Month: August 2014

small talk is a big deal

Speaking to an employer in a formal setting like an interview can certainly get our nerves going. But what about those less formal interactions or opportunities for “small talk?” Engaging with supervisors by the water cooler or reaching out to a colleague to learn about what they do in their role can feel equally daunting to many. However, small talk is an important aspect of networking and a valuable skill to develop. Here are two simple ways you can practice your small talk and make a big impression in the future. No suit required. The more confident you feel about what you have to say, the easier the process will become.

Leave yourself a voicemail.

  • This practice can be helpful as you prepare for a variety of professional interactions. For one, it’s a great way to run through your elevator pitch. We’ve all practiced in the mirror (right?), but listening to yourself on your voicemail can make a big impact. Jot down a few bullet points beforehand to guide you. What did you do well? Did you leave any main points out? Where do you get stuck? How long was the message? How many times did you say “um” or “like”…?
  • If you are planning to return a prospective employer’s phone call or hope to reach out to someone for an informational interview, call yourself first and leave a voicemail. Running through this process a few times will enable you to practice being concise and professional. Try jotting down a few speaking points if that is helpful. One word of warning here – just be sure you don’t sound too rehearsed!

Take a friend out for coffee.

  •  Extend an invitation to a friend or classmate with similar career interests. “Hi Joe, are you free this week? I’d love to meet for a coffee and hear about how your internship is going.” Observing others as they speak about their own experiences can be helpful. Take mental notes on how he or she describes experiences or gives examples of highlights. What did you learn? If you run into him or her on campus, incorporate something from your meet-up into the conversation. “Hi Joe, thanks again for meeting up the other day. How’s that project going? I know you said you had a tight deadline! I’d love to hear how it turns out.” Think about how you can apply what you learn from these interactions to professional networking.
  • Perhaps your first language is not English and you are concerned about speaking and connecting professionally with others in your field of interest. Meet-up with a friend for coffee or a meal and make a pact to only speak English for the duration of your time together. Plan to read an article beforehand to discuss or agree on a career topic of interest to both of you. The first person to speak English pays for the coffee!

Wrapping Things Up

by Beckie Stokes, Operations Assistant

intern mugHere we are, knee-deep into August already. Hopefully you’ve been able to spend your summer not only getting some good quality rest and relaxation, but also logging in some awesome internship hours. Since you’ll be wrapping up and heading back to good old Penn soon, here are some things you should remember to do before you bid adieu to your summer employer.

-Ask your boss for honest feedback. You’ve spent the whole summer working and learning new skills, but maybe no one has let you know how you’re doing in the big-picture sense. Now is a great time to schedule a sit-down with your supervisor to see how they viewed your performance, where you can improve, and (hopefully) hear some positive things about your work.

-Talk to and conduct informational interviews with people in your company. You have such great access into a particular industry right now. Don’t pass up the opportunity to pick the brains of people who are actively involved in it. You should do this regardless of whether you loved or hated what you did. If you loved it, great – get some insight into what the real day-to-day of full-time employees is like and what your future might hold. If you ultimately decided that this position or department wasn’t for you, talk to some people outside of the department to see what their work is like – it could be that you still love the industry or company but would ultimately seek a different position.

-Have a talk about your future with the company. Did you love what you did this summer? Awesome! Have a sit-down with your boss to talk about next steps. Some industries make offers at the end of the summer; some tell you they were pleased with your performance and invite you to keep in touch as graduation approaches. Either way, you should take action to make sure they know that you would like to come back if they’ll have you.

-Start making the “goodbye” rounds, but do it before your last day. This is a great time to let your colleagues know how much you’ve appreciated working with them, and chat a bit about your plans for the future. Make sure you have their contact information so you can keep in touch, regardless of your plans to return to the company. This is a great opportunity to expand your network and start nurturing your connections in the field. Starting this process at least a couple of days before you leave ensures that you’ll be able to talk to everyone (heaven forbid your favorite colleague calls out sick on your last day!) and that you’ll have enough time for more than a ten-second “See ya!” on the way out the door.

