A&S Student Career Ambassadors

Rotational Programs

2010-05-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

I always thought that college is for education, and then you graduate and get a job and magically begin to work. But what if you don't know what field or department you want to enter? That's what rotational programs are for. Although they're generally very competitive, if you can get accepted it's like college in the corporate world. Programs can be as short as 6 months or as long as 5 years, and generally consist of assignments that will rotate you throughout different departments within one location, or even throughout locations- the large companies often offer international assignments! While some programs are very specific, focusing on "Human Resources" or "Finance," there are also "Leadership Development" programs that give you a taste of all the different aspects of the company, so you can try out each area and see what you prefer.

The best part? These programs are designed to train, and are normally a mixture of direct experience and classroom instruction. That means you don’t need job-specific experience- as long as you work hard they’ll teach you.

Of course, nothing comes without a price. The downside with rotational programs is that there is less job security- many programs do not guarantee a permanent job upon completion. Even if you don’t stay with that company though, the lessons that you learn during your various assignments can prove useful in any setting.

The A&S Career Services office has a listing of over 50 companies that offer rotational programs (G55 Goldwin Smith) but that’s just the beginning. The majority of large companies (and many of the medium ones) offer rotational programs- if there’s a company you’re interested in, check out their website. You may have to dig- despite the superb opportunity that the programs are, they are often buried within the careers section of the website. Of those companies that don’t offer rotational programs, many still offer some sort of leadership training program, which contains the same training components without the rotations.

Recommendations

2010-04-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

I remember the entire college application process and how much 'fun' it was, especially when I had to ask teachers for recommendations. I don't know about you but I was always the shy kid who never spoke up much in class. So how on earth would my teachers have been able to write a good recommendation for me? Luckily, our college guidance counselors gave us forms to fill out to aid in the process: aka we essentially wrote mini-autobiographies and gave them to our recommenders. It would be nice to do that for the graduate school application process since I'm still the quiet kid who doesn't speak up much - especially in larger lectures. So in the midst of my panic about from whom to get recommendations, I went and found some tips for approaching professors for recommendations:

1) Don't be concerned that you are imposing when you request a recommendation letter; just provide the individual with all the help you can so he or she can do the job. (from Peterson's Perfect Personal Statements, 2004)
2) Allow a few weeks for the professor to write your letter. Professors are busy and your professor will be able to write a better letter for you if he or she is not rushed.
3) Thank your professor. And after you find out whether your application was successful, inform the people who wrote recommendations on your behalf. They spent their valuable time writing thoughtful letters for you and deserve to know the outcome. (Carthage)
4) If you plan to take some time off before going to graduate school, don’t wait until you want to apply to graduate school to ask for letters. Your professors could be on sabbatical, or you may not be fresh in their minds anymore. So, ask professors for a “general” letter of recommendation before you leave place their letters in a safe place. When you are ready to apply to graduate school, contact professors again, and ask them to update your letters. (Berkeley Career Center)
5) Also check out Cornell Career Services for more information on getting recommendation letters! And of course, stop by G55 Goldwin Smith if you have any additional questions.

If you're in the situation that I'm in - taking a year or two off before applying - you might want to check out Interfolio, too. For a fee, Interfolio provides secure online storage for things like recommendations letters, writing samples, transcripts, and more. They offer 3 different plans: a 1 year account for $19; a 3 year account for $39.90; and a 5 year account for $57. However, there are delivery charges. So every time you need Interfolio to send a recommendation letter, for example, they would charge you an additional fee depending on the type of delivery that you specify. If you're thinking about taking a break from school for a few years, Interfolio might be worth the money.

Good luck to you if you are stressing out over recommendations!

post - interview anxiety

2010-04-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

I recently had an interview for my first choice job opportunity for next year. Since it was one of my first real face-to-face interviews, I didn't want to screw it up so I asked some of the career advisors and looked at the Career Guide for advice on how to conduct myself after the interview.

Hopefully one of your questions during the interview was "What can I expect next in the hiring process?" In response, the employer should tell you the approximate timeframe of when you should hear back from them about a second interview or a job offer. This was helpful for me because I didn't want to wait anxiously for an unspecified amount of time before hearing back.

One aspect of post-job interview etiquette that I learned is commonly ignored is the thank you letter. Generally these are sent to your interviewer within 24 hours of the interview. If you have multiple interviewers, try to send a personalized note to each - perhaps by mentioning a few things that you spoke about during the interview and why they were interesting to you. A few sample thank you letters can be found in the Cornell Career Guide here. Thank the interviewer for their time and reiterate *briefly* why you think you're a good fit for the job/organization. Nowadays it is appropriate for the letter to be sent by email if that is the way you have been communicating with the employer before the interview. I read a few articles online about writing thank you letters, and one question that was frequently asked was whether employers might think you are "sucking up" by writing such a note. The common response was that most people like to be thanked for their time, and it is rare that an employer would be upset to be thanked in a formal manner.

