CESblogs

CES invited Puget Sound alumnus (and CES Office Coordinator) Ben Bradley ‘08 to write about his experience using LinkedIn while conducting a post-graduation job search:

Networking fascinates me.

I used my time in school to get as many informational interviews as possible. The statement, “I’m a graduating senior, and would love to hear more about what you do” became my mantra. I also began utilizing LinkedIn much more thoroughly. Other social networking sites were great for staying in touch with friends, but didn’t feel appropriate for my professional network.

I had a slow start, connecting first with former colleagues, internship managers, and the people who provided me with informational interviews. But that got the ball rolling. Over time, LinkedIn became my digital rolodex — one that kept me updated on what my network was currently doing. Unlike an e-mail address that changes any time someone switches companies, causing weeks if not months of challenge to get back in touch, I now had a way of staying connected no matter where someone moved.

After graduating and entering the field of Management Consulting, I continued to develop my network at a steady pace. I made one or two connections each week. I maintained this pace until the economy’s downturn created a change in my circumstances. Lay-offs came unexpectedly over night, and I was suddenly, weeks before Christmas, a victim of my company’s revenues running dry. That morning, I had less than an hour to get what I needed off my company laptop. That was when it hit: Unlike an episode of Madmen, where when you leave, you must stealthily sneak your contact’s information out with you, LinkedIn allowed me to take my network with me.

Post-holiday season, I began making phone calls, and sending e-mails and LinkedIn messages to everyone I knew. I let them know of my circumstances, and set up coffee dates, lunches, happy hours, and dinners. Without LinkedIn I would have struggled to remember the names of everyone I had met over the past few years.

At the same time, I realized I needed to continue to build my network. I set a goal of 3 connections a day.

I found people I had initially resisted adding because I had put them in the “friends” category, not realizing that upon graduating, they were also part of my professional network. I connected with professors, university administrators, and others with whom I had informational interviews. I was put in touch with HR recruiters, alumni who owned businesses and friends’ family members who had leads on hiring within their firms. All of these people worked their way into my LinkedIn network.

After months of searching and realizing I wanted to be in a different field than consulting, I landed back at my alma mater, the University of Puget Sound, in the office of Career and Employment Services. I am now working in a role where I am able to use my knowledge of networking to assist students going through the same struggle I endured — trying to figure out what to do when you can’t find a job, or where to begin your career search.

LinkedIn provides a 21^st Century Rolodex that not only holds a name and phone number, but updates, history, and opportunities to further develop one’s network. It kept me actively connecting with new people during my time of unemployment, and held my morale from waning thanks to the ease with which I could keep in touch with my network.

There is a sense of comfort in knowing that a network built with LinkedIn is yours, not that of your company. When you leave, whether by choice or economic pressure, your network is not being “let go” as well.

Want to know more about using social media in today’s job search? Ben and Sue will be leading a discussion on this very topic next week – we hope to see you there!

Ah, Spring. It’s coming! From the small strip of daylight allowing a peek at the mountains during my morning commute to the sight of students back on campus wearing t-shirts to celebrate the stretch of near-50 degree weather, the signs are everywhere. This is a time to celebrate, to rejoice, and to spruce things up.

For graduating seniors, it’s time to get focused and start thinking about what happens next.

We have some book suggestions to help you get started on a job search. The following are some of the best books we’ve found about conducting a job search in the current market, and all are available to check out in the CES Career Resource Library (in case you’d like your own copy, we’ve provided the links for purchase). Each has different strengths, but all provide solid guidance on conducting a search for a first professional position:

Get the Job You Want Even When No One’s Hiring

Publisher’s description: “Today’s job market is the toughest in recent history, and the challenges are here to stay. Even so, you CAN get the job you want – IF you discard conventional approaches to the search. Get the Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring is the ONLY career book that:

• Explains the special strategies necessary to land a job during an economic crisis
• Integrates comprehensive, practical tips on job search and career management
• Provides an extensive online “Job Search Survival Toolkit” to augment the book
• Addresses the realities of this job market with real-world, actionable steps
• Positions the downturn in the economy as an opportunity to develop a better career

In Get the Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring, career expert Ford R. Myers maps the new world of job search and reveals essential strategies for your success. You’ll learn how to seize opportunities that aren’t posted yet…how to make yourself an instant asset to potential employers…how to clearly stand-out as the best candidate…and how to leverage social media, blogs, and other Web tools.”

