Summer Reading List

Jiny Yen, Associate Director

Hurray for summer! It’s finally time for a break from classes, meetings, exams and projects. I usually have a running list of books I keep meaning to read, and my favorite part of summer is that I’m able to finally check off a few. I wanted to share with you some of my favorite career related picks that will help you discover your passions and ways to achieve success.

Design thinking is a hot topic these days, and this book gives practical advice on how to find a fulfilling, meaningful life using design thinking principles. It’s not about achieving success in the traditional sense, and instead focuses on what you can do to find joy in your career.

This book is a great guide for how to handle networking in the social media age. The best part is it includes templates on how to email a recruiter, follow up with a contact and even tips on how to use Twitter and Facebook for your job search.

As a freshman in college, Alex Banayan started on a seven year quest to interview leaders in all different industries and find out what made them successful. His book details those conversations and both the similarities and differences in their experiences. This is a great read not only because of the key insights from these huge names, but also because of the adventure Alex went through to get access.

Checking Out Career Resources at Lippencott

Mylène Kerschner, Associate Director

Are you a current Penn student? Have you ever explored all the amazing resources Lippincott Library has to offer? If not, what are you waiting for? You don’t have to be a Wharton student to take advantage of the research guides on everything from green business to the health care industry and from consulting to media. Lippincott also has great resources on international opportunities as well.

There are lots of ways to get in touch with Lippincott reference librarians and they can show you even more cool tools, including ways to research for other industries and identify what organizations are receiving seed and angel funding! So if you’re entrepreneurial, thinking about working abroad, or just curious about researching career options in general, a helpful researcher in Lippincott can assist:
Chat with them
Email
Request a Consultation
Ask a Subject Specialist
Call us: 215-898-5924
Come to Lippincott Library
You can even chat with someone online too. Just go to their main page: http://www.library.upenn.edu/lippincott/ and find the chat box on the right side.
Lippincott is in Van Pelt, so you’re probably close by pretty often anyway

Of course Career Services can always be your first stop when thinking about career exploration, but don’t forget that our library system, and Lippincott especially, offers incredible resources that you should definitely utilize.

By The Book: Late Summer Reading

by J. Michael DeAngelis, Information Resources Manager

The summer brings not only a little bit of downtime to the always busy Career Services office, but also marks the start of a new fiscal year! With the budget refreshed, let’s take a look at some of the latest editions to the Career Services library.

filmschoolFilm School: The True Story of a Midwestern Man Who Went to the World’s Most Famous Film School, Fell Flat on His Face, Had a Stroke and Sold a Television Series to CBS by Steve BowmanFrom the publisher: Steve Boman was just your average middle-aged ex-newspaper reporter and stay-at-home dad when he applied to be a student at the University of Southern California’s vaunted School of Cinematic Arts.  Boman didn’t know what would await him at the world’s oldest and most prestigious film school, a place that has trained Hollywood heavyweights George Lucas, John Carpenter, James Ivory, Judd Apatow, Brian Grazer, Shonda Rhimes, John Singleton, Jay Roach, Conrad Hall, and many others. In this rollicking, thoughtful, and unexpectedly touching tale, Boman shows what life is like behind the scenes at Hollywood’s pre-eminent boot camp… and what it’s like to do the almost unthinkable–sell a primetime television show while still in school.

profisinThe Professor is In: The Essential Guide to Turning Your Ph.D. into a Job by Karen Kelsky, Ph.D.  From the Publisher:  Each year tens of thousands of students will, after years of hard work and enormous amounts of money, earn their Ph.D. And each year only a small percentage of them will land a job that justifies and rewards their investment. For every comfortably tenured professor or well-paid former academic, there are countless underpaid and overworked adjuncts, and many more who simply give up in frustration.

Those who do make it share an important asset that separates them from the pack: they have a plan. They understand exactly what they need to do to set themselves up for success.  They know what really moves the needle in academic job searches, how to avoid the all-too-common mistakes that sink so many of their peers, and how to decide when to point their Ph.D. toward other, non-academic options.

Karen Kelsky has made it her mission to help readers join the select few who get the most out of their Ph.D. As a former tenured professor and department head who oversaw numerous academic job searches, she knows from experience exactly what gets an academic applicant a job. And as the creator of the popular and widely respected advice site The Professor is In, she has helped countless Ph.D.’s turn themselves into stronger applicants and land their dream careers.

navpathNavigating the Path to Industry: A Hiring Manager’s Advice for Academics Looking for Jobs in Industry by M.R. Nelson.  From the publisher: Finding a job is hard. Running a non-academic job search when all of your previous experience is in academia is even harder. This book won’t make it easy (unfortunately, nothing can do that), but it will help you learn to run a successful job search and avoid common pitfalls. It provides a hiring manager’s advice on networking, conducting informational interviews, converting your curriculum vitae into a resume, writing a cover letter, interviewing, and maintaining your self-confidence throughout the job search process. This concise collection of job searching advice provides a framework for finding the way out of academia and into a new job for academics at all levels who have realized that they want a different sort of career.

gradprofPeterson’s Graduate & Professional Programs: An Overview (2014 edition) from Peterson’s Guides.  From the publisher: Peterson’s Graduate & Professional Programs: An Overview 2014 contains over 2,200 university/college profiles noting degrees available, enrollment figures, tuition, financial support, housing, faculty, research affiliations, library facilities, and contact information. This graduate guide enables students to explore program listings by field and institution.

