By the Book – Page 3 – Penn & Beyond

By the Book: New Year, New Additions

by Michael DeAngelis, Information Resources Manager

It’s a new year! In fact, today is Chinese New Year, officially beginning the Year of the Dragon (Does that mean Drexel is going to suddenly rise to power?).

At Career Services, we took advantage of the brief amount of downtime while students were on winter break to order some new titles for our library. A small selection of our new editions are below – stop by the Career Services Library any time to give them a read! When classes are in session, our hours for the spring semester are, as always: M-W 9am-6pm and T-F 9am-5pm.

Written by Deirdre Martinez, Fels lecturer and Director of the Penn In Washington program, Public Policy Internships Everywhere: Opportunities Beyond the Beltway is an indispensable guide for students who would like to find an internship in the public policy field but don’t know where to start. The book is written for college students who find Washington out of reach or who want to strengthen their resumes to prepare for the increasingly competitive internship market in Washington, and students who don’t particularly want to go to Washington but want to be part of the policy making process or politics in their hometown, at the state level, or even internationally. Each chapter describes how policy making happens at that level (in the political chapter there is an overview of how political campaigns work), identifies those opportunities available to high school and college students, includes examples and resources to help students identify the right internship, and provides advice on applications and tips on ensuring a successful internship.

Contrary to the standard joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall, “making it” in music is not simply about practice, practice, practice. Today, over 200,000 people in the United States work as musicians. With competition for traditional employment opportunities for musicians becoming ever more heated, today’s musicians must know how the music industry works and how they can tailor their skills accordingly. How can musicians create their own professional paths? In Beyond Talent, veteran music career counselor Angela Myles Beeching offers up a comprehensive guide for musicians in search of work, demystifying the steps to success. Drawing on a wealth of real-life examples, the book untangles artist management and the recording industry and explains how to find and create performance opportunities. Guidance is also provided on grant writing and fundraising, day jobs, freelancing, and how to manage money, time, and stress. Straightforward and reader-friendly, Beyond Talent is filled with practical tips, examples, checklists, sample budgets, goal-setting exercises, and extensive resource listings. This essential handbook goes beyond the usual “how-to”; Beyond Talent helps musicians tackle the core questions about career goals, defining success, and imagining and then creating a meaningful life as a professional musician.

These ever popular books are newly updated for 2012. Each market-specific edition is created by the local business journal to give you a perspective you can’t get anywhere else. A must for marketing, fund-raising or job search. The Career Services Library currently has the following regional editions on the shelf: Philadelphia, Washington DC, San Francisco, New Jersey, New England and Baltimore. We also currently receive monthly Business Times/Business Journal updates for each of these regions. Also newly arrived is the two volume Directory of New York State. These editions are excellent tools for researching geographic areas you are considering moving to.

Finally, for students on the School of Design, we have updated our sample resume books for Architecture/Landscape Architecture and Historic Preservation/City & Regional Planning/MUSA/Real Estate. Using outstanding sample resumes submitted actual PennDesign students, these newly bound collections offer a great way to help those preparing for PennDesign Career Connection Day!

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.

By the Book: GOLD Performing Arts Database

by J. Michael DeAngelis, Information Specialist

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.

By the Book: New Additions to the Career Services Library

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.

By the Book: Performing Arts

by J. Michael DeAngelis, Career Services Librarian and Information Resources Specialist

Today we’re launching a new feature on Penn & Beyond that will highlight many of the print resources that we have on hand in the Career Services library. Stop in and browse through these titles and the hundreds of others we have in our catalog. When classes are in session, library hours are M-W 9am-6pm and TR-F, 9am-5pm. After classes end, our hours are M-F 9am-5pm. We begin this series with a look at books for students interested in the performing arts.

There’s no set way to enter into a career in the performing arts. Some people struggle for years to be able to make a living in the field, while others seem to have overnight success or “lucky breaks.” Entering into the performing arts – whether you be an actor, a director, a dancer, a writer, a designer or even an aspiring casting agent – requires a lot of dedication and perseverance. Luckily, we have several resources in our library that can help you make a game plan.

The Actor Takes a Meeting by Stephen Book (Silman-James Press, 2006). Book, an acting teacher who felt that many of his students needed training in the art of the interview, developed this fascinating book directly from his workshop’s curriculum. The book details many different interview scenerios an actor may face including meeting with producers, casting directors, agents and managers.

Included are bits of background information on how meetings like these come about and examples of successful meetings (often laid out in actor-friendly script format). This is a very unique book that takes a look at a side of the acting business that is sometimes over looked.

Hit the Ground Running: The First Years of Your Acting Career by Carolyne Barry (Carolyne Barry Creative Enterprises, 2010). Ms. Barry presents herself as a jack-of-all-trades in the performing arts: actor, teacher, casting director, director and producer. In Hit the Ground Running, Barry lays out some useful advice on planning your expenses, setting timelines, seeking day jobs, joining unions and more. Along with the standard audition tips and “insider” information on auditioning and branding yourself, this book gives you a good day-to-day glimpse at what it takes to be a working actor.

How to be a Working Actor by Lynne Rogers and Mari Lyn Henry, forward by Joe Mantegna (Back Stage Books, 2008). The title really says it all. This is another good book for those specifically looking into going into acting. It focuses a little more on the craft – auditioning, going to workshops, getting into a union, getting the right headshots, etc, but it also has some specific tips for those who want to work in the theater, where Hit the Ground Running focuses more on film and television careers. Plus, how can you not love a book with a forward by Fat Tony himself?

We have two directories in the library that will be helpful to those seeking any sort of theater job – from acting to stage management to directing and designing: The Regional Theatre Directory (Theater Directories, 2007) and the Summer Theater Directory (Theater Directories, 2005). These guides are superb listings of regional theaters that provide contact information for job hunters. Both directories detail the kind of shows that the theaters put (big, splashy musicals; small scale dramas; children’s theater; etc.) on and supply typical job postings for the season. Sadly, these directories are a few years old and new editions are not available. However, these are great starting off points, especially for those seeking summer employment in a theater. Browse the books and then double check the contact information online.

Finally, a book that examines what you can do with your theater major: Great Jobs for Theater Majors by Jan Goldberg (McGraw-Hill, 2005). Some of the choices are obvious – actor, acting teacher – but there’s still good advice in here about moving into fields such as casting, theater management and publicity. The book includes decent resume and cover letter samples as well as profiles of those working in the business, such as respected lighting designer Dennis Parichy.

These are just a few of the books on performing arts careers available in the Career Services library. Drop by and take a look at these selections and others! Readers interested in this column may also find an other post of mine useful – “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” – about the importance of finding a job where you are flexible to pursue your dreams and your skills as a theater artist can be put to use.

We’ll be highlighting another career field in a future By The Book column soon!