Getting To Know Greenville

A view of Falls Park in downtown GreenvilleHaving grown up and gone to school in upstate New York, I was unsure what to think when I found out that I would be spending my first IMLP rotation in Greenville, South Carolina.  I had never heard of Greenville before, much less visited.  What was I getting myself into?  Was this “city” going to be more like a tiny town with nothing to do?  I had a few friends from South Carolina, so I consulted the experts, and they told me that it would pleasantly surprise me.  But I was still skeptical.

When I moved here in August after Junior Bootcamp, I quickly saw that they were right. Greenville has a thriving, modern downtown that was a complete surprise to me. The Main Street area is lined with restaurants, bars, and shops. There is also a beautiful little park nestled right near the heart of downtown, with outdoor patios to sit and enjoy the weather (which, as of October, is still beautiful…another welcome change from New York).

Greenville is the perfect mix between a big city and small town. There are plenty of exciting things to do, especially downtown. I’m also thankful that I don’t have to deal with the traffic problems that plague big cities…especially when I’m running late for work.

One of the reasons that I was drawn to IMLP, especially in Energy, was that I had an opportunity to see several new cities that I never would have otherwise. In my first rotation, I’ve had the chance to explore a new city, and I’m looking forward to future locales. Whether my rotations take me to Atlanta, Houston, Schenectady, back to Greenville, or somewhere else, I know that I will love getting to know a new city.

California Dreaming of NBC Universal

For all those IMLP’ers and anyone else interested in the process behind relocating for their rotations through GE and NBC Universal, you may want to read what I have posted below.

I will be moving from my “natural habitat” (aka New York) to Los Angeles for my first two rotations in the program. I recently flew to LA to locate an apartment, and I thought I might share some of my experiences and some tips.

1. Book your flights early. This goes for anyone, not just those flying across the country. The earlier you book, the cheaper it is. Saving money is always a plus. Also, Jetblue and Virgin America seem to have some of the best deals. I personally enjoy Jetblue’s services, but that’s just me.


2. Bring Information. Have as much information regarding your credit history and previous residences as possible available when apartment hunting. Most places today require a credit check before you're even eligible to be considered as a tenant. If you’re like me and you went out to your location earlier, you may need a letter from your human resources manager stating your hire and start dates to confirm that you have a job


3. Do some research. Talking to people and looking on Craigslist and Google Maps for locations gave me a pretty basic understanding of what kind of prices I would be looking at and how long of a commute it would be to work, way before I got there. I seriously don’t recommend going in blind.


4. Bring a Camera. After looking at 4 or 5 different apartments they all began to sort of blur together. If it wasn’t for the pictures I took, wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart.


5. Bring someone. I can’t tell you how much a second opinion helped me when apartment hunting. Small things tend to slip your mind when you’ve been looking at apartments for 2 days straight, and having someone there to keep you on track and tell you what they think is a godsend.


6. ASK QUESTIONS! Don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as possible. Ask about discounts on rent. Ask about security deposits, about parking, about utilities, etc… If they don’t answer then there’s probably something wrong.

I was given a lot of helpful hints and tips from my IMLP Buddy, and they are always there if you need to ask questions, because they have already gone through what you're probably about to do. And just as a side note: just because I went apartment hunting weeks before my move date doesn’t mean you have to as well. It only takes about 2 or 3 days of solid hunting to find a nice place - so don’t fret, if you can’t go early, you’ll be fine.

Posted by: Matt Bellezza, NBC IMLP

How Are Rotations Determined?

New Rotations, Locations, and Projects. IMLP!

In our recent Q&A post, one commenter askedhow members of the IMLP program choose each of their four six-month rotations (Background on the program: members change projects four times in two years.)

Since GE has multiple businesses, including NBC, Technology Infrastructure, Energy Infrastructure, and Capital, the rotation selection process varies depending on which GE business you are hired into.

For additional information on what's going on in the GE Businesses, visit GE Reports.

Upon arrival at GE, the first assignment is assigned to the new IMLP before they start work. Also, keep in mind that locations and projects also vary depending on the business!

For the remaining three rotations, a list of available IMLP projects is presented to all of the IMLPs in that business and the IMLP submits their preferences anonymously. Assignment Leaders (what we call our managers while on a project) also present the projects on a conference call so the IMLPs can better understand each project and ask questions.

Next, a program representative then compiles the preferences of all of the IMLPs and assigns one rotation to each.

This question is actually quite timely, as many of the GE businesses are currently participating in the rotation selection now, as rotations and projects tend to wrap up at the end of August!

Note:  Your comments are very helpful- please continue to submit them via the commenting function on the blog, or visit our facebook page!

Relocating & Finding a Place to Live.

When people are learning about the program, one of the first questions I'm usually asked is.. "How do you find a place to live, if you're moving so often?"

So, for all of you out there who have been wondering about this, I'm here to share a few websites that provide a useful service of incorporating maps with apartment listings (I wish I had known about these for my last rotation!)

Basically, this innovative technique saves us all some time- no more copying and pasting addresses into Google Maps and moving between multiple tabs in your browser!

1. Padmapper: This site pulls data from Craigslist and displays them in a user-friendly way- on a map! So, filter based on location, rent, bedrooms and bathrooms.

2. MyApartmentMap : Incorporates data from Facebook listings and any publicly available apartment listings (from apartments.com and similar public listing sites) and displays the results on Google Maps.

3. HousingMaps: Similar to Padmapper in the sense that it pulls data from Craigslist, has a nice filter mechanism and displays the results on GoogleMaps. No iPhone application though.

*please note that these sites are not endorsed by GE or the IMLP program, but we have just found them helpful. Please always exercise with caution when dealing in an online marketplace environment.

IMLPs - Any other sites you have found helpful in your hunt for housing?

Schenectady or Bust!

A major aspect of the  Information Management Leadership Program (IMLP) is relocating - different places, roles, projects, assignment leaders, teams and... climates.

It's what makes those who graduate from the program balanced leaders, as they have seen and worked directly in multiple business areas.

Last Monday, both the moving company and car relocation specialist came to Atlanta to  pack up and move everything across the country for me, as I had finished my first rotation.

It was a day filled with bittersweet moments-- watching my room transition from full to empty, handing over the keys of my car to the man with the flatbed truck, turning in my keys and signed paperwork to the apartment community... but also exciting, because I knew that there was a new life waiting for me in Upstate New York.

So, I'm back in Upstate NY- home of my Alma Mater (Syracuse) and snow (I didn't see any snow in Atlanta!).

More to come on this new rotation soon!