A Thanksgiving Day Plan

It has been a long semester. We all need this four-day weekend to relax and spend time with family and friends eating and shopping!  However, I have a few specific ideas for Thanksgiving Day.

1. Get up before 9am, have a nice breakfast and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Make sure to relax and lay on that couch!

2. Help your family prepare some food for your Thanksgiving meal.

3. Think about who will be attending your Thanksgiving Dinner.  Who do they work for? What jobs do they hold or held in the past?  Even if these jobs and career paths are not related to what you want, these people may have some professional insight to share with you, or may know other people who can help you.

4. Create a mental list of questions you may want to ask these people about their jobs and career paths. Remember, these are probably family members or friends. They want to help you. 

-What do you like about your job?

-What are challenges?

-How did you get your job?

-What skills are important for this work?

-What would you recommend I do while I am in college to prepare for my career?

-Can you recommend anyone I could speak to about my career field of interest?

5. Sit down for your dinner; enjoy the food, the conversation, and start asking questions! It is important to ask others for insight and help because 85% of jobs are found through the people we know!

And do not forget to follow up on any insight you learn, contacts or assistance that might be offered, and resources that might be provided! 

Suzanne Dagger, Director of
Career Development and Assessment

Networking Connections

Last night, I met with students in the GOLD program through the Office of Student Leadership & Activities.  We discussed the topic of networking skills and mingling etiquette.  Two of the questions I posed to them were, “who is in your network?” and “who are the people, clubs and organizations that might help you achieve these goals?” All twelve students were able to come up with healthy sized lists.  However, they forgot the most obvious – each other! 

Some of our best networks are the people around us, those who see us almost everyday, whether that is family, friends, other students, faculty or administrators.  These people can help you in a variety of ways.  For instance, these people (a.k.a “Connections”) all know other people.  Last night, one student mentioned that he had a family member in the film industry in California.  Another student talked about how his cousins were successful attorneys.  Certainly, this information or these connections could help others in the group.  That brings me to the word “help.”  Those who know you, those who interact with you on a daily basis tend to want to see you succeed.  They want to help you on this journey and help you make connections.  Don’t be afraid to ask.  We are all here to help.

Here is a simple blog post from the site InternMatch.com that I think is really useful as you embark on this journey of making connections and asking for help. 

Suzanne Dagger, Director of
Career Development and Assessment