menu

UVM Career Center Blog

Posts

Savvy Seniors: Start "Relationship Building" Today!

By career

Alyson Welch at Machu Pichu

Alumnae Alyson Welch shares her networking experience and advice

What role has networking played in your career exploration and job search?

Networking has played a huge role in my professional development.  Four years ago, I moved to Madrid, Spain and had no idea what I was going to do.  After a few months, I found a job and two internships through networking—through a friend of my mother-in-law, a college contact and a previous internship supervisor.

When we moved back to Vermont almost three years ago, I was concerned about finding a job. I started identifying companies of interest and looking for contacts at these companies.  In three months, I met with four people from Tetra Tech ARD, all referred to me through various contacts (a former UVM professor, a college friend of my husband’s and a friend of a friend that I met at a birthday party.)  When a position opened up at Tetra Tech ARD, I eagerly applied and used the knowledge I had acquired through networking to help write my cover letter and prepare for the interview.

Networking can be a bit intimidating.  What has helped you network effectively?

People are much more willing to share information and provide advice than to give you a job. If you are just looking for information, it’s easier to ask people to chat.

I’m kind of shy, so it’s a little intimidating to me to reach out to people that I don’t know. I’ve tried to challenge myself and send emails or call people, thinking that it’s always worth a shot.  I actually don’t like the word “networking” as it sounds sort of insincere.  I prefer to think of it as meeting people and building relationships that are mutually beneficial. Keeping this in mind makes networking – or relationship-building – more organic and, to me, rewarding.  People were very good to me during my job search and I’ve tried to do the same now that I have a job.

What advice might you give to a senior who isn’t sure how to begin their network?

Keep your request to meet short and simple. Be prepared and have a list of questions ready. Ask people to suggest other contacts. Remember to thank the person. Keep track of who you have met and follow up from time to time.  Try to keep your network alive.  Invite the people you have met to connect on LinkedIn

Also, use LinkedIn to identify UVM alums in your field and reach out to them. Check with professors, co-workers and family/friends to see if they might recommend professional contacts. Think about who is already in your network – maybe your aunt knows someone.  Never doubt the importance of any connection—even if someone is not in your field, you never know who they might know.

The most important thing to do is just start networking.  Once you start, you’ll gain momentum and it can even become fun.  Moreover, I am confident that networking is the best way to ultimately find a job – especially one that you’ll like.

Alyson Welch
Project Manager at Tetra Tech ARD

Want to learn more about networking? Join us for:
Seniors Lunch and Learn: Networking Made Easy!
Wed. Nov 13, 12 pm, the Hub

The Single Most Important Thing To Do After the Job Fair

By career

Thank you note

Write a thank you note.

Why? A prompt and sincere note of thanks helps you stand out among the hundreds of other people the employer met at the fair. It demonstrates that you’re sincerely interested and motivated about their company, it demonstrates your writing skills and it can make you more memorable than any other candidate.

Here are 5 tips to making your thank you note successful:

    1. Make it professional.

This isn’t a text message or a Facebook post with your friends, so don’t use slang or abbreviations. Address the email formally with “Dear Ms. Hoppenjans” instead of “Hi Jill!” Sign it with “Sincerely” instead of “TTYL.” Remember that this could be your future employer.

    2. Make it grammatically perfect.

Re-read your note several times to make sure it is as perfect as a resume or cover letter. You want the employer to remember you and what you’ve said, not that you misspelled the company’s name!

    3. Make it personal.

You don’t have to send a note to every person you met. Send notes to employers you are really interested in and/or want to stay connected to. Don’t send a mass email to many employers at once. Write an individualized email and try to incorporate the conversation you had with the employer, particularly if there is something about the conversation that might be memorable for the employer.

    4. Make it meaningful.

At a minimum, you are thanking them for attending the fair and for speaking with you. If the employer gave you some next steps (i.e.: apply online, look at their website, talk with another colleague), give them an update on your progress. If you don’t have more to say, don’t add fluff or filler.

    5. Make it easy for the employer.

Attach a copy of your resume so that the employer can be quickly reminded of who you are.

~Jill

Is the Job Fair for YOU?

By career

Employer discussing job opportunities with prospective employee

Yes!

Most people know that a Job Fair is for people seeking jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities.  Did you know it is also for those who want to get ideas, explore options and gather information? You don’t have to be actively searching for specific job to attend.

A key part of the career journey is having conversations, exploring what is out there and practicing presenting yourself and your interests.  You can do all of that at the Job Fair.  You can also learn about companies, industries, jobs, and opportunities.

No matter what your reason for attending, you should come prepared.  Dress professionally. Bring a resume and an impressive handshake.  Why?  Because 100 employers are coming to meet you!

Put the date in your calendar:
Job Fair
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
2:00pm – 5:00pm
Davis Center 4th Floor

Still feeling nervous about attending?

Review the Career Center FAQs and Preparation and Tips. If you want more support, talk to a Career Center staff member.  Quick (10 minute) consults, resume reviews, and questions can be explored during Drop-ins at the Career + Experience Hub, M-Th: 1-4pm and Fr: 1-3pm.

Do more than just wonder about your future.  Explore options. Talk to employers.

