Claire Klieger – Page 4

Survey Says…Liberal Arts Grads from Penn Do All Sorts of Cool Things!

By Claire Klieger

I recently completed our preliminary career plans survey report for the Class of 2014 graduates from the College. Not surprisingly, our liberal arts grads are doing very well. In fact, there more students employed full-time (61%) and a lower “seeking employment” rate (6%) as compared to the results from the preliminary report done at the same time last year. Both of these are signs that the economy is turning around. Correspondingly, we also saw a small decline in the number of 2014 grads going directly on to graduate school, which is typically another indicator that students are feeling more confident about the economy.

The variety of industries represented is also pretty broad. While finance and consulting continue to be the two most popular industries for College grads (and serves as proof that you don’t need to be a Wharton student to land those jobs!), education, communications technology round out the top five. The list of employers hiring the most college students is equally diverse, including everything from Teach for America to BCG to Google to Macy’s to NBCUniversal to the National Institutes of Health.

We hear time and again from National Employment Surveys that the qualities that are most valuable to employers in new hires are the same ones that are inherent to a liberal arts education: strong communication skills, the ability to work in a team, problem solving and analytical skills. It’s no wonder, then, that we see grads doing really cool things.

Also interesting to note is the timing of offers. At Penn it can often feel like everyone has their plans tied up with a bow by the end of fall semester. For many students in the College, job offers often come later because hiring timelines in many of the fields that interest our liberal arts grads (communications, education, non-profits, government) are different than OCR and employers in those industries often won’t hire new grads until right before or even after graduation, when they are ready to start work. As such, we see again for the Class of 2014, that the bulk didn’t receive their offers until spring semester of senior year or the summer after graduation (57%), so students in the Class of 2015 who don’t yet have offers should take comfort in knowing they will have plenty of time to land an opportunity that excites them.

And, the majority (68%) of those full-time employed or in graduate school used Penn Career Services! I look forward to posting the final and longer report on the website in December and reporting more on the amazing things that liberal arts grads do.

The Urge To Do Something (A phrase I totally stole from Carol Hagan!)

By Anne Reedstrom

This particular time in the medical/dental school application process can be a tricky one. Your primary and secondary applications are completed, your letters of recommendation are in and you’ve done everything you can be the best possible applicant. Now there’s nothing else to do but wait – for interview invitations, admissions decisions, or some kind of correspondence from schools letting you know where you stand. Just wait. Wait some more. Obsess a little. Wait. Go on line and read posts from others about their processes (We know you do it. We just wish you wouldn’t because no good will come of it.) And then you wait some more.

And then it happens. You are struck by TUTDS. The Urge To Do Something. (Carol Hagan, 2012)

TUTDS is indeed a powerful force and is very common amongst pre-health students during their application year. The challenge is to wield it carefully so that it becomes a force for good, not evil.

Another "powerful force for good." — Another “powerful force for good.”

TUTDS can take on many forms, all of which involve contacting medical or dental schools in some fashion, with wildly varying results. Channel yours in a positive way by thinking about the goal of your proposed communication and trying to see it from the perspective of an admissions officer.

Your goal, of course, is to receive an elusive interview or, the even rarer offer of admission, so think about what kind of information an admissions officer might consider useful when making this kind of decision. Remember that they do already know a great deal about you from your application materials.

Would it be helpful for them to know how much you LOVE their school? Maybe, but lots of students LOVE lots of schools, so it’s not really going to help you stand out in any way.

How about “If you admit me, I will absolutely, positively enroll. I promise.” Much to everyone’s amazement-no. This is not helpful information because no matter how much you mean it at the time, you are a fickle bunch and change your minds as often as the wind changes direction.

So what is helpful then? A substantive update that adds something new to the pile of information they already have can certainly work in your favor. A new publication, a presentation, a promotion, taking on a new project, leadership position or activity, or an honor or award—all of these kinds of things are useful pieces of information to share, especially if done with an upbeat, concise and informative manner. (more from Carol!)

By all means, add a couple of sentences to your update regarding your interest in the school. It’s a nice way to round out the letter/email, which, by the way, should be no more than a couple of paragraphs. We are happy to provide feedback on update letters/emails.

The Urge To Do Something is difficult to resist, especially at this point in the application cycle, but if you do succumb, use the power for good and for the benefit of your candidacy.

Please also see Facing Winter Break without a Medical School Interview, a blog by Carol Hagan.

