UVM Career Services Blog

The Work of Loving the World

Posted on March 28, 2013 with No Comments

“My work is loving the world.
Mary Oliver

How do we hold core life questions such as:

• What is our work in the world?
• How do we love?

We tend to focus on work as a way to pay the bills and value love in terms of who loves us.

May we turn our attention to a larger landscape: our work in the world as love in action.

What might you do today to express love and action?  Here are few examples for inspiration:

Love Letters to Strangers
Honk If You Love Someone
One Million Acts of Kindness
Break the Chain
Messenger by Mary Oliver

May your day be filled with acts of loving the world in small and unanticipated ways.

~Holly

Networking Nights: A Student Perspective

Posted on March 28, 2013 with No Comments

“Our success has really been based on partnerships from the very beginning.”
-Bill Gates

As a senior at UVM, I had finally approached the time where I had to start researching and applying for jobs. I had held various internships and other working positions, but now I had to start seriously thinking about entering the real world.  For the past 3 years, I received various emails and flyers about UVM’s Boston and New York Networking Events which were held over Winter Break. I had secretly avoided them in the past due to anxiety, and stress of networking with complete strangers. To prepare for this event, last semester I attended a workshop on networking, and gained more confidence in this skill. Once the event date arrived, I drove into Boston to start networking.

UVM alum, and CEO of British Beer Company, Mike Fallman, was the keynote speaker. He provided students and alumni with his version of “the most important interview tips,” where he stressed the significance of networking.  Both events paralleled the idea of speed dating. Students rotated between tables and conversed on various topics with alums. With a set amount of time and alternating among tables, networking was far less stressful than anticipated. Discussions were relaxed yet helpful, and alum talked about their career path, networking, and provided us with interviewing and job searching tips.

After the speed networking portion, we were able to individually meet alums who work in industries of our personal interest. The small room was completely packed with alumni and students networking, and exchanging contact information. Overall, the Boston Networking Event was a huge success. It was great to meet the keynote speaker, and hear from other UVM alums about their experience. This year more than 280 UVM alumni and current students gathered in Boston and New York to network, with more to come in Vermont and Washington D.C. I would highly recommend attending one of these Networking Events. I’ve certainly learned that it’s never too late to start networking.

~Tashia, Career Peer Advisor

Making a Career Transition

Posted on January 17, 2013 with No Comments

When thinking about making a career change many people might question whether or not it is worth their time, energy and resources to follow through with it due to the overwhelming feeling of the process. However, when people start reflecting on why they’re ready for a change possibly due to burn out, financial instability or new interests, taking the necessary steps toward a happier career can be worth the struggle. Below are a few tips to help you work towards your new goals and obtain the career that’s right for you:

1. Realize it’s never an easy process. Changing careers can create anxiety and fear, which are normal emotions when facing change, but it’s important you use these emotions to your advantage. These emotions can help you assess why you’re thinking about this change and if they are pointing out factors you should be considering when deciding to follow through with the transition. It may be helpful to talk about your ideas with a career counselor or life coach to identify what it is you’re looking for in a job, how your transferable skills can be marketed to a new industry and how to create a plan that will be manageable for you.
2. Use your network. Consider connecting with friends, family, former colleagues, or finding people through LinkedIn to help you network. By identifying people who work within the field of interest, you will receive first-hand information about the reality of the chosen career and how you can get started with the transition. However, it’s probably a good idea to speak with more than one person within the field to give you a broader perspective.
3. Build a support team. By surrounding yourself with people who are positive and supportive of your new pursuits, you will have the additional resources you need to pull you through the skepticism you may encounter.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Every artist was first an amateur.”

~Danielle

Savvy Seniors: New Year! Let the ride begin!

Posted on January 9, 2013 with No Comments

Here’s a little inspiration from Story People

“off on another adventure of a lifetime & hoping he won’t forget halfway through this time”

Set your compass, raise the sails, and keep on breathing!  Here are a few things to pack for the upcoming adventure called Life! After college!

Curiosity:  Be curious each day about the next step, the next conversation, the next connection to make.

Compassion: Getting a job and life you want takes time!  Be gentle with yourself in times of change, while you keep leaning into the wind.

Commitment: There are no firm deadlines & assignments to meet in life, no one checking in over your shoulder.  You are steering the ship, so keep an eye focused forward and set your own search schedule.

Humor: Laugh often.  Abandon all Eeyore tendencies when thinking “I gotta get a job….”  Keeping positive is key, so take time each day to see the humor in things -  watch a comedy re-run, take a laughter yoga class, or make a belly-laugh chain with friends.

~Holly

Savvy Seniors: It’s a Small, Small World

Posted on November 1, 2012 with No Comments

It’s commonly said that we’re separated, at most, by six degrees of separation from any other person. In their recent book, the start-up of YOU, Reid Hoffman (cofounder and chairman of LinkedIn) and Ben Casnocha discuss the 1967 study that this oft repeated phrase is based on. They also note how it might show up in daily life: “The clerk at the local hardware store once hiked through Yosemite with your brother-in-law. Your new girlfriend is in the same bowling league as your boss…It’s fun to make these unexpected connections.”

These connections, however, they argue, are more than fun and interesting, they are gateways to new information and potential opportunities.  Hoffman and Casnocha discuss the importance of having both strong and weak ties in our networks. The strong ties are built on trust and well developed mutual interest and similarities, while the weaker ties can “serve as bridges to other worlds.”

Most students and alumni realize after some reflection, that they do know someone who may be a good potential contact in their career exploration and job search. Quite often the person they think of is one of those weaker ties, or 2^nd degree contacts, for example the uncle of a friend. All students, however, can tap into the power of the extended UVM alumni network through LinkedIn. As Hoffman and Casnocha write, “Online social networks are converting the abstract idea of worldwide interconnectedness into something tangible and searchable. Out of an estimated one billion professionals in the world, well over 10 million of them are on LinkedIn.”

If you’re not LinkedIn, it’s time. If you are already on it, chances are you could be using it more effectively.

To get started:

• Senior Checklist for Career Success: Polish your Resume and Professional On-Line Presentation
• Begin Networking and Informational Interviewing
• Savvy Seniors: Linked In Workshop: Wed, Nov 7^th, 4:15pm L&L 166,
• Savvy Seniors : Networking Workshop: Wed, Nov 28^th, 4:15pm L&L166

~Kala