Julie Miller Vick – Page 4

Preparing for Mock Interviews

by Julie Vick

At this time of year many of my colleagues and I are helping students prepare for interviews. Such preparation might include doing a mock interview. Mock interviews are great because you can become familiar with talking about yourself and your qualifications in relation to a specific job opportunity. You get a tiny feel for what it might be like to interview for the job before you do it.

So if a mock is preparation for a real interview what should one do to prepare for a mock interview? Having conducted hundreds of mock interviews over the years and seen many students and postdocs increase their confidence level because of them, I have a few suggestions:

Do your homework. Know as much as you can about the employer. Yes, go over the website but also read what others have written about the organization or company.

o If you are interviewing for a position at a college or university, see if it is mentioned in any articles in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

o If you’re interviewing with a large company, search The Wall Street Journal and, if it’s a pharmaceutical, Science Careers.

o Don’t forget to look at city papers for local news.

o If you need help identifying resources on different kinds of employers, check with you career counselor or with a reference librarian.

Put on your suit and good shoes and walk around in them. If there’s no blizzard and your schedule permits, wear your interview clothes to the mock interview.

o Bring the job description and the materials you used to apply with. An employer can ask about anything on your resume or CV so be sure you have the one that got you the interview, not a different version.

o If there are questions you are worried about answering be prepared to ask the counselor with whom you’ll do the mock to incorporate those questions in with others. Sometimes people worry about how to talk about a gap in their experience, an abandoned degree program or an unusual job. Become comfortable talking about what makes you uncomfortable.

Have a productive conversation about your mock interview with your career counselor. Listen to his or her observations; they’re not criticism of you but recommendations to help you have a good interview.

To set up a mock interview, call the phone number for the Career Services team that works with students in your school. If you’re not sure what number to use, check the Staff Directory.

Happy interviewing.

Careers to be Thankful For

by Julie Vick

Like my colleague, Barb Hewitt, who wrote a blog post earlier this week, I am also grateful for many things. In fact, thankfulness is an approach to life I adopted years ago and it has served me well. I am always thankful for my husband, children, mother, sister and brother and extended family and the fact that, at the moment, we all seem to be pretty healthy. And of course I’m thankful for my wonderful job at this great university where I get to work with terrific colleagues providing career services for interesting Penn graduate students, postdocs and graduate alumni.

But there are workers out there for whom I am also thankful but might not be so obvious…such as research scientists. I am grateful that they make amazing discoveries that change our health and way of living whether they are Nobel awardees or postdoctoral fellows working under their mentor’s supervision. A career in science is not for the fainthearted. These people work so hard and such long hours and often their projects fail and they have to start over again. In addition to college, a PhD program and 3-5 years of a postdoc they also write grants to fund their own work, train those who work in their labs, present their research in papers at meetings and articles in journals, and on and on. Their dedication is incredible and can benefit all of us.

News reporters, particularly those who write for newspapers and news stations like NPR spend a great deal of time investigating issues and uncover crime, corruption and incompetence. They are the ones who keep this country a real democracy by investigating and writing about issues other would like to keep hidden. As one who lives in New Jersey and regularly takes the PATCO high speed train line to work and drives over one of the bridges to go to the theatre, museums and restaurants, I appreciate the Philadelphia Inquirer’s many recent articles on waste and misuse of public funds in the Delaware River Port Authority, the agency that runs PATCO and the area bridges.

At the same time I am grateful for many government employees at all levels. While there are many public employees who do not do their job well, I know there are many more who are incredibly responsible, hardworking and talented. I appreciate those who keep our planes flying, our traffic flowing, our water clean and provide assistance to citizens in need.

I am thankful for those young Americans who volunteer to serve in our military in a war that I don’t think we should be part of but who do the very best they can trying to help Iraq and Afghanistan take charge of their own nations. My small thank you to them was the donation I made on Veterans Day to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Speaking of thanking, one morning this week I received two thank you messages.

A current graduate student applying for a position had gone over the fine points of his job hunting materials with me before sending them. A few days later he wrote, “Just wanted to thank you again for sharing your time and expertise this Monday. It was such a relief being able to run it by you prior to sending off the application.”

An alumna who graduated earlier in the decade lost her job more than a year ago. I spoke with her a few times but hadn’t in several months. She wrote to let me know that through a previous connection she had interviewed and gotten an offer for a new job. She described the job and ended with, “Thank you for taking the time to meet with me and offer your suggestions.”

My job is to help people and I don’t expect to be thanked beyond a thank you right before someone leaves my office or hangs up the phone. But when I get an unexpected thank you like that, it makes my day. And I will remember both of those people. Taking the extra effort to thank people makes you memorable in a wonderful way.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

“The Best Things in Life Are Free” or Staying Connected is Good for Your Health

by Julie Vick

Thirty years ago this fall the Phillies were winning in postseason playoffs and I was pregnant with my first child. My husband and I owned our little house in Center City and I was working at Penn (although in a different department than my current one), and though we didn’t have much money we both had careers with promising futures. The Phillies won the World Series, the city went crazy and a few weeks later I had a baby girl. Fast forward to today, my three children are in their twenties with one still in college and the older two working in their own careers.