Never Too Young to Learn New Tricks: The Wonders of the Weigle Workshops

By Claire Klieger

This week I attended my daughter’s back to school night. She’s just started first grade and is excited about being in a “big girl” school where she gets to buy her lunch at the cafeteria, go to gym, and attend music and art classes a couple of times a week. She’ll clearly be learning a lot but I have to say that I was most impressed (and flabbergasted) by what she is already doing in her computer class. Apparently, even in their second week, students (keep in mind these are six year-olds) are discovering how to use Google Maps to get directions and all of the cool things you can see with Google Earth. By the end of the year she will even be creating PowerPoint presentations!

All of this made me think about how quickly the landscape changes in terms of technology and expectations about associated skills. While my daughter surely won’t “need” to make PowerPoint presentations any time soon, getting comfortable using a computer early is critical to her educational success. For example, since all state-wide testing is online, she will need to learn how to type to answer questions in paragraph form by the third grade. All of us have seen similar changes in expectations about technical skill sets in the work place. In this era, it’s understood that you will have basic proficiency in most of the standard Microsoft applications but to do well, you really need to have more.

We hear from employers who often tell us that there is a disconnect between their and students’ understanding of technical competencies. For example, creating charts and doing basic calculations in Excel is no longer enough to be considered “proficient.” Now, one is expected to be able to whip together some pivot tables with ease. Similarly, most people play around with social media in their everyday lives, but if you’re doing professional work with it, you need to be competent with a content management system like sprout social or hootsuite. The main message here is that there are tangible and specific skills you can learn to be more successful in your job and internship search as well as in the position itself.

I know, I know—who has time to learn new technology on top of everything else they are doing and where would they go to learn it anyway? Well, the answer is Penn’s Weigle Information Commons! They offer Penn students, faculty and staff free workshops and trainings on everything from Excel to Graphic Design to Zotero (a free reference management software to help with bibliographies, in case you were wondering—I had to look it up, too). Workshop listings change frequently and are offered often so check out their schedule here today: http://pennwic.wordpress.com/upcomingwic/ . More information on specific workshops and instructions for registering you can find on their website: http://wic.library.upenn.edu/wicshops/

So, take an hour or two and start adding to your repertoire of tech skills. I know I’m going to have to or I likely won’t be able to help my daughter with her computer class homework much past the third grade!

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:

1. 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.

Let it Go (and other Career Take-Aways from Frozen)

By Claire Klieger with contributions from Jamie Grant

You can get just about any merchandise these days with Elsa, Olaf or Anna splashed across it and it’s everywhere. Even during my visit to the shore last weekend all of the boardwalk stalls were lined with Frozen shirts (side-by-side with more traditionally kitschy shirts featuring such slogans as “Rules for Dating my Daughter,” “I pooped today,” and “Twerk Champion”). As the mother of two young daughters, it’s difficult for me to go a day without a few “Frozen” moments of song or movie. So, ready or not, here are some take-aways from the film (you’re welcome!):

“Let it Go.” Of course, it goes without saying that in addition to being arguably the most overplayed song of spring 2014, this is the most obvious career-related message from the movie. Let go of some of the career expectations you or others have for yourself because you are most likely to be successful in any career that is aligned with your talents and interests. While it may not result in an eternal winter, being pressured into a role that isn’t the right fit for you or being in the wrong job for the wrong reasons can be pretty miserable. So, embrace your own interests – and if that happens to be ice architecture…great. disney-frozen-elsa-ice-palace-chandelier

Don’t decide on a career (or job offer) in a day. Anna takes a lot of flak in the movie, both from her sister and others, about accepting a marriage proposal from someone she met that same day. It quickly becomes clear (spoiler alert!) that she hasn’t thought things through and perhaps jumped into her decision a little too hastily. Similarly, students who accept job or internship offers too quickly can also often experience “buyer’s remorse.” While accepting a job offer is hopefully not as critical of a decision as accepting a marriage proposal, still take a day or two at minimum to fully consider the offer. And, while you do, come talk to us about how to best negotiate if you’re serious about the position.

Be entrepreneurial (or willing to take risks). Frozen is filled with characters who have made their own way. Whether it’s an ice vendor entrepreneur, a small trading post owner, or a cryokinetic queen, these characters embrace their independence and are not afraid to forge their own paths, even in the face of adversity (who buys ice in winter?) or the opinions of others (i.e. Elsa finding a place she could be herself).

“Hi, I’m Olaf and I like warm hugs.” While it is probably not advisable to go around hugging random strangers, there is definitely something to be said for being nice to everyone you meet throughout your olaf career journey. This is a theme you’ve heard before on this blog, but “honey” goes a lot further than vinegar in getting what you want in a professional setting. From networking to interviews to negotiating salary and being successful in your workplace, being professional and cordial works wonders! Of course, a little of Olaf’s self-deprecating humor never hurts either.

Your own happy career “ending” may not be only 120 minutes or so away, but these are all principles that can help you get there!