Meet Our HU Students: Angell Xiang

Name: Angell Xiang

Hometown: New Hyde Park, NY 

Major: Biology and Psychology Major

When you were young, what did you think you wanted to be "when you grow up?"

When I was young, I always wanted to be either a teacher or a doctor because I loved to help other people.

What career do you hope your first job after graduation will be?

After graduation I hope to enter medical school and one day become a physician.

What experience have you had so far that you think is best preparing you to reach that goal?

So far, I've volunteered at LIJ hospital and am currently volunteering at Winthrop hospital. I've also shadowed pediatricians and interned with a periodontist and worked at a physical rehab clinic. All of these medical related experiences exposed me to different aspects of medicine and the roles involved in providing medical care to patients.

What advice would you have for others who are pursuing this same career?

I would definitely recommend getting as much exposure in the medical environment as possible without sacrificing grades. I've heard of students who get into medical school only to realize that they can't stand the sight of blood or disease.

Who at Hofstra has had the biggest positive impact on you?

It's difficult to name one particular person at Hofstra, especially because the whole biology department has been extremely helpful to me, but if I had to choose, I would say Dr. Clendening has been very knowledgeable in giving me advice on the classes and opportunities I should take to pursue my goals. 

Interested in being a featured student or know someone you want to feature on #MeetOurHUStudents? Email us at careercenter@hofstra.edu with the subject line 'Meet Our HU Students' and we'll reach out to you!

Just Add Some Lemon!

Although water is essential for life, sometimes it gets pretty bland and you need a bit of zest to make things interesting. I personally like to add lemons to my water, some people add mint, but it's up to your personal preference of how you want to shake things up from the monotony of every day water.

Think about how this could relate to the career-application process. Every day employers are getting piles of resumes and cover letters or conducting interviews, and the ones that stand out are the ones that have that "oomph". There are many ways to personalize your documents to stand out:

• Depending on the industry, you could add color in your resume. You don't want to go overboard with color, but minimally adding a pop of color could make your resume stand out.
• Changing up your font from the generic 'Times New Roman'. Try out a new professional font (no comic sans or curlz!) and see how it changes the "feel" of your resume. 
• Add an objective that personalizes your resume to the specific opportunity you are applying for. This shows the employer that you didn't just write a generic cover letter to send to multiple jobs!
• Personalize your documents for the type of position you are applying for. If you are applying for a retail sales position, your documents should reflect more customer service skills than if you were applying for a desk-job. Think about the skills that you'll need for that position and make it unique for each document!

These are just a few of the things you could do to metaphorically "add the lemon" to your career-application process. And as always, if you need support and advice on how to stand out, give us a call at (516) 463-6060 and schedule an appointment!

Anne Monique Concepcion,
Graduate Assistant

The Power of Meeting People

You walk in suited up, shoes shined, and with your pad folio at hand. Another career fair. 

Last week, as I met with a student, he asked, "What's the point of a career fair anyways? They always just tell you to apply online." I smiled and said, "Yeah... That's annoying, right?" I meant it. However, I believe in the power of meeting people.

Think about this: if you worked as a recruiter, and your internship posting received over 100 applications, what would you do? Chances are, next to your pile of 100+ applications you will find a smaller pile of 5-10. This smaller pile probably came to you from people you know and trust (i.e., referrals). If you worked as a recruiter, which would you review first? 

That's the power of meeting people. 

Do know that not every interaction at a career fair will result in an interview or offer. However, I strongly encourage you to believe in the power of meeting people. If you do attend a career fair, meet with a recruiter, and he/she asks you to apply online - go ahead. They may refer your application to the hiring manager, moving your application from the bigger pile to the smaller pile. Or, they may remember you down the line, in a few semesters or a few years, perhaps when you find yourself back on the market. You never know, so stand up straight, smile, and go meet people. 

Stefano Verdesoto,
External Relations Assistant Director

The Story of the Black Blazer

Yesterday, one of our Career Center team members came into the office having just spilled coffee on her shirt whilst driving to work. As we talked about how to best hide the stain for her meetings throughout the day, I remembered that hanging in my office was a black blazer that I keep in my office “just-in-case.” She threw on the blazer, and it covered up the stains so she could go about her day looking polished and professional (and, might I add, it fit perfectly!).

This blazer was one which I had long ago left in The Career Center one day, but decided to keep there after a conversation with another colleague about a tie that I found in an office drawer. The tie, I found out, was used by a previous tenant of my office during our On-Campus Recruiting programs in the event that someone came in for an interview without a tie, or needed to learn how to tie one in preparation for an interview of their own. I looked at the black blazer hanging in my office (which I had consistently forgotten to bring home with me each day… oops) and I knew that if it stayed hanging there, its time of necessity would come… and it did!

The age-old motto of the Boy Scouts is “Be Prepared,” and I think that saying holds true for most, if not all, aspects of our lives—especially our careers! Whether you keep a few printed resumes in a portfolio during a meeting with your advisor, or business cards in your pocket at a networking event, you can keep yourself ready for any opportunity that may present itself to you. Of course, we never know what can happen over the course of a semester, a week, or even a day. Sometimes, we find ourselves in a very different position at the end of the day than when we woke up! Similarly, you never know when something will pop up that affects a friend, family member, or colleague, and your preparation or quick-thinking could be the thing that not only gets them through, but shows them they have your support. Our best weapon against uncertainty is to expect the unexpected, and when we see an opportunity to prepare ourselves for whatever may arise (like keeping a black blazer at the ready), we should do so!

Happy Prepping!

Amy Smith,
Assistant Director

Internship Careernival!