If you hadn't done so before the interview, get a list of references together in the event that the employer asks for their contact information. Make sure to confirm the willingness of each of your references before you give out their information to your potential employer! References can be professors, work or lab supervisors, coaches and other contacts who know you well in a professional context.

If the employer doesn't get back to you within the expected timeframe, it is appropriate to send a polite email inquiring when you should expect to hear back -- but aside from that, the only thing to do is sit and wait!

Pestering Pays Off

2010-04-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

Last year I spent my summer slinging fast food and wishing I was doing some fancy, mind-expanding, resume-boosting internship. That was before I joined career services and saw the light.

Last semester I made an appointment with one of my bosses, Irene Komor, for career counseling. I used to think that I would never find any good internships because I was so determined to spend my breaks at home in Philadelphia. Before I started working at career services, it seemed all the good opportunities I heard about were in D.C. or New York. But it turns out there's hope for me, and for everyone else who doesn't live in the internship capitals of the U.S.

At Irene's suggestion, over winter break I got in touch with a few of my favorite Cornell history professors. I asked if they could recommend anyone for me to work with in the Philly area area (pestering step 1). Next, I researched what the recommended professors studied and zeroed in on my target. Once I knew who I wanted to work with, I asked Cornell professors who knew him to put in a good word for me (pestering step 2). Then, I sent a draft of my letter of inquiry to an extremely generous Cornell prof. who reviewed it for me (pestering step 3). I emailed the new and improved version to the Penn prof. I hoped to research with (pestering step 4). It turned out that he was traveling over winter break, so we couldn't schedule an interview till spring break. We made plans and I emailed him the week before to confirm (pestering step 5).

One rainy train trip to Penn later, I had a research gig for the summer. It's unpaid, so I might be back to slinging fast food nights and weekends. But at least this summer I'll be spending some quality time in Penn's library exploring interesting questions and figuring out if the academic life is for me.

Space Issues

2010-04-20T11:08:00.000-07:00

Last week, I was at 301 College Ave, the Info Sci Building, and was amazed at the conference rooms and the kitchen (free coffee!). So it's natural that I think my major needs a shameless plug for office space. After all, the Bio & Society people share office with Science & Technology Studies, which itself shares the floor with Asian Studies. So we only take up a quarter of the floor. But aside from that, my trip to 301 College got me thinking about interviews (mainly because there was a teleconference setup in the room that I was in) and the lack of space that Cornell has for phone interviews. I mean, have you ever had a phone interview? It's pretty awkward, or at least it they are in my opinion. I've never had one on campus but I've definitely had a few at home where I'm hunched over my resume in a corner of my room, trying to sound smart and professional and hoping that my sibglings won't come bursting in. And even though I tell everyone that I have a phone interview so they know not to come in, they're still stomping up and down the stairs. In fact, I'm pretty sure the interviewers can hear me wincing in pain when that happens.

When you're at Cornell though, you get the luxury of not having ten people yelling things to each other because they're too lazy to go up and down the stairs. One thing you could do to get some quiet space is to kick your roommate out of the room. Which, hopefully, your roommate will understand. Barnes Hall also offers interview spaces for phone interviews - as long as you bring your own phone. So if you have a phone interview coming up, you might want to give Barnes a call (607 - 255 - 5296) to see if you can reserve a space. Barnes, however, doesn't have any landlines so if you need a landline, you might need to see if your on-campus friends are willing to lend you their room for an hour or so. Other than that, maybe a bright neon sign would help in letting others know to be quiet when you're doing a phone interview. (It's convenient, too: Mann has plotters for printing posters...)

(Also, check out the Cornell Career Guide for phone interview tips!)

Paying it forward

2010-04-16T08:06:00.000-07:00

Since last fall I have been brainstorming on how the summer of 2010 will be my best summer yet. The summer of 2010 will be the summer that I get the coveted internship, somewhere away from home, that helps me build my network in the professional world and exposes me to a world outside of my small town and part time jobs. However, as the fall progressed into the winter and now spring I started to realize that I wasn't sure exactly what my coveted internship would entail or if I chose to spend my summer away from home where would I spend it exactly? I applied to a variety of locations including the U.S. Department of the Interior, and I even picked up some job applications for local stores in case my internship possibilities fell through. However, I didn't realize that perhaps my best summer option might be going in back in time in order to move forward with my life.

So what do I mean exactly by returning to my past to enhance my future? I am referring to Ivy Insiders, an opportunity I was notified of via email. Ivy Insiders allows college students to formulate their own mini tutoring services in their hometowns as they help high school students prepare for standardized tests such as the SAT's and the ACT's. College students that are hired by Ivy Insiders are provided access to online databases and other materials related to SAT and ACT prep. Some of the most intriguing aspects of Ivy Insiders include:
1. College students are able to approach their market in whichever way they see fit.
2. Hours flexible because when you work for Ivy Insiders you create your own schedule.
3. Since Ivy Insiders provides all testing materials and even promotional materials to help you advertise your own business, financial loss is not a possibility

Although it feels as though it has been years since I was preparing for the SAT's, in reality, its only been about three years. My high school teachers were encouraging and I know I couldn't have been as confident taking the tests without such a supportive community. So the next time you are considering internships or job opportunities try to remember to pay it forward. I hope to make as much of a difference in the lives of high school students in my community as my community has made in my life.

