April 2015 – Page 2 – Penn & Beyond

Careers: explore…, then seize!

Dr. Joseph Barber

If you are a graduate student or postdoc and have been enjoying exploring “Penn & Beyond”, then perhaps it is time that you now “Carpe Careers”! Yes, seize them, seize them now! This is a blog written specifically for doctoral and postdoctoral scholars who are exploring faculty and non-faculty career opportunities, and who want to hear relevant career advice directly from graduate student and postdoc advisors and administrators from different universities. Carpe Careers is hosted on the Inside Higher Ed website, and is written by members of the Graduate Career Consortium – a professional network of staff and administrators who provide professional and career development for PhDs and postdoctoral scholars at their universities and institutions. Take a peek now and you will find a diversity of topics covered, and some great advice shared. Here is just a small sample:

Writing an Introductory Email
Advice on how to reach out to different types of people as part of your networking efforts

What’s Next?
Advice on preparing for a non-faculty job search

The Right References
Advice on picking the right references to support you academic and non-faculty job applications

Get Over the Guilt
Some encouragement for graduate students and postdocs to seek career help

Timing Is Everything
Information on issues of time and timing in a job search for a new PhD

Developing Your Story
Advice on how new PhDs can work with mentors and use IDPs to develop their career story

Check back fortnightly for new posts, and add Carpe Careers to you list of required reading. You are bound to find information that will be directly helpful in your job search and professional development whether you are seeking academic careers or venturing beyond.

Debunking Internship Search Myths

by Heather Tranen, Associate Director

With winter safely behind us and the promise of summer within reach, it’s a happy time of year.

Many of you already secured your summer plans – congrats! For those of you still working on them, it’s important to stay positive and focused. That’s why I wanted to take a moment to debunk some myths that have the potential to slow you down and leave you feeling defeated during the internship search process.

MYTH 1: Everyone has an internship but me! Perhaps one of the most common myths, and it is definitely not true. In reality, it may feel like everyone and his or her first and second cousin all have internships. Keep in mind different industries have different hiring timelines. Try your best not to get discouraged. Ignore that pesky voice in your head that tells you that you’re alone in this process. Come get a pep talk from one of your trusty career advisers during walk-in hours. We’ll pull you out of your internship rut.

MYTH 2: PennLink is only for finance jobs. I invite you to try the Advanced Search function to learn how untrue this statement is. By searching through job function, you can see different jobs at a plethora of different organizations that are of interest to you. You can even set it up so that you get daily, weekly, or monthly email updates with relevant jobs.

PennLink still not for you? No worries. Our Resources by Career Field page, iNet, and other job search resources serve as additional ways to find the right opportunity for you.

MYTH 3: I applied to every job on the internet and no one called me for an interview. I doubt you applied to every job, but maybe you did. If that’s the case then it’s important to think about how you are marketing yourself through your resume, cover letter, and networking strategy. Are you targeting the right jobs for your skills, interests, and experiences? Self-assessment is key. Talking to a career advisor during an appointment and taking a career assessment like the MBTI or the Strong Interest Inventory is a great way to evaluate this.

MYTH 4: Alumni don’t want to hear from me. Networking is a key component to a successful internship search. If you were a professional who found great success in your career, wouldn’t you want to help someone in your situation? If you answered yes, then you are like the many Penn Alumni who would be more than happy to support you in your career development.

Use tools like QuakerNet and the LinkedIn Alumni Platform to target alums to reach out to for informational interviewing. Set a goal for how many alumni you will reach out to on a weekly basis. Informational interviews are a great way to expand your network, and uncover the hidden job market.

MYTH 5: If I don’t get an internship I’ll never get a full-time job. This is untrue! Employers like to see that you have transferable skills, and have a strong work ethic. This often comes in the form of volunteering, job shadowing, or simply by working in a part-time job. Attending industry-specific networking events, or joining professional associations is also a good way of staying productive and learning more about industries of interest to you. If you aren’t going the internship route this summer, doing something to stay productive is key.

I am sure you hear other myths like these on a regular basis. If you feel discouraged about your summer plans, reach out to us at Career Services, friends, family, professors, and anyone else you can go to for support!

Making the Most of LinkedIN

by Tiffany Franklin, Associate Director

Are you utilizing every aspect of LinkedIn in your Job or internship search? It’s a powerful tool that goes beyond sending and receiving requests to connect. As a recruiter, I used to post jobs on LinkedIn all the time and search for quality candidates. Here are a few ways to make LinkedIn one part of your comprehensive search.

