Tuesday, May 22, 2012

First Mentorship Initiative with Dr. Paul Viollis - John Jay College Alum & President and CEO of Risk Control Strategies, Inc.

Careers in Corporate Security and Understanding Employer Background Checks
 Wednesday, May 2nd in L 72, Center for Career & Professional Development

You may be wondering, what is the Mentorship Initiative?!
It is a new event series where we host successful alumni and other professionals in a variety of career fields with the goal of building career bridges for our John Jay students and alumni.  Experienced professionals share valuable information about their career paths and offer solid advice on how students can get their careers off to a great start.
The Center for Career & Professional Development was proud to host Dr. Paul Viollis, a John Jay alum and CEO of Risk Control Strategies, Inc. for our first annual Mentorship Initiative day!
Prior to assuming his current position, Dr. Viollis’ professional business resume includes President & CEO of Corporate Risk Consulting, Senior Managing Director for Citigate Global Intelligence & Security and Vice President at Kroll where he served on their post September 11th Threat Assessment Team.

Over Paul Viollis’ storied career in both law enforcement and security, he developed a diverse base of expertise in various areas of the criminal justice system ranging from his position as Supervisor for the New York County’s District Attorney’s Office Criminal Court Unit and Security Specialist/Supervisor under the United States Space Command to Chief Officer of a Florida State Police Academy.  Dr. Viollis has been involved in thousands of investigations and specializes as a security advisor for the affluent community as well as in workplace violence behavioral analysis of which he is currently recognized as one of the foremost experts in the world.
Dr. Viollis sat down with a group of undergraduate, graduate students and alumni from all different academic areas that had one goal in mind: they wanted his advice on pursuing corporate security and government work, and how they should go about it.
Dr. Viollis brought great energy, experience and knowledge to our group and emphasized the importance of building analytical skills no matter what area of work you are interested in, and to feel confident in your ability to utilize your comprehensive John Jay College education.  For example, let employers know what your favorite classes were, and how you feel it prepared you to work in their organization.  Talk to them about where you see yourself in the next 5-10 years, and what tangible skills and talents you can bring to the table.

  After the morning presentation, students were able to meet with Dr. Viollis for one-on-one sessions to gain his perspective on their individual situations. In the afternoon, he discussed how employers conduct background checks and how students can be ready for this - especially important for students interested in government and public service work.   Overall, a wonderful event where many students walked away with valuable advice and inspiration to stay strong in their internship and job search.

Keep your eye on our weekly Newsletter in the Fall to learn about who we will be hosting for the next  Mentorship Initiative and we hope you can join us!!