Does Your Path Spark Joy?

Last week, Sabeen talked about how she changed her major multiple times only to end up on the path she felt was right for her. It all worked out for Sabeen and hopefully it will work out for me as well! 

As a recent Hofstra graduate (2017), I remember my senior year constantly feeling the stress when I hear of all of my peers going on job interviews and signing their contracts, and I had NO clue where to start. I was soon going to be holding my BBA in Marketing and had no idea what I wanted to do with it. I went on a bunch of interviews and nothing felt right. 
I ended up landing a position at a small, family-run project management firm in NYC as the Executive Assistant to the CEO. It ended up being the most amazing first job I could have dreamed of. I loved working for a small company because while my title was Executive Assistant, I was handling all of their marketing, which I was able to brag about on my resume. Eventually I got brought into the swing of project management and got promoted to assist with client projects. 

I still felt something was missing. I would work 9-5 and go home and ask myself "now what?". I tried to volunteer locally, looked for local part-time jobs, I needed to fill my extra time because that's how I am! A year after graduating I decided to apply for graduate school, do a complete u-turn in my career path, and got into the Higher Education Leadership & Policy Program here at Hofstra. 

SURPRISE! I want to work in student affairs because of what Hofstra gave me during my undergraduate years. Hofstra gave me joy and inspiration and being here doesn't feel like a 9-5 to me. So what I hope you get out of my story is that it is OKAY to change your path and it doesn't matter WHEN you decide to change your path! 

As Marie Kondo would say, do what sparks joy for you! 

Kari Schaefer
Graduate Marketing Assistant

Land a Job During Your Last Semester of College

Graduation caps will be thrown into the air in less than a month and you’ll be stepping into the working world. Maybe you’ve heard friends talking about how they’ve secured jobs and are wondering what you can do to step up your job search efforts. Don’t panic! It’s not too late to land a job before graduation. Check out some tips to land your job:

- Network – Stay in touch with people from your internships. These people know your work ethic, skills and accomplishments, and are good resources to open positions at the company as well as in the field. If you’re currently in an internship, exchange contact information with your supervisor and colleagues, and express your interest in securing a job. If your internship was during a previous semester, send that supervisor an email or call to let them know how much you enjoyed the internship, what you’ve learned, and how you hope to move forward with finding a job in the field. It’s ok to ask for help!

- Use LinkedIn – LinkedIn is the go-to social networking site for business professionals. For anyone looking for a job, having an updated profile is key to getting yourself connected. Think of your LinkedIn profile as a more elaborate version of your resume.

Start by telling your story in the Summary section. What type of skills do you have and why do those skills matter? How are those skills going to make a difference to the future people and company you work with? This is the first thing people read, so take time to put effort into telling your story and how it relates to your desired career path. 

Post a professional-looking profile picture. Dress as you would for a job interview and ask a friend to take a head-shot photo against a neutral background. No selfies! 

Fill out your profile completely with all internship, volunteer and job (summer, part-time, full-time, seasonal) experience. Include affiliations, campus involvement (clubs, activities, leadership roles), conferences attended, certificates and languages. 

Create a meaningful headline. Your headline does not need to be a job title. Instead, take the opportunity to tell the world a how you see your role and why you enjoy what you do. 

- Use the Career Center’s services – Hofstra’s Career Center is here to help! Make an appointment by calling 516-463-6060 or schedule online via The Career Hub, or come during Quick Questions (M-F 10am-11am, 2pm-4pm). The Career Center can help prepare you to tell your story on a job search (including interviewing, resume, cover letters, applications, and more).

Check out Handshake for more than 11,000 job postings and events such as informational sessions with employers, on-campus recruitment tabling and networking events.  Don’t give up—keep moving forward towards your dream job and know the Career Center is here to help.

Good luck!
Jennifer Fragleasso, External Relations Coordinator

Graduation is Around the Corner: Now What?

Recently, I was introduced to a student who was now entering a new phase in her life. She is about to graduate from college and is currently doing research on what she should do following graduation. Should she go to graduate school and attain a graduate assistantship? What university should she attend? Should she take a gap year and do post-bach work to enter medical school? Should she apply for a full-time job and take a break from school? The questions may seem endless, and that is okay!

I distinctly remember my journey of graduating college and experiencing what seemed like the highest anxiety of my life. The anxiety came to a point where I was no longer able to make a clear decision, but going back and forth between one option to the next. Much to my parents’ chagrin, I walked across that stage, gathered my diploma, and was still unsure on where I should go from there. The summer seemed daunting with no prospects, but I decided to hold off on my decision for a little bit longer.

Now here is the part where I tell you the secret to how I finally made a decision, and knew it was the right one for me. Unfortunately, there is no secret or magic tip. In reality, deciding a career path is hard! It seems uncertain, and how will you know you made the right decision? Well the truth is, you need to do some research. It is okay to realize you do not want a career in your major! There are plenty of ways to market yourself correctly for the path you want, and the Career Center is here for it! I would say what really helped me was reaching out to people and asking a million questions. Informational interviews are the best way to find out the ins and outs of any opportunity.

