Admissions Interview : College :: Networking : Career

A recent article in the New York Times about whether college interviews really matter got me thinking, apparently in a very SAT-like-way (I love me some analogies), that admissions interview are to the college exploration process as networking is to the career exploration process. As Karen Richardson, associate director of admissions at Tufts notes, “the interview is every bit as much for the student to learn more about an institution as it is for the institution to learn more about a student.” And networking, when done proactively, is done for exactly the same reason. For the student deciding between a Master’s in social work or a doctorate in clinical psychology, the best way is to talk to do information gather. And what’s [one of] the best way[s] to gather information? You guessed it, informational interviewing! Just like you thought about what college you wanted to go to with a critical and thoughtful eye, so to should you approach your future career. Other similarities between admissions interviews and networking: they both allow you to gather more information on the college/profession of your choice, which will allow you to speak more compellingly about your reasons for choosing it; they demonstrate interest; and both are excellent preparation for future interviews. As Kelly Sortino, director of college counseling at Crystal Springs Uplands School in California and a former admissions officer at Princeton University, astutely points out, “interviews in general – for jobs, etcetera — aren’t going away.”

On Waiting It Out

The recent article in the New York Times, “Generation Limbo: Waiting It Out,” makes my career counselor heart ache. Here are students who’ve invested so much time, energy and money into their degree, waiting for a chance to put it to professional use. But then my pragmatic side kicks in, and I want to kick these kids in the behind for waiting around for anything. Because, as many successful, employed people know, success doesn’t happen to you, it’s something you need to actively pursue. In other words, waiting is not an effective job search strategy!

Okay, so that was my first mini-rant. Now it’s time for part two. And it’s in response to this sentence in article, “After three years without an advertising job, she is now applying to graduate school to freshen up her résumé.”

Going to graduate school, especially when you’re unemployed, is, most often, not an effective job search strategy. If you’ve tried to get a job in marketing, yet been unsuccessful, don’t think that a graduate degree in marketing is going to fix all your problems and catapult your careers. While the job market may be better in two years, you’ll also be out tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of dollars, you’ll be more expensive, and you probably won’t have any more full-time relevant work experience than you did before you started the whole back to school thing. Gosh, I’m really starting to feel like Penelope Trunk here, which means it’s about time to wrap this post up.

Career Strategies for Students with Aspergers (Autism Spectrum Disorder)

Before I present some of the best practices presented at the recent conference I attended on career strategies for students on the autism spectrum, let me make a few disclaimers. First, I am by no means an expert (or even experienced) in this field. Additionally, as our excellent presenters pointed out, when you meet one student with ASD, you’ve met one student with ASD. That being said, these practices may work for some students and not for others, but isn’t that true for our nuero-typical clients as well? Anyhow, here’s what I learned:

Infuse Academics with Employment

• Integrate vocational experiences into students’ academics as early as high school to allow students to experience the workplace, reflect on their experiences, and learn appropriate workplace interactions.

Provide Visual Aids

• Have handouts or written materials that cover and/or review the points you’re making during the conversation. Useful for lots of students, really.

Be Explicit

• Because students with ASD do not learn intuitively, it is very important that we as career counselors are explicit with our directions. We cannot expect these clients to pick up on our social cues or nuanced suggestions, we’ve got to be explicit when counseling these students on how to behave, act, and market themselves. Additionally, help students with ASD to dissect the jobs they are working in or applying for. What will be the tasks, the social requirements, and physical environments related to this position. Help students to prepare fully, and practice reacting to, as well as acting in these positions.

Don’t Modify Content, Modify Process

• Students with ASD can be smart. Sometimes really smart. Don’t change the content you’re delivering, rather shift the way you deliver it. See above points for more on this.

Know Your Resources

• Both at the institution you work at, and in the community. At the end of the day, there’s only so much that we as career counselors and university educators can do. We’re not mental health counselors and perhaps unqualified to provide the intensive services some students with ASD might need. Be in touch with disability services coordinator, as well as have some referrals handy from local non-profits or other relevant services providers.

Finally, our presenters made some recommendations for students with ASD on the job market. They advised us to help our clients look for positions that have all or some of the following elements:

Rules

• Students with ASD to be most successful in environments that have clear and consistent rules. This could include rules regarding acceptable dress, hours, breaks, and activities.

Do Not Require an In-Person Interview

• Students with ASD do not interview well. Of course, finagling a job without an interview will be a challenge, which is probably why our presenters suggested making the most of family and personal connections when possible. As far as working with ASD clients, our presenters suggested utilizing Skype during mock interviews, as opposed to face-to-face.

