Thoughtful Career Advice for Penn Students and Alumni, written by the staff of the University of Pennsylvania Career Services office and selected special guests.
Interview by Patrick Cawiezell
Video Podcast by Angie Luo (CAS ’11) & Jaclyn Chen (W ’12) and Claire Klieger
Patrick recently sat down with CAS alumna Becki Young (’93) to talk about her experience teaching in Japan!
Want to watch this video on your mobile device? Click here to watch on Vimeo Mobile!
We recently sat down with Erwin Rose (CAS ’84) of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Oceans, Environment & Science and Kristen Taddonio of the Environmental Protection Agency. They discuss different opportunities for government jobs in sustainability and the many paths you can take to get one.
Want to watch this video on your mobile device? Click here!
By Kelly Cleary
Graduation season is a time when everyone seems to have advice for new grads. Below are some nuggets of wisdom and words of encouragement from recent alumni who graduated from the College of Arts & Sciences in the past couple of years. And if you need a study break or job search stress pick-me-up, listen to this YouTube clip of The Faces’ groovy rendition of Rod Stewart’s “Ooh La La…”
Starting Your Search After Graduation – Encouraging Words
I admit, that last nugget is a little over the top—but it was true for one of our recent grads. I can’t promise the job search will be “easy” for all of you, but know that Career Services is here to help. In fact, Penn alumni have access to Penn Career Services for life.
Interning Or Temping After Graduation Can Lead To Full-Time Employment
Internships can be a great post-grad option especially for certain industries that tend to fill entry-level openings from their intern pool (for example, public relations, advertising, entertainment and some non-profits are employers that often do this.) Post-grad internships can also be a great first step for students who have minimal work experience or for students who are “career changers”– they gained experience in one field as an undergrad but then decided that they want to pursue something else. If the internship is in the field you are interested in, it wouldn’t be a diversion– it could be the key to open the door to an ideal first job! Check PennLink, iNet, and our Online Subscriptions (including internships.com and internships-usa.com for internship postings.)
Most cities have several staffing and temporary agencies; a quick internet search will help you find ones in your city or ask friends and alumni if they can recommend agencies. Also, the GoinGlobal City Guides include lists of lists of local temp agencies and staffing firms (available through our Online Subscriptions page), and legal staffing firms can be a particularly good way to find paralegal or legal assistant positions. If you are interested in a particular organization, ask if they use a particular agency. For example, Penn uses Unique Advantage to fill temporary administrative positions. And temping or a paid internship can help you pay the rent while conducting your full-time search.
Patience & Realistic Expectations Pay Off– Job Searching Takes Time & It Can Be Stressful
Making Contacts
Check Career Services’ MAKING CONTACTS page for resources on connecting with alumni and other professionals in your field and http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/college/contacts.html
Use Career Services
Many students skim through our emails and are somewhat familiar with our website, but students often overlook the benefits of sitting down with a counselor to discuss their job search strategy. A career counselor can help you brainstorm career possibilities and prospective employers, point you in the direction of more targeted job search resources, and offer tips for more effective networking.
Good luck!
By Claire Klieger
This is the time of year when people start to feel desperate about jobs or internships and may be tempted to accept something, anything, just because it’s a job and a job right before graduation equals peace of mind. So you’re thrilled to get any offer and you say yes so your parents and friends will stop hounding you about what you’re doing after the semester is over and you breathe a big sigh of relief. I mean, ok, so it’s not your dream job but the places you were really excited about never called you back. Except…sometimes they do.
Occasionally, you’ll later hear from an employer that you’re a lot more excited about that you’re invited for an interview or even that you have been offered the position. And here’s where things get difficult. You may hear from family members and friends things like, “Awesome! Just back out of that other job offer. What does it matter now that you have what you want? Plus, if you’ve just said yes on the phone and haven’t actually signed anything, it’s not like it’s legally binding anyway.” However tempting, this is seriously bad counsel.
Despite what you may hear, employers consider a verbal acceptance as good as signing a contract. While you’re not legally obligated, you’ve made a verbal commitment and there are definite consequences to reneging on an offer:
1) First and foremost, you can be pretty sure that you are ruining your chances of chances of ever working for that organization. Employers’ memories are long and you will forever have that figurative little black mark on your file.
2) In addition, you may be affecting your chances of working at similar organizations. Keep in mind that most industries are relatively small and that the people you angered by saying no may tell (warn) others in the industry about you. As you can imagine, this is particularly damaging in instances where the offer came through on-campus recruiting where recruiters from competing organizations all know each other, making it much less likely that such an individual would have interviewing options with any of those organizations in the future. In fact, we’ve even seen cases where the thwarted recruiter has called the employer with which the student is defecting to explain the situation and the new employer has pulled their offer (leaving the student with no offers).
