Informational Interviews

Welcome back everyone! I hope you all enjoyed Winter Break! I sure did. During my break I visited Puerto Rico for a basketball tournament with Tufts Women's Basketball Team. It was amazing, but now that I'm refreshed and back in chilly Medford, I'm ready to get back into the Tufts student mentality!

"Ready for Spring Semester #nofear"

During break, though it was hard to leave the sandy beaches of Puerto Rico to do so, I followed some of Sean's advice for taking steps in my career development. As I'm currently searching for summer internship opportunities, Winter Break was the perfect time for me to network and learn more about potential positions and fields - something I didn't have lots of time for during the academic semester. While researching various opportunities I found myself scheduling more and more informational interviews. Informational interviews are incredibly important for learning about the fine details that will position you as a potential candidate. In this post I have decided to focus on the benefits of informational interviews, and how important they are in the internship search.

Informational Interview

You know what's so stress free about informational interviews? You ask the questions! Once you have scheduled an informational phone or in-person interview, your contact most likely is very interested in helping you already.  The interview not only is an advantage for you to gain insight into the company, but also can help you gain advice about entering a specific field and even an opportunity to access that person's network. Scheduling informational interviews even though there is no current job opportunity gets you in the door, i.e., you're now in a position to hear about jobs before they are posted for the rest of the world to see.

"Give them your Resume and Cover Letter!"

Preparation

Preparing for an informational interview shouldn't take that long, especially if it's a phone interview. Before the interview send an email with your current resume attached - it helps your target know more about what you've done and will allow them to gauge their answers appropriately.  Giving them more details about you will help them provide better advice and suggestions! You should plan on the interview lasting 30 minutes, but ask how much time they have to give you at the beginning of the conversation. If it's in person be sure to wear business professional attire. If it's a phone interview plan to be in a quiet area where you won't be disturbed. Usually when I have a phone informational interview I have a notebook nearby. A laptop is handy, as long as you aren't easily distracted!

Do Your Research!

Just like a normal interview it's important to learn about your target before you walk in the room or call them. Reviewing a person's LinkedIn profile is especially helpful in getting clues about their career path, and you'll know how to cater your questions. At first I thought it was odd to look at someone's LinkedIn profile before meeting, but researching a person demonstrates interest and reveals your preparation and work ethic. It's vital, just like any other interview, to make a great impression. According to Forbes it takes 7 seconds for a person to judge you, so make sure you're on your A game!

Brainstorm Questions

Feel free to ask questions about the person's career path, their interests, and even what did they did in college to discover which fields they liked and didn't like. Don't be afraid to ask tough questions. Asking critical questions about the person's workplace, their least favorite part of the job, and the biggest challenges shows that you are seriously interested in learning everything about the work environment. Not only does this reflect well on the type of job seeker you are, but also gives you vital insight that you can use to your advantage. However, be sure to keep your questions professional! Here is Quint Career's list of informational interview questions.

"Saying Thank You goes a long way!"
Source

After the Interview

You already know what I'm going to say. Follow-up!!! Send a short thank you note, and update the person on your career search from time to time. Let them know how valuable their suggestions and advice were to you in your career search and development. Not only is it practicing proper business etiquette but it also keeps you in contact with that person and their network. Keeping your network active and updated with your current search could help you when a job does open. Also, if you aren't already connected on LinkedIn, extend an invite after the interview! This will also serve to notify them about your career development as you update your profile.

Well, I hope that you are ready for a new spring semester at Tufts! Hopefully these tips will encourage you to conduct informational interviews to aid in your job and internship search. If you need advice about informational interviews and/or you would like to role play, feel free to  schedule an appointment with a career advisor. Let's bring in the New Year strong!

Carpe Diem,

Nicole Brooks

Class of 2016

Read More

Part 1: Which Career Are You?

It seems that whenever I introduce myself to family friends, relatives, or through networking, the following dialogue seems to consistently pop up:

Person: Nice to meet you, where do you go to school?
 Me: Tufts University, it’s right outside of Boston.
 Person: Oh, you go to Tufts? What is your major?
 Me: I’m a History major.
 Person: So, what do you want to do after graduation?
 Me: uhhhhh……. 