  • Informative data profiles for more than 2,200 institutions, including facts and figures on accreditation, faculty, students, degree requirements, application deadlines, expenses, financial support, and application contacts.
  • Two-page in-depth descriptions, written by each featured institution, give complete details on the graduate study available.
  • Expert advice on the admissions process, financial support, and accrediting agencies
  • Comprehensive directories list programs in each volume.
  • Up-to-date appendixes list institution changes since the last edition and abbreviations used in the guide.

Career Services’ Summer Reading List

Summer is finally here! Break out the flip flops and the sunscreen. With the summer also comes the time to get in some leisure reading. As such, I wanted to share a list of books from some career experts. The list below will help you define your career goals, feel confident networking, and get you to the next stage of your career. Enjoy these books, and don’t forget to check in with us for help along the way!

mingleDon’t let your wallflower ways keep you from getting what you want. The Art of Mingling offers great tips on how to work any room. Your network is your net worth regardless of your target industry or academic pursuits. This book will help you! We also host panel and networking events throughout the semester so stay on top of our calendar of events.


 

 

 

Want to know theate key to success? According to Ferrazzi and Raz it is networking. Learning how to cultivate relationships is an important part of life. Never Eat Alone teaches readers how to make connections using their handy outlines and strategies. The important thing to remember is that it isn’t just about getting what you want; it’s also about making sure those who are important to you also get what they want.

 

 

 

 

parachuteWhat Color Is Your Parachute? 2012: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers is the go to guide for job searching. What Color is Your Parchute? Bolles gives advice on a variety of topics from how to use social media tools for your advantage to updated tips on networking, interviewing, salary negotiations and even entrepreneurialism. The best part is this is not specific to one industry everyone can take advantage of the advice here. Of course, we are here all summer for walk-in hours and an appointment to discuss your parachute color preferences, and other important career-related topics.

 

crucial convosThis book outlines important conversations you may have throughout your life and walks you through how to navigate them. Through this book you learn the fine line between being persuasive vs. abrasive in different situations.

 

 

 

 

 

highly effectiveIn The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, author Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic, integrated, principle-centered approach for solving personal and professional problems. With penetrating insights and pointed anecdotes, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for living with fairness, integrity, service, and human dignity–principles that give us the security to adapt to change and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunities that change creates.

 

 

 

college to career

Getting from College to Career by Career Expert and Global Spokesperson for LinkedIn, Lindsey Pollak, is an insightful, essential world guide for college students and recent graduates who are preparing to embark upon a career beyond the university walls. Now newly revised to reflect the most recent changes in the economy and job market, these “90 things to do before you join the real world” will give every young grad a head start, providing essential information for adapting to and succeeding in a marketplace that is now more competitive than ever.

 

 

lean in gradExpanded and updated exclusively for graduates just entering the workforce, this  edition of Lean In includes a letter to graduates from Sheryl Sandberg and six additional chapters from experts offering advice on finding and getting the most out of a first job; resume writing; best interviewing practices; negotiating your salary; listening to your inner voice; owning who you are; and leaning in for millennial men.

 

 

 

These books are just a start. Career Services is here to support you throughout the summer. We encourage you to make a Skype of phone appointment if you are away from Philadelphia. We hope you are enjoying the break from school, and finding time to relax before the fall semester!

 

Preparing for Consulting Case Interviews

By Barbara Hewitt

This spring I’ve met with a number of students who plan to devote time over the summer to preparing for consulting interviews for the upcoming year. In case interviews, the candidate will be given a real business challenge that an organization may face and be asked to have a conversation with the interviewer about the problem and possible resolutions to it. Case interviews are used to ascertain how well candidates listen, whether they think logically, and how well they can articulate their thoughts in a coherent and well-thought out manner. As a candidate in a consulting interview you are likely to get case questions for industries or problems with which you are unfamiliar, so it is impossible to know exactly what the “question” will entail. It is possible, however, to develop an understanding of the types of questions you might be asked and some typical solution structures. Many consulting candidates find it helpful to both review general approaches to solving cases as well as practice specific sample cases in advance of their actual interviews.

Career Services subscribes to two excellent resources for students who would like guidance on preparing for case interviews. They include:

vaultLogo

Vault Career Insider

 

 

wetfeetWetFeet Insider Guides.

 

Both are available for free to current students from the online subscriptions link on the library section of the Career Services website. A valid PennKey and PennKey password are needed to access both resources.

Happy reading!