interviews

5 Things College Teaches You About Work (and 5 things it doesn’t)

by Marian Schembari on January 11, 2010

Colleges have a tendency to harp on about the world of work and the basics we absolutely-positively-no-excuses-allowed must learn. But they did get some things right. Operative word: some.

What college teaches:

1. How to use the alumni network. I went to Davidson College, a liberal arts school in the South with about 1,600 students, meaning Davidson grads bond together like a cult. Ex: my parents were on vacation in Canada, ran into a woman wearing a Davidson sweatshirt and became fast friends. That being said, alums from universities around the country form a bond and, coupled with the fact that people love to mentor, means you can use and abuse the network like a cheap whore.

Davidson College, my alma mater

2. Job Fairs. The one time I did go to one of these events I made a great connection and a wonderful friend. These events are so effective because you’re put in touch with HR people at companies where you may want to work, which is uncommon outside the bubble of college. Graduated? Call your alma mater  and ask for their contacts then shoot the reps an email saying you went to College X and you’d love to ask them a few questions.

3. Concentration. Despite the fact that many of us had  classes only a few hours a day, we had a lot of work  outside of class. I spent the last 4 months at Davidson sitting at a desk writing my thesis,  meaning a 9 to 5 was starting to look pretty sweet. The enormous pile of work, along with balancing a social life, extracurriculars and copious amounts of alcohol, teaches students time management, organization and how to work for ourselves. Regardless of the irrelevance of most of my classes, it was learning how to learn that was as useful as any job.

4. The basics. Regardless of the extra steps we take to land work, it’s always important to dress appropriately for an interview, have a good working resume, know how to write a cover letter and understand the necessity for a timely thank-you note.

5. Follow the rules. Both campus career centers and day-to-day classes give us strict guidelines that dictate assignments. When you’re a student, this is great and in the real world this comes in handy as candidates who try and bypass the system are seen as annoying and “above it all”. Regardless of what additional steps you take to land a job, it’s always a good – and polite – idea to do the bare minimum first. It’s what comes later that gets us stuck…


What college doesn’t teach:

1. Personal branding. Career centers are old pros at giving workshops on everything from interview attire to  appropriate resume layout. While these workshops are helpful, they really only provide you with a foundation. What they don’t teach is how to stand out from the crowd. What if you don’t have a ton of experience? This is where social media and networking really come in handy.

2. Build an effective network. True, many schools have great alumni networks, but that’s not the only way to make friends in your field. Notice I said “friends” and not “contacts”. A friend/contact of mine gave me some kick ass advice about how to meet and really connect with people professionally – find out what you can do for them rather than how they can boost your career. I’m going to post later on the best ways to build your network. For now though, keep in mind that universities generally suck at this.

3. You don’t have to take a real job. Seriously. If it’s one thing that pissed me off about Davidson, it’s that we were all expected to take Big Important Jobs in finance or law or medicine. Maybe it’ was the plethora of rich white kids, but there was little to no variation in the school’s expectations. Many kids had consulting or banking jobs before graduation but honestly, the thought of taking something like that make me want to light myself on fire. I can only speak from the perspective of a Davidson grad, and there might be plenty of other schools with more creative opportunities, but just keep your eyes peeled for those not-so-cubicle opportunities.

4. GPA doesn’t matter. I was NEVER – not once – asked for my grades when looking for work. Want to know why? Because no one gives a crap. Your abilities to write a philosophy paper have zero bearing on your ability to rock your job. Unless you’re a doctor/lawyer/financial consultant, big companies don’t ask. So stop stressing.

5. Don’t always follow the rules. Send your thank you notes. Firmly shake hands. Wear a tie. But the bare minimum will usually cost you the job. Go the extra mile and don’t just network, make friends. Make your resume snazzy (not pink or scented, mind you). I use quotes on mine – the idea came from Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters and they have great resume resources online. I also suggest getting business cards.

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Internship Series part 2: The Cool Factor

by Marian Schembari on December 31, 2009

Just the other day I ran into a guy I went to high school with, Ed, who is an intern with a major fashion designer. He has a degree, is a helluva smart kid, but felt because of the recession he wouldn’t be able to get a paying job so chickened out and grabbed the first opportunity that came his way. Is he not gaining experience? I’m sure he his. But the time that he spends every day at the designers, he could be spending meeting people at all different designers, marketing himself to HR and going to interviews. He could instead end up somewhere he truly wants to be, with people who appreciate him for his work and his time, rather than his impressionable youth.

We also can’t forget the “cool factor”. Places like Ed’s company – designers, movie studios, event planners – have the prestige in certain circles of being The Coolest Kid on the Block and assume (correctly) that drooling kids will be falling over themselves to stuff envelopes. We’re willing to do shitty work for free so we can later say we worked for Time Warner/Burberry/Random House.

Chris Brogan wrote on his blog about the audacity of free, and how we shouldn’t be embarrassed to put a price tag on our services: “Paying something for a service or good helps us value it more.” And that’s the point now, isn’t it? Interns just aren’t valued, regardless of the “experience” they get in return.

