Attending one of our Winter Break Networking Events? Allow us to introduce you to some of our amazing Alumni Networkers who will be in attendance! We asked our alumni to answer a series of questions, and their responses are for you.
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A Productive Winter Break
Finals are officially over and, if you’re anything like me, you just want to sleep in bed for three days straight. Take those three days (maybe even definitely four or five) to de-stress, eat some home-cooked meals and catch up on sleep. Then, commit to some productive tasks during your time off. The first week should be your time to relax, spend time with your family, see old friends, buy holiday gifts and recharge. After that first week, use the remaining weeks to focus on research, preparation for next semester and your career.
World of Work: Nydia E. Guity ’09, Fordham Tremont Community Mental Health Center
Reply
Nydia E. Guity ‘09
Mental Health Clinician
Fordham-Tremont Community Mental Health Center at Saint Barnabas Hospital
New York City
Major: Social Work
Graduate Program: Fordham University – Master of Social Work
How would you describe what you do on a typical day?
I service clients for individual, family, and group therapy sessions. Topics range from how to manage depressive / anxiety symptoms to how to build and maintain healthy daily routines.
Tell us about your path to this position.
I am a mental health clinician in an outpatient clinic. At this time my goal is to obtain the License in Clinical Social Work (LCSW) and start a private practice. During my time at UVM, I did not expect that I would pursue a career in social work. My plan at the time was to go back to school for a Masters in Nursing.
How did your time at UVM, both in and out of the classroom, prepare you for your position?
My time at UVM helped me become aware that social work is more than just helping people. I learned how to work with resistance and focus on strengths in order to progress in treatment.
What advice do you have for students searching for jobs or internships in your field?
My advice would be to be open minded to different settings and open to learning from every experience in the field.
What was your childhood dream job?
My dream job as a child was to be a hair stylist. I always loved helping people and encouraging them to look their best. When you look good you often feel good!
Begin Networking with Two Easy Steps
Love it or hate it: Networking is an integral part of any job search, but it doesn’t have to be daunting.
You have likely heard some of the reasons why you should network. The relationships you build connect you to information, organizations, and people- all that may help you direct your next steps. Plus, networking is often the key to unlocking the hidden job market – those jobs and internships that are never publicly posted.
Even amongst all the reasons to network, it can be difficult to get started. Here are two easy steps you can take this winter break:
- Hold an informational interview. These are short 20-30 minute interviews that you set up to learn from other professionals about their career path, industry, or company. There is not necessarily a job or internship available rather these interviews provide starting points for building professional relationships.
Try to start with someone you know – a family friend, older sibling of a friend, or reach out to UVM alumnus in your area. Bring questions and an eagerness to learn.
- Attend a networking event. These events are set up specifically for building networks amongst professionals. Here you can have numerous conversations in one evening and develop those relationships outside of the event.
This winter break, UVM is hosting networking events in Boston (Jan. 6) and New York (Jan. 8). These events are designed to connect students and UVM alumni in those regions.
Read more about setting up informational interviews and preparing for networking events.
~Lisa
World of Work: Allie Schwartz ’11, LinkedIn
Allie 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.