Last Friday, the Career Center held its annual Sophomore
Career Seminar, a 3-part lecture series that targets, as you might have guessed
by the title, sophomore students. As I mentioned in my introductory post,
sophomore year is a critical time for Tufts students – between choosing a
major, keeping up with classes, trying to avoid the infamous sophomore slump,
and attempting to relax once in a while, it can be hard to pay attention to
career development. But, one of the main themes throughout the seminar was that
it is never too early to start the planning process. Through workshops in self-assessment,
resumes and cover letters, and internships and networking, the Sophomore Career
Seminar helped the dozens of sophomores that actually got up on a Friday
morning for a reason other than class (wait, what?) to put this whole “career”
thing into perspective. Here’s a quick run-down of the day:
Self-Assessment
The first hour of the seminar, led by Nicole Anderson, was
dedicated to self-assessment and its applications to choosing a major and
exploring possible careers. Most of the sophomores in the room raised their
hands when Nicole asked if anyone had declared yet, but a good portion
of us (yes, I include myself) still had yet to do so. Nicole showed us the many
resources that the Career Center offers for students who are unsure of their
major or career path. These resources, many of which are based in psychology, analyze your personality traits and provide lists of
careers in which people similar to you have reported job satisfaction. (Check
out Nicole [Brooks]’s recent post for more details on self-assessment!) The most
important piece of advice that Nicole gave, I thought, was the importance of reflection
and discussion after receiving the results of these assessments. Whether it’s a
career counselor, friend, parent, or alum, talking to
people can give you a lot
of information. It’s also important to process the
results and give them ample consideration. In many cases, these tests will
reaffirm things you already knew about yourself, but some results may surprise you.
After completing a section of Focus 2, a Career Center self-assessment
tool, some of the results I received included clinical psychologist, aerospace
engineer, and attorney. Although I’ve never really considered any of these
careers, I’m going to think about what connects them, and how they match my
personality. I might discover an entirely new career that’s perfect for me!
Resumes and Cover Letters
The next section focused on resume building and cover
letters. Led by Chris DiFronzo, a well-hydrated career counselor with
experience as a hiring manager, I found this portion of the seminar to be the most
informative, mainly because I never knew how much thought can really go into a
resume. Chris elaborated on resume/CV do’s and don’t’s that I never would have even considered, but have dramatic effects on the fate of your application. These do's and don't's included:
· -Think results, not responsibilities. Chris
encouraged quantification of job descriptions. It’s great that you answered
phones at your job as an assistant in the Career Center, but how does an
employer know if you answered the phone 4 times a day or 40 times an hour? It’s
much more descriptive and impressive to say “handled 400 customer inquiries”.
· -Ask yourself, “So what?” after each bullet you
write. It’s important to keep relevant information on your resume that
highlights your skills and leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Cut out
unnecessary information to make room for more tantalizing details!
· -
Don’t be too generic. This is a major piece of
feedback the Career Center receives from employers when it comes to writing
cover letters. Giving specific examples that prove your abilities instead of
simply listing your characteristics will go a long way. Keep this in mind the
next time you’re struggling with the scary idea of a cover letter.
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| Chris gave the example of "went to Antarctica to save the penguins" as clearly demonstrating your determination and devotion to purpose, which is much more effective that simply saying that you're "determined and devoted". |
Internships and Networking
The last part of the seminar was all about internships and
networking, possibly two of the scariest words ever for young college students. Networking? Talking to adults? Being a functional human
being? Who would ever want to do any of that when Netflix exists? But, as Jim
McCarthy, the director of this workshop, explained, the more effort you put
into an internship search, the higher payoff you’ll get. You’ll find far more
meaningful results if you try to network with alumni, family friends, or other
professionals than if you simply Google the word “internship”. If you’re
utterly lost and confused, the Career Center website is, as always, a great
place to start. Resources like Jumbo Jobs, LACN, and the Tufts Alumni Network
are invaluable resources in finding internship listings and networking with
alumni. Another
important point in the presentation was staying organized – don’t let
application deadlines sneak up on you, and don’t let opportunities pass you by.
Most of all, don’t lose track of where you’ve applied and accept an internship, only to have an even better offer come along.
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| They'll be there for youuu.... (If you don't know by now, I'm a huge Friends fan.) |
Although this is the “1000 words or less” version of the
day, the Sophomore Career Seminar was, as you can see, a hugely informative
experience. If nothing else, it definitely got me thinking about my plans for
next semester, the summer, and my life after I leave the hill. If you’re a
current freshman, be sure to check out the seminar next year. Or, if you’re an
upperclassman and you already missed the seminar, don’t fret – the Career
Center is ALWAYS there for you!
Until next time,
Sean Boyden
Class of 2017
