Pre-Grad – Page 4 – Penn & Beyond

Social Media Update

by Shannon Kelly

It’s been a busy semester here at Career Services. As a result, we knew it was critical to get creative and look for some new tools to add to our social media presence. We’re always looking on ways to keep our resources up-to-date and help you get the information you need in a way that meets your busy schedule.

New Tool #1: Pinterest – http://pinterest.com/penncareerserv/. What is it? According to their website, “Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.” We took this in a new direction and are treating it as a visual bookmarking tool to share career resources we come across while surfing the web. Yes, we have our website that has a TON of useful content. But, there is so many helpful resources out there that we can’t pass up, and we know these resources are critical to your career and internship search. We’re creating boards (or categories) organically, so as we find a new resource – we’ll create a board. I think the most fun boards we have are What To Wear – Men, What To Wear – Women and our Words of Wisdom. Do you have outfits/words of wisdom/resources to share? Let us know!

New Tool #2: Storify – http://storify.com/PennCareerServ. What is it? “Storify helps its users tell stories by curating social media”, this was taken from the startup’s About section. We realize we have lots of social media channels, and that we share a lot of information on them. Not to mention there are even more resources out there that aren’t created by us on LinkedIn, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, online news outlets, etc. Phew, that is overwhelming! Well, our Storify account will help aggregate that information and put it in one place. This means, if you missed our alum post on @PennCareerDay or didn’t realize we had a week dedicated to Careers in Design resources on our social media platforms – you can access this information after-the-fact.

Stay tuned when you get back after winter break (or over it) for even more from us. We’re excited to have our brand new Social Media Advisory Board, comprised of undergraduate and graduate students, to help us roll out new tools and enhance our existing ones.

LinkedIn is Coming to Penn

by Shannon C. Kelly

Last week, my colleague Michael highlighted the importance of linking in here on Penn & Beyond. I’m here to support his post, but stress how critical it is to connect in the coming weeks when you’re home for Thanksgiving. High school reunions, spending time with cousins/aunts/uncles and visiting with old friends is the PERFECT opportunity to build your network. Utilizing LinkedIn is a very handy tool to keep track of these connections and stay in touch. So, what’s the deal with all this LinkedIn attention lately?

Well, I’m excited to announce that LinkedIn is coming to Penn after the Thanksgiving break. John Hill is LinkedIn’s Higher Education Evangelist (yes, that’s his real title), and he’ll be here to speak to you – undergraduate and graduate students – on Tuesday, November 29^th at 12noon in the Ben Franklin Room at Houston Hall. Why should you come? Here are two really important reasons:

First and foremost, college students and recent graduates in the job market are joining LinkedIn at twice the rate of its overall membership, according to a recent interview with LinkedIn CEO, Jeff Weiner on ABC (Weiner is a Penn alum). This means a lot of your peers are on the network, and you should be too. This will help you compete in today’s job market, but also stay in touch with them.

Secondly, what better way to understand how to maximize this tool than from someone who works at LinkedIn? This is a rare and unique opportunity to get your questions answered straight from the source. Hill has been traveling all over the country and world to listen to feedback and share best practices when it comes to using LinkedIn. There is only one of him at LinkedIn and hundreds of universities out there – we are very lucky to have him!

Hill’s talk on November 29th is about helping you understand this tool because it is powerful. I hope that you join us and John Hill. If you would like to come, just give us some notice and RSVP here.

In a nutshell: deciding to go to graduate school

by Peter Stokes

The vast majority of Penn alumni go on to graduate/professional school at some point (roughly 20% go immediately after graduation, and 70%+ go within 10 years of graduating). These are high numbers, and this seems to me an excellent thing, but it’s important that people go to the right kind of graduate school, and at the right time—and think carefully about what will happen after graduate school. Graduate school is demanding and can be expensive, and it’s important that you make an informed choice to make sure that the investment of time, effort and money is worthwhile. That may well mean waiting until after you have gained some experience other than being a student (a job, service work) before applying.

Here, in as small a nutshell as I can manage, are some good, and some much less good, approaches to deciding on graduate school:

Good reasons to go to graduate school:

You have figured out the career path you want to follow, at least in the medium term. You have done plenty of research, including talking with people who have advanced in your chosen field, and know that you need a graduate degree, and which one.
You love scholarly work with a passion (crucial for a Ph.D.), and are confident you will continue to for 2-5+ years of study of a narrow topic.

Bad reasons to go to graduate school:

You don’t know what else to do, or you assume there are no decent jobs for people with Bachelor’s degrees anyway. (Have you come in to talk to a counselor in Career Services?)
You’re really good at school, so you think you should keep on doing it. And maybe as a result, family or friends, not necessarily experts in the career(s) you’re interested in, have said you should go to grad school.

See also: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/gradprof/grad/consider.html and of course feel free to connect with a pre-graduate school advisor!

