While this is a post mostly for college students, if you're in a career transition there is a gem at the bottom of this post so if you're impatient, skip to the end where I talk pro bono. I also wrote a post on the subject if you're interested in learning more about this approach as a foot in the door.
I was asked to sit on a career panel this week hosted by the University of Maryland for Sophomores and Juniors within its interdisciplinary studies program dealing with sustainability. The program draws students from different disciplines and gives them opportunities to work collaboratively to prepare them for "real life" scenarios. There is often a component where they do an applied project in the real world.
Because the planning committee for the career panel was unable to secure participation with journalist, Juliet Eilperin of The Washington Post, to talk about communications as a career, the panel turned to me to ask my participation on the panel which had professionals from the National Council on Science and the Environment, USDA, State agency, finance and the wind energy industry, to name a few. I represented a communications professional working for a federal agency dealing with the ocean.
After introductions, there were a series of questions asked by the moderators to the entire panel. One of them was, "How important is an advanced degree and how important are internships?"
Highlights of the discussion
Advanced degree:
When it came my turn to respond I didn't hesitate to point out that I only had a bachelors (gasp!) and that and advanced degree was not necessary to do my job (double gasp!!). I did, however, point out that 15 years of working in the industry and well-placed internships do help.
Internships:
Think about internships when you're a sophomore in college (this is how you start to learn what its like to work). This has become almost a requirement to getting your first gig. You can't get a job without experience and experience can only be gained by doing a job. For college students, that's only going to happen through an internship. Remember your in a tough economy so overqualified people will be applying for every job.
Networking:
Its not rocket science. This just means talk to people and ask questions of people you come in contact with that are working in your target field or doing things you think you might be interested in doing. Work with people and entities within your personal network as well as within your school (your advisor is a good place to start) about how to secure internships during your summers and winter breaks. Don't be afraid to ask someone in your target field or industry to sit down and give you an informational interview. As I mentioned in my "how to get a job" post, you never know who will get you your next job. Notice I said who not where? That's because networking is the most effective way to get a job. Chances are there is someone within your network now, who can find you a job, offer you a job or connect you with someone who knows of or is hiring.
Questions to consider for an informational interview:
1) How did you begin your career?
2) How did you choose your career?
3) What are the top 3 things you would do differently?
4) What do you do in your job?
Pro bono Work for those Transitioning
If you're mid-career or looking for a change in tack consider doing a pro-bono project (within reason) with a potential target employer. Its a good "date" for both you and the prospective employer. I tried to do this and ended up getting a job because they refused to go the pro-bono route. If you're interested in hearing more, post a comment with your question to this post and I'll respond for all the readers to see.
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