Tag Archives: student blogs

Seniors, Make Time to Visit Career Services Now!

Posted on by

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

Posted on by

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 Focuses on Careers in the Public Good

Posted on by

In my role as intern, I assist with the marketing of Career Services’ events.  Since I have an interest in the arts, I thought I would ask Abbey Racelis, Assistant Director for Arts, Nonprofit and Government to “guest blog” about the upcoming Nonprofit Fair.  Here’s what Abbey had to say:

Princeton in the Nation’s Service and in the Service of All Nations.

The informal motto of Princeton reflects a long history of preparing students for positions of leadership and lives of service in many fields. Because of our students’ continued commitment to meaningful work, Career Services is hosting the Nonprofit Career Fair – “Careers in the Public Good” on Friday, March 2nd from 1pm-4pm in Frist’s Multipurpose Room. This fair is designed to be a showcase for organizations to share information with students about current opportunities and the rewards and challenges of working in the nonprofit field.  This year we are welcoming 47 organizations from a wide range of sectors including NGOs, Arts, Sports, Education, Cultural, Environmental, Human Rights/Social Justice, Health, Community Advocacy, Foundations, and Government!

Some of the agencies you can expect to see at the fair on Friday include but are not limited to (find full list of participating organizations on TigerTracks):

Access Now: an international NGO that advocates for an open and secure internet as a means to free, full and safe participation in society and the realization of human rights. Founded in the wake of the 2009 Iranian post-election crackdown, Access teams with digital activists to build their technical capacity and to help them advocate globally for their digital rights. www.accessnow.org

America SCORES:  inspires urban youth to lead healthy lives, be engaged students, and have the confidence and character to make a difference in the world. America SCORES envisions a world where all youth find their voice, achieve their goals, and unleash their full potential. America SCORES partners with urban schools to provide a high quality, team-based program that integrates soccer, poetry and service-learning. www.americascores.org

NY Sun Works: New York Sun Works created the renowned Science Barge; a prototype, sustainable urban farm and environmental education center on the Hudson River. The Greenhouse Project Initiative is based on The Science Barge model, and dedicated to bringing the concepts of urban sustainability and environmental science to NYC’s schools. www.nysunworks.org

Global Youth Connect is a 501 (c) 3 organization founded in 1999 by international youth leaders supported by key human rights advocates and scholars. In a nut shell, GYC advances human rights and creates a more just world by empowering young activists from around the globe through a combination of cross cultural human rights workshops, site visits, volunteer service, and sustained human rights activism aligned with grassroots NGOs, policy makers, and other stakeholders. www.globalyouthconnect.org

Department of Justice: The Fraud Section of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of various types of economic crimes, including international bribery, corporate fraud, securities fraud, insider trading, mortgage frraud, bank fraud, health care fraud, and procurement fraud.

 Check out the “Career Fair” section of the Career Planning Guide for tips on how to prepare for the Fair.

If meaningful work is something you are interested in, please check out the Nonprofit Fair on Friday, March 2nd from 1-4pm in Frist!

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Posted on by

Facebook. Twitter. Jobs. Which one doesn’t belong? Believe it or not, none. Given the vast amount of time we college age students spend on social media sites, it’s no wonder employers increasingly turn to social media to research job applicants. For the average Princeton student it’s easy to dress spiffy and speak intelligently in an interview. But what about that other person you put out there for the world to see—the one before we get to the interview. In other words, Google Search yourself. Surprised, anyone?

Now most of us probably don’t know what our Facebooks look like to the average employer. In fact, most students are pretty sure their accounts are private. But are you sure? Do you really know those pictures from last night are not front-and-center on your profile? Probably, you don’t.

Here’s what to do. You can start by reading Facebook’s novel of a guide on Privacy Controls. Here’ the short story version: everyone can see what Facebook calls “public information,” including name profile picture, gender, username, user ID (account number), and your networks. In other words, one of the most important thing you can do is keep the profile picture professional.

UNLESS, that is, you Jason Bourne your profile. In other words, make yourself unsearchable. Under Privacy Settings, go to “How You Connect,” then “Who can look up your profile by name or contact info?” and select “Friends.” That way you won’t pop up when employers search for you. For all but the forward-thinking few who use Facebook to speak eloquently about current events, this is probably a good thing.

Just to complicate things a little more, there’s the new Timeline format. Don’t want employers seeing that “is O.M.G. Bobby is SOOOOO CUUUTTEE like lol” from 7th grade? Or the seven hundred status updates with a similarly test-infused lingo? You have two options. Either limit the visibility of the specific post (available through the pull-down tab in the status update’s top right corner) or, under Privacy Settings, go to “Limit the Audience for Past Posts,” and you’ll be able to limit your entire timeline to friends only.

But in case, like me, you’re already “friends” with potential employers, here’s the tricky part. With Facebook’s new settings, privacy is often a case-by-case basis, making it all the more complicated. So while you might list one Wall post as only available to “Close Friends,” another may be available to “Everyone.” This goes for everything from personal info to tagged photos. So it’s a good idea to customize your default settings so that all your statuses about Justin Bieber don’t immediately go public. (Guilty!)

Finally, the moment of truth: the best way to really see what your profile looks like to the average employer, use a non-friend account to check it out. For most of you, this means Mom and Dad. Or you could just go to privacy settings, click on “learn more,” click on “Profile” at the top, then go to the blue box near the bottom titled “know what others see on your profile. You may be quite surprised.

You can also, believe it or not, use social media to enhance your chance of getting a job. If you’re interested in a field where currency is key, join Twitter. It will help you get news in your field right when it happens. Start by following your favorite sources of news or your favorite academics. For instance, now that Cornel West is no longer on campus, catch his words of wisdom via Twitter. Then, don’t be afraid to join in the debates. If you have something intelligent to say, by all means, say it! Or, well, tweet it. This will not only keep you informed, but show employers that you’re an active participant in your prospective field already!

For more information about how to create an employer-friendly social media presence check out this article on YouTern with a really great info-graphic on the subject: ow.ly/8pXLu.

MAJORS

Posted on by

In the sandwich of applications, sophomore year is the filling. Nestled in between the urgency of applying to college and the transition to the real world, sophomore year seems like the perfect cushion, the delicious time to relax, be social, drink sparkling lemonade while lounging along the Jersey Shore…

Well, not exactly. Sophomore year is important, but more so, it’s exciting. No freshman transition, no junior papers, no senior panic – the ideal time to explore your future without all the pressure. So why not start asking yourself the big questions? What’s there to lose?
First order of business to cover: the major. By now we’ve all been here long enough to know at least something about each major. For example, if foreign language makes your cervello a little loco, Comparative Literature is probably not the wisest choice. But what if you’re faced with a tough choice? Policy or Politics? Math or Physics? Art History or Architecture? And what if you love your intended major but worry that it doesn’t provide enough career choices?

For starters, check out the “What Can I Do With My Major” website. You’re a veteran sophomore, so by now you may have a good grasp of what you want to study. If you’re feeling unsure or just curious, give it a try. Just select a major from the pull-down tab to browse descriptions, real jobs and positions alumni have held, and internships some of these majors have pursued. I, for one, am in love with this feature. As an English major, I often get the question, “Oh so what are you going to be? Teacher or a lawyer?” Now, I have concrete proof that we English majors are versatile! Since exploring this tab I have since solidified my interest in journalism as my career of choice.

Enough about me. Go to http://www.princeton.edu/career/undergrads/majors_occupations/what_can_i_do_with_my_maj/ and see for yourself!