When I reflect on my career and look at theirs as well as those of their peers, I know that the times are really different and I don’t just mean that there were only three TV channels plus PBS and a UHF station. The necessities of housing, food and transportation took up a smaller portion of the paycheck then than they do today. It takes much longer for most people a few years out of college or out of graduate school to establish financial security. However, financial security is only one factor of happiness.

As I’ve gotten older I have realized that although you can have more than one career (I’m in my second one) you have only one life. Now this may seem obvious but for many people in their twenties the future seemed huge — almost infinite — and with the opportunity for several possibilities. In the current economy fewer people feel that way. Most people who will receive their degree this year feel some anxiety about what they’re future holds. So I will offer that in any economy, but especially a bad one, one of the most important things you can do is build and maintain relationships. There have been so many times when people told me that someone they met by chance gave them an unexpected job lead or career advice that resulted in a job or some other career change. But I’m not simply talking about networking on behalf of your career or a job search, although that is important, but about life in general.

So I urge you to not miss events in the lives of your circle of people. In a couple of years don’t RSVP “no” to the wedding or commitment ceremony of your freshman year roommate because you would have to leave work five hours early to get there. You can make up those hours of work but events that take place only once can’t be repeated. For the very same reason, don’t pass up the opportunity to drive across country with your cousins. In spite of all the life and career planning you are encouraged to do, in so many cases it’s the unexpected opportunities that can shape your life; hence don’t pass up those opportunities.

Much of the best work that is done in this country is done by happy people. Happy people have friends, family, associates, acquaintances, relatives, neighbors and book group [or other groups] members in their lives. They may be happy for a variety of reasons but one of them – one important one – is surely because they are connected to people. Their people provide friendship, fun, love, new interests as well as support and advice in difficult times. As the Girl Scout song said, “Make new friends, but keep the old.” Nurture those old relationships and cultivate new ones. You will be enriched and will enrich the lives of those around you.

Go, Phillies!

Chance and Serendipity

by Julie Miller Vick

One of my favorite phrases is “Chance favors the prepared mind,” by Louis Pasteur. I quote it when I talk to students about their job searches. I use it when I urge my own children to continue working to achieve their goals. And I often say it to myself when I have an “Ah ha” moment.

Margaret Newhouse, a career and life coach once explained Pasteur’s quote better than anyone else when she said, “This speaks to appreciating the delicate mix between planning and preparation, on one hand, and openness to serendipity and course correction on the other.” Being prepared to interact through chance encounters with particular employers or luminaries in your field while attending a career fair or an academic conference, has the potential to advance your career. While Career Services staff always urges you to be well-prepared and to plan your job hunting strategy, we don’t want you to be so fixated on your goals that you miss unforeseen opportunities that can help you on your current path or expose you to something totally new.

There’s so much pressure on job seekers to land not just a job, but the “perfect job,” that many feel an almost desperate need to rigidly follow a template or outline of tips. In trying to adhere to such a plan it’s possible to fail to sense things that are staring you in the face.

Having the attitude of a child helps avoid over-analyzing everything. I’m reminded how, many years ago, while visiting Beverly Hills with my family, my then eight year old son walked by a sign that said Rodeo Dr. Having no idea that he was traipsing down one of fashion’s top avenues but knowing that his dad was a family physician and his great uncle a veterinarian, he stopped in his tracks and said, “Wow! Rodeo doctor! What a great job!” Only he saw that; the rest of the family was not open to perceiving it in another way.

Unexpected sources — your hairdresser, grandmother, running partner or insurance agent — may have information, or a point-of-view, that can open up a range of possibilities you might have overlooked. Being open to possibility – and serendipity – can reveal options and opportunities that can change your life.

Getting Rid of New Job Worries

By Julie Vick

What if I don’t like my new job? This question may be on the minds of some very recent graduates. With the recession still hanging on, the feeling that “any job is better than no job” and/or family pressure may have encouraged some to accept an offer that they weren’t all that excited about. Now, as the first day of work approaches, some may be having second thoughts. If that is the case for you, here is a little advice we hope you’ll take to heart:

DON’T
• Don’t do the most drastic thing and quit before starting, which is a form of reneging on your offer. The world is small and a very negative picture of you may get around to potential employers. And it doesn’t reflect well on Penn either.
• Don’t start your job with the idea that you’ll “bide your time” till a year has passed and you can leave in good standing. Instead, have a positive attitude and do your job well.

DO
• Decide that you are going to learn at least one new thing each day. You may have to make an effort to do it but most likely it will happen without you even noticing as you “get your feet wet”. Keep a record of what you are learning and before you know it you will have written the next entry for your resume.
• Try to talk to someone new every week. It might be someone in your division or department; it might be someone who works for your employer in another part of the organization; it might be a client. Again, keep track of the people you talk with. With ongoing interaction, some of them will become part of your network.

Remember that your first job after graduation probably will not be the job you have for the rest of your life. You will move on. And keep in mind that no one loves every aspect of their work every single day. But with each day you will hopefully develop confidence in yourself, your abilities, and your plans for the future. You will no longer be perceived as a student but as a professional in your field. The experience you get in this first job will help you with the next one, one that will be a better fit and that excites you more.