Can I Wear My Nose Ring to the Interview?

Publisher’s description: “A witty, friendly, unexpected job hunter’s bible that finally answers the real questions. Yes, if you’re wedded to your nose ring, wear it to the interview. No, you shouldn’t be e-mailing out hundreds of résumés. Writing with enormous authority and a compelling, lively voice, Ellen Reeves brings together her lifetime of experience of hiring, counseling, and résumé-doctoring into an essential guide for young job seekers.”

You Majored in What?

Publisher’s description: “In You Majored In What?, nationally known career counselor Dr. Katharine Brooks dispels the myths and the old-fashioned thinking that can make your transition to the “real world” so daunting and chaotic. Developed from more than twenty years of teaching and guiding students to successful careers, her Wise Wanderings career coaching system helps you mine your academic and life experiences for career gold through creative yet practical techniques including visual mapping, storytelling, and experimenting. Thanks to the Wise Wanderings system, you can forget what you’ve been told about the job search. You don’t have to know where you’ll be in ten years. You don’t have to have picked the perfect major. The job-finding process doesn’t have to be one more burden on your already overburdened schedule. All you have to do is pay attention. Embrace the chaos. Think. Create maps. Construct small experiments. Celebrate your education. Consider possible lives. Tell stories. And start wandering. Wisely, of course. You’ll be amazed at what’s waiting out there for you.”

Like any big project you do in college, gathering research materials is a great place to start. Feeling overwhelmed by the entire process? Check in with a career advisor to help you gain some perspective and get started on your professional job search.

Work from home and make up to $800 a day!

Attend our seminar to learn how to operate a successful business! (we invite you to read testimonials from success stories)

We work exclusively with top companies hiring for entry-level positions! (all you need to do is pay our monthly fee and we’ll help connect you with them)

Have you seen/heard about these opportunities? At first glance, they might seem appealing, especially in an uncertain job market. However, they may all prove to be too good to be true! Members of the University of Puget Sound Alumni Council Career and Employment Services Committee offer tips on avoiding scams:

“Discern the source of the information, be a critical thinker; apply the critical analysis that you learn in the classroom to your job search.” Ted Meriam ’05

“If you look for opportunities on job boards (including Craigslist), note that legitimate employers will include the employer name. It’s always beneficial to then go to the employer’s website to confirm that the opportunity is available.” Lacey Leffler ’03 and Lael Carlson ’02

“Look for professionalism in the postings (spelling errors, wacky formatting may be red flags).” Shannon Hughes ’92

“Don’t consider anything that requires an up-front investment.” Lacey Leffler ’02

Quick Consumer Tip from the Consumer Protection Agency: “A deal that sounds too good to be true usually is! Be wary of promises to fix your credit problems, low-interest credit card offers, deals that let you skip credit card payments, work-at-home job opportunities, risk-free investments, and free travel.”

Many reputable job boards offer security information to their users. For example, Monster.com’s security center offers advice on “avoiding online fraud.”

Other resources to check out:

CES Job Seeker Beware

Blog post on Identifying and Avoiding Job Scams

FTC Money Matters Job-Hunting/Job Scams

Evaluating Work-at-Home Opportunities

Avoiding “Wealth Building” Schemes

If you think you have been the victim of a job search scam or any other fraud, it is important to report the fraud to the local police department. You may also consider filing a report online with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). In the meantime, be safe, be savvy, and protect yourself.

