The 5 Paths of Personal and Professional Success

On Friday, August 7th, my co-worker, Michele Roberts, and I attended a workshop by Dr. Zebulun Davenport, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Indiana University. His workshop was titled 5 Tools to Create Success In Your Personal and Professional Life.

In this workshop, Dr. Zebulun gave 5 tips that we could start using immediately to improve our lives:

1. Start your day with a positive attitude.

2. Set goals in your life and stay focused on those goals.

3. Take responsibility for your life and actions.

4) Take advantage of the here and now.

5) Laugh sometimes.

As Dr. Zebulun talked about his "5 Tools", he also gave extra important lessons to keep in mind. One of them was that life is too short to worry about what others think of us, what we are and what we do. It is important to grow in ways that are authentic to you. Also notable was when he defined FEAR as "false experiences appearing real."

I am glad I took the time to see this workshop. The messages in it were simple but still impactful, and an effective pick-me-up as we get very close to the start of the Fall semester.

Try to see how you can use these 5 tools in your life starting today. And, as Dr. Zebulun says, success is the journey not the destination.

Nayelli Perez

Assistant Director

The Read to Success: Summer Edition

Summertime is the time to take a breather, have a break from schoolwork (if you are not taking Summer classes), and hopefully go on some trips. It could also be a time when you take charge of your own learning and get knowledge on important things that you won’t learn in the classroom and could impact your life.

If you are looking for some impactful summer reading, here are 3 suggestions:

The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business – Josh Kaufman

Kaufman basically believes that getting an MBA is a hard expense to justify, which is an opinion I find debatable. However, this book covers various areas of business such as entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, finance, and working with others. This is a great read if you are debating whether you would like to get your MBA or are a non-business major interested in business.

StrengthsFinder 2.0 – Tom Rath

I am a huge fan of StrengthsFinder. This book contains an assessment you can take to see what your top strengths are. Knowing your strengths has many benefits that will help you figure out how to live your life according to your strengths and thrive in ways that are authentic to you. [Side Note: The Career Center is here to help if you want to discuss how you can use your top 5 Strengths in your future career and goals. You can make an appointment at Hofstra.edu/career or by calling 516-463-6060.]

The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level – Gay Hendricks

Hendricks’ book gives tips on how we could overcome our fears to eliminate the barriers that are holding us back from success in our life, relationships and career. 

     Nayelli Perez,

     Assistant Director

How to Prepare for a Career Center Appointment

A Career Center appointment is a great way to cover a variety of career preparation topics you need to know about: resumes, cover letters, how to find your ideal job/internship, figuring out which career you want to pursue, practice interviews, career resources, how to apply to positions, your thoughts on your career development, etc. However, you can save a lot of time and make the most out of your appointment by preparing for it.

Here, I quickly cover 5 things that you should try to bring to your Career Center Appointment, especially if it’s your first one ever:

Resume

Most of the information you will cover in your appointment will revolve around your resume. You can save time by having it already printed or on your tablet/laptop so that the career counselor can see your experience and also go over any additions or edits you can make to your resume.

Cover Letter

The reason you should bring your cover letter is similar to that of bringing your resume. Most job/internship applications require a cover letter. By reviewing yours with the career counselor, you can go over if you are on the right track as far as how you are writing the cover letter and if it relates to the positions you are applying to.

Bring a recent/most-edited version of your resume and cover letter

To save even more time, check out our Career Planning Handbook to get tips on how to do your resume and cover letter, so that you can make sure that you have the bases covered.

2 examples of jobs/internships you want to apply to

You can have the most well written resume and cover letter, but if they don’t relate at all to the positions you are applying to, they are not going to get you the job. By bringing some job/internship postings you are interested in (whether printed or on your tablet/laptop) you and the career counselor can see if your resume and cover letter are well edited AND if they match the positions you are interested in.

Pen and paper to take notes

You will get a lot of valuable information during your appointment; don’t forget to take notes on the helpful things you learn.

There’s the saying “Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” Make sure you do the preparation, and we at the Career Center will help you find the opportunities that fit you.

Nayelli Perez, Assistant Director

How to Turn a Great Impression into a Letter of Recommendation

When applying to graduate school, to certain experiential learning opportunities, or even to jobs, you may find that you need to submit letters of recommendation as part of your application. Thinking about this requirement as early as possible puts you in a great position to start making connections and ensuring that when the time comes, not only do your professors want to write a letter on your behalf, they'll know you enough to write a great letter!

This article shares some tips on how to get a great recommendation letter from your professors. The key is to form a good relationship with the professor that shows your interest and allows you to share your accomplishments with them even after the semester is over.

The sooner you start making a great impression on your professors and show them your dedication, the easier it will be when the time comes to ask for letters of recommendation. Want advice on how to start the conversation? Just ask us!

Nayelli Perez,

Assistant Director

Plug Into Your Career!

Are you interested in the tech industry or working for a start-up, but don’t know where to start?

Information Technology (IT) is a growing industry, but you don’t have to be an IT major to find your place in the field. Many tech companies need to fill up their positions fast, which may include areas such as marketing and administrative roles, according to The Wall Street Journal article “Forget the Stereotype: Profile of an IT Worker.”

