Help, liberal arts majors don't have any hard skills!
My sophomore year, I knew that I had things to offer, but I didn't really know what I wanted as a career. I knew I should be getting internships, but I didn't know what I was looking for, and that really freaked me out.
And it made me really nervous that my resume said things like "critical thinking" and "analysis" that can't be measured or proven and may be perceived as "fluffy." How is anyone supposed to hire me just because I say I know how to think critically? I also had my parents' voices echoing in my head telling me that sociology "isn't a practical major." But you know what, lots of people major in the liberal arts in college and still get jobs. So how are they doing it?
Here's the good news: Soft skills are real skills that employers want, and they're broad enough that you can use them anywhere. But that begs the question, where exactly should you look for jobs?
This blog post will cover:
- What liberal arts majors have to offer
- Who's a good fit for the standard business departments in any company
- How to stand out and get a job
In February, I attended an all-day Business Boot Camp for liberal arts majors hosted by Hubspot, a Boston company that makes a software platform for inbound marketing. They started this boot camp because tech companies actually need the skills offered by liberal arts majors, but liberal arts majors don’t often know where they fit in a tech company. There are a lot of generic business positions you could be qualified for, but do you know what all the different departments of a business actually do and which one is best for you?
For this blog post, I’ve selected the parts of my notes with broad applicability across businesses, but if you want to know more about Hubspot specifically feel free to email me for those notes. The rest of the presentation included things like an intro to the Software as a Service business model (SaaS) and Inbound Marketing. You can sign up to get notified when next fall's Boot Camp applications open.
What do liberal arts majors have to offer?
Michael Redbord is a Tufts grad who majored in international relations and philosophy, now working in Support at Hubspot. He gave this breakdown of how a liberal arts education can be your launching pad:
What do you have that hiring managers actually care about?
- You can ask "Why?" (critical approach)
- You can communicate clearly and within context.
- You can use frameworks to learn new skills faster.
- You work well alone, in pairs, and with groups (flexible working style)
- You know how to spin things ("sales and consulting skills")
Okay, but these skill sets are really broad. So...
Where do I fit in business?
Operations
Operations is exactly the kind of vague business title that Boot Camp helped me appreciate. The way that I understand it, Operations is like internal consulting - you’re constantly analyzing the company’s processes from the inside, making sure that the machine works effectively and trying to improve it. Operations is one of those quiet backbones that nobody really notices as long as it’s functioning well - but when it’s not working, you suddenly realize just how crucial it is. When Operations does its job well, your business operates very smoothly and efficiently, which allows the company to pivot quickly and get first mover advantage.
As an example of the kind of projects Operations works on, the Operations presenter (Liz) told us about the Hubspot wiki - a giant collection of all knowledge in the company. Operations analyzes the wiki’s performance by asking questions like “Who looks at the wiki? How do they navigate the space? If people aren’t engaging with it, why not?” Or, a more generic example of a problem Operations looks at is “How do we source candidates most effectively?” That includes looking at things like the rate of hire for candidates sourced from online portals vs. recommendations from current employees.
Am I a good fit for Operations?
Liz characterizes working in Operations as kind of a hybrid job.
- Scientist: You like research and analysis - breaking down problems and measuring change.
- Politician: You can’t just say “my way is better” and steamroll your agenda through. People are already accustomed to their way of doing things, and they don’t enjoy being told that their process is flawed. You have to persuade and cajole people into doing things differently.
- Inventor: You’re creative and you enjoy problem solving, like figuring out how to measure things that aren’t easily measured.
Sales & Services
There’s a common misconception that being a good salesman is all about making a convincing pitch. But there’s a lot more to it than just presentation. The presenter, Mark, argues that it’s about building trust and understanding the prospective client’s problem.
Different people want different things - so don’t just pitch your product to them without learning any context first.
Instead, you start by asking questions about the prospect’s situation - their problems, their goals, what they want from this kind of product. Build trust and focus on helping the prospect, not talking about how great your product is. Once you understand what they need, then talk about how your product solves that problem, using the same language that the prospect uses.
Working in sales teaches you a skill that you’ll use for the rest of your life and could apply across many industries and positions: 83% of Fortune 500 CEOs came up through sales.
