Tag: By the Book

The end of the semester has almost been like Christmas for the Career Services Library.  Here are some of our recent additions to the library that you can come by and read now or when you return from break!

Behind the Academic Curtain: How to Find Success and Happiness with a PhD by Frank F. Furstenberg.  From the publisher: More people than ever are going to graduate school to seek a PhD these days. When they get there, they discover a bewildering environment: a rapid immersion in their discipline, a keen competition for resources, and uncertain options for their future, whether inside or outside of academia. Life with a PhD can begin to resemble an unsolvable maze. In Behind the Academic Curtain, Frank F. Furstenberg offers a clear and user-friendly map to this maze. Drawing on decades of experience in academia, he provides a comprehensive, empirically grounded, and, most important of all, practical guide to academic life.

While the greatest anxieties for PhD candidates and postgrads are often centered on getting that tenure-track dream job, each stage of an academic career poses a series of distinctive problems. Furstenberg divides these stages into five chapters that cover the entire trajectory of an academic life, including how to make use of a PhD outside of academia. From finding the right job to earning tenure, from managing teaching loads to conducting research, from working on committees to easing into retirement, he illuminates all the challenges and opportunities an academic can expect to encounter. Each chapter is designed for easy consultation, with copious signposts, helpful suggestions, and a bevy of questions that all academics should ask themselves throughout their career, whether at a major university, junior college, or a nonacademic organization. An honest and up-to-date portrayal of how this life really works, Behind the Academic Curtain is an essential companion for any scholar, at any stage of his or her career.

Dr. Furstenberg is is the Zellerbach Family Professor of Sociology Emeritus right here at the University of Pennsylvania!

Working in American Theater by Jim Volz
From the publisher: This is the indispensable career guide for anyone interested in the theatre: the complete A to Z culled from industry expert Jim Volz’s experience and interviews with many voices in the theatre community. This guide is your first port of call from how to get your foot in the door to where, when and how to advance your career.  In addition to advice, inspiration and strategies for all working practitioners, not just actors, it also features extensive listings and directories for regional companies, commercial theatre, festivals, touring companies, university theatres and children’s productions.

This book updates and replaces our previous holding, The Backstage Guide to Regional Theater, which was an extremely popular title in the library.

Women Don’t Ask by Linda Babcock & Sara Laschever

From the publisher: Combining fascinating research with revealing commentary from hundreds of women, this groundbreaking book explores the personal and societal reasons women seldom ask for what they need, want, and deserve at home and at work–and shows how they can develop this crucial skill.

By neglecting to negotiate her starting salary for her first job, a woman may sacrifice over half a million dollars in earnings by the end of her career. Yet, as research reveals, men are four times more likely to ask for higher pay than are women with the same qualifications. From career promotions to help with child care, studies show time and again that women don’t ask–and frequently don’t even realize that they can. Women Don’t Ask offers real-life examples of the differences between the negotiating habits of men and women, and guides women in retooling their attitudes and approaches.

Also recently added to our collection is the companion book, Ask For It, by the same authors.

The Medical School Interview: Winning Strategies from Admissions Faculty by Samir P. Desi & Kajani Katta

From the publisher: Did you know that the interview is the most important factor in admissions decisions? What can you do to achieve maximum success during the interview?

In 2011, the AAMC published a survey that evaluated the importance of 12 variables on admissions decisions. These variables included total MCAT scores, science and math GPA, and the interview. The interview was rated the most important factor, receiving a score of 4.5 (scale of 1 [not important] to 5 [extremely important]).

Continue reading “By the Book: End of the Year Additions”

The spring semester is internship hunting season here in Career Services.  We’ve recently added a  trio of new internship guides that may spark some interest for those trying to decide what to pursue this summer.  Each of these guides feature comprehensive listings and contact information.

The Resort Internship and Seasonal Employment Guide – From a country club in Boca Raton to a State Game Lodge in North Dakota, there are lots of different internships in the hospitality industry.  Hotel management, business management, sales, event planning, customer relations and accounting are just a few of the areas that resorts and seasonal destinations offer internships in.  If that doesn’t suit you, maybe you’d like to be a water ski instructor or golf pro? It can happen!

The Museum Internship Book– Right here in Philadelphia, the Please Touch Museum and the Rosenbach Museum & Library are just two of the cultural institutions you’ll find listed in this guide.  Museum internships can be academic in nature or you can focus on operations like marketing, management and program development.  Museums and other cultural institutions can make for exciting and unique summer internships.

The Women’s Rights Internship Book – Women’s rights advocacy groups offer internships of all forms.  From writing and editing jobs to research assistance to individualized programs tailored to your interests, these internships can even have you meeting with congress and other influential policy makers!

If you’ve stopped by the Career Services library in the last week or so, you may have headed over to your favorite section only to discover…it’s not there!

Rest assured, we haven’t taken anything away.  We’ve just rearranged things a bit to make room for a new comfortable reading area and consolidate our collection into to better groupings on the shelves.  Some of our most popular items, such as the recruiter card file and medical school statistics, have been moved to the front on the library, while all of our general directories, guides and career decision making resources have been placed together.

Come by  and enjoy the library.  An updated map of where you can find our print resources is below.

by J. Michael DeAngelis, Information Resources Manager

It’s the start of another semester here at Penn and the Career Services staff spent part of the summer refreshing our library holdings for your benefit.  Here’s just a sample of some of the newest books you’ll find on our shelves this fall.

Remember that the Career Services Library has extended hours when classes are in session.  We remain open until 6pm Monday-Wednesday and 5pm on Thursdays and Fridays.  Stop in, we’d be happy to see you!

Case in Point: Complete Case Interview Preparation (7th Edition) by Marc P. Cosentino.  Arguably the most popular book on our shelves, Case in Point is the definitive case interview prep book.  The book includes over forty sample strategy cases that you can use to practice with, as well as marketing cases, human capital cases and more.  Due to the popularity of this book, we’ve increased our holdings to three copies of the latest edition, as well as two copies of the previous edition, which remains a  valuable resource.

Now What? The Young Person’s Guide to Choosing the Perfect Career by Nicholas Lore.  Though sometimes it can seem like everyone around you knows EXACTLY what they want to do with their lives – rest assured it’s just not true.  At Career Services, we have several books about finding a career path, but this newest edition is aimed squarely at college students and recent grads.

Used in conjunction with a visit with a career counselor, this book should give those looking for guidance a good place to start.

Expert Resumes for Teachers and Educators by Wendy S. Enelow & Louise M. Kursmark.  We’ve recently expanded our holdings in the education section of the library and this book is of particular note.  As the publisher states: “This book includes a comprehensive collection of sample resumes and cover letters written by some of the nation s most acclaimed professional resume writers. This guide also reveals how to get noticed and win interviews, choose the best resume type for your situation, and master each phase of the resume and cover letter writing process. In addition, a new chapter explains how to create and use an electronic resume.”

Changing Hats While Managing Change: From Social Work Practice to Administration by Felice Davidson Perlmutter and Wendy P. Crook.  For students in the School of Social Policy & Practice.

From the publisher: A unique and useful guide for practitioners who want to broaden their repertoire of professional choices and are either moving up the administrative ladder or considering making a career move in that direction. In user-friendly language, Changing Hats While Managing Change addresses the major challenges that face social workers in these complex times and presents a picture of the various roles and responsibilities of administration, illustrating them with lively case studies.