Coffee and Cover Letters

2010-04-14T09:32:00.000-07:00

Every Monday and Friday, I go to Mann during my two-hour breaks and get a cup of coffee. I settle myself in nicely, claiming a table or two and an extra chair and spread my stuff all over the place. Then finally, I get down to business - and start churning out cover letters. After an hour or so of feverish typing, I usually end up with a decent mass of words. Whether or not that mass of words is coherent is another issue but I'm usually delirious enough from a mixture of caffeine, my desperation to get a job, and enough Lady Gaga songs on repeat to be ridiculously proud of my cover letter. I proofread it several times and send it out, feeling empowered and hopeful about my future. After all, I just sent out an amazing cover letter. They have to hire me, right? Wrong.

When I get home, I would usually take a second look at the email I sent, just to be sure that I had sent it and of course, that's also when I would realize that I had just sent out the most absurd cover letter on the planet. Then panic ensues along with embarrassment and that familiar I-can't-believe-I-did-that feeling. So what can I do about it? Quite a bit actually: 1) I could study the Cornell Career Guide religiously so I don't commit any faux pas; 2) I could wait a while after writing my cover letter so I can take a second, more objective look at it before sending it out; 3) and I could stop by A&S Career Services to get a cover letter critique!

social media and the job search

2010-04-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

I'm still looking for a job for next year, and my eyes were recently opened to the use of social media to conduct my search, particularly LinkedIn, the professional networking site. LinkedIn is an online system that allows you to connect with your professional and personal contacts and view their network of contacts in turn. This is useful if you are looking to meet people in a specific field or industry and have friends that may know people in that industry. While it may seem strange that what may be considered "stalking" on Facebook is actually encouraged on LinkedIn, I suggest you give it a shot! It could be a worthwhile job networking experience. As Christa Downey, Arts and Sciences Career Services adviser said to me, "You probably know a lot of people willing to help you with contacts in your desired industry, but they can't always remember everyone they know. Using LinkedIn allows you to get introduced to these contacts of contacts that you wouldn't otherwise have met."

Using the groups function in LinkedIn is also helpful - it allows you to meet people with similar interests or common backgrounds. By meeting people through groups, you may gain valuable exposure to potential employers or connections of people who are hiring.

LinkedIn is all about the connections and so is the job search! To find out more how to use LinkedIn and other social media sites to your advantage in the job search, attend Christa's upcoming event " on April 15th "Social Media and the Job Search" from 4:45PM to 5:45PM in 105 Ives Hall.

Networking

2010-04-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

     Networking is one of the most valuable tools a person can employ as they pursue their career path. On March 10, Cornell Career Services sponsored the Networking: How to Work a Room event. Although I attended the event in more of a supporting role for the other students attending, I hoped that I could gain some tips on networking since I didn't have much prior experience with the topic.
      One of the first things I noticed at the event was the student variety. Students from multiple colleges at Cornell as well as each undergraduate class were represented. There were even a few graduate students in attendance. The variety of student attendance speaks volumes to the fact that networking is applicable to all majors and ages.
   The all-important handshake was a popular topic of discussion at the event. A firm handshake suggests confidence and approachability where as a limp handshake creates more of a forgettable first impression. While firmness is important, the handshake should also not be too firm as it will convey a sense of over-eagerness. Two fist pumps are the suggested amount of pumps as it will again contribute to the message of approachability while also not appearing too awkward. Finally, while engaging in a handshake, it is important to maintain eye contact with the other person. Sometimes in a high pressure situation such as the initial meeting with a prospective employer, nerves may prevent a person from remembering the fine details such as eye contact. Failure to maintain proper eye contact suggests that a person is guarded and that they may not be as trustworthy.
      Hopefully these tips will increase student confidence for upcoming networking events. Especially for first-timers, it may seem difficult to effectively start the networking process. However, remembering to maintain a sense of approachability as well as interest in the other people you are trying to network with will contribute to overall success in the networking world.

Spring Break Blues

2010-03-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

After an amazing spring break, during which I was in complete denial of the fact that I need to start planning what I'm going to be doing after graduation, I went home to prolong my state of denial by sleeping it off. At the end of the week, while I was sitting in the car awkwardly with my dad as he drove me to the bus terminal, I reached the following conclusions: (1) I was sore all over because I slept too much; (2) I need to start thinking/planning for grad school applications; and (3) I need to figure out this Australia business slash I need to find a job.

(1) So sleep is a good thing but too much of it can be pretty bad for you. I actually had a very in-depth conversation with a friend about how sleeping too much can put too much pressure on your cells and kill them off. Hence the soreness. But neither of us are science majors so we were probably just making things up.

(2) My dad kept asking me about my plans for graduate school so I verablized them to him - I mean, he even turned down the radio so after the 5 long minutes of silence, I had to say something. Which is great because I'm stressed out about recommendations now and I'm realizing that the next round of applications is actually not that far away. But it did help because I know that I need to get my act together pretty quickly.

