Helping kickstart careers
Eric Holler (MBA '13) is a mentor at heart. Throughout his career across the food industry, including time as the vice president of sales for Quality Candy and the director of sales for Terri Lynn Quality foods, he has been dedicated to bringing out the best in his co-workers and clients. When presented with the opportunity to connect with Quinlan School of Business students through the Q Mentorship Program, it was a natural fit.
Building valuable connections
One of Holler's specialties is taking students' ideas for a career and pointing them in the right direction for exploring that idea more. When Holler works with his mentees, he challenges them to search for what they are passionate about.
"When you're passionate about what you're doing, more often than not, you're going to be enjoying what you're doing," Holler said.
When one of Holler's former mentees shared that she wanted to go into marketing, Holler dug deeper and discovered she enjoyed video gaming. He encouraged her to look for internships at technology companies like Apple and Samsung to tie her interest to a future career opportunity. He believes this drives a successful career.
"Financial services, for example, isn't the most romantic job. If you find an industry within financial services that you enjoy, you can really resonate with that."
Making students feel comfortable
The Q Mentorship Program is a part of Quinlan's Career Preparation Course, BSAD 220. With the help of LoyolaLinked, the Q Mentorship Program partners undergraduate students with industry professionals like Holler who are either Loyola graduates or friends of Loyola.
Holler has worked with six students in three years. When Holler is paired with a new student, he works to make himself as available as possible.
"We are all busy, we all have a lot going on, but I feel like as a mentor, I have to take the lead on engagement," Holler said. "I want my mentees to feel comfortable. I offer up my LinkedIn, I schedule weekly meetings, I'll invite them to lunch or dinner, whatever their comfort level is."
Holler says he tries to personalize his interactions with students. He noticed when students feel shy, it's up to him to help students get the most out of the program. Students have noticed.
"I have a mentee from three semesters ago who invited me to her birthday party with her family and close friends," Holler said. "This is what it's all about: them feeling comfortable enough to reach out to you after the program. Having somebody you can lean on."
Creating confident futures
For Holler, the most gratifying aspect of the Q Mentorship Program is seeing students become confident in themselves as they start their next journey. By having a mentor, students are not only gaining insight into their prospective careers, but building skills that will lead to future connections.
"Now they feel like they're more equipped with the soft skills like approaching people and handling certain situations," Holler said.
After the course has ended, Holler tries to remain a resource to his mentees.
"I'll reach out after the semester to follow up and see how internships are working out," Holler said. "I get the most reward giving of myself and then to hear a student has pursued something we were talking about or that I've shaped their journey in some way, it's very gratifying."
