Thoughtful Career Advice for Penn Students and Alumni, written by the staff of the University of Pennsylvania Career Services office and selected special guests.
The 2011-2012 edition of Pathways: The Career Services Manual is now available online!
Pathways is prepared each school year to provide students, parents, alumni and employers with an overview of the Career Services office. Inside, you’ll find sample resumes and cover letters, guidelines for On Campus Recruiting, information about career fairs, interview advice and even examples of business etiquette and attire.
Physical copies of the book are available year-round in our office, as well as other major campus hubs and resources centers. Incoming freshmen and new graduate students may be given a copy as part of their new student orientation and parents can pick up copies during move-in or over Parent’s Weekend in the fall.
This year, we are also please to provide two electronic editions. A PDF version for your PC, Mac or Amazon Kindle and an ePub version for your iOS device, Nook or other completable e-reader. Click on the link of your choice now and begin utilizing the many resources that Pathways has to offer, as the summer winds down and we gear up for yet another exciting year here at Penn.
In this month’s “By the Book” installment, I’d actually like to draw your attention not to the impressive collection of printed materials we have on hand at the Career Services library, but to our newly expanded online database offerings.
The online databases are members-only websites that usually require paid memberships. Students and alumni of the University of Pennsylvania have free access to these sites thanks to special arrangements made by Career Services. A complete list of our database subscriptions, along with entry links can be found on our Electronic Subscriptions page. Please note: A PennKey is required to access this page. Alumni of the University who are in need of, or have forgotten, their PennKey should visit this site first.
One of the newest additions to our database collection is the Greyhouse Performing Arts Directory. Something like this has been in much demand from our student body and we are pleased to be able to offer it at last. The database collects contact information and vital statistics for performing arts venues across the country – from theater companies to opera houses and from dance venues to concert halls. There are also listings for related fields such as Artist Management and Festival Organizers.
The database is searchable by location and organization type. Search results (where applicable) will yield contact information, as well as the names of important people in the organization, a mission statement, a description of the venue and the audiences it reaches. Unlike print directories that offer similar information, the online database is updated on a regular basis, so the information you retrieve is current.
This is a great resource for students and alumni interested in working in the arts in any capacity. It’s a wonderful way to find contacts at arts organizations in your area – large or small!
Navigating the database can be tricky for a first time user. Be sure to consult this User’s Guide for assistance.
This Friday, June 24th is the 12th annual Take Your Dog to Work Day. Employees across the nation will collectively bedazzle their furry best friends with tours of their cubicle, the water cooler and perhaps even the view from the corner office. If your number one priority is a Fido or FiFi-friendly company culture, how would you know where to look for work? To find a good fit with your next position and organization (no matter what your priorities happen to be, pet-friendly is just one example), take advantage of Career Services’ resources to help current students and alumni learn more about the places that they might work.
Researching employers with Career Services’ online resources
Researching potential employers is a critical element of every job search. It is extremely important at the beginning when you need to identify your options, and necessary during the application and interview stage, to help you communicate the match between a prospective employer’s needs and your relevant skills, values and accomplishments. Before you are called to interview, do your best to find out the following about the organization:
Mission; product/service (i.e., what is the purpose of this company/organization?)
Sector: non-profit, private (for-profit), public (government agency)
Structure and management
Financial health
“Clients” and competitors (i.e., who receives the services of this company, and who else is targeting this group with their services
Company/organization culture
The hiring process
Career Services offers several online resources through our library subscriptions pages to help you research potential employers. You must log in with your PennKey and password to access the subscriptions, which are listed alphabetically. For those interested in exploring industries such as consulting, healthcare, and investment banking, Wetfeet.com and Vault.com are particularly useful. These reference resources allow you to read overviews of various major industries, discover the “major players” (i.e., biggest, influential companies), and learn more about typical position types within each industry.
We also subscribe to ReferenceUSA, which provides contact information as well as specific company data for United States businesses in particular (as well as some Canadian and other international businesses). If you use the advanced search option, you can get information on credit ratings, company histories, executives’ names, and even the company’s local “competitors”.
For international students, GoinGlobal and H1VisaJobs offer databases which can help you identify the companies who have applied to the federal government in 2010 for H1Visas (this gives you a head start if you know a company is willing to hire international candidates, or is familiar with H1 Visa hiring procedures.)
Use networking as a tool to find out employer or industry information you can’t get through your online research. If you are a current Penn student or alumnus/a, be sure to use PACNet (our online networking database) to identify alumni who can give you the “inside scoop” on a particular organization or field.
Once you use these resources to research an employer, you will be better able to:
Connect your accomplishments to the performance criteria that the organization is looking for.