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Man it’d be pretty cool if I could actually speak with that person?” About a year ago, I was working on a project about generational change in the workforce, a topic that has really tugged at my interests. It was at that point that my eyes first came across the name, Lindsey Pollak. Lindsey Pollak has become one of the go-to experts for gen-y career topics and now holds many titles, including Global Campus Spokeswoman for LinkedIn. For the past year, I have been more than enthralled with her career advice and books, especially CES’s most popular book: Getting from College to Career. After speaking with my Career Awareness class instructor, Sue, I thought it might be fun to send Lindsey an e-mail expressing my interest in her studies on generational change in the workforce and advice on career development in hopes of landing the informational interview of a lifetime. While I only expected an automatic response sent out by assistants or interns, I was ecstatic to find a message in my inbox from Ms. Pollak herself about setting up a phone interview.

Instead of trying to recap our entire phone conversation, I wanted to share a little bit about how Lindsey and her story have made such an impact on me. While there are many insights she expressed in a more absorbable manner for students, after reading her book and browsing through her blog, I was the most pleased to learn that our career paths shared many parallels. Moreover, to actually see that a successful woman making an impact on people today was once in my same position is, well, reassuring.

Unsure of a direction, Lindsey did all of the advised steps to set herself up for a great job during college. In a brilliant, short introduction, Lindsey explained how she was all over the map in her career search…just like me! From taking the LSAT to living with her parents, Lindsey was in our position not too long ago. It wasn’t until a conversation with a Rotary Ambassador at the right place and the right time that Lindsey decided to attend a graduate program in women’s studies in Melbourne, Australia and was propelled in a new direction—“Was it fate that I met that man and he changed my life? Perhaps. But if I had been sick that morning and hadn’t attended that Rotary meeting, I believe it would have happened some other way. The point is that I didn’t know my right career path until I saw it, heard it, touched it” (Getting From College to Career, xiii).

After experiencing the rut of unknowing after graduation, Lindsey was able to follow a path to a career simply by feeding her own interests and putting herself out there. And, the best part about it is Lindsey has written down what she has learned from it and broken it up into 90 tips! Since I finished her book, I have already followed some of her recommendations—I have compiled a notebook that organizes all of my projects, interviews, and contacts (Tip #6). I have also made it habit to keep up with the news in order to increase my content for conversation, stay informed and figure out my interests (Tip #8). Further, my personal favorite, I have taken it upon myself to watch the top ten greatest American movies of all time (Tip #62).  According to Lindsey, “if it feels relevant and appropriate, go ahead and mention your top ten project on a job interview or during networking events. It will make you memorable, and you’ll no doubt strike up a conversation about one of the films on the list” (190).

Speaking with Lindsey and following recommendations from her book has given me confidence. Even though I have yet to find an opportunity that draws me in, I have decided to stop worrying about finding my ideal career path and start managing something in my control, my preparedness. I have made it my personal goal to continue reaching out to all types of people, even if I think they are out of my reach. You never know when that one great opportunity will be flashed before you.

My holiday wish-list idea: Lindsey Pollak’s Getting from College to Career: 90 Things To Do Before You Join the Real World

As always, Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on what you are grateful for in life. So far, because of people’s willingness to help me, I have been able to expand on my professional network and take on a number of informational interviews…I’d say that’s worthy of thanks! But Thanksgiving is also a time for family, my most helpful personal network. What I have realized recently is that I already have an amazing network of people who will soon be just a dinner table away. 

So, instead of getting annoyed with the repetitive question, “what are you going to do after graduation?”
I am going to use the opportunity to turn the tables on them.
“Well, I am currently researching potential positions. What did you do after you graduated?” To be honest, I’ve never understood why personal and professional networks don’t overlap more. Working with what you already have is just as important as expanding on it. If I blend my newly constructed professional network with my reliable personal network, my connections will nearly triple in size!

