What Am I Supposed to Be Doing Again? Part III: Professional Development During Junior Year9/26/2019 You’re at the halfway point of your college career and hopefully have some idea of where you would like your postgraduate path to begin. It’s likely that there are many options out there for you to choose from. Do you want to continue your education in graduate school, seek out research and fellowship programs, enter the workforce, or take another route? Each choice has its benefits. During your junior year you can begin to market the skills and experiences that you have acquired to attain the goals you have for your future. Here are just some of the ways you can seek assistance from the career coaches and staff members in the Center for Career Services at this point in your college years. Get Assistance Applying for Graduate School If you’re looking toward going to graduate school you should start researching programs and institutions right at the start of junior year or earlier. The application process involves a lot of introspection even before you begin drafting your application materials. Graduate School and Fellowship Advisor Pat Taylor specifically assists Marist students in their preparation for continuing postgraduate education. Pat Taylor works with students on their personal statements and other essays during one-on-one appointments in the Center for Career Services. You can schedule an appointment with her in FoxQuest. Test preparation is essential. You might be required to take the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) or the LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) for example. Similar to when you took the SAT or ACT before you applied to college, it’s best to schedule these graduate school entrance exams multiple times to ensure that you receive a high enough score to get in to your desired program. Find out About Fellowships and Scholarships Fellowships and scholarships provide financial aid to your postgraduate academic endeavors. Some of these awards give students the ability to travel to different parts of the world or do research in a field of their interest. Marist students have received nationally competitive scholarships including the Barry Goldwater Scholarship for students pursuing STEM research careers, Udall Undergraduate Scholarship for students committed to environmental issues, and the Marshall Scholarship that funds two years of postgraduate study in the United Kingdom. The Fulbright Scholarship has many components as well, including an English Teaching Assistantship that places students in primary and secondary schools or universities overseas. Left to right: Tess Cimino and Daniel Knoll, both of the Marist College Class of 2019, were awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships. Liana Frasca '19 went to Italy after earning a spot in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. There is most likely some type of fellowship or scholarship that aligns with your goals. Pat Taylor also advises students in this area, so make an appointment with her to set and execute your plan to apply for these awards. Reach out to Marist Alumni to Make New Connections If career planning is still making you anxious know that you are not alone. A lot of Marist College alumni were once in your shoes and you can reach out to many of them through the Alumni Career Network. Members of the Alumni Career Network give professional development advice on topics such as practice interviews, job or internship referrals, workplace shadowing, and more, to Marist students and fellow alumni. You can access and search the Alumni Career Network through your MyMarist account. Search for alumni who work in your desired field using filters such as major, graduation year, location, and more. The Alumni Career Network will give you a list of all the Marist alumni that meet your search criteria as well as their preferred contact information. Marist alumni are often the most important resources during the job and internship search. You should consider reaching out to one of the alumni for an informational interview to learn about the industry, culture, and positions of the organization they work for. In our final post of this series we will discuss your senior year, a time where you can ease the transition from college life to the professional workforce.
0 Comments
What Am I Supposed to Be Doing Again? Part II: Professional Development During Sophomore Year9/24/2019 With a full year at Marist under your belt sophomore year is the time to begin looking for summer internships and other opportunities that allow you to delve deeper into your career interests. Here are a few tips for second year students as they begin their quest for work experience in their desired field. Practice Interviewing Using InterviewStream InterviewStream is an effective tool you can use to discover your own strengths and weaknesses when you express yourself. It can help you leave a lasting impression when you go on an internship or job interview. You can use the online resource, which is free to access for Marist students, to record yourself answering customizable interview questions. InterviewStream has hundreds of question sets to choose from and there is also an app available. You can even share the videos of your practice interviews with your friends, family members, professors, and career services staff members to get their feedback. Make sure to register for an InterviewStream account with your Marist College email address. Go on a Road to the Workplace Trip You can do more than just online research to learn about where you might want to work. The Marist College Center for Career Services offers Road to the Workplace trips. Students get the chance to meet with Marist alumni and employees of different companies and learn about available professional development opportunities with that organization while on these trips. Employees also give their advice and best practices on applying for positions and succeeding in the field. Road to the Workplace trips are excellent ways to start networking with professionals in the industry that you want to enter. A connection that you meet during a Road to the Workplace trip could very well be reviewing your job or internship application to that same company in the future. Attend Events That Feature Employers, Career Coaches and Marist Alumni The Center for Career Services hosts a few major events and initiatives every semester that help advance students’ professional development. The marquee event is the Career and Internship Fair, where dozens of companies come to campus to recruit and screen candidates for full-time and internship openings. Some of the employers who attend the fair most often include 1-800 Flowers, IBM, Burlington Stores, and more. The fair is open to students of all class years and majors at Marist College. At the beginning of each semester, career coaches hold a Resume Review Table where students can walk up and have drafts of their resume critiqued. Resume and cover letter reviews from career services staff members are also available during Drop-In Hours, a period from 3-4:30 PM Monday-Thursday where no appointment is needed. Visit Cannavino Library 332 for more information on Drop-In Hours. Other career services events sprinkled throughout the year are designed for networking. For the last two years during Alumni Weekend Career Services has held a VIP Young Alumni Panel, where recent graduates come together to share their Marist experiences and share details about their transition from college to the early stages of their career.