(3) And then of course, my dad kept asking me about Australia. So the tentative plan right now is that if I can't find a job, my dad would consider letting me go to Australia to do the 6 month work-holiday program with BUNAC or some other program similar to it.

Everything sounds good so far, right? I mean, I have Plan A, B, and C all lined up for the next year but what if A, B, and C doesn't work out? I guess if worse comes to worse, I could always volunteer for some non-profit. I've also been looking at some of my emails that have been advertising on-campus research positions for next year. Maybe I'll apply for one of those positions and see if I can get a job that way but it would be nice - and preferable - to get off of campus after graduation.

Wish you were getting paid to write this blog?

2010-03-18T12:51:00.000-07:00

A&S Career Services is hiring undergrad Student Career Ambassadors for 2010-2011. You can pick up an application at G55 Goldwin Smith Hall and return it, with a resume, before April 23, 2010. I promise the application isn't too time-consuming or intimidating.

Preference is given to the classes of '12 or '13 and those who will be here again in 2011-12. We require a one-semester commitment. Great for work-study.

You'll get to work manageable, day-time hours--about 6 to 10 hours a week. Duties include critiquing resumes, scheduling appointments, outreach and research projects, and maintaining the career library. You'll learn a lot about what career services offers, how to write a killer resume, and hopefully how to find a job.

Why not give it a shot and apply? Next thing you know, you too could be writing scintillating blog entries.

Snowed In

2010-02-24T08:54:00.000-08:00

When I first got to Cornell, I thought I was all about the environment because I studied environmental science in high school. Now, after four years of deciding on courses, stressing over internships, and lots of googling, I feel like I've finally figured out that I am into the environment and much more, namely sustainable development. Which is perfect because Cornell is one of the hosts for the annual All Ivy Environmental and Sustainable Development Career Fair. It takes place at Columbia University every year and Cornell offers round-trip transportation to the fair for $30. This year, however, there is the possibility of bad weather on Thursday & Friday which means that the trip may be canceled. Hopefully, it won't but the weather forecasts say that there is a 100% chance of snow on Thursday so if I can't make it to the fair in New York, I'll at least still have another career fair that I can go to.
In addition, I've been on Idealist.org 24/7 (Facebook stalking is proving to be quite the transferable skill) and I've found a ton of great job opportunities on that site. Idealist also lists non-profit organizations in Australia so if I end up in Australia (which is looking more and more possible since I can't find a job in the US) I'll have a reliable source to start my job search there as well.

Getting all your ducks in a row

2010-02-22T13:07:00.000-08:00

As Liz mentioned in the previous post, we have been critiquing many resumes and cover letters lately as students get ready for upcoming internship and job opportunity deadlines. It is nice to see the increase of students in our office because it shows that students are realizing the value of strong resumes and cover letters as they compete against other qualified candidates. While students are being proactive and getting their resumes and cover letters polished it can also be worthwhile to continue the search for internships and job opportunities. One of the best ways in which students can make sure they're ahead of the curve in pursuing opportunities is by visiting our career library.
The Arts and Sciences career library, which doubles as the space where resume critiques are conducted, has a wealth of resources for students. At first glance the wealth of resources may seem a bit daunting but I have a few helpful hints for students:

1. If a student is certain that they want an internship instead of a job opportunity, then the internship section of the library will be of use. We have several binders with each one listing the contents on the spine of the binder. For example, binder 4 includes a wealth of resources on Government opportunities. Interested in working with the New York State Assembly? There's a flyer within the Government binder containing more information. How about a position with the CIA? Again more information on the CIA, New York State Assembly, and other positions can be found in the Government binder.

2. Perhaps a student is looking to for an international position. Directly below the internship binders there are several binders containing opportunities on each continent.

3. Not sure if you want an internship or a job but just generally want more information about your field of interest. There are sections throughout the library dedicated to various fields of interest. The Fine and Performing Arts section of the library contains several books including one entitled "Careers for Music Lovers and Other Tuneful Types."

4. Last but certainly not least are the shelves located farthest to the left and therefore sometimes overlooked by students. These shelves contain information on Graduate School, Job Hunting by Location, and Fellowships. So check these out!

So the next time you find yourself in G55 Goldwin Smith getting a resume or cover letter critiqued, don't hesitate to explore your career library surroundings. A dream internship or job may be waiting for you within one of our binders or library books!

Resume Critique Season

2010-02-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

The A&S Career Services Office has been bustling these past few weeks. It seems everyone wants to get their resume critiqued as they look for summer opportunities, post-graduation jobs, and new jobs on campus. We have walk-in resume critique hours M-F:

Monday 10:00-10:45 am, 11:15-4:15 pm
Tuesday10:00-11:45 am, 12:30-2:15 pm, 3:30-4:15 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am-10:45 am, 11:15-4:15 pm
Thursday 10:00-10:45 am, 11:15-12 pm, 1:00-2:00 pm, 3:00-4:15 pm
Friday 10:00 am-10:45 am, 11:30-4:15 pm

We get pretty busy in the afternoons, especially Friday afternoons, so if you want to avoid a line, try to come by in the morning. Here's a little resume tip to whet your appetite: Start off bullet points with active verbs. Rather than writing, "Responsible for editing ...." write, "Edit..."

