September 2010 – Page 2

To Thine Own Self Be True

by Anne Lucas

My 7^th grade English teacher, Mrs. Frezeman, assigned us a quotation to memorize and 10 vocabulary words to learn every week. The quotations especially made a deep impression on me, and I find myself reflecting on them in many of life’s circumstances even as I advance through middle age.

Today I’d like to share with you an excerpt of the sage advice that Polonius gave his son, Laertes, in Hamlet. I suspect you’ve heard it before:

…This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man…

– William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3.

You might be wondering why I’d choose this particular passage to share with you now. I guess I’ve been struck by how challenging it is for students to stay true to themselves throughout the career/job search process. In a still-struggling economy, it may be even more tempting to convince ourselves that we could be happy doing something in which we have little or no interest just because there are jobs available in that field. As a parent of young adult children, I have been guilty of urging my children to “get a job,” and indeed both my son and daughter have been known to “settle” for a decent salary and health insurance.

There may be a point in one’s job search where some compromise is necessary, of course. No job is perfect, and as most new graduates learn, work is called “work” for a reason! Sometimes we accidentally find our true calling by working in a field which turns out to be interesting after all. Despite the possibility of a happy accident, I urge you to approach your career exploration and job search with honesty and big dreams. Give yourself the opportunity to aim for a job for which you feel a sincere interest—even passion. You are most likely to succeed when you’re doing something you enjoy—and unlikely to succeed in even the most profitable endeavor if you are mismatched for that position.

It’s important to be yourself (“your best self” as we career folks like to say) throughout the job search process. Let your voice shine through your cover letters. As you can imagine, I am reviewing a lot of cover letters right now, and I am always thrilled when I read a student’s “story” of why s/he has been called to the field of (fill in the blank). Employers too read hundreds (thousands?) of cover letters, and they can sift out the sincere from the forced. So please carefully consider your passions and then give voice to these passions in your cover letter.

Continue to be true to yourself, your values, and your ambitions throughout the search process. You will sparkle in your interviews too if you present yourself authentically. I’m fond of reading the “Corner Office” interviews in the Sunday business section of the New York Times. Inevitably these successful CEOs emphasize that during the hiring process they want to know who a person really is—not just the polished-up version too often presented. These CEOs accept that all people will fail and strongly believe that people should take risks and learn and grow from their failures. One recent interviewee even remarked that he’s worried if someone claims never to have failed because he doesn’t know how that person will handle it when s/he finally, inevitably, does fail.

Thus, I suggest that you open yourself up in the interviewing process. No, this doesn’t mean that you should approach your interviewer like your therapist. Rather, you should, in a professional fashion, be yourself and tell your unique story. When the fit is right, you’ll get the job. If your cards are on the table and you don’t get the offer, it’s likely that it wouldn’t be a good match anyway. Move on, and it will work out well in the end.

My thanks to William Shakespeare and Mrs. Frezeman for reminding us “To thine own self be true.” Also, I can’t resist a note to the seniors out there. Please remember to enjoy and make the most of your senior year! There’s more going on at Penn than OCR and your job search. Your senior year is a precious time in your life that you will never have again. Best wishes for a spectacular senior year and genuine job search!

What Should I Ask Alumni?

By: David Ross

So you’ve just found that incredible lead and think this could be the big break you’ve been waiting for…there’s an alum working at a place of great interest to you. There’s just one slight problem – you’re unsure what to ask the alum and want to make the best impression possible. How should you proceed?

Carefully. Cautiously. Professionally. While there’s no “magic formula” here, you do want to think carefully and plan ahead before reaching out to alumni. Sometimes, I’m asked by students what are some questions to ask an alum? Here are a few ideas:

– Can you share your thoughts on how to best prepare myself for a career in (insert career here)? Sure, we’ve all heard about pursuing internships and making connections, but depending on the field you are interested in, an alum’s perspective on some of the more subtle or less mentioned skills that are valued can be particularly helpful.