In our post on junior year, Part III of this series, we will go over applying for a variety of postgraduate options, including graduate school. We will also talk about how additional outreach to Marist alumni fits into your career planning. Making the Most of Career Planning at Marist CollegeIn the post 2008 recession world we live in career advice is coming at college students from all different angles. Career planning can seem overwhelming and confusing and at times the information we receive can seem outdated or contradictory. Luckily for Marist College students the Marist College Center for Career Services has created an easy to follow Four Year Career Plan, a list of activities that can help you stay on the right track for your own professional development during the first four years of college. The Four Year Career Plan is broken down into each undergraduate class year and recommends ways to engage with career services every step of the way. In the next four blog posts we will explore the best practices for professional development for students in each class. You can pick up a hard copy of the Marist College Center for Career Services Four Year Career Plan in Cannavino Library 332. Freshman Year The first year of college is a big change for students. However, you can use your freshman year at Marist to get acquainted with all of the resources available to you online and on campus. These tools will allow you to hit the ground running as you grow professionally. Become Familiar with FoxQuest One of the most important assets at your fingertips is FoxQuest. This database is your main resource for applying for on-campus jobs, full-time and part-time jobs, and internships. Every Marist student has a free FoxQuest account and can personalize job recommendations by using filters such as majors, interests, and locations. Make sure to access your FoxQuest account using your MyMarist login information You can store all of your application materials---resumes, cover letters, writing samples, and transcripts---in FoxQuest. You will also use your FoxQuest account to RSVP for workshops and information sessions and schedule one-on-one appointments with career coaches. Use Focus 2 to Select a Major or Learn About Careers Many students come to Marist undecided on their course of study. Majors, minors, concentrations, pathways, and programs give you a plethora of options to explore different fields. As part of the Four Year Career Plan, Career Services encourages underclassmen to take core requirements and elective classes that will allow them to explore passions and determine possible new interests. While you must visit with your faculty advisor for assistance with choosing classes, the Center for Career Services offers an online resource called Focus 2 to assist with selecting a major. Using the Focus 2 program you can assess your interests, values, skills, and personality type, then get recommendations on fields of study and jobs based on those components. If you have already chosen a major Focus 2 can help you look up careers that are related to that field. To access Focus 2 register for a free account using the Marist access code. Visit the Center for Career Services
Meeting with a career coach in the Center for Career Services is a great way to get your feet wet and begin the process of looking for internships and careers that might interest you. Career coaches are here to help you keep track of activities, projects, clubs, and other involvement. They can assist you with drafting a resume from those experiences. If you are committed to a major they can work with you to create a personalized career plan that fits your needs, goals, and interests. Appointment types include career coaching, resume and cover letter review, interview preparation, searching for internship opportunities, and more. In Part II of our series we will discuss career exploration and investigation during sophomore year. In its first issue of the 2019-20 academic year The Marist Circle, the school newspaper at Marist College, published an article titled Marist Students Talk Relocating for An Internship.
The article, which can be read here and in the print issue, highlights the internship experiences of four students who chose to relocate long distances for opportunities with top tier employers. The students who shared their experiences were:
Make sure to congratulate these students on their opportunities if you run into them on campus. And remember that the Center for Career Services can assist Marist students during the internship application process. Schedule an appointment with a career coach in FoxQuest or stop by during our Drop-In Hours from 3-4:30 PM Monday-Thursday in Cannavino Library 332. |
AuthorInformation on the latest professional development trends and advice, plugs for Marist College Center for Career Services events and initiatives, and stories from your Marist peers. Content is produced by Marist students for Marist students. Categories |