Plug Into Your Career, taking place today, April 30, at 6pm, will feature panelists from various areas of the IT industry, including a public relations and management major. Find out how to enter this growing and profitable industry from professionals in the following companies:

CA Technologies

Wolters Kluwer

e-gifter

Wakefield Media

So join us tonight, Wednesday, April 30th, from 6:00pm – 8:00pm in the Multipurpose Room East of the Mack Student Center and Plug Into Your Career!

Nayelli Perez,
Assistant Director

How to be #RejectedWithPRIDE

When the career search goes wrong, and you don’t get that position you were setting your sights on, what do you do?

Every person has gone through rejection at least once; it happens to the best of us.

Here are tips on how to navigate through the “grieving process” stages and exit as a better than ever version of yourself:

1. Denial

This is the stage when you first hear the news of no job/internship offer, and you cannot believe it. You were so sure you were the perfect fit for this position. If you get a clear-cut no email, phone call, etc. from an employer, there’s no mistaking that it’s a “no.” Better hurry on to the next stage…

2. Anger

After you are beyond sure that you got rejected, the “anger gates” burst open. Suddenly, the employer, company and position were horrible anyway and you think the world has failed you.

But instead of letting the anger define you (or even worse, bad-mouthing the employer), use that energy to take some action steps forward.

• Ask the interviewer if there is anything you could have done differently in the interviewing process that could have changed the outcome.
• Do informational interviews with people in the industry you want to get into.
• Schedule a Mock Interview at The Career Center.

3. Bargaining

After the Anger stage of grieving, you may think you’re over the rejection but you probably are not. At this point, you’re not angry or even visibly sad, but you may be wondering “what if’s”, thinking of ways in which you can convince the company that you are right for the position anyway, or even reading your horoscope to see if the employer will give you a second chance.

Instead of wondering, be proactive for the next opportunity:

• Do some shadowing or interning at a similar company.
• Get a job where you can get related experience.
• Get advice on updating your resume at The Career Center.

4. Depression

When you realize that you were not over it, because you are obviously not at stage 5 yet, you may feel sadness again. This realization that there is in fact no job/internship can seem hard to overcome. You may think that things will never work out.

Remember, that appointments are available at The Career Center all year round to talk with a career counselor about your career development and struggles. For more focused counseling assistance, you can contact Student Counseling Services at 516-463-6791.

Over time, this feeling will pass and you will arrive at…

5. Acceptance
The last stage includes making peace with the fact that this position has come and went, and now it’s time to move forward.

• Continue applying to other positions; one day the right fit will happen if you do the prep necessary to get there.
• Networking is a valuable tool – make sure your LinkedIn profile is updated, attend events where you can learn more about your dream career and make connections.

Lastly, remember that when one door closes, another one is bound to open. We are here to help you each step of the way!

Nayelli Perez,
Assistant Director

The Top 10 Mistakes That Could Keep You Away from Financial Freedom After Graduation

With the summer approaching, lots of students are facing a new chapter in their lives that will probably involve more bills and the dreaded student loan repayments.

Being financially healthy is key to attaining a life balance.

Here are the top 10 mistakes that many young adults make, which keep them from becoming financially successful.

1. Not setting financial goals.
2. Staying financially illiterate.
3. Living together with your Significant Other without discussing finances.
4. Not negotiating for your first full-time salary.
5. Not working on paying off your debt (student loans and credit card).
6. Getting into debt: Not distinguishing between wants and needs.
7. Not budgeting.
8. Not investing.
9. Not knowing how to do a tax return.
10. Not taking care of your most important asset: You.

To learn about these mistakes and how to avoid them, check out the Women’s Leadership Conference this Friday (March 28) from 1 – 5pm at the Student Center. During the Conference, you can choose to attend the seminar: Women & Finance: The Top 10 Mistakes at 2pm.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Nayelli Perez, Assistant Director

Sustainability Careers Panel

This week, The Career Center and Alpha Kappa Psi (The Business Fraternity) held the first ever Sustainability Careers Panel at Hosftra University. With the new Sustainability Studies major being offered on campus and student organizations such as Students for a Greener Hofstra, “making green while being green” has never been more of a topic of interest. The panelists for this event spanned various industries, from automotive to political to consulting:

Sharon Young - Sustainability Analyst and Ralph Bianculli Jr. - VP of Emerald Brand

Mike Sexton – Manager, Sales & Marketing - Tesla Motors

Erin Thoresen – Senior Program Coordinator - Sustainable Long Island

Richard Parrish – President/CEO - Impact Environmental

Ali DeCarlo – Emerging Professionals Chairwoman - US Green Building Council Long Island Chapter

Francis Reid – Chief Sustainability Officer for Town of North Hempstead

John Rhyner – Director, Sustainable Energy Group - PW Grosser Consulting

The professionals shared advice on how to get started in a Sustainable career and the state of Sustainability itself. The event was a great success with a packed room and eager panelists. It was a great step in having the Sustainability Conversation continue at Hofstra, with even one attendee announcing that a club was going to be established that would focus on the mixture of sustainable and business pursuits.

Nayelli Perez, Assistant Director