Learning About Business Etiquette in Japan

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On Friday, Michiko Yamashima gave a presentation on Japanese business etiquette. Around thirty people attended, with many of those being students who planned on working in Japan.

Yamashima began her presentation with an overview of Japanese demographics and government. She then moved on to cultural norms, such as the Japanese emphasis on courtesy and respect.

Bowing was a major topic of discussion, and Yamashima brought up the fact that bows are often seen as a sign of subordination by the United States. To Japan, said Yamashima, a “bow is a gesture…showing respect and sincerity.” There are three levels of bows, with the deepest being for apologies and the least pronounced being a casual gesture. All bows are from the waist; nodding, Yamashima said, “is not a bow; this is neck exercise.” Other etiquette for bows includes the speed (slow is preferable to fast) and eye contact (at the beginning and end but not during a bow).

Yamashima covered other elements of Japanese business etiquette as well, such as the proper attire (dark suits with white shirts, and white socks are too casual) and the handling of business cards, which should be given and received with two hands. Respect for business cards is very important. “The business card is the person himself,” Yamashima said.

Most elements of Japanese business etiquette emphasize humility and respect. A junior employee should seat himself near the door of a tatami room and in the least comfortable position in a car. A junior employee should also use humble expressions when describing himself and his company, but may use honorific expressions when describing his superior or his client.

Miscellaneous items covered were Japanese resumes (should include age, business picture and dates in the Japanese era), compulsive retirement in Japan, and rules for serving alcohol (females should serve males, and junior employees should serve seniors before seniors serve them).

This is Career Services’ third year hosting the Japanese business etiquette seminar, and even for those not considering jobs in Japan, it proved a fascinating topic.

Women’s History Month – Alumni Advice for STEM Majors

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Three Princeton alumnae gathered Wednesday at Career Services Wisdom for Women in STEM Majors. Akira Bell Johnson ’95, Cheryl Rowe-Rendleman ’81 and Joanna Nice ’06 have all had substantial careers in the sciences since leaving Princeton, and they offered advice and perspectives on being a woman in the sciences.

One of the most repeated pieces of advice was to find a mentor. All the women spoke about being humbled during their undergraduate years, and Johnson put it succinctly when she said, “It doesn’t pay to try to figure something out for a long time.” In any situation, it’s important to recognize when you need help, because that produces better results. “It’s okay to ask questions,” said Nice. “Part of your job is to ask questions.”

The women also emphasized the importance of a support system while balancing work and family. A few grad students asked the panel members, all of whom had children, how they approached the work-home question. Rowe-Rendleman had her first child while in graduate school, and said, “He sat on my lap while I was writing my dissertation.” Though the women it said it’s impossible to be perfect, Johnson said that having a “network of support around your family” helps immensely.

For those not thinking that far into the future, the panel also shared their perspectives on what to do in college. “It’s never too early to start interning,” said Johnson. Even non-science pursuits can be valuable, added Nice. Nice did crew while at Princeton and said she learned about “hard work and discipline and tenacity and teamwork” from her teammates. As far as picking a major, the women agreed that it’s important to do something you’re passionate about that allows you to shine.

For their final words, the panel encouraged taking risks. And “if the guys are talking, talk louder,” said Rowe-Rendleman, later clarifying, “Or, talk differently.”

The Magic of Movies Meets the Reality of Hard Work: Careers in Film and Television

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Students wanting to learn about careers in media received some tough love at Career Services’ Careers in Film and Television event. The panel featured three Princeton alumni, who spoke about the trajectory of their careers and then took the time to answer questions and offer advice to the students gathered.

Katherine Carpenter ’79 was the first to address the group. A documentary filmmaker, Carpenter showed a clip of “Bones of Turkana,” the National Geographic special she co-produced. She then spoke about her work with the Discovery Channel, which she joined in its early days. “It was just really fun to work in the early days of cable where everyone was just making it up as they [went] along,” Carpenter said. Fun seemed to be the driving force of Carpenter’s career; she had gotten involved in media after noticing that press teams on the campaign trail always had a good time, and from those beginnings she became an award-winning producer with an Emmy to her credit. (Not bad for a comparative literature major who didn’t give television a second thought in college!) Though she always followed what she thought would be enjoyable, Carpenter had some words of wisdom for the crowd: “Write the scripts, change the toilet paper, you need to be willing to do everything.” Her experience had been that skills in writing and Excel were especially useful in the field.