Of course, resume critiques aren't all that we offer. You can stop by to look at the opportunity listings and books in the Career Library at the back of our office or schedule an appointment with a career advisor to figure out what you want to do with your life and how you're going to do it.

Stop by--we'll be happy to see you.

Liz
Student Career Ambassador

the interview stage

2010-02-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

I've been applying to jobs left and right for several months and all that hard work is finally starting to pay off. A few employers have asked me in for interviews! This is a key step in landing the job and I'm nervous. Maybe I will schedule an appointment at the office for a practice interview with one of our trained career advisers. It will be useful for someone to observe how I comport myself professionally and then make suggestions for what I can improve on.

Scheduling my interview will also require me to go through the On-Campus Recruiting system of Cornell Career Services. Since I was informed that I was pre-selected for an interview, I have to sign up for my interview time slot a week before the interview occurs at a specified time. I should probably review the On-Campus Recruiting policies on career.cornell.edu so I don't accidentally violate any of the strict rules. I wouldn't want to be banned from ever using the OCR system again!

Decisions, Decisions

2010-02-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, it just sucks to have options. Life was definitely a lot simpler back in high school when all we had to do was worry about college applications. Well, at least I knew that I was going to college for the next four years. Right now, I'm still in limbo about what I'll be doing after graduation because the IAESTE program that I was looking at was a fail for me. They had a lot of great internships and longer-term positions and all of them were paid; the only problem was that they were also only looking for engineers. Now I'm looking at BUNAC again and a few other similar programs like Real Gap Experience and Cultural Embrace. (They all help you obtain a visa, provide orientation, etc.)

I also happened to take a look at the Australian Visas & Immigration page. Apparently, if I wanted to be able to work in Australia, there are several types of visas that I can get. The one that I would probably be applying for would be the 12-month Work & Holiday visa. But the catch is you can only apply for that visa once in your life - which is fine since I probably won't be able to take a year off to bum around in Australia anytime afterwards. But I'm also stressing about the fact that I have the option of getting a 4-month Work & Holiday visa instead. So do I want to bum around in Australia for a year? Or 4 months? It would be great if I could bum around for 4 months in Australia and then bum around Peru or Costa Rica on a volunteer trip. But from my parents' perspective, bumming around at home would be way cheaper. Like I said before, sometimes, it sucks to have so many options. But I've started to make a budget in Excel for all my options (the benefits of having an obsessive compulsive need to plan my life). Hopefully, I can find something cost-effective in the next week or so.

Start of Semester Whirlwind

2010-02-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

Now for a thrilling, stream of consciousness blog post to reflect the breathless spirit of the semester's start:

1. Over winter break, I looked up summer internship opportunities in Cornell Career Net and applied for one with city government in my hometown. Of course, you should really apply to multiple internships, but...

2. I got in touch with some former professors in the history department here at Cornell to ask if they had any leads on research opportunities at universities near my home. Lo and behold, several of them mentioned the same professor, one who used to work at Cornell. (One Cornell professor even offered to read over my cover letter!) I got in touch with this professor and set up an interview over spring break. Fingers crossed.

3. Just my luck, both opportunities I have in mind for the summer are unpaid. But hey, they're going to be interesting, teach me new skills, and look great on my resume. So now the question is: how to actually bring in some money over the summer? My plan is to try to find a job at a restaurant or ice cream place or in retail that I can work around my research/internship schedule.

4. That reminds me: Are you an Arts student who would love to do an unpaid internship or some research over the summer, but can't because you need to make money? If the answer is yes, get in touch with A&S Career Services. We can help you strategize and look for funding.

5. FRESH! Freshmen, you should do this "externship" program over spring break. It's a fun, low-pressure way to get a glimpse of a career field you're interested in and make some valuable connections with Cornell alum. If you haven't started the application process yet, you need to listen to the online recording of the Required Info Session ASAP at career.cornell.edu . You have to listen to it and be ready to take a quiz and draw a lottery number at 103 Barnes by THIS FRIDAY.

~Liz

Winter (job hunting) fun

2010-01-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

My friends and I have always frantically scrambled to get our resumes together the night before the career fair in Fall. Then, on the day of, we pass our resumes out like there's no tomorrow and we usually don't get very many responses. This year, however, because we're seniors, we also got the lovely privilege of adding our resume to Cornell's resume book. And why not? - it's all typed up and even starting to gather dust. So I did. And amazingly, over winter break, I got an email offering me an interview. My first reaction was to think that it was a mass mailing. But it was legit and sometimes, it's great to feel wanted even if it's a lie so I emailed them back and ended up interviewing with the company. Although there hasn't been any reply yet, it's still comforting to know that people actually look at the resumes that we throw out to the world. And I also know that I'll be checking my email even more obssessivly than I already do.

