During the first installment of the Fireside Forum, TCU alumnus Carlo Capua Jr. and George Fassett Jr. spoke to TCU students about their experiences in starting a business, how they hire potential employees and their knowledge about the graduate school application process.

Fassett and Capua also gave advice on what to do during interviews and resume tips.

Capua is a co-owner and general manger of Z’s Café, Bella Cafe, Food 4 Life and Old World Sausage Company. Fassett is the CEO and president of THUMBTECHS Corp.

“I hope the students will get a real world snapshot of what it is going to be like in the real world,” Capua said.

Phil Hartman, dean of the college of science and engineering, hosted the event and asked the speakers about the relevance of GPA in the hiring process.

Capua said that GPA is a small component that he looks at when hiring someone. He wants to know the skills and abilities that someone has.

“I’ve been trying to put my resume together and I don’t have that much work experience, so I have been filling it with skills that I have,” sophomore environmental science major Alyssa Herge said. “They [the speakers] are more interested in your talents and understand that activities also affect your GPA.”

Fassett mentioned how during an interview he tries to intimidate the interviewee to see how the person reacts to the situation.

“I learned that the interviewer tries to be harder on you to see how you would react,” Herge said. “The interviewer understands that people get freaked out during interviews.

For environmental science graduate student Esther Chitsinde, the Fireside Forum helped her understand what she needs to do when she starts her own business.

“The speakers provided me with lots of tips to do during an interview and how to start a business,” Chitsinde said. “I liked how the speakers were being practical in their responses to questions.”

The next series, “You’re hired! Employer expectations and entry-level focus,” will be held Oct. 9 at 3:30 p.m.