The Career Center ventured into uncharted territory with our Internship Careernival last week; an opportunity for students to engage with employers in a more informal environment than a traditional career fair.

The intramural soccer field was transformed into a carnival, complete with hot dogs, cotton candy, games and even a huge, inflatable Twister board. But that wasn’t all the Careernival had to offer!  Employers seeing interns for this summer or fall were also in attendance, speaking to students of all majors and class levels.

Feedback from both employers and students after the event was very positive. Several students remarked that the event was fun and that it also “leveled the playing field” a bit by having a more informal environment. Many great connections were made that day!

To keep up with the Career Center’s events, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn!  You don’t want to miss the next great one!

Darlene Johnson,
Director of External Relations

Taking a Weakness and Making it Into a Strength!

I don't consider myself the creative type. I find that I struggle with coming up with new, innovative ideas sometimes. I have artistic abilities, but that doesn't always necessarily lead to creativity. I find my strengths to lie in support and implementation, and not so much on the "start-from-nothing-and-get-creative-type".

Do I consider that a weakness of mine? Yes.
Is that something I have made strides to work on? Definitely!

Recently, I had the opportunity to work on my creative skills and make something my own. Thanks to Deanna Rodin (the Career Center Associate Director) I was able to take over our recent #HUInternSelfie Challenge and make it my very own. I worked with Deanna and brainstormed a ton of ideas (from very practical to wild and outrageous--think riding an elephant) to use throughout the entire process. This included ways to advertise and get the challenge out there, how to logistically manage the event, which platform was optimal to host the challenge, what challenges would students participate each week, what can we use for the future, and what would be some of the post-event activities with our winner. Although I worked within certain guidelines, it really was a great opportunity to make an event completely my own and have fun with it! I also learned a lot along the way about the process of putting on event and how things work on the Hofstra campus. In the end, I felt we had a great participation (of 10 diverse student interns) and I'm truly proud of the end product (and excited for our winner of the $250 Nordstrom Gift Card!).

Overall, I view weaknesses as future strengths that haven't been worked on yet. The steps I took to work on this particular weakness were:

• Admit to myself and to another person that this is a quality I want to work on. This made me accountable to actually take the steps towards improvement.
• Find an opportunity to work said-quality, big or small. This will give you the freedom and space to work on that skill--remember, practice does make perfect!
• Have fun with it! Not succeeding doesn't always mean failure, this could be one of your first attempts at working on this quality. Give yourself the space to have fun and you'll continue progressing in the future.

With the support of the Career Center staff, I felt encouraged to continue moving forward with my creativity and come up with a fun event, and I hope participants enjoyed it too! If you have a weakness you want to work on, the Career Center is here to support you make it into a strength! Maybe communication isn't your forte and you have a big interview coming up--we'll practice with a mock interview to transform it into a strength. Maybe you're writing skill isn't where you want it to be and you're struggling with a cover letter--the Career Center is here to help you through that process too! All you have to do is reach out and we'll be here!

Anne Monique Concepcion,
Graduate Assistant

Risks & Rewards: Leadership Edition

Being a leader can be tough. As a leader you are constantly challenged to be a role model, make tough decisions, and take responsibility for outcomes. You may already be experiencing this as the captain of your athletic team, e-board member of your campus club, or supervisor at your part-time job.

I came across this interview with Steven Snyder, author and former CEO. Mr. Snyder discusses the struggles and challenges of being a leader. He touches on the disappointments that can occur, but also the tremendous learning opportunities that are available to those in leadership positions.

I hope you can apply what you read here to your own leadership experiences! If you would like assistance with taking those experiences and illustrating them on your resume, please visit The Career Center  You can come during our Quick Question hours, Monday-Friday from 10:00-11:00 or 2:00-4:00, or you can set up an appointment by stopping into our office, calling 463-6060, or by logging in to PrideCMS from your own computer.

Darlene Johnson,
Director of External Relations

Rejection to Future Opportunity

When you get that rejection E-Mail or phone call for the dream job or internship position you were hoping for, that doesn’t mean the end.

There are certain steps you can take to keep yourself on an employer’s radar and perhaps be in the running for a future opportunity:

1. Send a thoughtful thank you E-Mail or note.
2. Ask the interviewer for feedback (either in a follow up phone or in-person appointment) to discuss what you could have done better.
3. Reiterate your interest in the type of work you interviewed for and ask that the team keep you in mind for future similar opportunities.

For more detailed information you can access this link. The gist of this is that when one door closes another one can open if you stay positive.

Remember: The Career Center is here to help. Make use of our Quick Questions hours (Monday-Friday 10am-11am and 2pm-4pm) to get questions answered about following up with employers and quick interviewing advice.

Nayelli Perez,
Assistant Director

Keep On Keeping On...

Dear Students, 

You are in the home stretch of the semester. Do not give up! I know you are tired, and if you went home for Thanksgiving, you probably want to be back with the family you have missed and just check out of school. But I am cautioning you not to do that! You have worked hard all semester and the end is finally near. Soon, you will be home for the holiday and enjoying your family again with all the love, hugs, and good food they have to offer. Once you have gotten that all done and you find yourself wondering how to get your mind wrapped around the next semester, be sure to have on your radar, "What am I going to do for the summer?" Yes, summer is coming and whether you are a planner or not, we at the Career Center are here for you during your down time. This is a perfect opportunity for you to get your resume updated, meet with a Career Counselor in an appointment (via phone if necessary), and maybe practice with a mock interview. Career development is like a good home cooked meal: IT TAKES TIME and PREPARATION.

Give us a call at (516) 463-6060 or visit our website to schedule an appointment!

Lorraine Massiah, Assistant Director