The (temporary) Job Search

2010-01-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

It's great to be back from Winter Break, but now as I'm in my last semester at Cornell, the question of what I'm going to be doing after I graduate keeps nagging at the back of my mind. Winter break was very productive in terms of job applications. I branched out past simply applying to teach English in Japan. I updated my resume and wrote cover letters to apply to be a paralegal, I completed my application to CityYear, and I applied to program assistant positions in a few think tanks in Washington, DC. I also attended the Career and Internship Connections job fair in Washington, DC which I heard about from Arts and Sciences Career Services and met with a few employers about different opportunities in their organizations.

The problem is that I don't know what I want to be doing over my gap year. However, this is also an advantage in some respects. It's good to be open to new opportunities and expand the job search to more than your immediate interests. And since I'm not sure what I want to do, applying to lots of different opportunities will allow me to pick and choose later on. Lots of new opportunities are being posted every day so I guess I'll just have to keep looking!

Taking time to read the fine print

2009-11-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

As a Student Career Advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences Career Services Office, I have learned of many different opportunities that I otherwise would have overlooked. Sure there are flyers posted around Goldwin-Smith Hall and other buildings on the Arts Quad advertising upcoming events. The monthly newsletter for Arts and Sciences also notifies students of upcoming events related to careers and graduate schools. However, in my haste to check my emails each day or get to class as quickly as possible I often miss hearing about some of these events. That's why I was interested to learn about Wendy Gellman, a Cornell graduate, that came to speak to students on behalf of the office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. I had received an email about an hour long breakfast with Wendy to hear about her experiences a few weeks prior to the actual event. Once again in my email checking frenzy I failed to read much more than the subject title of the email. It wasn't until I was at work a week later that I came across the sign-up sheet for the event. I knew that Wendy would be discussing topics related to the government sector but I wasn't sure how pertinent the information would be to me as a Spanish major. Despite my uncertainties I decided to attend the meeting. Before I even had a chance to ask a question, Wendy mentioned that Senator Gillibrand's office had recently done some important work with immigration issues. Suddenly I realized that I had been neglecting the important issue of working with the Hispanic and Latino communities on immigration issues. With my newfound knowledge and an application to apply for an internship in one of Senator Gillibrand's offices I felt inspired for next summer. So I advise all of my fellow busy Cornellians to take a few minutes each day to read the fine print, whether it be flyers on the poster boards of Goldwin Smith advertising research opportunities or the monthly Arts and Sciences e-newsletter. You never know what kind of advice you could receive from a visiting alumnus or alumna or from an upcoming internship panel.
~SCA Caroline

Career Exploration: Beyond "Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Moe"

2009-11-12T06:20:00.000-08:00

In the past few weeks, I have put more thought into my future career options than I probably did my entire freshman year. Sure, last year I thought about careers, but more in a worrying way than in a helpful one. ("What if I never get a good job? What if I go into huge debt for law school and hate being a lawyer? What if I just never advance because I pick the wrong career and then I find myself 45 and bored and wanting to leave everything behind and start a restaurant in Morocco, only I can't because I don't have any business skills and I can't cook?") I latched onto the idea of being a lawyer not without thinking but without thinking much about other options.

After four appointments with career counselor Irene Komor, I found out a lot more about my personality, values, and career interests. I took a Myers-Briggs Temperament test and a Strong Interest Inventory. While I had hoped that taking these would be a eureka moment, I think I learned more from trying to decide if the test results really fit me and puzzling out what their career implications are. I was shocked to find that the number one career that came up in the Strong Interest Inventory was librarian. My first response to that was laughter, but Irene pointed out that there are many different opportunities for librarians, everywhere from grade schools to major research institutions, and that I might enjoy the intellectual challenge of helping people locate information they need. In the end, I realized that while a law career might suit me in many ways, other options I hadn't thought of before, like academic advising dean, university professor, or school counselor, might suit me just as well. My next task is to find out more about these types of careers. Luckily, I work in an office full of academic advisors, so it won't be hard to set up an appointment with one for an informational interview. Who knows, maybe I'll do the same with a librarian--as long as he or she promises not to shush me.

Freebies

2009-11-10T09:50:00.000-08:00

If you're into free stuff, A&S Career Services has been updating it's library and is giving away older versions of some of the resources in our career library. They're sitting on the shelves outside of G55 Goldwin Smith so stop by to take one when you get the chance! And along those lines, one of the books sitting on the shelf is a comprehensive guide to conservation organizations worldwide - perfect for the environmental junkies. Unfortunately, for me, it lists only one organization in Australia and it was one that I've already checked out. However, I did have an epiphany after meeting with my advisor: just getting up and moving to a completely different country is a huge feat so I'm not going to worry about whether or not I end up at McDonald's. Even if I don't get a job that's relevant to my future career goals, I'll still gain valuable life experience and exposure to other cultures. So as far as developing a strategy goes, I will continue to look for internships abroad. Recently, I found a program called IAESTE, which is extremely similar to AIESEC. And if that fails, then I will try to apply for a work visa through BUNAC or some other program and just move to Australia and hope for the best. I will probably need to stop by Barnes Hall to talk to one of the career advisors there because they have advisors specializing in international jobs and in environmental careers. On a side note, while I'm making all these crazy life choices, I also need to figure out a way to convince my parents that I'm making a smart career move by moving halfway across the world just so I can work as a waitress. Fun stuff.

