Making the Most of Winter Break: A Junior Perspective

This is it, people.

Winter break is days away.

I don't know about you, but I've been waiting a long time for this break. While part of me thinks the semester has flown by, so much has happened in such a short time, including here at the Career Center. From events like the Fall Career Fair, Junior Kickstart, and Senior Launch, to the rolling out of the Career Fellows program (make an appointment with us now!), and with countless info sessions, workshops, and panels along the way, I would say that the Career Center is just as ready for a break as I am. (However, the Career Center never really "breaks" - they don't stop working for students after we leave campus. You can even make a Skype/phone appointment with a Career Advisor over the break!)

While plenty of time in the coming weeks will (and should) be spent relaxing, you might get bored after doing nothing but watching every season of Friends, How I Met Your Mother, and Parks and Rec over break (confession: I did this over my last break. I'm not proud. Except I kind of am). A bunch of high-achieving Tufts nerds like us need some good intellectual stimulation once in a while. It's like food for us - if we go too long without it, we get cranky and lash out at our mothers (confession: I did this over my last break too. Again, not proud). So, before you begin your third straight week of sitting on your couch this January, consider being productive. Like the Career Center always says, winter break is the perfect time to focus on your career development. Here are a few things you can do over winter break that involve minimal effort and can put you in great shape to start the next semester off right:

I know the feeling.

Explore summer internship opportunities. Remember all those perfect internships you found on your study breaks this semester? Now is the time to learn more about them, augment your list of positions, and start filling out some applications. Speaking from experience, getting a jump now while you have a (temporary) respite from schoolwork will be hugely beneficial for you in the long-term. Be sure to set aside a good amount of time for your internship search - you'll thank yourself later.

Network in your hometown. Planning to head back home after graduation? Now is the time to explore career opportunities in your area. Whether it's contacting someone you already know, or reaching out to local professionals you don't know yet, networking is a great way to make the most of winter break. Even if you're not planning to move back home after Tufts, it can never hurt to grab coffee with someone working your dream job to learn about their story and the advice they can pass on to you. (Hint: LinkedIn is a great way to connect with professionals all over the country who want to help you succeed. Learn how to join here.)

Shadow a professional in your field of interest. If your networking travels lead you to someone particularly interesting or helpful, you may want to ask to shadow them. Short-term experiences like shadowing are a great way to get hands-on experience with a career. Even if it's only for a few days, these experiences can give you a snapshot of what a typical day or week is like for a particular profession. How do I know this? I shadowed several veterinarians two summers ago, some for several weeks and some for only a day. Regardless of the length, each and every shadowing experience I had really informed me (in really different ways) about what it means to be a veterinarian.

Attend a networking night or other career development event. Like I said, the Career Center never stops working for students. This January, there will be Tufts Alumni Career Networking Nights in both Washington, DC and New York City. For students in these areas, this is a great time to meet Tufts alumni in person (not just on LinkedIn) and learn about their careers and paths to them. If you're headed for somewhere near DC or NYC this break, check these events out! See the Career Center Events Calendar for details.

Plan a timeline for the spring. If you're still desperate for some productivity over the break, consider planning out the next few months of your life (an unknown phenomenon to me, since I barely can plan for the next week). Set a few big dates, like when you want to have all your internship applications completed and sent in and when you want to have secured an internship. You could even take a look at your class schedule and build in a weekly hour or two for personal career development time. Weekly time to work on your internship/job search, update your resume, and research careers of interest will make the entire process a lot less overwhelming than trying to cram everything into a weekend or two.



I know I've used this quote before, but it just speaks to me.

Thanks for sticking it out this far into my post, especially after I suggested preposterous notions like doing things over winter break! As I said before, winter break is of course a time to unwind and do nothing. But doing something will not only keep your mind from turning into mush before school starts again. It will get you ready to rock the upcoming semester and secure that perfect internship you've always wanted. Stay organized, stay safe, and have fun!

Until next time,
Sean Boyden
Class of 2017

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What NOT To Do During An Interview

It’s that time of year when students apply for internships, recent graduates look for their first jobs and others make moves to take the next steps in their careers. While a great resume and cover letter can help get you in the door, once you’re in, giving a good interview is vital to securing a job offer. Interviewers not only want to know if you can do the job, but they also want to know what else you bring to the table… they want to know your real value and potential contributions (based on skills and experience). They also want to get a sense of your personality and what type of person you are, and determine if you’d be a good fit for their department/organization/corporate culture.

Even if you do everything right leading up to an interview, when it comes to game time - the actual interview - there are things you can do that will effectively shoot yourself in the foot, negatively affect the interview and potentially take you out the consideration set for the position you’re seeking. These things are completely avoidable!

Here are 10 key things you should avoid to ensure that you have a strong interview.

DON’T:

