Hello from the other side

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Afterword

Remember when we called you a couple of weeks ago? When we asked you some questions about your job or what you are most connected to at UVM?

Well, you surprised us because nearly 300 of you actually picked up the phone. And that’s why we love you.

Here’s what you said:

Career Outcomes Survey (140 responses)

71% are employed full-time or in graduate school.
75% are employed in a job related to your career goals.
88% are satisfied with your current job.

Basically, y’all are amazing. You are finding jobs and liking those jobs.

For the 30% still looking for a job or thinking about graduate school, keep at it!

Not-Career Outcomes Survey (147 responses)

For those of you who had completed the career outcome survey already, we called to ask what you are most connected to at UVM. Here’s what you said:

57% of you said you love your academic departments and school/colleges. Your professors would love to know this — send them an email this weekend, it will mean a lot.
20% of you said student life (students clubs, greek life, programs, etc.).
10% of your said you just love UVM — all of it.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

It means a lot to us that you are willing to answer the phone and talk. Not only does it help us know more about you as individuals, it helps us know how to communicate with you in the future.

Derrick & Ryan

Networking the UVM Way

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Derrick Dubois

I want to give you a head’s up about some upcoming networking events that could be in your area. And don’t worry, the networking nights aren’t just cocktail parties where you awkwardly hand out business cards.

They are events with an agenda and a program, so it’s facilitated awkwardness (trust me, it’s much better than the alternative).

Boston Career Networking Night
January 5, 2016
Boston, MA

New York Career Networking Night
January 7, 2016
New York, NY

Alumni Social at Two Roads Brewery
January 7, 2016
Stratford, CT

Washington D.C. Career Networking Night
January 12, 2016
Washington, DC

Sign-up and get to know some fellow alumni in your area.

As a side note, I’ll be heading to the New York networking night, so I hope to see you there!

Derrick

More Alumni Advice

Posted on November 18, 2015 by Afterword

We’ve gotten lots of very nice feedback through the bottle opener giveaway and a lot of you said you want to hear more alumni stories.

Our friends over at Continuing Education do a great blog called Outreach and they’ve recently featured two alumni giving amazing career advice.

Deb Mignucci, Class of 1982, on what to do with a liberal arts degree, how to stand out as an job applicant, and how recent grads can find success in their job search.
Bill Bright, Class of 1991, on finding a job, changing careers, and making mistakes.

Let’s Chat Next Week

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Afterword

We do a lot of emailing around here, but we thought it would be nice to actually talk to you the old-fashioned way.

And since we can’t call everyone on our own, we’ve asked the Chatty Cats to give you a ring next week. They’re all UVM undergrads, so treat them well (and give them some advice too).

Don’t worry, this is not some secret ploy to ask you for money. Yes, the Chatty Cats typically fundraise for UVM, but not this time — they are just calling to check-in, ask a few questions, and get your feedback.

We will try to call your cell phone number — if we have it — and our number will show up as 802-656-9999.

For those of you who haven’t completed the Career Center’s 2015 outcomes survey, this is a not-so-secret attempt to get your response. We know you’ve gotten a million emails from the Career Center recently about this survey. They’ve asked us to help out with a shortened version. It’s just three questions but it’s important — even if you don’t have a “career outcome” at this point.

Here’s why the survey is important: It helps us know if we are preparing students well for the real world. Plain and simple — we want to know if we did well by you.

It’s your opportunity to give feedback — positive or negative — and make your voice heard. Right now, we only have a 35% response rate and we would love to have a more representative sample of what’s happening with everyone.

And don’t forget:

Request your UVM bottle opener here.
Happy hour coming up on Thursday the 19th at Three Needs in Burlington.
Holiday parties are in early December in Boston, Washington, DC, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Vermont.

Advice from 200 UVM Alumni – Just For You

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Afterword

When we talked to many of you at the happy hour a few weeks ago and asked how the first year was going, we got the feeling that it’s been a tough one.

You’re looking for jobs, working jobs you don’t love, trying to pay bills, moving to new places (or back with your parents) and generally adjusting to life after UVM.

So in our quest to continually support you, we asked other recently graduated UVM alumni to tell us about their first year out. We had the Chatty Cat student callers give them a ring and ask a few questions on your behalf.

We spoke to more than 200 alumni and we hope you find their advice and reflections helpful. They’ve been in your shoes and gone through the same struggles, and nearly all of them have landed on their feet. Here’s what they said.

Question #1: Looking back, what advice would you give yourself?

As you can imagine, there were a lot of different answers to this question, but here are some quotes that exemplify some major themes:

“Be patient because it will happen eventually.” Finding a job takes time.
“Take it slow. Don’t jump into a job just to have a job. Reflect and figure out what you want to do.” Think about holding out for what you really want.
“Talk to people and make as many connections as you can.” Network, then network some more.
“Take advantage of all the networking opportunities UVM provides.” Use resources like the Career Center, networking events, and the LinkedIn site.
“Your path doesn’t have to be a straight line.” Try to travel and explore as much as you can in that first year.

Question #2: What do you remember most about your first year out?

Nearly everyone said this first year out is a time of a lot of transitions. And, transitions are hard and full of contradictions. Here’s what everyone remembered about their first year:

“Starting a new job and the stress that comes with it.” It’s tough getting used to having a full time job.
“Moving to a new place and staying in touch with close friends.” The pleasure and pain of moving to a new place.
“I missed Burlington, UVM and all my friends.” Burlington is home.
“What am I doing with my life? I felt a lot of anxiety around job hunting, but I was also super excited for a new challenge!” It’s a roller coaster.
“The disconnect from all my friends at UVM because it had been such a strong network for me.” Making new friends and missing your UVM crew.

The good news is that the year goes by quickly, and you’re left with exciting new jobs, apartments, cities, and friends.

Question #3: What strategy has helped you most in your job search?
Two words came up frequently in the answers to this question: persistence and networking. And most of the answers were variations of the same few ideas:

” Get out there and meeting as many people as possible.” Finding a job is about making connections and talking to people.
“Don’t take no for an answer. Send resumes to EVERYONE. Put in 110% and don’t give up until you find something.” Be persistent in applying for jobs and networking.
“Be open to things you hadn’t previously considered.” Keeping your options (and your mind) open.
“Personalize your resume and cover letter for every job.” Make sure you take the time to do them well.

Finding a job, starting a grad program, or moving to a new place all require time and hard work. We hope this post shows you that you’re not alone in what you’re going through.

There’s a whole community of Catamounts out there that have done it and are willing to help you do it too.

AFTERWORD

Telling your UVM story.

Category Archives: Careers, jobs, and grad school