-Jessica

Taking a year off after graduation?

2009-10-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

I am planning to returning to school after I graduate. As a senior, however, the thought of another 3 years of school right now (at minimum) makes me a bit queasy. That's why I am planning to take a gap year.

I didn't realize that there were so many gap year resources out there. The career library has several related books, such as Taking a Gap Year and Short Term Job Adventures, which list different organizations and programs. It seems like you can do anything in a gap year - volunteerism, expeditions, seasonal farmwork, au pair, manual labor - really, anything and everything you could think of is out there.

I met with career adviser Irene Komor to talk about my options. She recommended idealist.org as another great resource to find service programs that might be of interest. Idealist.org is a service program search database full of tons of listings of opportunities. When sifting through the website, I felt that I really needed to know what I wanted to do so I could make my search terms narrow enough to make the number of hits manageable.

So - how to decide? One thing to think about is location. Stay at home or go abroad? I know that the U.S. has many established programs such as Teach for America, Americorps, and CityYear, but there are endless opportunities abroad like the Peace Corps, au pairing, non-profit work, and who knows when I'll have another chance to do something like this again?

Another thing to think about is what you want to do. Do you want to wet your feet in your future career field? Do you want to engage in public service projects and get more involved in your community? Or do you want to try something completly new? The important thing is to consider what you want to get out of your experience.

Check out the "Cornell Gap Year" and "Arts and Sciences Career Services, Cornell University" for other potential gap year ideas. As I continue to pick my way through the forest of gap year programs, I will update you with my findings!

~ Elizabeth L.

Student Career Ambassador

College of Arts and Sciences

Cornell University

Walkthroughs for Life

2009-10-27T09:49:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to lie - I am a walkthrough person. My roommate and I watched one of our friends play a game last night and I found myself consistently shouting 'Google' every time he got stuck and didn't know what to do. Granted that should have been our cue to stop procrastinating, we nonetheless persisted and eventually beat the game - two hours well spent doing nothing. If life were that simple, I'd be able to land a job in Australia and the visa to go along with it in two hours.

I was browsing the Career Services page and found a lovely guide to getting jobs abroad so I decided to actually sit down and answer the questions. And of course, it turns out that I'm pretty clueless about what I want to do. All I know is that I want to go to Australia because 1) they speak english, 2) they have an accent(!), and 3) they have koalas and the largest rock in the world (why else would you want to go to Australia if it weren't for the rock?). Of course, I also want to do environmental policy and Australia is a very environmentally-oriented country. And according to the International Job Search Guide on the Career Services page, I should assess my options and develop a strategy. So let's assess:

It's important to clarify what you are looking for: I want to work in a non-profit or an environmental organization so that I can gain some experience for grad school/life.
What kind of opportunity are you pursuing? A year-long opportunity. So that would probably fall under long-term because short-term in my mind means 3 months.
Skills & experience? I speak Chinese - not really. But I do speak English so I think I'm all set for Australia; No technical skills unless Excel counts. I will be a Cornell graduate though! And I've had several internships with non-profits, doing everything from stuffing envelopes to developing fundraising strategies to grant-writing.
What is the market like? I spent a good while in the A&S Career Services Library last week so I learned that, like the US and probably everywhere else in the world, citizens get preference over foreigners for job opportunities. But I did find this amazing link to environmental organizations in Australia and I'm still in the process of going through the site.

That was relatively painless. The next step, according to the International Job Search guide, is to develop a strategy. And that's the hard part so I'm just going to slack off and leave that bit for next time. Maybe by then someone will have created a walkthrough for my life and I can just do a Google search every time I'm stuck. ~Jessica

Career Counseling

2009-10-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

So I took the plunge and had my first career counseling appointment with Irene Komor. It was helpful just to talk to Irene about what my career ideas were and why. She helped me realize that the careers I'm currently most interested in are eerily similar to my parents' careers...hmmm. Her advice was to keep branching out and to try to find internships/jobs in other fields I might enjoy so that I can begin to see them from up close--much the way I've already seen my parents' jobs up close. When I mentioned that I might be interested in history research, but don't have time for it over the school year, Irene brought up the novel idea of looking for a research opportunity in my hometown over the summer. My lovely city is full of universities, but I had never thought of looking for work there. Irene also suggested that I make a list of things I liked and didn't like from past jobs and volunteer experiences so I can get a better idea of what kind of work I enjoy.

I'm supposed to be taking two self-assessment tests before my next appointment: Myers-Briggs for temperament and Strong Interest Inventory for, well, interests. I haven't given them a try yet (pesky prelims) but I'm very curious to see the results. My next appointment is in a week and half or so. I'll keep you updated.