We hope the end of your internship and the end of your summer are enjoyable and productive. And if you do get that end-of-summer offer and need help negotiating, our door is always open. See you soon, Quakers!

Why Olaf Would Make the Worst Interview Candidate Ever

By Claire Klieger

To follow-up on my recent post about “Let it Go (and other Career Take-aways from Frozen,” I realized that this movie is filled with other possible career lessons (and oddities—families of trolls, bizarre relationships with reindeer, possible child abuse in the form of locking your children up in a castle…but I digress). The biggest of these is how to interview better by not acting like Olaf. So without, further ado, here are all of the reasons why Olaf would likely bomb any interview:

olafbeach1. Talking about one’s butt and other “over sharing”. Part of what makes Olaf endearing in this movie is the fact that he often says whatever is on his mind but volunteering information such as “I don’t have a skull” or “Oh, look, I’ve been impaled” would not be good tactics in an interview. Sometimes you may be tempted to explain things that you anticipate might be an issue for an employer, but you never want to volunteer negative information about yourself, whether that might be a lack of relevant experience or skill sets or health-related concerns. If it’s truly something that is of concern to your potential employer you can be sure that it will come up during the interview.

2. Failure to do your homework. Could there really be a bigger example of this than Olaf devoting an entire musical number (which, I have to admit, is maybe my favorite of the film) to his love a season that could literally destroy him? Similarly, on an interview, you will be sure to “melt” any of your own chances at success if you don’t properly prepare, which can include making statements about things that you don’t really understand. While It’s always a good idea to have things to say to demonstrate your interest in the industry or working at that organization, you need to be sure that you’ve adequately done your homework. Sadly, if you make gaffs about the employer or the industry, it’s highly unlikely you would get a second chance or the equivalent of your “own personal flurry!”

3. Not listening effectively (and not getting people’s names right). Olaf spends almost the entire movie thinking that both the reindeer and the ice seller share the name Sven. Obviously, it goes without saying that you should get people’s names right when writing thank you notes after an interview, but equally important is listening to the interview question that is asked. I know that sounds fundamental but I never ceased to be surprised by how often someone can give an answer to a question that wasn’t really what was asked. Before responding, take time to make sure you fully understand the question.

4. Not following directions. Leading up the climax of the film, Anna, Kristoff, Sven and Olaf race back to the castle to try find a remedy for Anna’s frozen heart. Kristoff knows that the townspeople will naturally be alarmed at the sight of a snowman come to life since most people stop believing in Frosty the Snowman by the end of childhood. As such, he warns Olaf to “stay out of sight!,” a suggestion that Olaf agrees to do but then promptly ignores. Hopefully, failing to follow directions in an interview would not result in your interviewer screaming in fear, however, paying attention to the details about when to arrive, what is appropriate attire, or what materials are necessary to bring are all things you should know in advance.

While Olaf is unlikely to score any points in a formal interview setting, he wins my vote for an amusing addition to this instant Disney classic. Or, perhaps this entire blog post (and the last one) are signs that I have spent far too much time watching Frozen.

From Rugrat to Intern

This is the next in a series of posts by recipients of the Career Services Summer Funding grant.  We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they’ve been spending the summer.  

This blog is by Taylor Blackston, CAS ’15

College is a place for growth. From changing majors to stumbling upon extra-curricular activities, my time at Penn has been full of self-discovery. The university and Career Services specifically, have connected me with many resources that have assisted me during the transition period between adolescence and adulthood. This summer, my internship experience has been an extension of my college career, furthering my understanding of what life will be like after graduation.

Earlier this year, Career Services sent out information regarding the IRTS Multicultural Career Workshop in New York City. As a junior majoring in Communication, I immediately filled out an application for the chance to learn more about the media and entertainment industry. The first day of the workshop, we listened to different types of media professionals on various panels. On the second day, IRTS hosted a career fair with recruiters from companies such as HBO, Scripps Networks, Starcom MediaVest Group and Viacom. Although I was quite nervous, I’m glad I walked up to the Viacom table when I did, because the connection I made with the recruiter led to my summer internship.