In contrast to Carpenter, Sandy Kenyon ’78 started looking at media careers when he was sixteen years old. While at Princeton, he joined a fellow student’s radio program, “Focus on You,” and became so involved that schoolwork was an extracurricular in comparison. Kenyon said the industry prizes endurance and offered his personal opinion and this analogy: a finance firm, Kenyon said, will put you through four days of excruciating interviews before giving you a hefty paycheck, but the film industry will put you through five to seven years of 80-hour weeks before paying you a pittance. A career in film and television, said Kenyon, is for people who “love it deep enough and wide enough and long enough.” Kenyon also warned about the possibility of burning out or becoming unmarketable after ten years, though he said he’s been lucky. Early experience doing film reviews in his career led him to his current job, doing concise movie reviews for ABC that air in New York City’s taxicabs.

A more recent graduate, Josephine Decker ’03 was able to talk about film and television as it relates to her job as an independent film producer. Like Carpenter and Kenyon, Decker said that hard work and initiative was key. After working as a production assistant, she has moved onto other projects where she has more creative control. However, these projects require a wider knowledge of filmmaking and handling items such as publicity. When asked if she would recommend film school, Decker responded that what’s important is choosing a path that will address a filmmaker’s specific strengths and weaknesses.

In all, the panelists agreed that following one’s passions would yield a difficult but rewarding path. Film and television careers may not be for everyone, but for those that don’t mind hard work, they are attainable.

For more information about careers in the arts, visit Abbey Racelis, career counselor for arts, nonprofit and public sector (and moderator for this panel). And if you want to improve your social media literacy (a valuable skill according to the panel), make sure to RSVP to “Do You Pass the Social Media Recruitment Test?” on April 16.

Spring Break Career Inspiration

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Spring break—a time to relax, put away the winter coat, and catch some rays. But how about catching some inspiration while you’re at it? Thirty-four Princeton students will be spending their Spring Break by visiting Princeton alumni hosts in the workplace as part of the Princeternship program http://bit.ly/Princeternshipbrochure. Late Friday afternoon while most were packing up to get away for break, I decided to hit campus to see what others were doing next week. Hear from three other students who went above and beyond to make the most of their spring breaks.

Seniors, Make Time to Visit Career Services Now!

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If you are anything like me, you are pretty darn busy this week.  Midterms + Thesis??  Yikes!!  So in keeping with the spirit of the week, I will try to keep this first blog post short and sweet.  In this post, I wanted to highlight the importance of visiting Career Services at least once before graduation, particularly if you don’t have your plans for life beyond the FitzRandolph Gate figured out (if you do, congratulations!!!).  Below are some of the most common reasons students give for not visiting Career Services, followed by my comments on how visiting Career Services would actually be beneficial for these students:

