout the semester, Clark students have been working with the organization and area elementary and middle school students to help teach them about financial literacy, job opportunities and the world of business in general.

Many students, like Sheetal Chodhari, have been helping JA with teaching responsibilities. Sheetal taught a Global Marketplace class to a group of sixth graders at Canterbury School in Worcester. She covered the importance of business practices in different countries, how it positively impacts trade and how the movement of people facilitates trade. She feels that Professor Boyle integrated this experience into her class "because she believes it helps students integrate knowledge from various disciplines, practice a range of managerial skills, and further develop their capacity for civic engagement and social responsibility."

Lauren Vachula has been volunteering her time with a third grade class at Union Hill Elementary School in Worcester. She has been teaching a class called “our city” in which students learn about the different business and residential zones of the city of Worcester. "The first class I taught was kind of nerve racking for me, but the second I stepped into the classroom I felt appreciated and immediately loosened up," she said. Clark students, including Lauren, learn a lot themselves through this teaching experience. "I have learned the value of giving, and using what knowledge you know of a topic to share with others."

Dan Simokonis and Jeremy Strom have gotten involved at JA by helping them plan their annual Groundhog Job Shadow Day. On February 2, groups of students will visit companies and businesses in the Worcester area to learn about job opportunities in banking, libraries, journalism, education and a variety of other fields. Dan and Jeremy have worked with local companies to confirm their participation in this event, and are also working to involve Clark University in it. They hope to have a group of JA students take part in the job shadowing experience here on campus, while also learning about college life. Jeremy said the staff at JA have been excited to have the Clark students volunteering there and have young people help other young people.

The connection between GSOM and JA came through Lisa Schmidt, a Clark MBA alumna and the Education Manager for the Central Massachusetts Junior Achievement. Professor Boyle plans on continuing to keep JA involvement a part of her capstone course in future semesters.

What's the Big Idea?

Clark University's 1st Annual Big Idea Contest

Do you have a plan for making Clark a greener campus? Is there enough musical talent on campus to create a Clark compilation album? Or do you feel there is a need for a club dedicated to making the art of break dancing more appreciated on campus?

The Innovation & Entrepreneurship program is holding the first Big Idea contest to encourage students to help make improvements to the Clark campus community. This contest is open to all undergraduate students who see a problem on campus they want to fix or an idea for something that would make the Clark community even better.

Here’s how it works: Students must fill out and submit this 3 question Big Idea application by Friday, February 1, 2008. We want to know what your idea is, how you can make it happen and turn it into reality, and why you think this is such a good idea (what will it add to the Clark community). All applications will be reviewed and 4 finalists will be selected. All finalists will then present their idea during the week of Feb. 25 (National Entrepreneurship Week) to an audience of student peers who will vote on the winner.

We don’t want to just reward a good idea. We want to see your idea happen, so the winner will receive $5,000 to help turn their idea into reality. We’ll provide you with both financial support and guidance throughout the process to help you bring your idea to life.

Do you have lots of ideas? Students can submit more than one idea/application. However, only one idea per student can move on to the final round.

So enough talking. Let’s get started. And remember, in the early stages, there are no bad ideas.

To submit your big idea, go to www.clarku.edu/bigidea

Listen and Learn

A new addition to MMU, Listen and Learn will let you know about interesting podcasts and videos that we feel will provide valuable information and resources for our students.

The best way to learn about what companies look for when hiring new employees is by talking to HR directors themselves. However, this isn't always possible. The next best thing - check out an interview with one online. The Wall Street Journal sat down with Google's Human Resources chief, or VP of People Operations, to sort through the fact and fiction of who Google hires and what they look for in candidates. Something to keep in mind - when looking at hiring recent grads, college grades do have an impact on their hiring choice. Listen to the podcast to learn more.

Management Tip of the Month

The winter break is always a great time to relax, catch up with friends and family and forget about homework for a while. For many students, breaks are the only time they really have to enjoy leisure reading and sit down with a book that is not required for class. If this sounds familiar and you are looking for some ideas for a good read, check out what your Management faculty have recommended for you.

Professor Sarkis - The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. This piece of historical fiction takes place in 12th century England and "covers the spectrum of human emotions with various twists and turns that keep it very interesting. The story is actually centered around the building of a cathedral. It provides a detailed expose of the management, planning, and operational aspects of building a cathedral. Clearly, one of the major aspects of building such a cathedral focuses on who has the power and money to build one. Getting that power and money is at the core of the book."

Professor Boyle - Moneyball by Michael Lewis, "a great read about the business of baseball and the usefulness of statistical analysis." For those not into sports, she also suggests Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, "a beautiful novel that transports you to ancient China, and reveals unique ways that women found power and used it."

Professor Tamarkin - For all you would be traders, he recommends Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre. The book was first published 85 years ago, but continues to be reprinted. It is a fictionalized biography of the legendary stock trader, Jesse Livermore, and is on the recommend list of almost every trader on Wall Street. He also recommends any book by Jack Schwager, like Market Wizards or New Market Wizards, and others of similar ilk. His books consist of interviews with successful traders and are enlightening for would-be traders.

Professor Bigelow - The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan, which "addresses the Palestinian-Israeli conflict from the perspective of two families, a Palestinian family forced from their home, and the other an Israeli family who moved into that home. The book provides both an historical and human account of the conflict." For a good read by a local author, try Monique and the Mango Rains: Two Years with a Midwife in Mali by Kris Holloway (from Northampton, MA). The author worked in Mali as a Peace Corps volunteer with Monique. "This is the very personal story of Kris' experiences working with Monique and the strong bond that developed between these two women."