The Outlook Chronicles: Questions From Real Students

Alright, I've been busy. And yes, I may have neglected this blog just a tad. But I'm back, and I've found a way to incorporate some of the daily e-mail advice I give to the students I work with into this blog. So here's the set-up: without fail, I meet with students who, upon leaving my office, have a million more questions. Some of these questions they figure out on their own, some they e-mail to me for my two cents. Not surprisingly, I tend to see a lot of the same questions. So for those of you are asking yourselves those ground-breaking questions, like "should I text the hiring manager?," here are my answers to some frequently asked questions.

A student writes:

Hello Shimrit,

I hope that you had a very nice Thanksgiving. I have a couple of questions:

My informational interview is tomorrow. Do I need to bring a cover letter if I am going to hand him my resume in person? Also, what is the best time to hand him my business card (beginning of meeting or end)? Finally, should I bring a copy of the proposal for the startup I'm working on/with, in case he wishes to talk about it?

Thanks so much,

Taylor

And I answer:

Dear Taylor,

I wouldn't worry about a cover letter just yet - since a cover letter implies you are applying for a job and this is an informational interview, which you've requested. An informational interview is an opportunity to ask for advice about a specific industry, and how to best pursue a job in it, but you should not ask for a job.  If you hand the person you're meeting with a cover letter, it may imply that you don't really get that this is an informational interview - or you're trying to pull one over him - neither of which are good things. For these same reasons, you should also be careful about handing him your resume. If you'd like him to take a look at your resume,  you might ask him if he'd be willing to provide some specific feedback on it, such as whether you're objective is appropriate - or even necessary. Despite these warning to tread lightly with your resume, you should certainly bring it - as well as the copy of your proposal.  He may ask for them, and they could be great conversation points depending on how the discussion flows.

As for business cards, they are typically exchanged towards the end of an encounter. You can conclude your meeting by asking him for his card, and if it would be okay for you contact him with any additional questions you might have. You can also hand him yours at that point.

Good luck tomorrow. I know you'll do great - it sounds like you are preparing in all the right ways.

Best,
Shimrit

"Taking Time Off"

The other day a colleague of mine pointed out an interesting trend – students referring to the years between college and graduate school as “time off.” As my colleague astutely claimed, “it’s not called ‘time off,’ it’s called work!” As a member of this generation, it’s not altogether surprising to me that I failed to recognize this absurd characterization of “life-after-college” on my own, but that didn’t stop me from sharing her outrage over the use of this terminology.

For one thing, “taking time off” insinuates that work is a privilege, even a vacation of sorts. Trust me, it’s not (and this is coming from someone who really does love her job). Additionally, it suggests that not only is there a finite end to “work,” but assumes that graduate school is a given (again, it’s not). Have other noticed this trend? What do you think about students referring to post-graduate work as “taking time off?”

Don't Freak Out Just Yet AKA: Understanding Hiring Timelines

Around this time of year, we career services folk see even the least corporate of careerists in our office wondering where are all the jobs for them?  They've been to the career fair, they've scoured our online job posting platform, and they're ready to throw their hat (i.e. resume and cover letter) into the ring.  But wait! Job postings in the industries they're looking to start careers in are no where to be found.  Surely, they figure, the absence of healthcare, non-profit, or education industries is a simple oversight - or perhaps an intentional one deliberately done by corporate leaning career counselors.  Yet I assure you, this is not the case.  A major reason that these industries are not at fall career fairs and participating in on-campus recruiting en masse is that they do not generally hire Seniors graduating in the spring this early in the fall.  These industries, due to less predictable budgets, the inability to predict spring-time workforce needs, or industry norms simply do not recruit their workforce 6+ months in advance.  Yes, these industries will hire Seniors - but they will do so in the spring months.  So don't freak out yet just become your Economics major roommate is applying for jobs and getting ready for interviews, your time will come.  Instead, relax, network, and get ready for a busy and job-application-filled spring.

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.

Be Napoleonic

At professional conferences, I usually steer clear of sessions designed to facilitate participants’ personal and professional growth. While this certainly isn’t a good thing, I can’t help but feel that in an industry where we’re constantly focusing on career development, I’d rather spend those valuable conference hours concentrating on larger issues like strategy, big picture questions, and tangible best practices. That being said, at an excellent conference I attended last week, I found myself in a session entitled: “Managing Your Boss” or How to Get Ahead Without Losing Your Job! There were many great take-homes from this engaging session, but for the purpose of this blog post, I’m going to concentrate on just one.

Among the success strategies presented for “managing your boss,” the one that stuck out most in my mind was this advice: Be Napoleonic. No, not short and French. Rather, follow Napoleon’s commitment to completed staff work. Apparently, one of Napoleon’s generals was suffering huge losses during the attack of something or other. And he came to Napoleon’s tent to report as much. Napoleon’s answer? What are you going to do about it! You see, Napoleon wanted his staff to bring him solutions, not problems.

Alright, by now you probably know where I’m going with this, but just to be clear . . . don’t just come to your boss with problems. Instead, show them what you can do. Say that a week before a big event, you’re still 15 participants short of the number you’d hoped for. Rather than simply letting your boss know you’re screwed, tell her what the problem is, what steps you’ve already taken, who you’ve reached out, where you’re continuing to publicize the event, and what your plan is going forward. Bien?

'Bite Your Tongue' and Other Advice for New Employees

Today's college graduates are used to speaking their minds.  And even if they haven't been exactly heard, they certainly believe they have something to say that matters.  As a millenial myself, I also firmly believe I have something to contribute to my office.  I mean, why else would my bosses have hired me (and why else would I be writing this  blog)?  Yet the first weeks on the a new job (or internship) are not the time to take the office by storm - actually it's never time for that.  Rather, if you are a new employee, here are three pieces of advice:

1) Bite your tongue
This is something I struggle with on a daily basis, but I suggest you stifle your enthusiasm to speak and up and just spend some time listening.  Get a feel for the workplace and what your colleagues are doing, and only then slowly begin to contribute to the discussion.  Others in your office might have been on the job for years before they felt comfortable speaking up and being taken seriously, so take measured steps to ensure that your eagerness to participate in the conversation doesn't alienate or offend some of your more seasoned colleagues. While I'm not advocating silence, I do suggest getting a feel for your office and waiting for your opinion to be asked before volunteering your two cents about a project that your colleagues might have been working on for months.

2) Ask questions
That great idea you have, yeah, they might have tried it a few years back with little success.  So rather than trying to have the answers, ask the questions.

3) Pay attention
Take note of the office culture, the way in which people approach new projects or tasks, and how your colleagues interact with your boss.  As the newbie at work, you'll be given some slack, but generally speaking, I'd try to adhere to the code of conduct and protocol already established in the office.