Career Services is an office on campus that offers top-notch assistance for both undergrad and graduate students in finding jobs, internships, and sharpening your toolkit when it comes to interview skills and creating a solid resume. I got the chance to speak with Tracy DePedro about her work as Director of Career Services as well as the upcoming career fair, and here’s what you need to know!
Tracy has been with Career Services for seven years, and started out in the Industry Relations role, where she networked with companies and provided a link between the business world and the students of PhilaU. After taking a temporary break from the commute to Philly and working as the Director of Career Services at Delaware Valley College, Tracy was more than happy to come back and accept the role of Director of Career Services at PhilaU. When talking about why she returned and what she loves most about PhilaU, she doesn’t hesitate before telling me how much she appreciates the campus culture, the creativity of the students, and the wide variety of majors the school offers. As Director of Career Services at PhilaU, Tracy oversees the staff and has an active role in managing strategic planning and assisting with student relations and outreach programming. “Career services is a holistic career to be in, because we all have careers,” she tells me, adding how this particular job has opened doors for conversation with people across a wide variety of different fields. When I ask her what her favorite things about her job were, she immediately mentions getting to know the PhilaU student body and how rewarding it is for her to watch students as they grow and transition from their freshman to senior year. Also on the list is the fact that her job environment is constantly changing! Curious, I ask her to elaborate a little, and we go down a mini rabbit hole about industry and employment trends, some of which include sustainability, innovative thinking, and increased focus on hiring employees with the initiative to take control of their learning by teaching themselves new skills and looking for new things to learn.
Talking about industry and job trends made a great transition for us to talk about the upcoming PhilaU Career Fair this Thursday. For those of you who may not be familiar with the event, Career Fair is a networking event that encourages industry employers to engage with students and facilitates that interaction. “This year, we have about 50 companies!” she tells me enthusiastically. When I ask her about which ones she’s most excited for, she rattles off a list of companies that she describes as solid and very interested in PhilaU students, joking about having to represent each major so that our readers “…don’t think that everything is about fashion!” The list includes a wide range of companies from Verizon and Prudential, to Urban Outfitters and L Brands, to Lutron and CBIZ, which were both on Philadelphia Business Journal’s “Best Places to Work” list. Tracy goes on to talk about how in addition to facilitating interactions between students and industry professionals, Career Fair also offers extensive support for those entering this new territory of networking and job searching. Campus Philly is an organization whose representatives (along with Career Services reps) provide onsite coaching and mentoring at the event, and a LinkedIn photo booth hosted by Future Alumni Association will offer LinkedIn profile help for students who sign up for a review as well as free professional headshots for all students.
Overall, Career Fair is a fantastic event that offers a ton of useful opportunities. For students who may be debating attending, Tracy holds the position that there aren’t really too many good reasons not to attend. As she explains, no matter whether you’re a freshman or a senior and whether or not you’re interested in the particular companies attending career fair, in the end, it’s a networking event that offers a fantastic opportunity to practice for the real deal. In addition, she strongly believes that “The more you take action, the more it will come back to you!” Essentially, putting yourself out there, even if it doesn’t end up leading to anything right now, can lead to building relationships that have the potential to grow into something later. As Tracy says, “It’s not about who you know, it’s about who knows you – and you have control of that!” In light of this, I ask her if it’s ever too early to start scoping out career fair as a freshman. Her answer is a resounding “No! More freshmen should be coming – there are lots of savvy freshmen who are ready to go.” And although a resume is required in order to participate in the event, she points out that Career Services offers plenty appointment slots (including walk-ins) and lots of resources to aid students in putting this key document together to prepare for Career Fair. “Employers are going to be impressed [by freshmen who attend]…it’s not easy, and they know that.” Tracy adds.
So now that you’re for sure coming, how do you prepare? Tracy took the extra time to map out some tips and advice for our career-bound readers:
- “Just come!” – While you are encouraged to register in order to receive a printed nametag and emails with extra tips and info about the event, you can simply walk in and register the day of! The list of attending companies is available on Hire PhilaU, so you have resources available to do some research (“Employers do want to see that you’ve done your homework.” Tracy adds) and map out your stops beforehand.
- “Less is more!” – Tracy suggests stashing backpacks and large bags in the available storage spaces (just ask at registration) and bringing only the essentials, which include copies of your résumé (this is required for career fair; Career Services offers resume reviews to help with this) in a portfolio holder or professional looking folder, and a pad for notetaking and writing down key questions.
- Finally… What to do and what to avoid! – Tracy’s biggest advice is “Don’t be impatient!” Keeping in mind that your main purpose at this stage is to network and gather information, skip questions about salary and job offers, and instead ask questions about the process going forward and what your next steps should be. She also suggests dressing appropriately for the companies you want to see – for instance, appropriate dress for a company like Prudential might be very different than the dress code at a company like Anthropologie. Finally, be sure you’re collecting business cards and following up with the people you spoke to within 24-48 hours to thank them for their time!
For more information about Career Fair (Thursday, 9/22 from 12:00pm-2:30pm in the Gallagher Center), click here to log into the Hire PhilaU website!