Thoughtful Career Advice for Penn Students and Alumni, written by the staff of the University of Pennsylvania Career Services office and selected special guests.
For most of you, your semester is ending soon, with final classes, papers or exams. Then it’s off for a summer of more study or an internship or a research opportunity or perhaps travel. But for some of you, this is it. You are graduating. Even if you have made your plans, you may face the future with some trepidation. Major life transitions can be scary, despite how excited you are about your first full-time job, your fellowship or your graduate program.
I too am facing a major life transition. After almost forty years of working at Penn, most of it in Career Services, I am retiring later this summer. I first came to Penn as a graduate student 45 years ago. It has been a joy and a privilege to study here, to work with such great colleagues, and to get to know generations of Penn students. I have reached a point that the sons and daughters of students I knew years ago are now themselves Penn students. (Too soon for grandchildren to arrive!)
Donna Shalala, former cabinet secretary and university president, once said that women stay in jobs until they no longer like them. Men are more willing to move on, even when their jobs are going well and still enjoyable. Maybe this is why I never left. I have enjoyed my job almost every day for all these years. My wish for you all is that you find a job and a career that are fulfilling and meaningful. Sigmund Freud notably said, “Love and work… work and love, that’s all there is.” May you find work with a purpose as well as love. To all the students and alumni I have gotten to know, thank you, for giving meaning to my work. Best wishes for continued success to you all!
SEASON FINALE. We’ve come to the end of another school year and another season of CS Radio. We’ve also come to the end of Pat Rose’s time as director of Career Services at Penn. We’re joined by an incredible array of guests who stopped by to reflect on Pat’s time at Penn and her contributions to Career Services. CS Radio will be back in September, but remember that Penn Career Services is open all summer long to both students and alumni. Thank you for listening and we’ll see you in season four!
J. Michael DeAngelis, Information Resources Manager
I can hardly believe that there’s just four days left in the spring semester! It’s a great time to look back at all we’ve done together in the last four months!
Enjoy these last few days of the semester! We’ll start making new memories together in September!
It’s time for the spring grab bag! A little of this, a little of that, but all questions that we’ve been hearing lately in career advising appointments. Thank you notes, mistakes on an application, gearing up for a move, we’re going to cover all of it this week on the penultimate episode of the season! Enjoy!
Before moving to Philadelphia and starting my job at Penn, I had a side gig doing bridal and special event makeup. I’ve always loved playing with makeup and trying the newest products, but it always felt very separate from my professional work as a career advisor. I’ve recently begun to realize that it doesn’t have to be! Although I spend most of my time advising on the best search strategies and fine tuning resumes, I also get many questions from students about professional attire and appearance, especially for interviews. So here are some tips and tricks I’ve curated through my experience working as both a career development professional AND a makeup artist: How to look more awake:
By far the biggest problem I have when doing my makeup before an interview is figuring out how to look more refreshed and awake. This is my 3 pronged, sure fire way to look like you had a full nights sleep and are super enthusiastic about the job:
1. Mascara. If you are going to apply just one item, this would be it. Try a brown mascara for a more subtle look, especially if you have lighter hair. Pro tip: don’t pump your mascara wand, instead spin it around in the tube to get the product on the brush. Pumping it will dry out the product faster!
2. Under eye concealer. Cover up those bags! Use an orange based concealer to cover any blue or purple areas. Then, apply a concealer that is a shade lighter than your normal skin tone to brighten up the area. Focus the concealer in the area underneath the bag, not on the actual bag itself. Check out this video for some great techniques:
3. Use a nude or white eyeliner on your lower lashline, instead of black. Black tends to close the eye while or nude will help make it look bigger and more awake.
Be wary of Instagram trends
Okay, I’m guilty of this one. What can I say, I’m a fan of a thick brow and some intense highlighting action. But what I’ve learned from taking pictures for my makeup Instagram is that what looks good in a photo doesn’t always look good in person. You may look beautifully glowing in that perfectly angled snap, but it comes off as an oil slick to the employer sitting in front of you. Less is usually more in this case. This is why you always hear that you should wear dark colored suits with not a lot of patterns. You don’t want to be remembered for what you are wearing, and this is the same philosophy for makeup. So step away from the contouring and false lashes, and remember that neutrals are your friend! You don’t have to wear makeup
This is one of the most common questions I get from students. Do I have to wear makeup? NO! You can wear as much or as little as you want, as long as it’s not distracting and still professional. The interview is not the time to try something drastically different from what you normally do. Definitely don’t feel any pressure to dress up or look a certain way. This brings me to my next point…
Above all, do what makes you feel the most confident
This is my philosophy on all things makeup and beauty. If you normally don’t wear makeup and know that you would be self-conscious about it, then don’t wear makeup to the interview. If you normally wear a full face of makeup and feel the most put together when you do, then rock it to the interview. It’s all about what is going to make you feel the most confident and sure about yourself. This attitude will come through in the way you talk about yourself and the answers to interview questions. This may seem like I’m telling you to ignore all my previous advice, but I think it’s more about finding the right balance and becoming the most polished version of yourself.