3) Reneging on an offer damages the Penn reputation, and as such, future recruiting opportunities for Penn students. When you renege on an offer the employer doesn’t just think negatively about you, they also think negatively about Penn. In fact, we’ve often had to do serious “damage control” with employers who had one or multiple reneges from Penn students. It may only take one instance for them to conclude that “this is just the way Penn students are” and be less inclined to consider applicants from Penn in the future.
The way to avoid being in that situation is to not accept an offer without carefully thinking it through. You should never tell an employer yes if your plan is to continue to look until you find something better. It’s not fair to them and it’s untrue to you. There are always jobs out there and it is far better to wait for the right thing to come along than to damage your own career reputation by going back on your word.
By Barbara Hewitt
Penn students will soon be leaving campus for internships all around the world. Some of you will work with large employers in very established internship programs, while others might be the first intern in a new start-up. Penn students work in for-profit, nonprofit and public sector jobs in all sorts of functional areas. While internships are a great way to explore a career of interest and gain valuable skills, the quality of internships can vary dramatically. However, there are steps you can take to ensure that the experience is as positive as possible.
Ideally, think hard about what you want to accomplish during an internship before you accept one. You may want to develop new skills, learn about a new industry, or perhaps make money to pay your fall tuition. (In fact, all three of these goals might be important to many of you!) Think about how many hours you can devote to the internship each week and how many weeks you would like to work. The more clear you are on these parameters the easier it will be to focus your search and prioritize your goals to find an internship that is a good fit. You should definitely have a discussion with your supervisor to clarify expectations regarding the types of assignments you will handle, your work schedule, and how you will be trained. Discussing these issues BEFORE you commit to the internship can help stave of problems and disappointments down the road.
When you actually report to work, realize that as an intern you are a representative of the organization. It is important that you make a good impression at all times by being professional and diligent, reporting to work on time, and following the office dress code. You should also be observant of the “unspoken rules” at work, as they are frequently more important to fitting in than the more formal written rules. For example, is it customary for people to take rigid lunch breaks at noon or is a more flexible break schedule acceptable? Do people refer to each other by their first names or are higher-ups addressed more formally? Are you able to check social media tools like Facebook when at work or is that frowned upon (or outright forbidden)?
Be sure that you know when assignments and projects are due and meet all deadlines, even if it means staying late. Don’t be afraid to ask questions – it will increase your knowledge of the organization and demonstrate your interest in learning as much as possible. You may want to check with your supervisor early in your internship to discuss his or her preferred method of communication. Some supervisors have an open door policy and encourage interns to stop by when they have questions. Other might prefer a more formal weekly meeting or request that you send an email when something comes up.
The attitude that you display as an intern is critical. Work hard to demonstrate a positive demeanor at work, as no one likes to work with a complaining, unhappy coworker…especially an intern who will only be in the office for a few months. Make the most of menial tasks by doing them well and without complaining. Virtually all internships (and jobs, for that matter) have some mundane components. If you are unhappy with most of your assignments, take the initiative and ask your supervisor about taking on different or additional responsibilities which interest you more. Generally, supervisors will be impressed with your initiative and drive. However, be sure not to do this too early in the internship. It is important to develop relationships with your supervisor and colleagues and gain an understanding of the organization before assuming that you will be entrusted with higher level assignments.
An internship provides a great opportunity to take advantage of being on the “inside” of an organization by talking to other employees and making contacts. You may want to arrange informational interviews to learn more about other departments in the organization. Collect business cards as they often come in handy when networking for a full-time job down the road.
Hopefully the internship will be a stepping stone to additional professional opportunities. Save copies of things you create for future reference (web pages, flyers, press releases, articles, etc.). Learn as much as you can from your experience by seeking and accepting feedback about your performance, including constructive criticism. Try not to be defensive when a supervisor suggests ways to improve your performance. Request an exit interview to discuss the internship as a whole. Before leaving, ask for a letter of recommendation. Open a credentials file with Interfolio to house the letter if you haven’t already done so.
At the end of the summer, write a thank you note to your supervisor for his or her guidance. Hopefully your experience was a good one, and you have developed a relationship that will continue into the future. Keep in touch with your co-workers and supervisor after leaving the site, as they can often be very helpful as you begin a full-time job search.
Most of all ENJOY your experience. Internships provide a unique opportunity to experience a new work environment and career – take full advantage, as summers during college are limited commodity!
(Blog entry based on Career Services “Tips on Making the Most of Your Internship” website.)