– How did your Penn (and/or school at Penn) experience prepare you for your career? This question is a great way to really delve into the Penn connection you share and ways that you can leverage that experience.

– In your experience, what are some attributes of individuals who are most successful in (your field)? Not only will this question shed some light on what it takes to be successful, it may also be helpful to evaluate if a certain career field is a good fit for you personally.

– Are there any courses at Penn that you would recommend taking as preparation? A decision on what classes to take is up to each individual. However, an alum’s experience with certain courses he or she found helpful and useful may give you some new ideas to think about.

While asking questions can be a helpful way to begin a discussion with alumni, some individuals prefer a more direct approach and like to “cut to the chase.” Be careful with this as you certainly do not want to put an alum in an awkward position – especially if he or she does not know you. Think about it – would you recommend someone for employment at a company if all you knew about the person was based on one email or a phone call you received? Developing strong networking connections can take some time. And while it may not be easy to cultivate a contact, it’s very easy to make a bad impression in the process. Always keep that in mind.

Of course, there are many other questions you can ask alumni as well. But hopefully this gives you a few ideas to open the lines of communication and connect with alumni.

411: Rural Medicine

You probably know that rural medicine isn’t all tomahawk lacerations and rabies cases unless you’ve viewed too many episodes of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (DQMW to fans), but you may wonder why you should think about it. After all, many of you came to Penn to be in a big city and plan to stay in one. But consider the following points:

You may have the option to do a clinical rotation in a rural area during medical or dental school.
You may speak too generally about the “projected physician shortage” and “underserved areas” in a medical school interview, revealing your lack of knowledge about current issues in the field.
You might apply to one or more rural medicine programs thinking, “Well, I wouldn’t mind living in the country (and the mean GPA looks promising)” — a less than compelling reason to apply.
Rural practice might be for you. Dr. Quinn went to medical school in Philadelphia, but the frontier offered better opportunities. Okay, she isn’t real (just real cool with her old-timey stethoscope); however, some people change their career plans after trying a rural rotation or residency. And some of you may be interested in rural medicine programs, but should learn more about them before putting them on your application.

The AAMC’s January 2010 edition of Choices: The Careers in Medicine newsletter has a detailed profile of the field, from day-to-day life on the job to opportunities to train in a rural area in medical school. Another excellent resource is the National Rural Health Association.

The Frontier Nursing Service’s Courier Program offers a clinical volunteering opportunity to spend six to twelve weeks in an eastern Kentucky community. You can also find the program on Facebook and read blog entries written by a volunteer from Dartmouth. Some Penn students have made their own arrangements to volunteer at rural hospitals and clinics close to home or near a relative.

Currently, the U.S. federal government’s National Health Service Corps offers up to $145k in medical school loan repayment in exchange for five years of service providing health care in an underserved area (not exclusively rural) and 50k for two years of service. On Facebook? You bet!

Sadly, the Bring-Back-Dr.-Quinn-Medicine-Woman movement on Facebook has burned itself out — choked on its own fervor — and will leave Facebook on October 1, but don’t let that stop you from checking out some of the links above!

But I Just Got Here… Career Planning and One-Year Degrees

by Sharon Fleshman

Back when I used to advise mostly undergraduate students, I would encourage first-year students to get settled academically and socially and to take advantage of the numerous extracurricular and student leadership opportunities at Penn. For the most part, there was no need for them to be preoccupied about career decisions at that early stage. However, I now find myself working with a lot of graduate students who are in one-year master’s programs. In other words, students who are in their first year are also in their last year. If you are one of those students, it can be a challenge to juggle your coursework, field placements/internships (in some cases) and the job search.

As you’ve likely discovered, your time at Penn will feel like a sprint. In a race, pacing is critical. On one hand, you do not want to exhaust yourself by starting out too quickly. Don’t immerse yourself in career planning to the neglect of your studies or building relationships with classmates. On the other hand, it is not a good idea to have such a slow pace to start that you wait too long to pick up speed.

