Nadege Charles, the vice president and talent development manager for JPMorgan Chase & Co., told Syracuse University students Tuesday that even students with just a liberal arts degree can work in the financial world.

‘I don’t want you to limit yourself in your thinking simply because you have a liberal arts degree,’ she said to a group of about 30 SU students and staff members.

The event was sponsored by The HUB Center, a collaborative effort between Syracuse University, JPMorgan Chase and IBM designed to prepare students to work in global technology jobs.

Charles, who has been with JPMorgan Chase for more than 15 years, gave tips on what qualities employers like JPMorgan Chase look for in applicants for jobs in the financial industry. She emphasized the point that even during an economic downturn, liberal arts majors are still desired to apply for business jobs.

Basic core skills learned by liberal arts students are important when working at an organization like JPMorgan Chase, she said.

‘(Financial services) is about taking information and asking questions,’ she said. ‘Liberal arts majors tend to be very skilled at that.’

Charles earned a degree in psychology from Long Island University and is currently working on her M.B.A. at Baruch College.

Charles said she looks for applicants who can analyze information and have skills in the classroom that transfer to the boardroom, skills that are necessary in or out of a recession. What business employers look for in particular are applicants who participate in extracurricular activities, are proficient in technology, keep up-to-date on current events and are willing to seek help when they need it, she said.

Despite the claim by economists that this is the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, Charles was upbeat about working in finance.

‘Overall, there are always cycles that that the economy goes through. Financial services will come out of this cycle,’ she said.

Lizzie Powers, a senior psychology major, said Charles’ speech assured her that she could get a job.

‘I think she was very articulate. I want to go into the corporate world, and I think I have the transferable skills she talked about,’ Powers said.

Cynthia Jones, a senior organizational leadership major in University College, also said she found Charles helpful. She said Charles gave her new ideas about what to do with a degree in organizational leadership.

Toward the end of a Q-and-A session following her prepared remarks, Charles said whatever job students choose, it should be one that ‘gets you really excited at the end of the day. Be open to that. It’s about whatever matters to you.’

ajswab@syr.edu

Published on February 2, 2010 at 12:00 pm