We all know how great it can be to live in the “Emory bubble.” Sometimes it feels like our biggest decision is choosing what heels to pair with our new dress for Thursday’s ATeL event.
Well, sorry to burst that bubble, but there is a real world outside of Emory. And, let’s be honest, most of us didn’t choose to come to Emory to do nothing but party for four years. Rather, we applied to this top 20 university to learn from interesting professors, get involved in extracurricular activities, and interact with other motivated students. And, of course, a degree from Emory will ultimately give us the competitive edge we need when we apply for jobs in just a few short years, or weeks (sorry seniors).
Is this intro paragraph stressing you out? Are you feeling lost about finding a summer internship, or figuring out what to do after you throw your graduation cap into the air this May? The Emory Career Center is calling your name!
This week, Her Campus Emory consulted Paul Fowler, the Executive Director of the career center, to find out more about what the career center can do for students.
Most of us can still remember those questions that made us sweat in our college interviews: “What do you see yourself doing ten years from now?”, “If you could do one thing in high school differently, what would it be?”, or my personal favorite, “Who, dead or alive, would you choose to be your college roommate and why?” Fortunately, questions asked on job interviews are usually much simpler and more straight forward. However, that can sometimes be even harder. According to Mr. Fowler, “The ‘strengths and weaknesses’ questions continue to be the most troublesome for students. Trying to speak highly of your skills and abilities, while trying not to come across braggish, is indeed difficult. I encourage students to find a couple of aspects of the job or internship that they feel they have a true mastery – and highlight those specific skills.” Basically, only tell the person the strengths you are most proud of. As for your biggest weakness, Mr. Fowler says, “Recruiters have heard every lame backhanded strength passed off as a weakness…Simply tell the truth.” So while you obviously shouldn’t start telling the interviewer that your biggest weakness is your desire to go out every night and show up for work hungover, you also shouldn’t say that your biggest problem is that you are a perfectionist and won’t give up on anything until it’s exactly how you want it. News flash: that is not a weakness. Be honest, but not explicitly honest. You can head over to the career center, located in the B-Jones Center, for a mock interview if you’re interested!
Thankfully for all the girls who want to go into business or public relations, Mr. Fowler says that you “have already started networking, you just don’t always realize that you are developing a professional network with every encounter. Students should put themselves out there and initiate conversations with people they meet…Networking is not asking for a job; networking is creating a personal relationship with another person – so that in the future, that relationship might be of mutual benefit.” So don’t be shy ladies! The person standing in front of you in line at Starbucks could be your future employer. As Mr. Fowler says, “Be sociable, be nice, and be sincere!”
Another thing the career center can help you with is finding summer internships. The career center posts hundreds of internships on their online recruiting system, EagleOps, and also works with alums and prospective employers to find the best opportunity for each student. For those of you questioning the importance of a summer internship, Mr. Fowler believes “There is nothing more beneficial than internship experience when applying for a post-grad full-time position! Practical experience in the field the student is pursuing is essential to a prospective employer in that it demonstrates that the student has been exposed to the nature of the work.” Even if your internship consists of getting people coffee and answering phones, it still looks impressive on your resume – and you get the chance to decide on what sorts of working environments simply don’t do it for you. Think of Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada – she went from fetching Hermés scarves and Harry Potter books to rocking couture at Paris fashion week!
So ladies, take advantage of the resources offered to you by the Career Center and you’ll start to feel a lot more confident about your post-grad life! Soon you’ll see that thinking about your future doesn’t have to be so stressful. Figuring out your outfit for Thursday night on the other hand, that’s a different story…
*The Career Center is located on the second floor of the B. Jones building, or you can visit the website for more information.