To get started, I would strongly suggest getting familiar with the Career Services website, which has many resources that you can access at any time. Here are some other tips that I hope will help you to make the most of your fall semester:

Join a Career Services graduate student distribution list so that you receive timely e-mails about programs, events and job opportunities related to your career goals.

Make sure that you are aware of the timetables of various industries as it relates to hiring. While many organizations hire on a just-in-time, as needed basis in the spring, others may begin their recruiting process in the fall. For instance, many business and technical companies use On-Campus Recruiting in the fall. As you can see from the most recent blogs, a number of career fairs are held in the fall as well. Government agencies often have structured programs that may require early application. See our Make an Impact webpage for more information on opportunities in the federal government.

Tweak your resume so that it will be easy to update and ready when you start applying for jobs. The Career Services website has useful advice on resumes as well as resume samples based on your academic program or career interest.

Start researching career options and develop a list of preferred employers and job functions. Check out the Career Exploration section of our website. Sometimes it can also be helpful to look at job descriptions to determine what is ideal to you. To help you with this, the Career Services website lists links to job listing and company/organization websites, classified by career field. Attend career services programs that are relevant to careers that interest you. The Fall 2010 program calendar for graduate students is available here.

Start building your network. As you begin to get a sense for the careers that you want to pursue, you should make plans to speak with people who are in those careers and can provide perspective and guidance. The Penn Alumni Career Network and LinkedIn are two great places to start, particularly with informational interviewing.

Start planning for recommendation letters as necessary. While many employers request contacts for references by phone, there are some fields, such as K-12 teaching, that require letters of recommendation. If your chosen career field requires a letter of recommendation or you anticipate pursuing doctoral studies at some point, start thinking about potential recommenders, including professors or field supervisors who you will encounter this fall. Advice on requesting letters is available on our website. For online storage of confidential recommendation letters, Career Services has partnered with Interfolio. If you plan on applying for additional graduate school in the near future, speak with one of our Pre-Grad Advisors.

Get Organized. Even what I’ve mentioned above may seem overwhelming in terms of getting started. Try to schedule your career planning so that you can be sure it’s not taking up too much (or too little) space on your calendar. Have some kind of system in place based on what works best for you. For example, you might decide to dedicate a couple of hours each week to researching career options and conduct at least two information interviews per month.

Talk to a Career Services advisor. It is often helpful to have a listening ear as you brainstorm about career options and networking/job search strategies, or make decisions about job offers. It is always necessary to have a second pair of eyes as you put the finishing touches on that resume. Perhaps you just need some assistance in getting organized. Wherever you find yourself in the career planning process, be assured that Career Services counselors are available to help you as you prepare to cross the finish line into next phase of your career.

A Day in the Life: Educational Non-Profits

Read Jason Chan’s archived tweet feed here: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/JasonChan_Feed.pdf

If you’re interested in education, there are many alternatives to teaching or working in a school, whether it is an elementary school or university. On Tuesday, September 28th Jason Chan (SAS ’02) will highlight one of these alternatives when he tweets for @PennCareerDay about his career with an educational non-profit.

Jason Chan is the Director of Scholar & Alumni Programs at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF), where he serves as a student advisor and oversees a portfolio of academic support, leadership development, and community-building programs designed for recipients of the APIASF and Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) scholarship awards.

Prior to APIASF, Jason was a graduate coordinator in both the student conduct and multicultural affairs offices at the University of Maryland-College Park. In addition to advising student organizations and campus leaders, he also facilitated intergroup dialogues and co-taught a course on leadership and race. Jason has also worked at City Year, a national non-profit community service organization, as an AmeriCorps volunteer and a full-time staff member. There, he taught diversity curricula to Boston public school students, managed neighborhood service-learning programs, led teams of volunteers in service, and supported City Year’s recruitment and admissions functions.

Jason has a M. Ed. in College Student Personnel from the University of Maryland-College Park, and a B.A. in Psychology and Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania.

Connect with Jason:

LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/chanjason)
Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/jchan027)