Viacom is the parent company of many popular cable networks such as MTV, VH1, BET and Comedy Central. This summer, I was a Viacom intern with the children’s network, Nickelodeon. I was so excited to work for the channel that aired the most memorable programs from my childhood. Not only did the décor on each floor include products and posters of my most beloved cartoon characters, but also one of the exciting benefits of my internship was access to watch any episode of my favorite Nick shows. More important than the perks though, was the insight I gained into how to run a cable television network. At Nickelodeon, I worked under the Media Planning team. The main job of this team is to promote the shows currently airing on the network. They program promotions strategically in order to bring viewers to the shows. Campaigns are important in producing good ratings, an integral part in the livelihood of a television network because ratings are important when selling advertising time.

My responsibilities were not only administrative in nature, as I given several meaningful projects to work on throughout the summer. One project I worked on was competitive tracking, which meant I watched a lot of television for a few days. I watched competing networks and examined how differently the networks promoted their content. This was important because many networks are seeking viewership from the same audience and we want a better understanding of what strategies may take a child away from watching Nick. I was most excited about creating my own personal project. I wanted to produce something useful for my department. I decided to create a handbook with information for future interns. The handbook includes a glossary of industry terms, an explanation of department documents and how to utilize them, and even advice for success from the Media Planning staff members. As the internship program is only 10 weeks long, I hope this guide is helpful in expediting the learning curve and get interns comfortable and involved early on in the program.

My summer at Nickelodeon was extremely valuable for many reasons. The one thing I appreciate most about my experience was how willing people were to help me explore the company. For instance, although I learned a lot from the Media Planning team, I felt early on that I would be more interested in pursuing a fulltime career in a creative department. In knowing that, my supervisor helped me to set up informational interviews with five different departments so I could get an understanding of positions that align better with my personal goals. Many staff members shared similar stories of getting their foot in the door at Viacom, but with patience and research, they ultimately found something better suited for themselves and received the encouragement to pursue their interests.

Although the summer is ending and I still wonder about the next step, I can say that my internship experience at Nickelodeon has made me feel more prepared for life after graduation. However, no matter how much older I get, hopefully I will carry the fun and youthful spirit of the Nickelodeon brand with me every step of the way.

Professional Development Opportunities

By Barbara Hewitt

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Career Services Institute East conference which was held at Penn this week. It was a terrific opportunity to learn from well-respected professionals in the field, to network with career services staff from a wide variety of institutions, and to walk away with a whole array of new ideas. I came away from the conference feeling energized and excited about the new academic year.

CSI_EastBanner14As a current student (or perhaps even as a working professional), you may not have given much thought to attending a professional conference or joining a professional association up to this point. Now is the time to consider it!

Professional associations are organizations that unite professionals within a given industry for networking, educational, lobbying or other purposes. A few examples of professional organizations include the American Marketing Association (AMA) and the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM). Professional associations are great resources because they often offer industry-specific job or internship listings for their members, as well as general career advice. They can also help you keep abreast of what is going on within the industry. These organizations typically have annual conferences that facilitate networking opportunities among professionals in the field – in many cases, student memberships are available at reduced rates. You can research professional associations online – you may also want to consider asking professionals in your field of interest what professional association memberships they may hold. Following are a couple of places to start your search, but you can also simply conduct an online search using keywords:

In addition to joining a professional association, you might consider taking advantage of the many conferences organized by student organizations here at Penn, whether it be the Penn Microfinance Conference or the MARC (Marketing, Advertising, and Retailing) Conference sponsored by MUSE. There really is something for everyone at Penn! Keep your eyes open throughout the upcoming year to register for conferences to learn more about different career fields. We often promote student conferences in the weekly Career Services listserv emails, but you can also check the webpages for relevant student groups to see what they may have planned for the year.