Undergraduate Blog / Career Development

Participating in a Case Competition can Build your Resume

This Blog was written by Peer Career Ambassador Gyda Sumadi, ’18  

This past weekend, myself and a team of three other students were flown out by Babson to the University of Missouri St. Louis (UMSL) to compete in an International Business Case Competition. Out of twelve teams, I am happy to say we placed first in the competition and proudly represented Babson with our incredible win.  Eighteen hours to prepare the case and presenting in front of high profile executives, we experienced the pressure of the business world and the reward that comes with being in this field.

Competing in a case competition is a great way to build your resume. At UMSL, I was able to polish my problem solving methods, sharpen my speed and analytical skills, network with high profile executives, and learn about different industries. From analyzing the case, I was able to gain insight on the car rental industry (as the case was about Enterprise Holdings, Inc.) as well as global affairs (Enterprise Inc. in relation to Cuba). Participating in these competitions is not only personally rewarding when you do well, but it is the best way to apply what you learn from class. Case competitions force you to connect all the skills you learn from finance, marketing, economics, information technology, and business law (etc). If you do not feel what you learn in the classroom is applicable to real life, participate in a case study and your opinion will change. Case studies are designed to test your analytical and problem solving skills in a dynamic way, which is why involvement in such opportunities is a great addition to your resume. This is because it shows employers that you can think under pressure, organize your thoughts in a presentable manner, speak publicly with confidence, and apply outside knowledge to find a solution.

You do not have to be a winner to gain something from participating in a case competition. In fact, you can learn a lot from hearing other groups present their findings. It is the perfect way to receive feedback and listen to potential solutions that your team may not have thought of. Everyone brings something different to the table and hearing how other teams approached the problem is a great way to expand your scope of thinking. Regardless of how well you perform, it is a great experience to network with professionals and receive feedback on your performance along with making connections with professionals from different industries. Case competitions are a great platform to test yourself and to show people how capable you are. It is quite an uplifting feeling to know that you can solve real world business problems and potentially have your solution adopted by the company.

My team and I had a great experience participating in the event and placing first was just the cherry on top of the sundae. We collaborated well together, gained industry insight and professional connections, represented Babson, and had a wonderful time bonding together. I encourage everyone to participate in a similar opportunity.

On behalf of myself and my team, I would like to thank Babson College and the Glavin office of Multicultural and International Education for sponsoring us to attend the competition at UMSL. We are thankful and proud to represent our college. We also want to thank Liz Saumsiegle for attending the event with us and Professor Oneyma for advising and prepping us for succeeding in this competition.

Attached below is a photo of my group after being awarded first place.

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Left to Right: Gyda Sumadi, Sarah Weinberg, Aidan Dennis, Lee Smith-Feinberg