The other day I was working on a power point for my career awareness class; the purpose of the assignment was to explore three potential career paths of interest and what it would take to get going. For someone like me, landing on three career paths was a challenging task. To prepare for the assignment, I tore through all of the documents on my laptop that were career-related. I looked through old resumes, my current resume, my MBTI results, and scanned through my Career Cruising profile and then some, in order to gather up all of my personal assessment information and job recommendations for someone of my “type.” Throughout this endeavor, I came to the conclusion that I am the perfect combination of my parents. I am partly the sensitive type who would enjoy helping people, much like my mother, the nurse. I am also partly business-minded, with managerial and organization skills, resembling my father, the real estate developer. And, to no avail, that got me thinking…who else in my ‘personal’ life has influenced me?

As I reflected on this, I recalled names of close relatives, past employers, my Spanish host-mom, and so on. Then I searched for a trend — Who do I find most inspiring? How have they been influential? What do they do? Have I really discussed their jobs with them?… I can keep going with the questions. Basically, I came to the realization that I still have a lot of territory I need to explore. I haven’t completely explored my family and friends as part of my  network and used all of the information for what it’s worth.

Now with a clearer compilation of influences made up of family and friends, I have a better understanding of who I would like to know more about. I have a feeling that table talk is going to be different this holiday. I am more prepared than ever to go home for Thanksgiving and ‘catch up.’ Not only will my family and friends receive a well thought-out response to their anticipated life questions, I will be preparing questions to ask them as well. I am more ready than ever to utilize my personal network as I continue on my path to a career. The tables are turning!

Sometimes the best networking happens when you least expect it.

Saturday morning I was at a coffee shop in Gig Harbor looking for a spot to set up my laptop. Though not crowded, all of the “good” spots were taken – the comfy armchairs with the side tables to hold your coffee, away from the sun’s glare that renders the screen unreadable. The only spots left were at the bar facing the window that looked out on the street. Even with the sun obscured by cloud cover it was still too bright to read. Feeling defeated, I was thinking about leaving to find a dark, dank Starbucks.

A woman sitting at a small table in the corner saw me waffling and offered me a spot at her table saying she would be leaving soon anyway. I sat down gratefully and while setting up my techie gear we chatted. It turned out she was just laid off from her job the day before. She asked me what I do, and I enjoyed telling her, “I help people find jobs.” I explained my role here at Puget Sound working with college students. After being surprised by the absolute serendipity of our meeting, she asked me a million questions about things that were burning in her mind.

Her first question was pretty typical: did I know of any jobs in her field? I didn’t, of course – I work with students looking for entry-level positions, and she was at a senior career level. But she didn’t end our conversation there, as most people would have. She continued to ask questions about things someone in my role might know. What was going on in the job market? How had job search techniques changed? What advice did I have for someone looking for work in this economy? I couldn’t point her to specific openings, unfortunately, but I was able to help her with all of her other questions and our conversation ended on a very positive note. We exchanged cards, and even though I may not know of positions in her field, if I do hear of something, I will certainly contact her. After all – she gave me a seat at her table.

There were three things this woman did that made me want to help her:

• She showed genuine interest in me and the conversation was natural
• She didn’t stop the conversation when I didn’t have an answer to her first question
• She asked for the opportunity to stay connected by asking for my card

Students: keep this in mind as you go about your daily lives. There are times to be very deliberate about networking, say at an event like ASK Night, but more often than not, opportunities just present themselves at random moments. Networking happens every day, and an opportunity can crop up anywhere to make a new connection. You never know who you’re going to meet!

Throughout this semester, my main focus has been to discover a career path that might spark a passion—and I ended up singling out non-profits. After all, I’ve always taken an interest in community relations, marketing, and helping the greater good; non-profits sounded like the perfect fit. But I was thrown off course last month when I unexpectedly connected with recruiters from an organization far from what I was exploring. Three days after meeting them, I found myself drinking a chai latte with two charismatic women during an informational interview that ended with an incredible internship offer!

