Smith School Partners with DBM to Help MBA Students Make Career Transitions

New York, NY & College Park, Md. - November 15, 2004 - DBM, the global human resources consulting firm, and the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, today announced a partnership to provide the schools MBA candidates with job search coaching and support. The partnership taps DBMs 35-plus year history of career management guidance and expertise and will utilize DBMs online tools and coaching programs designed to help part-time, full-time and executive MBAs make career transitions and develop the skills they need to manage their careers. DBM customized its core content to meet the schools needs, delivering a comprehensive set of virtual tools that can be accessed at the Smith/DBM Online Career Center, an exclusive version of DBMs Client WebCenter.

Recent trends indicate a pressing need for business schools to expand career management programs for part-time and executive program MBAs. Over the last several years, the Robert H. Smith School of Business has built a strong reputation for innovative partnering with world-class organizations to meet the needs of its MBA candidates and alumni in todays dynamic business environment. The Smith/DBM partnership provides a variety of services, including webcast seminars, research databases, and face-to-face or virtual career coaching. Webcast seminars cover topics such as how to conduct a job search, write a professional resume, and polish networking and interviewing skills.

DBMs products and services appeal to the Smith Schools technologically savvy, time-pressed and geographically dispersed students. Providing live webcasts and online research tools is a cost-effective way to supplement services already provided by the schools Office of Career Management. Students who have utilized the new Smith/DBM Online Career Center are excited not only about our coaching programs, but also the powerful new search tools available to them, such as GlobalOneSource and DBM Job Scout, said the Smith schools part-time MBA Vice President, Rob Weismantel.

Part-time MBA students are particularly hard to reach when it comes to delivering comprehensive career management programs, said Janet Richert, Managing Director of the Office of Career Management at the Smith School of Business. Our goal was to find a way to provide them with web-centered career counseling that can be accessed no matter where they live or work, at times that are most convenient for them.

Our programs have proven to be enormously successful and an effective complement to the services on-campus career centers already offer, said Jim Piffath of DBMs Washington, DC office. Our partnership with the Robert H. Smith School of Business takes our services to the next level, allowing customized solutions for individual audiences.

About DBM

DBM, the global human resources consulting, helps organizations align their workforces with evolving business demands. DBM pioneered the global career transition industry, and over its 36-year history, has offered innovative, trusted transition solutions designed to meet the unique needs of individual organizations. DBMs in-depth capabilities include employee transition, retention, development, and selection services and are designed to maximize employee productivity and help companies manage the risks of organizational change. DBM has more than 230 locations in 51 countries.

About the Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research for the digital economy. The school offers cross-functional study options in its six academic departments, which include accounting and information assurance; decision and information technologies; finance; logistics, business and public policy; management and organization; and marketing. More information about the Robert H. Smith School of Business can be found at www.rhsmith.umd.edu.