  • “I have no idea what I want to do after graduation, so coming in to Career Services would be unproductive.” –  Not at all!  On the contrary, Career Services can help you figure out what types of industries & jobs you are a good fit for.  Career Services offers a variety of self-assessments and career inventories that can help you identify your interests, strengths, and work environment preference (http://www.princeton.edu/career/alumni/career-planning/career-inventories/).  These assessments are always followed up by a one-hour conversation with a counselor to interpret the results.  Beyond these formal assessments, the counselors at Career Services also have years of experience, empathy, and above all, honest advice to share with students.  I know from personal experience that meeting with counselors and brainstorming about potential areas of interest can be a powerful tool in helping to identify what you feel passionate about – it was through the advice of one of the counselors, who motivated me to “pursue my interests and seek a job in the industry that you are passionate about” that I decided to make the transition from financial services to technology consulting for my full-time job, and I couldn’t be any happier about my decision.
  • “I already know what I want to do after graduation, so there is nothing for me to gain from Career Services.” –  If you already have a game plan in mind for life after graduation, that’s great!  But this is only the first of many steps.  The vast majority of full-time positions require you to submit a resume (http://www.princeton.edu/career/graduates/toolkit2/resumes/resume-tips/) in order for your candidacy to be considered, and many employers also require you to include a cover letter (http://www.princeton.edu/career/alumni/job_search/cover-letters/).  From personal experience, I can say that it is almost impossible to put together the perfect resume or cover letter on your first go.  Even if you have a 4.0 GPA, are heavily involved in numerous interesting extracurricular activities, and speak 10 languages fluently, it is likely that some employers will throw your resume or cover letter out if it is poorly formatted or undersells your experiences.  The career counselors at Career Services can help you overcome these potential pitfalls and put together the perfect resume & cover letter so that you can give potential future employers the best possible first impression. 
  • “Career Services can only help students interested in certain industries.”  – This is not true at all.  The career counselors at Career Services have years of expertise in advising students interested in a wide range of different industries (http://www.princeton.edu/career/about_us/meet_our_staff/).  Moreover, they are willing to go out of their way to help students, even when they are not directly familiar with the industries at hand.  Although none of the career counselors knew about microfinance or internships in Chile during my internship search in sophomore year, they went out of their way to do research on the field in order to give me some pointers to make sure I could submit a solid application.  Furthermore, a friend who wanted to find a summer internship in China for the summer after graduation ended up finding one through suggestions put forth by a Career Services counselor.  No matter what your area of interest is, counselors at Career Services are committed to helping you succeed in your job hunt.
  • “It’s too late in the year to go in/ I don’t have time/ I will figure it out by myself after I graduate.” – It’s not too late.  You can spare 30 minutes.  And will you really be able to find a job with no one’s help?  The numbers say otherwise.  One of the things that impressed me the most about working at Career Services over the past 3 years is the great number of young alums who call to ask for help in finding a job or consolidating other post-graduation plans.  While these graduates typically have different areas of interest, nearly all of them share one striking similarity – prior to that phone call, they had never interacted with Career Services.  Coincidence?  I think not.  To be sure, career counselors are always happy to speak with and help Princeton alumni. However, it’s undeniable that it is much more difficult to build rapport and develop a strong  relationship with a counselor if your interactions are limited to over-the-phone conversations.  Furthermore, it goes without saying that editing resumes and cover letters is a task that is done much more easily face-to-face.  By meeting with a career counselor before leaving Princeton, you can avoid the hurdles that accompany starting the job hunt after leaving life in the Orange Bubble. 

So there you have it, seniors.  There’s really no reason to procrastinate getting your job hunt off to a good start.  Close out of Facebook, get off PrincetonFML, and stop watching Jenna Marbles videos. Making an appointment is super easy – just call Career Services at 609-258-3325 or schedule online at www.princeton.edu/career.  Alternatively, come to walk-in hours from 3-5 PM Mondays through Fridays (the sign-up sheet goes out at 2:45 PM, so I suggest getting there a bit early).  Look forward to your calls!

P.S. In the coming weeks, Career Services will be sending a preliminary survey to the senior class to get a sense of where their career interests and plans are at this point.  The primary purpose of this survey is to better understand the needs of the senior class so that counselors can address them more efficiently in the coming months.  Seniors, this is your chance to communicate with Career Services and let them know what YOU need help with so that they can be better equipped to help – don’t pass it up!  Be sure to complete the survey when it comes out.

-C

How to Launch a Career in Communications

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Advertising. Communications. Marketing. Media. If you’ve ever seen an episode of Mad Men, these words conjure images of a fast-paced world full of seduction and intrigue, a fascinating view of the colorful capitalism that dominated the spirit of the 1950s and 60s. The business sounds glamorous, the work stimulating, and the fashion cutting edge—but what exactly does a career in Communications entail? What does it really take to break into the industry in the twenty-first century? Career Services invited the following phenomenal panel of Princeton alums to answer these questions and more in the Careers in Communication Panel held earlier this month.

Meaghan Byrne ’10 (Religion), Social Media Analyst, NM Incite, a Nielsen McKinsey Company;
Justin Cahill ’11 (English), Editorial Assistant, W. W. Norton & Company;
Chelsea Carter ’08 (Psychology), Account Executive, SS&K;
Lauren Clabby Moore ’00 (English), Freelance Production, CNN;
Lauren Cowher ’10 (Anthropology), Account Executive, Edelman;
Christine Miranda ’08 (Sociology), Inventor, ?What If!