While anticipating a disinterest in what the organization might have to offer, I found the meeting to be an amazing opportunity to share my story and personalize my experiences and skills. Not only did I discover more about job positions I never knew existed, I was challenged with questions that allowed me to practice articulating who I am and what I have to offer.

One question threw me, though. As we were nearing the end of our allotted time, I was asked why I took such an interest in non-profits. This seems like an easy question and yet I found myself scrambling for the appropriate reasoning. That’s when I realized I needed to practice articulating my interests and goals OUT LOUD. As much as I reasoned about non-profits in my head, I never verbally articulated it. I was not as prepared as I thought I was to respond to such a straightforward question. How exactly did I land on non-profits anyway? In the end, even though I stumbled my way through that question, I walked out confident, with a new-found interest in organizations outside of the non-profit world.

Since that first informational interview, I’ve decided to keep going and find more people to chat with; I guess you can say I have been on a networking high. For the past couple of weeks, I have been connecting with our own Puget Sound alumni from the ASK network, including Shannon Hughes, the chair of the Alumni Council CES Committee. After chatting with an advisor in my office, it seemed like Shannon and I shared some common career interests. Surprisingly, with no hindrance on our conversation, our particular career interests did not quite match up. But it turns out that my conversation with Shannon was helpful in an unexpected way!

While we were swapping stories over the phone, Shannon asked me to consider what different interactions and conversations in the past have excited me the most. I paused. Despite my talkativeness and desire to fill in the silence, I couldn’t formulate a response. It was then that Shannon and I discussed how helpful networking can be, especially when you gauge your level of excitement over certain topics; it really helps narrow in on your passions.

By stepping outside of my interests and connecting with people of different fields, I broadened my scope of careers to consider for the future. Not only did I learn that I should practice articulating my skills and interests out loud, I also learned to evaluate my energy level during conversations in order to learn what excites me the most. Long story short, there is no such thing as bad networking. People know people who know other people, so you never know who will be your most helpful resource!

Visit the CES Job Search Tools page for tips about Informational Interviews.

Forget the images of librarians as quiet book lovers. Of course librarians love books, but the work of a librarian extends beyond cataloging and shelving library books. Today’s librarian is a master of information management with jobs ranging from public service and reference, to technology and web development, as well as working with rare books and archives. Librarians may be employed at your local municipal library but librarians are also employed at large corporations (like Microsoft, Nissan, and Boeing), law firms, museums & historical societies, and many other environments including the University of Puget Sound!

Jane Carlin, director of Collins Memorial Library, oversees the management of the Library including personnel, budget, services, and collections (including print and electronic resources along with new media). Jane and her team constantly assess services and consider ways to promote the library and its resources and bring new patrons to Collins Memorial Library. You may have noticed exhibits featuring local artists working in book design and printing arts, or displays of library materials including Puget Sound archives, events such as Banned Books Tea, Edible Books Day and author talks.

I recently sat down with Jane to learn a bit about her career path:
Alana: How did you end up in this career field?
Jane: As an undergraduate I was an anthropology major with a minor in art history – as a junior and into my senior year, I began to seriously contemplate a career path. I knew I loved to study, work in an educational environment, and was passionate about art. It was during a “senior seminar” in art history that I went to meet with the art librarian to learn about special methods in art history research. I was amazed about all the interesting work that she did from research, to purchasing unique materials, to teaching classes. I was sold – academic librarianship seemed like a perfect fit – it provides the opportunity to build on a liberal arts background, contribute to higher education, provides a service to students and faculty, and allowed me to continue to pursue interest in the arts! My graduate program at Indiana University was designed so I could focus on fine arts librarianship.

Alana: What advice do you have for students pursuing this field?
Jane: Get as much practical experience as you can either through paid employment as a student library employee or by volunteering in a local library. Also – keep an electronic portfolio or at the very least a record of your research papers, presentations, etc.

Alana: What skills/competencies are valued in this field?
Jane: Database and technology skills, media communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, research skills, interpersonal skills, and community engagement. Most of the professional positions in the library require a Master’s degree.

