Career Exploration – Page 14

A Day in the Life: Publishing

Read Jamie Cheng’s archived tweet feed here: http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/JaimeCheng_Feed.pdf

If you have a love for the written word, then a career in publishing has likely crossed your mind. There is more than meets the eye in the publishing sector, you can publish books, magazines or industry specific journals. Furthermore, the sector has a wide range of opportunities beyond editing and writing – spreading the word. Jaime Cheng (SAS ’99) posts for @PennCareerDay on Wednesday, December 8th and will highlight a day in her life at Elsevier. Read more about Jaime below, and follow her next Wednesday!

Jaime Cheng is a Product Marketing Manager at Elsevier, the world’s leading publisher of science and health information. Jaime’s team provides hospitals with electronic reference solutions that meet the training, education, and reference needs of the nursing staff and leadership to optimize patient outcomes.

Prior to joining Elsevier, Jaime was a Database Marketing Manager with the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers professional sports teams. There, she managed the database marketing and research strategy and operations. She also worked at a startup company in San Francisco for three years.

Jaime has a BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.

Tap Into Your Alumni Network

Homecoming is this weekend. Time to reminisce and celebrate Penn’s rich history of excellence and its many traditions. It’s also a time where there are a lot of alumni on campus, and events that connect current students with them. So, don’t let this opportunity pass you by.

As a Penn student, you are part of an extensive network that you can leverage for your job search and professional development at any stage of your career. Take advantage of the events that are going on here this weekend and build your network. You never know when an opportunity will present itself because of a connection you made.

Here’s a video from last year’s networking event during homecoming, Quaker Exchange, for insight about why alumni are excited to connect with you and what you can take away.

Leaving Your Comfort Zone Can Enhance Your Career Prospects

By: David Ross

Comfort. In theory, we have the tendency to gravitate toward things we are comfortable with or perceive as known commodities. Sure, it can be easy to stick with what you know and focus on perfecting your craft until you have your routine down-pat. Given this inclination, sometimes we can forget the importance of stepping outside of our comfort zone and the possibilities that go along with that.

At some point in time, we may have contemplated our career trajectory – enamored with those visions of assuming positions with greater responsibility and oversight. Perhaps you have a schematic or plan of your career direction. But have you stopped to think about how you will move from one opportunity to the next? Are you working on expanding and enhancing your existing skill set to prepare yourself for the future and new opportunities? Avoid falling into the trap of assuming that just because you’ve “put in your time” or “paid your dues” that you will seamlessly progress or move on to a more challenging role with additional responsibility. Don’t focus solely on obtaining the years of experience for the role you seek, but carefully consider the additional skills and qualifications needed for that desired position.

Whether you work as an intern or maintain part-time or full-time employment, think about the things you are comfortable with in your job, consider the tasks you struggle with and challenge yourself. Seek opportunities to stretch or expand your skill set and knowledge. Volunteer for projects or assignments unlike everything you’ve grown accustomed to – the more you develop your skills and abilities, the more flexibility you have to assume different employment opportunities in the future. Be confident in your ability to learn something new and trust that you are prepared to grow.

Remember, “new” and “different” is not always bad. When working outside of your comfort zone, you may surprise yourself and accomplish things you never would have imagined while simultaneously enhancing your career opportunities.

A Day in the Life: International Health Recruiter

Read Kate Theirs’s archived tweet feed here: Day 1 and Day 2

There are many opportunities for those of you interested in international and/or health-related careers. If you find the right organization, you can apply a broad range of your talents and have a career that serves your passion for international relations and/or healthcare. Our next alumni on @PennCareerDay will highlight one of these career paths on Tuesday, October 19th and Tuesday, October 26th. These two days on @PennCareerDay are alongside a line-up of programs and events geared toward international opportunities. For more information on these events, click here if you’re an undergraduate or here if you are a graduate student. Read more below on Kate Thiers who will be posting for @PennCareerDay during these weeks, and don’t forget to follow to see what her day is like!

Kate Thiers (W ’00) is the Operations Manager for Africa Health Placements (www.ahp.org.za), a Johannesburg-based non-profit company that places foreign and local health workers in rural public hospitals in southern Africa. Since inception in 2005, AHP has placed over 1,750 doctors in southern Africa, over 900 of whom are foreign nationals. Kate’s team manages all finance, IT, HR, marketing, PR, website and orientation activities for all AHP offices, which include Johannesburg, Durban, Swaziland, Lesotho, the UK and the US.
Prior to moving to South Africa in November 2009, Kate was a Project Manager with Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics in London. There, she was a project administrator for a European-wide corporate merger project for one year and subsequently managed a new partnership initiative with National Health Service (NHS) hospitals for a second year. In the US, Kate worked as a project manager for a Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company and managed large-scale application and infrastructure initiatives. She also worked as a business consultant for two years with Andersen Business Consulting.

Kate has an MBA from the Said Business School at Oxford University in the UK and a Bachelor of Science in Economics (BSE) from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Why not U.S.?

As a career counselor for the College, I’m supposed to learn a little bit about every career. When I was charged with giving myself a crash course on government careers, I was probably like many people and thought – boring! But the more I read about working for the Uncle Sam and the more I talk with the alumni feds, the more I realize what a unique employer the government is. (Yes, it is an occupational hazard to be attracted to a new field every day.)

Not only is the federal government hiring right now, but they are hiring for jobs in every field. You can work in public health, finance regulation, historic preservation, foreign service, engineering, environment, etc. It also turns out that federal jobs pay better than I thought, and there is a schedule for raises and promotion. The jobs are located in every state in the U.S.

I admit that government applications can be a hassle, but that’s why Career Services is putting on a slew of events to help you navigate the process and talk directly with real feds who can show you the ropes. Here’s what’s coming up this semester:

Finding and Applying for Federal Jobs and Internships Tuesday, September 28, 3 – 4 pm
State Department Information Session Wednesday, September 29, 5 pm – 6 pm
Internships in Government Wednesday, September 29, 3 – 4 pm
Policy and Government Career Fair 2010 Friday, October 1, 11 am – 3 pm
Careers with the Foreign Service: From Philadelphia to Pakistan and Back Friday, October 1, 3:30 – 4:30 pm
Business Careers in the Government Panel and Networking Reception Thursday, October 14, 4 – 5 pm panel, followed by reception
Working for Uncle Sam: you, what, where, why, and how Thursday, October 14,12 – 1pm
Federal Resume Critiques Thursday, October 14, 2 to 3:30 pm (sign up required)
Foreign Service Oral Exam Prep Session Thursday, October 21, 12-1:30
International Development Careers in the Government Panel Friday, Oct 29, 12 – 1 pm
Careers in Science & Engineering in the Federal Government Panel Friday, November 5, 12 – 1pm