Category: Interviewing

Curiosity & Careers: How Informational Interviewing Can Build Your Network

By Sharon Fleshman

Wherever you are in the career planning process, it never hurts to chat with people in careers that have piqued your curiosity.  Informational interviewing is a great way to build your network, gather helpful insight on a career, and receive advice on moving into that career.  Assuming that they don’t have major time constraints, most people are glad to talk about the work they do and offer their own perspective on what it takes to be successful in their field.  Why not schedule some interviews during the summer?   Here are some tips to get you started:

1) Be open to the many opportunities to engage people.

You may want to start with Penn alumni, who are generally happy to help.  The Penn Alumni Career Network (PACNet) was designed expressly for the purpose of facilitating informational interviews. The alumni advisors have volunteered to speak with Penn students and other Penn alumni, so don’t be shy about contacting them. You can also identify alumni with careers of interest by way of LinkedIn alumni groups and Penn Regional Alumni clubs.

Don’t feel like you are limited to alumni.  It is often tempting to overlook those closest to you, such as family, friends of the family, and relatives of friends.  If you have a summer internship, check with your supervisor to see if you can sit down with managers and other employees who are working in other areas that interest you.  Peruse the website of an organization that you respect and see if you can locate staff biographies and identify those doing work that you could see yourself doing in the future; if any Penn alumni are working there, all the better.

Once you develop a list of potential contacts, send an e-mail message introducing yourself and stating how you became aware of the person’s work.  Mention that you have developed an interest in the contact’s career field and that you would like to talk with him/her for 30 minutes to glean insight and advice.  Informational interviews can be conducted by phone or in person, depending on what is most convenient.

2) Prepare well.

Once the informational interview is scheduled, make sure to read up on basic information about the career field as well as the organization at which your contact works.  Good preparation is key to asking thoughtful and focused questions that spark informative and engaging conversation and leave a great impression.  Helpful sample questions are available on the Career Services website and career counselors are available to help with preparation. Though you will not be going to a job interview, professionalism is still important. If you are meeting your contact in person, be clear on what attire is appropriate and where the contact’s office is located. If you are talking over the phone, you should be in a quiet place during the interview.  Be sure to send a thank you note after the interview, and keep in touch periodically.

3) Respect the boundaries.

It is crucial to remember that an informational interview is neither a job interview nor the venue to ask for one.  The purpose of an informational interview is to gather information and advice as well as more networking contacts.   That being said, a contact who is very impressed with you may choose to offer additional job search assistance at his or her discretion.

4) Enjoy!

Informational interviewing allows for an intentional conversation where there is relatively little pressure to convince someone that you are totally committed to a given career or the best fit for a job.  The process offers a great opportunity for you to learn from another’s experiences and get clarity regarding your own career goals. It can be one of the more enjoyable aspects of networking, even for those who typically see networking as a daunting task.

Pronoun Abuse: An Interview Diagnosis

By Anne Guldin Lucas

Stuart Student was in the midst of a terrific interview.  He was in the zone, responding to even the most difficult questions with thoughtful, succinct responses.  Irma Interviewer was smiling and making comments that convinced Stuart he was about to clinch the job offer.  Then he was asked the question for which he had been hoping:  “What was your greatest accomplishment as a Penn student?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Stuart responded, “During our first term at Penn, me and my friend started a program in local homeless shelters to increase the rate of high school graduations and college matriculations among homeless students.  This year, our fourth year of the program, we achieved a 95% success rate.  The Mayor presented she and I with a Philadelphia Citizenship Award.”

A shadow fell across Irma Interviewer’s face, and she muttered something about remembering that they had filled this job opening last week.  As she was showing Stuart to the door, he wondered where he had gone wrong.  Could Ms. Interviewer possibly object to educating children or did his response lack the proper humility?  He didn’t even mention that their picture was on the front page of the DP!

What do you think, reader?  Can you diagnose Stuart Student’s fatal interviewing error?