I spent about 20 minutes with Jane and learned a lot about careers in library science. If you’re interested in learning about career options, consider meeting with professionals working in fields of interest to you. Access the ASK Network (a database of Puget Sound alumni interested in talking with students about their careers) in Cascade to get started.

Recommended Resources:
American Library Association
Association of College & Research Librarians
Best Careers 2009: Librarian
Occupational Outlook Handbook: Librarian Careers
Library Jobs
Special Libraries Association

Not sure if you’re ready to attend ASK Night? You are! Here are some typical students we encourage to come to the event and some tips for success:

Which type sounds more like you?

I-Don’t-Have-A-Clue: This could be a first year student or a graduating senior, and they worry that they have to have made some clear decisions about their career path in order to start networking with people. But networking is a great tool for discovering what you want to do with your life, and what better place to start than with a group of people whose sole mission for the evening is to talk to students about the kind of work they do. A great opening line for these students? “I’m still gathering information about different career paths – what did you do to learn about different options?”

I-Can’t-Make-Up-My-Mind: This student has done some exploring and has some areas of interest, but can’t pick between them. That’s quite all right – many alumni can definitely relate! A great question for these students to ask? “I’m debating between a few different directions – how did you decide the right path for you?”

I’m-Scared-To-Talk-To-People: For these students an event like ASK Night is the perfect place to start. Consider it networking with training wheels. This is the only kind of networking event where the entire room of professionals is there simply to help students. Because they are alumni there is an automatic connection. Plus, CES staff will be on hand to help make introductions. A great tip for these students? Research beforehand and know who you’d like to meet, and then ask a CES staff member to help you approach them.

I’m-Ready! Let-Me-At-’Em: These students certainly know what they want! But often we see these same eager students walk away disappointed. Why? “There was nobody there representing my field/my target professional didn’t make it to the event.” We remind these students that networking is about making connections with a broad group of people because it’s not necessarily about what these folks do, but who they know.

Each person has a personal network of contacts and every interaction is an opportunity to tap into that group. For example, the Computer Science student who ends up talking to a Religion major might be surprised to find out that her husband’s sister works for a technology company. Also, all alumni have been in the same spot current students are – they can share their stories of navigating a job search. A great suggestion for these students? Talk to everybody, show sincere interest in them as people, and let them know what your goals are.

Actually, all of these tactics are useful no matter where you are in your career search. Whether you’re still trying to figure out what your options are, or you are actively engaged in a job search, you can get something of value from ASK Night. We hope to see you there!

What is networking? The basic definition, in a professional context, explains networking as any interaction that connects you with others.  It is the most important tool in your professional toolbox, and developing connections has the best return on investment of any career-related activity. Despite that, many people resist networking because they feel uncomfortable asking people for help. To combat this discomfort, the best strategy is to develop your network before you need it:

Networking is not something you do when you need a new job or promotion or new client. It is not something you can buy, beg, borrow, or steal when you need it. It must be part of your life and activities as an ambitious, success-oriented young person. You can’t build strong relationships overnight.
~Lindsey Pollak, Getting From College To Career

There are three key parts of networking:

1.  Making connections:  You can network anywhere and there are opportunities at every turn to meet people who might be helpful for your career. There are many ways to find these people, such as attending events on campus where alumni are present (ASK Night, Health Professions Night, etcetera) or using tools like LinkedIn and other social networking sites.

2. Building relationships: The next step in networking is to deepen a relationship by connecting with professionals in person on a one-on-one level. Informational interviews are an excellent way to accomplish this goal.

3. Maintaining relationships: Take this beyond merely sending a thank you card after an informational interview, but also work on maintaining that connection over time. This is where the give and take of the relationship comes in, and is what will transform someone from a casual acquaintance to someone who is a reliable part of your network.

Watch for future posts where we’ll break down each part of networking into easy steps.