Hit a Home Run in your Job and Internship Search

Last night, the San Francisco Giants won the World Series in 7 games, in a great ending to an exciting postseason. In baseball, like all professional sports, each season comes with many ups and downs. It got me thinking about how these ups and downs of the season can resemble our searches for internships or full-time positions!

Training pays off!
When our favorite teams come back to the game for Spring Training, it’s easy to pin-point who has (and hasn’t) spent their off-season staying in shape. The same holds true for your job search process; even if you’ve already secured an internship for the coming semester or a job for after you graduate, use that time to update your resume and cover letter or brush up on your interviewing skills to be in tip-top shape so you can hit the ground running for your  next search!

In a slump? Don’t worry!
Players very often find that at some point in the season, they don’t hit or field as well as they had at the beginning of the season. You may hit similar slumps in your search process, but keep going! One day, you may wake up to find that all of a sudden, you’ve hit your stride again and are out of the slump!

Finish strong!
Just as a postseason series might go all 7 games (as we just saw last night!), you may have to go through multiple interviews with a company for a job or internship position. Keep your energy up through each of these interactions, and make sure you show your enthusiasm!

There are 162 games in each baseball season, and no team wins every single game. Similarly, you may not get called back for an interview for every position for which you’ve sent in a resume. But by being prepared, showing up, and giving your all to each and every opportunity, you set yourself up for success!

After all… it’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game!

Good luck!

Amy Smith, Assistant Director

Tips to Finding Your True Path!

This past weekend, I chaperoned an Explore Next Door Trip as part of Move-In Weekend.  Before boarding the bus I asked the 20 first-year students in attendance to introduce themselves to one another and share their majors.  Out of the 20, only one stated that they were undecided.  Boy, was I was surprised that there was only one undecided student! 

Many would think that this was terrific.  In other words, how wonderful it is to have such focused students who know exactly what they want to study!  But wait, maybe it was wrong of me to ask the question the way I did.  Should I have asked them to share their career interests?  Or what their plans are for after graduation?  Or how confident are they that they chose the right major?  I assume these questions may have produced different results. 

Many students entering college choose majors based on:

• What their parents or families want
• What careers are “popular” especially those they see in the media
• What subjects they were good at during high school
• What their college roommate or friends are studying
• What seems “practical” 

Another thought I had was just because a student may be interested in studying a topic does not indicate that this topic has to be their major.  Or just because a student chooses a certain major, it may not indicate what they want to do after graduation.

So, now that I have rambled on a bit, where does this lead us? Exploration!  As a first year student there is so much to experience.  Perhaps, we as a society unintentionally put way too much pressure on first year students to have a major on their first day of college.  Do not let others or the media drive your choice of major.  Remember, there is no rush to declare a major right away.  Here are some exploration tips during your first year.

1. Take a variety of classes and ask questions.
2. Read course descriptions and determine which classes sound interesting.  Is there a pattern?
3. Attend campus lectures and special events.  Listen and learn!
4. Join a club of interest and maybe one just to have fun and meet new people.
5. All faculty members need to take part in research.  Find out what your faculty members are researching and ask them some questions about the topic.
6. Come to The Career Center, talk with one of our friendly counselors and take an assessment.  We can help you identify how your skills, interests, and values lead to certain careers and majors!
7. Make use of online career exploration resources like “What Can I Do With This Major?” to get listings of majors and typical careers.
8. Use sites like the Occupational Outlook Handbook, ONet or Vault.com (located under MyApps on the Portal) to explore careers and related majors.
9. Talk to family and friends.  These are the people who know you best!
10.  Meet with an Academic Advisor to review the requirements for majors and clarify which majors are not only of interest to you but that you believe you will excel in.  

Suzanne Dagger, Director of Career Services

Starting Your School Year Off Fresh…

Hello, I hope you are all enjoying your first week of classes! My name is Anne and I’m going to be the Career Center Graduate Assistant. I am brand new to Hofstra University and am starting as a first year Mental Health Counseling student. I recently graduated from SUNY New Paltz, but I am excited to get to know Hofstra and all the students through the Career Center!

As an undergrad, I majored in Psychology. I knew that was the major for me, but not everyone has an easy time figuring out what major works best for him or her. A great resource to explore majors and careers is What Can I Do With This Major? There, you can do research of what majors connect to which careers, the locations you could work at, and even school-strategies to meet those goals. This can help make picking a major easier and put you on the path you love!

But remember, the Career Center is always available to support you with career counseling, so call, drop in, or even schedule an appointment online through our website or stop by quick question hours Monday-Friday from 10-11 AM and 2-4 PM everyday!

Anne Concepcion, Graduate Assistant