By the Book: New Titles Across the Board

by J. Michael DeAngelis, Information Resources Manager

September marked the start of a new school year, which is always a booming time in the Career Services library. We’ve been adding titles to our collection every week this month, on subjects ranging from cover letter writing to graduate studies in Europe. Here’s a look at just three of the most interesting new additions.

Life is What You Make of It by Peter Buffet. Buffett, son of the much-in-the-news Warren Buffett, and an accomplished composer, penned this New York Times Best Seller about forging your own path in life.

This is a good, quick read for students who are at the start of their career decision making journey. Without pretension, the author suggests ways of determining your purpose and seizing oppertunities.

Endorsed by such luminaries as Bono, Bill Gates and Bill Clinton, the book focuses on staying true to yourself and holding on to your values over economic prosperity – specifically making money just for money’s sake.

Alumni thinking about making career path changes will also find this, and other titles we have on the subject, helpful. You can find it in the Career Decision Making section of our library.

The 12th Guide to German Biotech Companies compiled by BIO Deutschland and the Eurpopean Biotechnology Foundation. This extremely unique (and extremely specific) book was recently donated to the Career Services Library by a student who interned in Germany this past summer. This beautifully put together edition is a directory of every major biotech firm in Germany, complete with contact information and in-depth company profiles. If you are interested in working in either biotech or pharmaceuticals on the international level, this guide is a great jumping off point. Written in English, with the American job-seeker in mind. Located in the International section of our library, with other books on working in Europe.

Cracking the New GRE 2012 by The Princeton Review. This guide is just one of four new GRE study guides we have purchased for the 2011-2012 school year. As recently noted by our own Peter Stokes in his blog, the GRE completely changed its format starting in August of this year. All of the guides in the library contain tips and practice tests to help you prepare for the new exam. The Princeton Review edition also came with an informative DVD, which you can watch in our library on your laptop or at our video computer station. Students interested in watching the DVD much make arrangements by sending an e-mail to Carol Hagan. This book, as well all of our GRE study guides and practice tests, can be found in the Graduate Study section of the Career Services library.

Remember, the Career Services library is for reference only. Books may not be checked out, but we invite you to spend time in our comfortable reading room. Photocopying is available. The Career Services library has extended hours during the school year: Monday-Wednesday, 9am-6pm and Thursday-Friday, 9am-5pm.

An Alum’s Mentoring Memoir

The last three years have been a flash and here I am just a year away from graduating! I keep telling myself I can tackle anything that is ahead but the uncertainty of what is ahead is making me all too nauseous.

Guest Post by Nisar Amin, GEx ’03

I have never been so anxious before. The last three years have been a flash and here I am just a year away from graduating! I keep telling myself I can tackle anything that is ahead but the uncertainty of what is ahead is making me all too nauseous.

I remember this feeling like it was yesterday, but actually this was back in 1995. It was just one year prior to the completion of my undergraduate studies.

The temptation to go into the workforce was high for me, yet I had a yearning to pursue higher education at the same time.

I was lucky enough to have met an alumnus of the chemical engineering program in which I was majoring. He had been in the workforce for over 10 years and we struck up a good conversation focusing on my dilemma of either entering the job market or continuing my education.

My mentor and I had numerous conversations over the next six months. What made him a great mentor was that he challenged me to come to a decision on my own. He never told me what to do, but rather gave me plenty of examples from his own professional career.

He always made the effort to meet up with me or have a telephone conversation when I needed to talk about my career. I am sure this was difficult to do since he had a full time job and a family as well. I was amazed by his dedication to help someone who was in need without expecting something in return.

My decision at the end was to enter the work force and gain some valuable industry experience. My plan was to work in the industry for minimum of five years and then gauge my interest for higher education.

I am not sure if I would have made this same decision on my own if I didn’t have my mentor at the time. For me, my decision was the right decision. I matured as a person in the work force for those five years and appreciated a higher education much more when I entered University of Pennsylvania to pursue my Master’s degree.

Today I have the distinct privilege and honor to be a mentor to aspiring students at the University of Pennsylvania. I try to listen to the student’s need and see if I can guide them to the best of my ability. I hope one day all of the students that I have mentored will continue the cycle and make a difference in someone’s life.

Nisar Amin is an alumnus of the Executive Masters in Technology Management program, co-sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and The Wharton School. In addition, he holds dual Bachelor degrees in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry from the State University of New York Buffalo and Fredonia, respectively. Nisar currently works for BASF Corporation as a Manager of New Business Development in the chemical intermediates division. Nisar is an active member of the SEAS Alumni Society, and has long been a mentor to 1^st year SEAS students through the Penn Engineering Mentoring Program.

Part 3 of a series on mentoring programs and opportunities.

One of the best ways to prepare for life after Penn -or to help you make the most of your time at Penn – is to find a mentor. Use the Career Services Networking and Mentoring website as a great starting point!