If you're interested in scheduling a career counseling appointment with Irene Komor to take some fun tests and maybe figure out what'll make you get up and look forward to going to work, please call A&S Career Services at 607-255-4166 or stop by our office in G55 Goldwin Smith.

Liz
Student Career Ambassador

Where the platypuses (platypi?) roam...

2009-10-19T08:13:00.000-07:00

Over the past summer, I ambitiously decided that I would go to Australia after I graduate so that I can have the adventure of my life before heading off to grad school. However, as life at Cornell started to pick up again, I began to feel less confident about whether I will be able to pull it off. I’ve been contacting people and doing research but it seems like I’ve only made the most marginal amount of progress:

I’ve talked to my friends in Australia, I’ve talked to my relatives in Australia, I’ve talked to my advisors about moving to Australia, and I’ve talked to recruiting agencies in Australia. I’ve also browsed through the international binders at the A&S Career Services Library, and I’ve scoured the Cornell Career Services site for information about going abroad. And, so far, the general impression that I have right now is that it’s not impossible but it’s definitely going to be a lot more complicated than I had originally thought it would be. For one thing, I have to worry about getting a visa, then there’s the fact that Australia is in the Southern hemisphere, meaning I would be going in the winter. And where would I stay while I’m there? What if I get sick while I’m there? And of course I can’t forget the fact that I haven’t even found a job yet.

But I have been investigating opportunities through AIESEC, and there is always BUNAC to fall back on or even some other volunteering opportunity. Plus, I’ve been going through books in the A&S Career Services Library and I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration. International Jobs, by Nina Segal, has a lot of great resources that I’ve been slowly going through. The recruiting agency contact that I spoke to had also recommended that I do some research about the Australian market so I’ve been going through this other book, Jobs and Careers Abroad, by Guy Hobbs, which covers just that. It describes the visa process and has country profiles for a number of different countries. The book also lists online employment sources specific to each country, long-term and short-term opportunities, and even lists international companies with subsidiaries in the country. Hopefully I’ll be able to find something that works for me in those books. If not, my next step would be to start contacting alumni through CCNet. In the meantime, I also have the luxury of stressing out over job applications and grad applications in the US! If worse comes to worse, I can always work at a McDonald's - in Australia.

Jessica
Student Career Ambassador
Arts and Sciences Career Services

What am I going to do with my life? Career Counseling

2009-10-15T06:09:00.000-07:00

In an effort to get more of an idea of my ever-elusive purpose and direction, I just scheduled an appointment for next week with Career Counselor Irene Komor. This appointment will help me identify my strengths and areas of interest. I'm told not to expect a silver bullet; Irene can't look into a crystal ball and tell me my calling. Still, I think it'll help just to sit down with someone and talk through possible career paths. How often do you get to take a break from rushing around from classroom to library to meeting to stop and consider the goal of all your hard work? Even if you think you know exactly what you want to do, it might be helpful to reexamine and open your mind to other options.

Career Counseling appointments are an hour long. You can schedule over the phone by calling A&S Career Services at 607-255-4166 or in person at Goldwin Smith G55. You'll need to fill out a quick form about your interests and return it a day before your appointment. That'll help give Irene a chance get to know you a little bit beforehand.

Hope you all enjoyed fall break and are enjoying being back in lovely, freezing Ithaca.

Liz
Student Career Ambassador
Arts and Sciences Career Services

A&S Student Career Ambassadors: Right There With You

2009-10-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a secret: I work at the Arts & Sciences Career Services Office, and I have no idea what I want to do with my life.

I spend my days helping other students find their career paths by critiquing resumes and scheduling appointments with career advisors, but my own path is not clear to me. Law, nonprofit work, editing, photography--they all sound great. So how to decide?

As a history major, I get nerdily excited about scrounging around for information. So my Step 1 is finding all the summer opportunities and future options that I can.

Today I flipped through a binder of fellowship listings in the A&S Career Library and discovered how many opportunities (and how much funding) are out there waiting for students to claim them.

Who knew about the American Bar Foundation Summer Research Diversity Fellows program in Chicago (http://americanbarfoundation.org/research/Fellowshipopportunities/SummerResearchDiversityFellowshipsinLawandSocialScience.html), which offers the opportunity to learn more about social science research over ten weeks? It may have an unwieldy title, but the program does provide housing and a $3,600 stipend.

Or what about getting funding for an unpaid or underpaid summer service internship through the J.W. Saxe Memorial Prize (http://www.jwsaxefund.org/)?

Or one to three month "Studentships" at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy? Sure, you have to be over 20 and speak fluent Italian--which I'm not and I don't--but this one was too exciting not to mention.

The Career Library is full of finds like this, but most people don't know it exists. Come on over to Goldwin Smith G55 (our lovely basement office) anytime between 8 am and 4:30 pm on weekdays--even during fall break!--and take a look. I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised.

~Liz
A&S Student Career Ambassador