As you can see, the Communications field isn’t strictly limited to advertising—alums working in advertising, broadcast journalism, publishing, public relations, and social media all stepped forward to offer their expertise. Some entered the workforce directly after graduation; most combed the employment listings for months before landing a job. A few have remained with the same company for a number of years; others have tried on multiple firms for size until they found a perfect fit. All are passionate about their work, and fully invested in helping current Princeton students understand what it takes to jumpstart a career in Communications.

  1. Here are a few nuggets of their collective wisdom:
    Internships are the best entry into the field.  Most firms in the communications sector have (unpaid) summer intern positions—and they typically hire directly from their intern pool when looking for new hires! 
  2. Do your research. It’s just like college applications—there’s nothing worse than assuring the Harvard admissions committee that you’ve been destined to attend Princeton since the day you were born. If you’re applying for a social media position, having a Facebook page alone isn’t a sufficient qualification—read industry publications, and stay updated on current events. If you’re interviewing for a PR firm, know what field—arts, healthcare, technology, etc—you’re most interested in.
  3. Pay your dues – a good intern makes a better boss.
    Interns in the broadcast journalism and television industries often find themselves shared between a number of departments, so they are afforded extra opportunities to network within the company.  If you’ve put in the time learning the ins and outs of your firm, you’ll be poised to step into any open position. Even those charts and spreadsheets are worth it — after all that time plugging data into Excel, you’ll be much more able to supervise and support your own future employees and interns.
  4. It’s all about the connections – and your ability to capitalize on each and every opportunity. Most of the alums agreed that it’s not enough to have a stellar resume and GPA. You need someone in the company to hand your information directly to the HR department.  What’s that? Don’t know anyone who works for NBC? Can’t think of a family friend writing for the New York Times? Don’t worry! The Princeton Alumni Careers Network is a database of nearly 5000 Princeton alumni just waiting for a student to reach out and contact them. On that note…
  5. Don’t forget to take the initiative! One alumnus admitted to applying to every single job listing for a single company until they finally contacted, interviewed, and hired her.  If that’s not quite your style, cold-call a few alums, and try a pleasant follow-up email if necessary (see Career Services’ Career Planning Guide for some helpful guidelines).
  6. Once you’ve got a foot in the door, don’t rest on your laurels. It helps to know someone within the company for that first hire, but most firms are staunch meritocracies.  They don’t care where you went to school; they care how you perform on the job.  If you’re hired young for little pay, stick with it and work your way up through the ranks. You could be surprised—in most publishing houses, interns start off reading lots of “slush” (manuscripts submitted by aspiring writers). But, as Mr. Cahill ’11 noted, “I hear you’ll lose a lot of faith in good writing everywhere…but if you find that gem and sign that book, your career is made!”
  7. It’s okay to shop around. If you don’t find that next Great American Novel, or you’re otherwise unhappy in your current position, don’t hesitate to look into other opportunities. Rival companies might love to steal new, young talent from their competitors, and firms in other industries might relish your unique skillset.

How do you launch a successful career in communications? In short, take initiative, contact an alum, nab an interview, and work your way up through the company.

Princeton Alumni are a Great Resource

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Last Friday, Danny Steiner ’10 spoke about Careers in Hollywood. It is great to meet alumni who can provide insight into the opportunities available to students. Career Services offers several options for connecting with alumni in your field. Here are your choices:

  1. Networking events. Career Services hosts several events specifically designed for students to network with alumni. Last Friday’s Careers in Social Entrepreneurship, for example, was part panel and part networking. Every fall they host an “Alumni Connections” event and networking receptions are held at regional alumni clubs every summer. Students have the opportunity to interact with several alumni at all of these events–not just one given speaker. These events are great ways to meet many people in your chosen field.
  2. Solo speakers. I’ve yet to go to a Career Services “Careers-in” event where the speaker didn’t spend a few extra minutes afterwards to talk to individual attendees. While it’s not the specific purpose of an event like Careers in Hollywood, asking questions of the speaker is a way to show interest in his field. Worst-case scenario, you learn more about a career that interests you; best case–you get a business card with an email address.
  3. Finding alumni on your own. The Alumni Careers Network is a great place to start. It’s a searchable database of nearly 5000 Princeton alumni who have volunteered to help students that’s run by TigerNet, another great resource. With the ACN, you can search by degree, employer, or job title. Some alumni make themselves available just to give general information, but others offer assistance on finding jobs or internships. All you have to do is send that first email.