You’re a good fit for Sales if:
- you like working with people
- you like the chase and the satisfaction of closing a deal
- performance-based pay according to your output sounds exciting, not stressful
What employers look for when hiring for Sales:
Mark says that if you don’t have any prior experience in sales or retail, he looks for coachability and a record of excellence in whatever you’ve done. For example, one of their salespeople is a former Olympic athlete - and from that, you can tell that he’s really driven and willing to work hard to improve. Obviously they don’t expect everyone to have Olympian-level credentials, but you get the point, right?
Sales might not be right for you if:
- A quota hanging overhead and the possibility of being demoted due to poor performance would stress you out
- Constant rejection gets you down (the majority of people you pitch to will say no)
Services is comprised of Consultants (who work with customers for 4-6 months at the beginning of their time with HubSpot) and Account Managers (who are responsible for revenue among the customer base). Together with Support and a few other teams, that's the bulk of the Services team.The primary difference between Sales and Services is that Services people work with customers to make them successful and keep them as customers, and Sales aims to acquire new customers by working with non-customers (prospects) and explaining the value of what we sell.
You might be a better fit for Services if:
- you’d like getting close to the product, learning all the ins and outs
- you want to build relationships working with people, without the stress of sales
- you find it gratifying (not frustrating) to help people with their problems
Marketing
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86% of people skip TV ads, 91% unsubscribe from email, 44% of direct mail is never opened, 200M(illion) on the Do Not Call list.
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Every company divides up marketing differently, so the names and responsibilities will differ by company. I lunched with an employee from the marketing side who provided a breakdown about how the department is organized at Hubspot and who’s a good fit for each department.
Brand & Buzz:
- it’s all about Hubspot’s own brand
- this is what people generally think of when someone says “marketing” - public relations, graphic design, events
- good fit if you have that creative flair
Product marketing:
- it’s all about the product itself - market research
- product launch
intersects with engineering: translates tech functions into everyday language
- good fit if you like writing, technology, and storytelling
Funnel:
- it’s all about getting leads and converting them to customers
- lead generation, conversion, landing pages
- intersects with sales
- good fit if you like analytics and problem solving
Content production:
- it’s all about how to market (in general)
- blog, ebooks, webinars, videos, etc. on marketing
- good fit if you like writing and learning about marketing
Support
Support is one department where you probably already know what they do. The presenter, Michael, says that typically Support people are more technical and more problem-solving focused, as opposed to consultative or revenue focused. As part of the Support team, you:
- solve customer problems
- empower customers and employees to do more
- create the best SaaS (Software as a Service) customer experience
What he looks for when hiring for Support:
- Initiative - you got it or you don’t
- Customer mindset - empathy and/or retail experience
- Technical knowledge/capacity - experience (or Code Academy + a blog)
- Culture fit - you got it or you don’t
Okay, I think I know where to aim. How do I get hired?
Michael Redbord, the presenter on Support, has an entire blog post on how to get a first job as a liberal arts graduate. Everything below is excerpted from his blog post, sometimes paraphrased/reordered for brevity.
GPAs and credentials are mostly uninteresting outside of academia, finance, and consulting unless they're truly, remarkably exceptional. It's experience that sets candidates who get jobs apart from those that don't. It has everything to do with hiring managers who are willing to take calculated risks and read through the lines on a resume to understand the narrative of a person's life.
Here are some examples of hypothetical applicants who have done something that shows potential:
- A Cum Laude Psychology major who also has a totally tricked out blog on their cat? They probably picked up some HTML/CSS along the way to make that blog and can learn new tech skills quickly.
- A captain of a field hockey team who did Teach for America on math? That's a good promise of a future leader with ability to learn smoothly and work with all sorts of clients and situations.
- A current Apple Store employee who also does some video editing for walking around money? That's a self-motivated learner who understands technology and can work with people.
Everyone can look like they have potential, but not everyone can take action to show their potential. Remember when I was worried because "How is anyone supposed to hire me just because I say I know how to think critically?" Well the answer is, they won't. The mantra you need is: Show, don't tell.
Mike says: "Personally, I interview about a dozen entry-level candidates a week, and no more than 25% have taken that mantra from their successful term papers and turned 'potential' into action. Businesses care about action. Find that one extra step that 75% of your peers aren't doing, and do it."
(If you still feel not quite ready, check out Mike's full post. It includes things like "The 9 Steps to show your potential + skill, and get an outstanding entry-level job.")