Don’t people realize how much of a loaded question this is - "what do you want to do after graduation?" Whether bringing it up in casual conversation or even in networking, it seems like a casual throw around question.  However, for many students like me it is a source of anxiety. I mean, what if you don’t know what you want to do yet? It seems like I've been asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?" since kindergarten. It was a pretty loaded question even then, though I didn't realize it. Is “I don’t know” an OK answer?

"Did my Mom tell you to ask me that?"
Source

In this post I want to dispel some of the myths surrounding career choice. Being clueless isn’t necessarily a negative, but it is important to take some time to reflect on your interests and strengths prior to entering the work force. You don’t have to choose now! It’s not a life or death question! But being prepared to assess your interests and exploring careers that match those interests are important steps in the career development process. Here are some ways that you can figure out the careers that will best fit with your personality.

Interests

Its not a secret that people who are interested in their job, excel in their roles. So, take some time to list your hobbies and interests and identify careers that tap those areas. Research people who have the same interests as you and figure out what career steps they took to get the job they're in today. Informational interviews are very valuable in this sense, as you can not only network but gain significant career advice tailored for you. So if you are attending a talk on campus, or know of someone in a position that you would like to learn about, feel free to reach out! The Tufts Career Advisory Network is made up of 9600 volunteers who love to talk about themselves and generally like to help students figure out a future path, so don’t be shy!

Personality assessment

Ok, so we all know about Buzzfeed right? Those lists and quizzes can be quite addicting and the source of many students' procrastination problems. I’m not going to lie, many of those quizzes have actually taught me a lot about myself. My personal favorites include: “What Does Your Handwriting Actually Say About You?" and “What Should Your College Major Actually Be?" And “What Career Should You Actually Have?" The legitimacy and studies behind these quizzes are irrelevant as far as I’m concerned because they are addicting and fun. However, if you are looking for an empirical measure of which career field/major your personality most aligns with go to the Career Center and tell an advisor that you want to take the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. It's the most widely used personality assessment in the world and helps match careers to your own personality. Aka, the "grown-up" Buzzfeed quiz.  A career advisor will interpret the findings for you. The MBTI is the subject of Paul Tieger’s book titled, “Do What You Are”, which stresses matching personality with work potential. Learning about yourself first, before you venture out into the work world is important and an advantage. Knowing your strengths, weaknesses and habits can help exemplify your personal brand in networking and interviewing. 

Internships

Internships are the traditional routs towards finding what types of jobs interest you. They also help you to assess what you like and don't like about careers. They can act as a further means of self assessment.  The Tufts Career Center has many resources available for those looking for internships. The main resources include Jumbo Jobs, Liberal Arts Career Network and Engin.  Furthermore, all internships don’t have to look like the traditional office job! For example prior to my summer internship with New York Life Insurance, I worked as a lifeguard/water instructor for two summers. Internships don’t have to be “intimidating.” If you find something you love to do, then do it! And the result will allow you to present your real passions in networking and interviewing. So whether it's working as a camp counselor, lifeguard, or at Dairy Queen, there is much to gain: career exploration, testing interests and personality in the work world, and gaining transferable skills.

"Before I was an intern I was a Lifeguard/Swim Instructor!"

Versatility of a Liberal Arts Major

According to Sean’s recent post, choosing a major can seem like you are narrowing your career choices. This is not true! A liberal arts education allows for a wide array of job opportunities. Just because you’re a science major, doesn’t mean that you can't be the next JK Rowling, or if you are an English major, you can't be the next Bill Nye. Majors don’t determine jobs!!! According to a New York Times article covering Mount Sinai's medical school, there is actually a medical program just for humanities majors. You don't even have to take hard sciences - isn't that amazing!  No Bio 13!  So hey, who knows, maybe I can be the next Christina Yang. Look out world. The choices are endless!

"Channel your inner Yang"
Source

Alright guys, so next week I'm going to write about my experience in taking the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and the results. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that I will be able to be a combination of Olivia Pope, Beyoncé, and Michelle Beadle when I grow up! I might be asking for a lot, but hey, the sky is the limit!

Carpe Diem,
Nicole Brooks
Class of 2016

Read More