• … go into an interview without researching the company/industry and if possible, identifying competitors - it shows that you’re prepared and interested. And the information you find might also be helpful during the interview (e.g. you might want to know that the organization just announced a merger or just made a major strategic announcement and you can ask how it would affect the position or the department).
• … just glance at the job description because you think you’re a shoo-in. Read it thoroughly and try to understand specifically what the organization is looking for so you can prepare questions in advance about the position (and questions are always seen in a positive light by interviewers!).
• … be stiff, unenthusiastic or appear disinterested… even if you realize that the job is not right for you because then you leave the interviewer with a negative impression and you never know if they can be helpful in the future. But, on the flip side, avoid being overeager or artificially enthusiastic (interviewers can see through that).
• … forget to practice your answers to the following: why are you a good fit for the position? why do you want to work here? what are your strengths/weaknesses? tell me about yourself… these are not the best or most insightful interview questions, but they are frequently asked by interviewers.
• … wait until the last minute to decide what to wear and then find out your blouse is quite wrinkled or there is a spot on your tie. Plan your outfit the night before - there’s no need to create unnecessary stress as you’re preparing for an interview especially because you’ll likely be a little nervous/stressed already.
• … decide before you leave the house to look up directions to the interview. If you don’t leave enough time to plan your route, you can potentially be late to the interview (a golden no-no) by getting lost or realizing that it will take twice as long than anticipated to get there.
• … arrive too early for an interview. If you’re more than 15 minutes early, you risk annoying the interviewer because he/she might be in the middle of something, but now feels rushed because he/she knows you’re there waiting.
• … wear bangle or jingly bracelets or strong perfume/cologne – these can instantly annoy an interviewer and cause an unnecessary negative impression.
• … keep your phone in eyesight AT ALL (even if the ringer is on silent). It’s a distraction and gives the impression that there’s something more important to you than the interview (and it can also be seen as rude behavior, even though looking at your phone while talking to someone is “normal” in your daily life). In addition, an interviewer can easily tell if you’re glancing at your phone, even if you think you’re being very subtle.
• … forget to ask about follow up -  what is the timeframe for a decision, with whom should you follow up etc.

Alyssa Gelbard

J’92

President, Resume Strategists

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Alumni Spotlight: Steven Wolfe Pereira, EVP of MediaVest

By Angela Sun

This week, we meet Tufts alumnus and Media superstar, Steven Wolfe Pereira. Mr. Wolfe is the Executive Vice President of MediaVest and Managing Director of MediaVest Multicultural (MV42º). MediaVest, under Starcom Media Group, is a leading full-service media specialist agency. Mr. Wolfe studied International Relations and Economics at Tufts University, and has had extensive experiences across five different industries throughout his professional career.

 

Why did you choose to pursue a career in Media? 

I have worked in a variety of sectors ranging from Investment Banking to Technology. But the Media industry is particularly exciting because it is at the intersection of my passions for media, technology, and business. What my company does is analogous to what an investment bank does, except it is in the media business. A creative agency develops the advertisement, and then we invest the dollars for our clients in their media strategy, planning, and buying. For example, we decide what gets put on TV and what gets put on online. For me this isn't work, this is fun. I get to talk to all kinds of people, from leaders at technology companies to content producers in Hollywood. My company gets to do things that have never been done before. We recently did a mobile news feed takeover on Facebook for Walmart, and it was picked up by the WSJ. There is so much innovation in this industry. It is important for me to continue to stay inspired ('Be Inspired' is the title of Mr. Wolfe's blog, which can be accessed here). 

 
How did you secure your current position?

Well at one point, I didn't even know that the business existed! But the people you go to school with and the people you meet in the professional world are invaluable to your career path. I started in Investment Banking, then moved on to Technology. Through my experience in Technology, I met a contact who I then partnered with to start a hedge fund doing Asset Management. A contact I met through Banking then recruited me to work at the Media Agency. The common thread of my career development has been the power of relationships.

What is one of your proudest achievements?

There's something very 'club-like' about media. It's all about who you know, and can be very tough to break into. Media and advertising is a great career path, so I wanted to improve accessibility for the multicultural community in particular. Since I am a big believer in paying it forward, in 2011, I created the first annual Multicultural Media Talent Pipeline to provide multicultural students and graduates with the opportunity to come to New York during Advertising Week and meet with industry leaders and executives. In organizing this event, we also did a service for the benefit of our clients. We represent Walmart, Coca Cola, P&G, Kraft, Heineken, Honda, and more. We and our clients recognize that there is a real need for more multicultural talent in industry, because there is so much untapped potential in multicultural advertising!

 

How has your experience at Tufts contributed to your career?

Being part of the Tufts Alumni Network is great because the Tufts alumni are particularly open to talking to other alumni in the business world. My education at Tufts has also served me well. Though it may not have been immediately apparent, in the long run, my major in International Relations actually gave me a diverse set of skills that have been useful throughout my career. I enjoyed the training I received from studying the building blocks of International Relations, Anthropology, and so on. 

What has been your formula for success?

I started off as simply a member in the work force, but now I also oversee hiring. The critical factor to success is having the right DNA. I will take someone that is wiling to work hard that has a great attitude, someone who is willing to be the first one in and the last one out. To qualify, you don’t have to have all the skills, but you have to have all the smarts. Smarts are the entry ticket. If you go to Tufts, then you already have the smarts. So then what you need is to gain the right skills, have the right attitude, and be an active problem solver. I would take someone who can identify all the right challenges and get the job done over someone with a 4.0 GPA any day. 

What advice would you give to students on the job hunt?

Whatever industry you are going to be in, it is key that you read all the publications of that industry. So for advertising and media, that would include Digiday, Adage, Mashable, Adweek, the WSJ, the biz section of the NYT, and so on. You need to understand what people in your industry are talking about, and you will need to continue to be a student--even after you graduate! 

I would advise anyone who is interested in media, marketing, technology, entertainment, and finance to feel free to reach out to me at Steven.wolfepereira@mediavestww.com. There is a large responsibility for alumni to give back. So do your homework, and connect the dots. Just off the top of my head, I remember that there is an alum who is at Facebook and killing it. The former chairman of NBC is also an alum. So reach out to alumni in the Tufts Alumni Network Database, and make sure you have a clear understanding of how your online presence across your social media channels look before you reach out to alumni.

Once you're in the work force,  you will have to roll up your sleeves. It's hard to roll up the ranks, and even harder to change industries. But you can't be afraid of failure. Every time I went into a new industry, it was a challenge. I had to pick up all the new metrics, and for sure there was a learning curve. But there is nothing to fear because even failure is valuable as it teaches you what you like and what you don't like. Keep going on a journey of discovering and building your personal brand--ask yourself, what do you stand for?

 

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