Jobs Tab – Under the jobs tab, look for the “Advanced Search” feature on the top right near the blue search button. That will allow you to specify the industry and location. Once you take that step, you can look at the categories on the left and type “intern” under job title or “Entry level” under Experience level. In many cases, you will see the name of the recruiter posting a position, so you can address your cover letter to that person. In addition, there are links to the company LinkedIn page.
Researching a Company via LinkedIn pages – Go to the search box at the top of your profile and select “Company” in the drop down option at the left hand side of the box. Then, type the company name and you will be taken to the company’s official LinkedIn page. This will show you a brief profile of the company, current job postings through LinkedIn and if you have any first or second degree connections. If you have second degree connections, you could see if any are someone you know well and if they would be willing to make an introduction for an informational interview. Remember, company LinkedIn pages are helpful, but be sure to go to the company’s website, Glassdoor, and the Vault, for more comprehensive research. See http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/networking/InfoInterviews.php for tips about how informational interviews fit into your job search strategy.
Networking – Speaking of informational interviews, LinkedIn is a wonderful tool to cross-reference with QuakerNet to find Penn alumni for possible informational interviews. Go to the Connections tab and “Find Alumni.” As of this spring, you will see almost 117,000 Penn alumni on LinkedIn and you can search by city, company, industry, majors, and skills.
Your own Profile – Given all the activity on LinkedIn, you want to keep your profile in top shape. Be sure to update it frequently and include your academic projects, research, internships, activities, volunteer experience, professional development, and skills.

Career Services is here to help, so be sure to come in for a walk-in or make an appointment and one of the counselors will be happy to critique your profile and demonstrate the strategies outlined in this post.

A Few Reasons Why Research Experience Can Increase Your Employment Marketability

By: S. David Ross, Associate Director

Have you considered the prospects of participating in a structured research program or conducting research with a professor while a student at Penn outside of academic requirements? There are a number of ways to get involved in conducting research while at Penn. However, it may be unclear just how valuable these experiences can be – here are a few things to consider:

Participating in a research program or research lab with a professor can further develop your problem-solving and critical-thinking skills which are very valuable for future opportunities. For example, in fields such as consulting where employees face many unstructured problems, having a research background can be helpful to apply a structured approach to try to identify solutions. The ability to analyze a situation and interpret data can certainly be helpful in many different job functions across industries. Research experience can also signal a level of inquisitiveness and curiosity that can be appealing.

Obtaining research experience can potentially demonstrate you are a subject matter expert on a certain topic – knowledge that may be useful for your future career pursuits. If you are considering your job or internship options within a particular industry, having in-depth insight on a particular topic may be attractive to companies and firms looking to hire. This knowledge base may be a useful point of differentiation from other job applicants.

Having a formal research background can signal your willingness to accept a challenge, may showcase your persistence, or highlight your ability to deal with adversity and make adjustments. Research is not easy. You may encounter obstacles, setbacks or other delays that are prohibitive. During those tough times, you may find that you strengthen your resolve and determination to ultimately overcome roadblocks. You never know when you may need any or all of these skills in the future.

You may discover a passion and aptitude that you never knew existed. By engaging in a research experience, you may identify a field that you enjoy immensely. That could lead to future opportunities in disciplines you are not currently considering. There is nothing like finding a good fit in a work environment.

Ultimately, you should decide what you feel are the best pursuits and endeavors for your background, talents and interests. But, if you haven’t already, it may be worth considering potential research avenues and options while enrolled at Penn. Explore while you have the chance!

Career Advice From Principal Vernon

The Breakfast Club recently turned 30 and just hearing this movie title had me singing its hit song and recalling memorable quotes like this one…

“You ought to spend a little more time trying to make something of yourself and a little less time trying to impress people.” – Principal Vernon

Perhaps it’s an occupational hazard, but I can’t read this quote and not apply it to the job search. Impressing people is key to getting a job which, in turn, allows you to make something of yourself. Right? Hmmm. Let’s look at it another way. If you make something of yourself (a strong candidate), then an employer will be impressed and you’ll get the job. That sounds better. Here are a few tips for ensuring your time is well spent as you do just that:

Spend a little more time creating a targeted resume and cover letter. Tailoring your documents to the position of interest will allow the reader to quickly note key information – that’s important as employers may take only a few seconds to skim your resume.

Spend a little more time networking so that you can connect with professionals in your desired field or position. Networking is also an important way to learn about employment opportunities before they’re formally posted. Be that person the employer looks to when the next position opens up.

Spend a little more time preparing for upcoming interviews – Review the position description, organization website, and relevant publications so that you have a solid understanding of the employer’s mission and the desired skillset. That way, you can easily connect your own interests and experiences to the organization and position.

Make something of yourself by making yourself unforgettable. You’ll spend less time trying to impress and, instead, you’ll be simply impressive.