Make the Local Exotic

I see many students each year bent on doing internships in far off and exotic locations.  There's the pre-med student intent on working at hospital in Zimbabwe, the aspiring teacher hoping to teach English in Argentina, and the economics major looking for a finance internship in China.  Well the awesomeness of doing an internship in any of the above locations is hard to deny, securing an internship abroad is no simple order.  Things to consider include the cost of living abroad, travel expenses, necessary visas and/or vaccinations, health insurance, and many more.  Moreover, all these internships can be done in one's own backyard - just try contacting your local hospital, school, or financial planner. Yes, I know, Sturdy Memorial in Norton, MA lacks the cache of a rural health clinic in Africa, yet it's practical and sustainable as you can continue your work there throughout the school year.  While I'm all for the value of international experiences, it's not necessary to travel 5000 miles to gain practical skills and work experience relating to your future career goals. So here's to making the local exotic!

Chaos Theory and My Own Career

In "You Majored in What?" Katherine Brooks dispels the notion of an assumed linear path between one's major and career in favor of a chaos-inspired career trajectory.  Essentially, she suggests that most career development paths are more akin to the butterfly effect, rather than the straightforward routes so many college students initially envision (or desire).  With this premise, I think Brooks has hit the nail on the head, and I'd like to offer up my own non-linear career path as evidence.

I've always loved learning.  As a history major at Middlebury College, I interned in the Department of Education in Washington, DC and later wrote my senior thesis on education legislation passed as part of President Johnson’s War on Poverty.  This interest in education policy and the history of education, compounded by my idealistic desire to “change the world, motivated me to join Teach For America after graduation.  After two incredibly difficult, yet rewarding years in the first-grade trenches, my naive aspirations to transform the educational inequities in our country as a policy-maker were replaced by my desire to return to my beloved halls of academia.  And so I applied to six graduate schools - three History PhD programs specializing in the History of Education, and three Education Master’s programs with a focus on Higher Education.  Despite my instinct to dive into the seeming security of a seven-year long PhD program, it was too difficult to turn down the all-expenses-paid one-year Master’s program at an elite university in my hometown.  The next thing I knew, I was back in Boston interviewing for graduate assistantships advertised at the multitude of Boston area college campuses.

I ultimately accepted a position in the Office of Career, Research, and International Opportunities, helping to manage a $70 million dollar grant program designed to fund international summer experiences and internships for undergraduate students.  In this process I re-discovered my passion and interest for the field of career advising and career services.  I say re-discovered because, in retrospect, there were some tell-tale signs pointing me in this direction.  For one thing, I’ve always been interested in what other people are up to, and specifically curious about new to me jobs or industries.  Additionally, as a college student I practiced what I currently preach.  I utilized career services, applied for and received summer funding for my DOE internship, and started my job search early.  And during my stint as a TFA Corps Member, I volunteered as a recruiter, thereby gaining inadvertent experience in what would later become my chosen career field.  I'm not sure if I ever could have predicted or foreseen this path for myself as an undergrad, which certainly speaks to Brooks’ assertion that "unplanned events and emerging conditions [change an] individual's circumstances." What I do know is that along this path I’ve built on my skills, abilities, and diverse work experiences in order to get to where I am today. And who knows, maybe in five or ten years I’ll have another similar, but equally unpredictable story to tell.

You're Giving Me $100,000 Not To Go To College?

Peter Thiel is offering up a pretty sweet deal.  He is providing 24 students with $100,000 in order to begin to build the technology companies of tomorrow.  The catch for these teenagers all under the age of 20: they can't attend college for the next two years. 

Despite offers from Harvard, Stanford, and MIT, these students are circumventing the traditional education track and choosing to pursue their business prowess - without a higher degree. While I won't speak to what this means for higher education, business, or technology, I will say that I see this fellowship as a fantastic opportunity for career exploration.  Regardless of the success of their projects, this opportunity will allow these fellows to gain practical real world skills, while "trying on" a career.  These students, who are essentially the creme de la creme of their generation, are, through this two year fellowship, going to explore aspects of business, technology, and industry that they might not otherwise have had access to at this early stage in their career and educational development.  I'd hope and expect that this experience will not make these students abandon their collegiate plans altogether, but rather allow them to embark on their studies more informed, more concentrated, and that much more driven.

Don't even think about doing something like this . . .

This e-mail reeks of entitlement.  No matter where you are in your professional development, and especially if you're in college, this kind of rude and unprofessional language is totally inappropriate. Beware bad karma and a paper (or e-mail) trail, it might just come back to bite you in the a**.