While Career Services provides many ways to get to know alumni, all of them have one thing in common–the student has to take the initiative. For more tips on exactly what to say and where to look, visit the Career Services’ page on developing contacts here.

 

Interested in Law School?

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Career Services co-hosted the Law School Preview last night with the Firestone Library in order to give students an idea of what their legal future might hold. For someone like myself, whose knowledge of law school comes from The Paper Chase and Legally Blonde, the preview was an eye-opening experience.

The preview opened with a small talk from David Hollander, who is Firestone’s legal librarian. Hollander introduced the future legal students in the room to the phrase “the magic of legal research,” and provided information on researching the law. Hollander practiced law for three years, and he said that knowledge of primary (court cases, executive regulations, and statutes) and secondary (Law Review, treatises) sources was essential for every law student.

The majority of the preview was conducted by Michael Herz, a fellow in Princeton’s program in Law and Public Affairs (LAPA). Herz explained that he would be simulating an “ordinary class,” though he wouldn’t focus on the Socratic method, a formerly popular method of teaching law. Instead, he said that the class would be “having a conversation, less that [I’m] grilling you or testing you, or humiliating you.” The reports of ultra-scary law professors (think The Paper Chase) apparently have been greatly exaggerated.

The twenty or so students attending the preview had received a packet of cases upon registering for the preview. Case law, Hollander had previously explained, created precedents but not statutes.

Among points covered in the discussion of the cases were the three elements needed to understand a case: the outcome, the justifications for that outcome, and the legal rule that could be extracted. “You don’t know what a case means until you’ve seen it applied,” Herz said. In the discussion, students were asked to look for “meaningful distinctions” between cases, or, alternatively, to look for cases where the same justifications could be applied. In this way, students learned how lawyers consider cases related or unrelated.

This is Career Service’s fourth year hosting the Law School Preview, but you don’t need to wait until it comes around next year to learn more about law school. Keep an eye out for the alumni panel “What Kind of Law Will You Practice?” (Tuesday, April 3, 7:00 pm at Career Services), or schedule an appointment with Lyon Zabsky, the career counselor in charge of pre-law advising and all other things law-related!

Salzman ’07: Tip for Future Social Entrepreneurs, “Think Big!

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Social entrepreneur Alex Salzman ’07 spoke Wednesday night as part of the Imagine series hosted by Career Services. Rather than speak specifically about his business ventures, Salzman spoke about personal habits he has adapted and engaged in dialogue with the intimate audience.

Salzman opened by asking students what their majors and what their passions were. Individual answers often contained no overlap, and students’ passions ranged from social justice to surfing. Economics majors in the audience explained they were there to explore options beyond investment banking, and Salzman, an economics major himself, empathized.

A Toronto native, he came to Princeton looking for something beyond achieving a perfect 4.0. His high school years had been academic, he said, and “to do it all over again doesn’t seem logical.” Students in the audience agreed. “Oh God, is [college] going to be like high school all over again?” said one, admitting that this was a fate she wanted to avoid.

At Princeton, Salzman lived the entrepreneurial life. Not one to pursue extracurriculars like Triangle or DiSiac, Salzman was able to take a leave of absence as an underclassman to assist in the launch of TerraCycle, Inc. Beyond these activities, Salzman said he was also grateful for the connections he made through Princeton, saying he had found “trusted mentors” through the Princeton Entrepreneurs Network, which he is currently working to reboot.

Several of the personal habits Salzman shared are applicable to the daily grind at Princeton. He is an advocate of meditation and suggests that students build 90-day plans to accomplish goals. A year, he said, is too long, but 30 days is too short. He advised that students view their lives holistically, balancing day-to-day routine with the big picture.

To close, Salzman re-stressed the importance of taking initiative in one’s daily life and not waiting until graduation to begin big projects. To learn more about Salzman’s current business, including what he calls “an eHarmony for business,” visit www.viscapfunds.com. In the meantime, think about what dream projects you have for yourself, because Princeton is more than just the diploma. “Oh God, is [college] going to be like high school all over again?” Only if you don’t do anything about it.

One final note, if you are interested in learning more about social entrepreneurship, don’t miss the Nonprofit Fair and Social Entrepreneur Panel tomorrow!