~Jill

World of Work: Allie Schwartz ’11, LinkedIn

By career

Allie SchwartzAllie Schwartz ‘11
Relationship Management Specialist
LinkedIn
New York, NY
Major: Community Entrepreneurship
www.linkedin.com/in/allieschwartz

How would you describe what you do on a typical day?

I build and maintain relationships with our clients. I help ensure our clients see success from our tools and I am constantly in contact with them. I support a team of six relationship managers and all of their accounts. We collaborate to create a strategic plan for their accounts.

Tell us about your path to this position.

If you told me during senior year of college that I would be working at LinkedIn a year after graduation, I would have called you crazy. I spent every summer in college interning to find out what I was interested in. I learned a lot about the corporate world and myself. Through that experience I started to figure out what I liked and didn’t like and what skills came naturally and the ones I needed to work on.

During my senior year, I really started to think about what I wanted to do and who I wanted to be. I knew I wanted to be in the marketing/sales industry, but that was vague. After graduation, I spent three months networking with everyone and anyone to pinpoint what I wanted. In September of 2011, I landed a job at a small digital video branding agency. Because it was so small, I took on a lot of responsibilities and learned a lot.

After nine months, I was recruited by someone at LinkedIn. I never expected to be recruited for a role, I only knew myself as an active candidate. Since starting at LinkedIn, I haven’t stopped learning. Every day there is something new to discover. For me, the learning curve hasn’t stopped. I continuously try to find new ways to learn.

What advice do you have for students searching for jobs or internships in your field?

Three words: network, network, network. That word was said more times in my house than any other word, both throughout my college years and to this day. From the beginning of my college career, my dad encouraged me to connect with different people in all different roles. After meeting with just one person, I would have a list of 3-5 other people to connect with. Each of those people would have a list of people for me to connect with. It was a domino effect. Just because someone isn’t at the company you want to be at, doesn’t mean they don’t know someone who is. You never know who you’re going to meet and who they happen to know. Networking isn’t just about getting a job; networking can help you with becoming a member of a board, getting a new client, a recommendation, grad school and much more.

How did your time at UVM, both in and out of the classroom, prepare you for your position?

My time at UVM prepared me for this position in more ways than I can imagine. In the classroom, a lot of my classes required group projects. In my current role, while I make my own calls, we all collaborate together on tips and strategies, emails that work and that don’t work, we even help each other make calls. Outside of the classroom, it was meeting so many different people. The majority of my friends are from the New England area and all come from different backgrounds. They all have taught me different things and honestly, made my four years at UVM amazing. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t reference someone from UVM in some sort of way.

8 Reasons To Pursue an Internship

By career

Student talking with Career Center staff at the Internship HopWondering if you should go to the Internship Hop (I-Hop)? Here are eight reasons to check out the internship possibilities!

1.) Gain experience

Not only is an internship a great experience to list on your resume, but it’s also a great opportunity to learn more about your chosen field.

2.) Test out a career field

One of the most valuable parts of an internship is deciding what you like (and don’t like) about a particular job or field. An internship is a short-term opportunity that gives you a chance to test drive career areas. One of my own best career experiences was having a short-term position as an EMT — because I realized that it was a job that did not suit me. I was so relieved to learn that it wasn’t a good fit early on, rather than after I spent time, energy, and money on more training!

3.) Earn credit

UVM has multiple ways that students can earn credit for internships. Check out our website to learn more: http://www.uvm.edu/~career/?Page=internships.html

4.) Develop professional skills

Having on-the-job experience means that you get to use the tools, technology, and protocols of that company or industry. These skills can help you as you begin your job search.

5.) Create contacts for your network

You never know who will be your future employer — or who might introduce you to your future employer down the line. The contacts you make during your internship can be invaluable for breaking into that particular field.

6.) Build confidence

The truth is, once you’ve done something, you will have the confidence to know that you can do it again. When you sit down for an interview as a recent grad, you will be able to look the interviewer in the eye and say, “Yes, I DO have experience doing this kind of work — and I’ve gotten good at it.”

7.) Apply your knowledge in a hands-on way

You may have learned the theory and frameworks of a certain subject, and an internship gives the opportunity to actually put that theoretical knowledge into practice.

8.) Make an impact

You may think of interns being assigned routine entry level work, but often interns tackle challenging projects that require an extra set of hands (or an additional head) to complete.  Interns can even have a true, meaningful impact on the world around them.  As an example, check out Gabe the Intern, who helped save a gay couple from being separated by deportation minutes after the DOMA decision was issued. Meaningful internships in Vermont can include work with any number of change-making organizations. The United Way currently lists over 300 opportunities in Chittenden County: volunteer.truist.com/chittenden/volunteer/

Need some resources to get started? Come to the Internship Hop on October 16th from 1:30-4:00 p.m. in the Career Center, Living & Learning E Building, and check out these 6 Strategies to Find Your Summer Internship. At the I-Hop, you can browse our resources, connect with career counselors for a personalized internship search, check out listings, and see where other UVM students have done internships. The Job Fair on October 30th will be another great opportunity to find an internship by talking to employers.

Make this the year you get career experience by doing an internship!

~Amanda

Skip to toolbar