The key to your path is understanding your values. For example, if you value diversity and inclusion, make sure to ask the organization what policies they have about that. If you value flexible time or a casual work attire, then look for companies in which this is an option. And know that it is okay to feel as if you made the wrong decision. Take a deep breath, decide where you want to go next, and take the necessary steps to make the change happen.

And in case you are still feeling suspense as to what I ended up deciding on, I decided to work the summer at a bank. I then decided that Fall to obtain my Master of Education in School Counseling from Hofstra and take a position as a Career Fellow. I have since then switched from School Counseling to the Mental Health Counseling program, and am now a current Graduate Assistant for the Career Development team. Not everything turns out the way we anticipated but that is what makes life exciting!

Kristi Riecker

Graduate Assistant, Career Development Team

Is it Too Late to Find a Summer Internship?

As the last career fair creeps up on April 19th, The Health, Education and Social Service Fair, I have a lot of students asking if it is too late to find internships for this summer. Not to be bearer of bad news, but yes, there are some companies whose applications for summer internships have closed. However, others are still accepting resumes and cover letters, so be attentive and open to opportunities. There are organizations and companies out there you can apply to for internships that you would have never thought of. Reaching out to your network is key if you are internship hunting; ask yourself, who in your network works in the industry and/or knows someone that does. Leverage who you know and the resources Hofstra provides!

NONETHELESS- if you cannot find an internship you can still be creative in finding experiential education for the summer.

You may be asking "What is Experiential Education?"

Experiential Education is the process in which you get hands-on experience that parallels what you are learning in the classroom with the real world. There are various ways of gaining experience that is more than the traditional internship we all seek in our fields.

• Service-Learning: This is when you perform community service that tackles an issue or need of the society with a learning objective embedded into it. Examples are education inequality in certain neighborhoods, hunger, poverty, climate change, pollution, etc...
• Simulation or Role Plays: This is the process of acting out real life functions or jobs. The most common version of this is Model UN, when students get together and learn about diplomacy, international relations, and other parts of the United Nations functions. There are similar ones for law, with mock trails, and mock therapy for mental illness with students training in those fields.
• Student Teaching, Teacher’s Aide, or Tutoring: Supporting others by taking subjects directly related to your major and interest areas not only increases your knowledge base but adds to your skills of leadership and communication.
• Study Abroad: Regardless of your major, studying abroad brings a lot of value and perspective to your outlook on the world. You have the ability to experience a new culture and a different way of life. Having a global perspective also aids in flexibility in interactions with others and makes you marketable to employers.
•  Undergraduate Research: Every discipline has research somehow involved into the curriculum. A lot of professors are or were involved in some form of research or know others who are. Connecting with your professors who share research interest and working with them aids in getting experience with research side of your field.
• Volunteering: Finding an organization, non-profit, cause, fundraiser to work with means you are contributing to improving or changing an issue while gaining soft skills. Volunteering can be in all forms i.e. fundraisers, community organizations, schools, nonprofits, hospitals, etc…
• Shadowing: This can be a very immersive way to gain experience and learn if you missed out on obtaining other opportunities. Shadowing someone doing the job you want is a great way of observing firsthand what goes on day to day. Shadowing can be more local, finding a healthcare provider in your community, or accountant with a private practice and spending time with them while they are working.

LAST- if nothing else in your field works, working over the summer can not only help with making money, but can teach you transferable soft skills that come in handy in any discipline. Whether it is a camp counselor position, retail, or something else, it ensures you can have a productive summer while still relaxing and taking in the sun.

Sabeen Sheikh, MHC
Career Advisor | Hofstra Career Center

Finding your First Gen Career Zen

Six years ago, I was staring at my computer, ridden with fear. In front of me was the Common App, but behind me there was no one. No one who could help guide me through the process of applying to college. I was the first in my family to even consider incorporating college into my long-term plan. Although I knew I had incredible amounts of support from both my parents and the rest of my relatives, I knew I had the burden of figuring out how to get where I wanted to be all on my own. Knowing that, combined with the high expectations that my family had for me, the pressure was on. 

My freshmen year at Hofstra was definitely a culture shock. Being on a college campus seemed like being on another planet, filled with aliens that were accustomed to life on Mars. Although my new normal was nothing shy of exciting, there was a slight feeling of insecurity, as if I did not belong here. I kept this feeling to myself, both because I did not want to hurt my parents’ feelings and I knew they could not relate. 

 Looking back, I was lucky enough to find my niche at Hofstra, specifically in career services. I started working in the Career Center as an undergraduate assistant and opted to make a career out of it. Although I attribute my success to both my Hofstra journey and my support system, there are some things that I would’ve done differently. I can now clearly see the advantages that I have in the workforce as a first-generation student. I had to go the extra mile to get where I want to be, which goes hand-in-hand with the work ethic that I learned as the daughter of parents who had to compensate for their lack of degrees. The transferable skills that I have acquired as a result of my upbringing will carry me through all future endeavors. I encourage all first-generation students to approach their college experience with this attitude and find ways to connect with other first-generation students that share your thoughts and feelings. This is an aspect of myself that I am more than proud of and you should be too!

Best.

Sabrina Iaria

Graduate Assistant of External Relations