Identify the most important skills, qualifications and experiences that are in demand in a given industry.
Assess an organization’s potential workplace needs and how you can contribute given your work style.
Show how your goals match those of the company (given its mission, size, structure, and market specialization).
Understand how your values match those of the organization; and how the environment will help you be productive.
Employer research makes for a more effective job search, and in fact for a better fit once you land an offer and start your new position. You (and possibly your pet) will be glad you put the effort in.
Post Script: How would you know where to look for work, if your number one priority is a Fido or FiFi friendly company culture? While there are plenty of websites focused on pet-friendly employers – unfortunately it seems the number of corporate pet friendly employers is pretty limited, with Amazon.com rating as one of the top.
The long, lazy days of summer have finally arrived. (Not to mention the hot weather here in Philadelphia along with it!) Truth be told, probably not all of you are enjoying what could be termed “lazy” days, but hopefully now that classes have ended you may have some time to do some non-required reading. The summer is a great time to take a few hours to read up on careers you may be considering to get a bit more familiar with the kinds of jobs available in various industries, the background / skills employers seek in the field, what a typical day might be like, the educational requirements, etc.
As a Penn student, you are fortunate to have access to a variety of career related resources which you can access for FREE from the Career Services website. Two of our most popular resources include the Vault Career Insider Guides and the WetFeet Career Resources Site. Vault has a wealth of information on industries, careers, specific employers, resume writing, job search tactics and other topics. They have 39 industry guides ranging from investment banking to international development to nursing to electrical engineering. These are excellent guides which you can download in PDF format and review at your leisure. They also have a variety of career blogs which are updated regularly. WetFeet Insider Guides is similar and has a wide range of “Insider Guides” about various industries and overviews of specific employers. They also offer an abundance of guides to prepare for consulting case interviews.
To access the complete range of resources at both Vault and WetFeet, note that you must login via the Career Services library page. (Click on the “online subscriptions” link.)
Still eager to explore more career related resources? Check out our Career Resources by Field page which provides links to many different resources organized by career field.
by J. Michael DeAngelis, Information Resources Manager
The Career Services library is open during our regular business hours, Monday – Friday from 9am-5pm. It’s a great place to come and study during finals and to take advantage of some of the amazing print resources we have. Here are a few of our latest acquisitions:
The Ten Day MBA by Steven Silbiger (3rd edition) – Billed as “a step-by-step guide to mastering the skills taught in America’s top business schools,” this is an extremely popular book for those about to enter the world of business but don’t have an exclusively business background. The book covers everything from understanding finical statements to developing corporate strategies. Easy to read, this book will help anyone get on the same page as those with an advanced business degree.
Medical School Admission Requirements (MSAR) 2012-2013 – from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
The preeminent and reliable resource on medical schools just got better. MSAR’s printed guidebook includes abridged profiles of each medical school, while comprehensive listings of U.S. and Canadian medical schools, and baccalaureate/MD programs appear online. (The guidebook includes a unique code which can be entered for one year of unlimited access to the web site.) On the MSAR web site, you’ll be able to perform advanced searches, sort data, browse schools at a glance, save favorites, compare schools, and access more data and information than ever before. MSAR is the only resource fully authorized by medical schools and is a must for anyone interested in perusing a medical degree after graduation.
The NALP Directory of Legal Employers 2010/2011 – from the Association of Legal Career Professionals. NALP’s most widely used Directory features information on more than 1,500 employers. The front of the book includes indexes by location and practice area keyword. For the most up-to-date version of this Directory, including employers who listed after the print edition was published, visit www.nalpdirectory.com. (The entire nalpdirectory.com database is replaced annually — at about the same time the print edition is released — but employers can continue to change their online listings throughout the year.) While the online version allows searches, comparison charts, and creation of mail merge lists, the print edition remains a valuable companion resource.
Accelerating on the Curves: The Artist’s Roadmap to Success by Katharine T. Carter & Associates – The definitive guide to self-marketing and career advancement for artists. The 363 page volume is anchored by Katharine T. Carter’s detailed roadmap approach to building an exhibition record and advancing from local and regional success to a path toward national recognition. Also included are numerous practical guidelines and approaches to marketing and presentation–sample pitch letters, artist statements, press releases and résumés, as well as protocols and advice on the best ways to effectively approach and communicate with professionals in each sector of the art world. In addition, individual contributions by the company’s distinguished Associates cover a broad range of issues and professional development topics. And finally, a comprehensive, up-to-date Information Resources index provides a wealth of useful research tools, publications, contacts and professional services essential to artists. A perfect companion for fine artists at both the BFA and MFA levels.
The 2011-2012 edition of Pathways: The Career Services Manual is now available online!