Yes, it was pronoun abuse!  Whereas Stuart’s opening sentence required that he use a first person pronoun in the subjective (“my friend and I” vs. “me and my friend,”), his last sentence called for objective pronouns (“her and me” vs. “she and I”).  If those grammatical terms are too hard to remember, simply omit Stuart’s friend from the equation, and your ear should guide you to the proper pronouns.  Surely no one would say, “During my first term at Penn, me started a program….The Mayor presented I with…”

Contrast Stuart’s interview experience with that of Stella Student.  Ricky Recruiter asked challenging questions, and Stella was prepared with all the right responses—and proper pronouns.  When asked that fateful question, “What was your greatest accomplishment as a Penn student?” Stella quickly and expertly responded, “During our first year at Penn, my friend and I launched an initiative against Pronoun Abuse.  Having cleared the Penn campus of errant pronouns, the English Department awarded him and me with Distinguished Student Awards.”

Needless to say, Ricky Recruiter’s next words were, “You’re hired!”

P.S. If you are inspired to become Sammy Syntax after reading this blog, you can learn more about pronoun usage by consulting:

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0885483.html

CareerCast: Interviewing Tips from Engineering Alumni

Career Services is pleased to announce the latest CareerCast video series.  This series focuses specifically on the engineering student with interviews from industry experts who attended our most recent Engineering Career Day fair in fall 2009.  The topics of these interviews range from what qualities companies look for in candidates to tips for making the most out of an interview.   The video below features Penn Engineering Alumni discussing tips for interviewing.
Special Thanks to Jim Silverstein (SEAS ‘11) for editing the videos.

To watch all the videos in the series, go to:

http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/seas/SEASalumnivideos.html

Want to watch on your mobile device? Click here!

Focus on the Positive

By Barbara Hewitt

I’ve recently had a number of appointments with individuals who have been in the workforce for awhile. Two of these appointments were with individuals who have held positions in the last few years which weren’t exactly what they anticipated when they accepted them. This is not uncommon. We’ve all had experiences in which we are disappointed when the realities of a situation do not match our expectations. However, what was interesting to me when talking with these individuals was the very different outlook each had about their experiences and the way they communicated with me about them.

One of the individuals worked for a government agency. While she originally thought that she would enjoy putting her business skills to use in the public sector, she ultimately ended up extremely frustrated with the layers of bureaucracy and her inability to get things done quickly. Her general dislike of the position came across in our discussion not only in the words she used to describe her experience but also in her posture and facial expressions. Her demeanor declared very loudly that the experience was a waste of her time and not valuable in any way.

The second individual had taken a hiatus from his business career to pursue elementary education certification. He had given up a lot in terms of paying tuition for two years and foregoing a paycheck during that time. Ultimately, after completing his student teaching, he decided that elementary education was not for him. However, the way he communicated this experience was entirely more positive. Yes, he was honest about what he didn’t like about the experience – the fact that classroom management with 20 first graders was more challenging than he had expected and that affecting the change he had hoped to bring about in the students’ lives was very difficult. However, he focused most of our discussion on what the experience had given him – a better understanding of his own strengths and weaknesses, a better understanding of individuals from different cultures, and a conviction that education was the right field for him. However, he had learned that he wanted to become involved in education at the college level where he could work with older students. In this conversation, the experience of the individual was not portrayed as a waste, but rather an opportunity to develop new skills and grow as a person. Although he ultimately did not decide to pursue a career in elementary education, the skills he developed during his two years pursuing that goal will clearly be useful in many other jobs.

I bring up these appointments for two reasons. First, you can learn and grow from almost any job. Focus on the positive things you can bring away from unexpected experiences. No position is perfect, but all jobs have something that you can take away from them. Secondly, particularly in an interview for a new position, be sure to talk about the positive things that you did get from the experience. While it is fine to discuss what you are seeking in a new position that you have not found in your current one, also make sure to discuss the skills that you developed in your old job or parts of the position that you particularly enjoyed. If you present the experience in a negative light, the prospective employer will also view it in a negative light, and quite likely view you as a negative person. This is not the impression you want to leave with someone who has the power to offer you a position that will hopefully be a more ideal opportunity for you.

CareerCast: Finding an International Internship

by Jaclyn Chen (W ‘12) & Angie Luo (C ‘11)

One of the questions that gets asked the most in Career Services is “How do I get an internship abroad?”.   The process can be different (and lengthier) than a domestic internship search, but as these Penn students explain, with a little tenacity, you can secure a very rewarding international experience.  Enjoy.

Want to watch on your mobile device? Click here!