Making the Most of Your Summer Internship

At last week’s pre-departure orientation meeting we reviewed business etiquette, professionalism, and what it means to be a successful intern. And while we touched on the importance of making the most of your summer, I wish we’d had the time to really break it down for these students about to set off on what could really be a vital career exploration experience. For those of you soon-to-be-interns, here’s some advice on making the most out of your experience:

• Ask to help out on the projects you’re interested in. Don’t wait to be asked, rather inquire as to whether you could take on some additional responsibilities helping out on that project that has really piqued your interest. Not only will you demonstrate you’re a high achiever and self-starter, but you’ll have the chance to take on some interesting work you might not otherwise have had access to.
• Shadow and/or talk to people outside your department. Many students take, for-instance, a marketing internship, but are also considering human resources as a possible career path. If you’re at a company or organization that has other departments you might be interested in, see if you can spend a day or an afternoon not only building your network, but getting a feel for what this kind of work is like. Once you’re a couple of weeks in, talk to your supervisor and see about arranging an informational interview or a shadowing opportunity with others in the company.
• Ask smart questions. Don’t understand something? Want to learn more about a company project? Wonder what it means to be “Executive Assistant to the Vice President?” ASK!

Careers Out There

We career counselors love informational interviews.  Not only are they an excellent way to make contacts in your industry, but they also allow for students in the development stages of their job exploration process to learn more about specific professions.  That being said, there are only so much informational interviews a student, especially a shy one, can do.  That’s why I think Careers Out There, which I recently stumbled across, is particularly handy.  A sort of interactive version of O*Net Online, Careers Out There highlights interviews with professionals from a wide variety of industry.  Ever wonder what it takes to be a writer? Hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

What interviews or articles on Careers Out There do you find particularly interesting or useful?

What Can I Do With a Philosophy Major?

I get this, or the same question in reference to other majors, pretty often.  And truthfully, the answer is pretty much always the same –a lot.  Obviously, there are some options pursuing a graduate degree, teaching, or even the ministry, that might be assumed for what one could do with a philosophy degree.  That being said, many philosophy (or anthropology, women’s studies, etc.) majors pursue careers in, amongst other things, law, public service, marketing, consulting, or public relations.  Essentially, the value of your degree is the skills you learn and your ability to market them.  Writing, research, communication, leadership, analysis, and critical thinking skills are all evidence of your ability to perform the duties associated with some of the aforementioned jobs.  As a philosophy major you might write a thesis, collaborate on a project, or engage in frequent in-class debates, which all speak to your ability to succeed in the workplace.   So don’t sell your major short.  Study what you love, build your skill-set, explore a wide-variety of career options, and your possible career paths will not be limited.

Plan B

We have a good number of first-time visitors to our office this time of year, specifically asking the question: "I didn't get the internship (or two) I applied for, what now?"  While these students certainly still have options, it is worth pointing out that when you are applying to your first-choice internship, you should be also applying to some Plan B internships and jobs - and applying to lots of them.  A Plan B position could be something you'd love to do, like to do, or even a position you'd only consider doing under the direst of circumstances.  While you might love to be in New York City for the summer, it a good idea to apply to some jobs near your home as well.  When you applied to college, you probably didn't apply to only one school (early decision aside) and it should be the same case with internships.  Fact of the matter is, it's often hard to tell what a position might really be like until you have the chance to speak with a supervisor, learn more about what the position entails, or do some more research about the organization you'd be working at.  So while you might find your dream internship in February, please, do not wait to hear back before moving forward in the search.  Apply to some Plan B positions and you won't be left scrambling for an internship in May.

Planning Ahead 101

This morning I met with a young woman who impressed me for the first five minutes of our conversation.  This young woman, let's call her Beth, was able to clearly articulate what she hoped to do this summer, after graduation, and was both personable and polite.  Perhaps most impressive, she had already applied for several internships, secured several interviews, and was working on putting together her internship "Plan B" for the summer.

However, when Beth proceeded to ask me about summer funding opportunities through our office - a small part of my career counselor heart died a little.  Now, all applications for summer funding were due last week.  Beth, who might have made an excellent candidate for one of our 30+ $3,000 grants for unpaid internships, had missed the boat.  Don't get left standing on the dock, plan ahead! Oh, and read any e-mail from your career center with the word funding in the subject line.

A Smarter Search

I recently met with a senior who was prepping for an interview that afternoon with a local marketing firm. I wasn't familiar with the company he was referring to, so I took a few free minutes that afternoon to check out their website and open positions.  Immediately I saw that this was a firm specializing in "direct marketing."  In other words, door-to-door sales.  Which brings me to an important point: Do your homework when applying to jobs.  As soon as I got to the company's website, I spotted several red flags.  First of all, the company did not request a resume or a cover letter from its applicants.  Second, it was difficult to decipher who the firm's clients were. Third, all social media links were about a year old - very unusual in this field.  Not surprisingly, after debriefing with the student, I learned that he was conducting his job search largely through large online search engines.  While I understand that these type of websites can have a place in a senior's job search, I strongly urged this student to reach out to alums in his field of interest, as well as target companies, rather than simply responding to online ads. It is easy to be seduced by the appeal of easily accessible, seemingly lucrative online job postings, but to really make progress in the job search process I recommend conducting a smarter search.