When Jenavi Kasper resigned from her internship at a large ad agency, she wrote a letter that was later posted on a marketing blog. The response was enormous. She wrote, “When ‘helping with projections’ meant reading you numbers off a spreadsheet I became a little discouraged. When ‘working with scripts’ meant retyping scripts I was bummed. It was especially painful when I spent all morning cleaning out an office for the new girl while you guys took off to Starbucks.” She was doing assistant work. Except assistants get paid. And learn just as much as interns. So why do we still take them?

Tyler Hurst, Media Strategist at Amanda Vega Consulting, wrote me and complained about Kasper’s letter: “What I found was a meek whiner who refused to answer even the simplest questions I had”, he said. “I wanted her to be a rock star and she turned out to be a groupie.” While I don’t know this Jenavi character (she could have been the worst intern ever), she makes some excellent points. Internships are made out to be these wonderful experiences that are competitive and help us get our foot into the real world. What they really are is misleading and degrading.

Do you know what else offers amazing work experience, networking, and – gasp! – a roof over one’s head? A real job.

Tomorrow: The top 5 tips for gaining the experiences of an internship without actually having one…

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Internship Series part 1: Why you shouldn’t take an internship

by Marian Schembari on December 30, 2009

This is the first post in a three-part series where I break down the problems with internships, tell two stories of people who let the system abuse them, and give you the top five tips for getting the most out of your pre-career without doing it for free.

Remember when people used to pay you to work? Neither do I. It’s this new generation (college to 25ish) that makes it acceptable – desirable – to work long hours, do menial work and like it… FOR FREE. Does no one else see something wrong with this?

The problem with internships:

  • Apparently, you can only gain meaningful work experience if you’re somebody’s bitch.
  • Just because someone is “willing”, doesn’t mean it’s not slave labor.
  • You need to be able to afford it. Meaning that if you don’t come from a good family with a good education and work experience, you have no way to support yourself while you gain said meaningful work experience. Vicious circle and all. An article in The Atlantic says, “Interns are like illegal immigrants. But they’re worse, because instead of doing the jobs nobody wants to do, college interns do the jobs that everybody their age wants to do, but that only the wealthier can afford.”
  • Meaning slave labor is highly competitive.
  • Oftentimes, YOU pay THEM to be their bitch – in the form of transportation fees, lunch, work attire, etc etc.

I’ve had three internships since high school, all of which I’ve liked and gained some serious experience. One in particular was at The Royal Academy of Arts in London. London college students don’t often have internships as slave labor apparently isn’t as popular on that side of the pond. Meaning my bosses were actually surprised/ecstatic and often confused that we would do their work for free. Meaning they were nice to us, gave us moderately exciting work, let us sit in on meetings and brainstorm with them. They even offered me a paying job at the end of it and ended up being my most positive work experience. That being said, it was in London. I’m currently in New York.

However, internships are becoming more popular since I left and the UK is now investigating these internships because because, unlike some countries, they apparently care. The Guardian reported, “Under the National Minimum Wage Act, interns who work rather than observe should be paid, but employers have taken advantage of a legally grey area, and the willingness of young people, to pay just expenses, or nothing at all.”

Fast forward a few years to just after my college graduation, when I was looking for work in publishing. A lot of people told me I should consider an internship since it was obviously pretty difficult to break into the big houses. That way I could “gain experience” and “make connections” while the companies hurt by the economy can get the job done without having to pay. Now, I’d like to think I’m pretty smart — I have a degree from a fancy school and a ton of work experience already, so why the hell should I give up the goods for free? This concept just flies in the face of our established wage regulations. Why have minimum wage at all if we all just work for free? How does that make any sense?

lemmings

Before you pee yourself, think about it. I know internships are what everyone does, and it is difficult to get a job without at least one under your belt. But by taking one you also prove you can only think inside the cube and have no imagination whatsoever. Instead, prove to employers that you don’t need any hand holding. Prove you can network and gain experience without the big boss at a big company. Taking the initiative is that much more impressive than taking an internship with all the other lemmings.

Want to go into finance? Email someone at the Financial Women’s Association and ask if you can come to a meeting. People like to help out those of us just getting started, so mention that you’re looking for work and want to learn more about the business. I guarantee if you sit down and talk one-on-one with someone you will gain just as much experience (if not more) as going into work and watching other people’s meetings from a distance. Want to keep up with the industry of your choice? That’s what the internet is for.

Seriously, you are so much smarter and creative and BOLD if you take work into your own hands. Okay, so the economy blows. What are you going to DO about it?!

Tomorrow: The “cool factor” and one intern’s drama when she let the bosses have it…

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Get Found on Google

by Marian Schembari on October 26, 2009

I mentioned this a while back and figured I’d go into a little more detail on how exactly to get your name out there. By now, we all know about the social media aspect, but here’s the thing: if you can’t be found online, you don’t exist.Fullscreen capture 10262009 65440 PM

Because there are hundreds of people applying for that one job, if it’s not easy to read your resume, find your contact information, etc then HR is going to give up and go the next person. You need to make it as easy as possible for people to find you. Not comfortable putting your contact info online? I wrote another post addressing that specifically, because I had a story. But now is not the time. Lesson for today is: how to exist online.

5 easy, but time consuming, steps:

  1. Google yourself. Make sure to use quotes, ex: “Marian Schembari” (that prevents Google from showing Marian Jones and James Schembari who happen to be on the same page). Are all the sites on the first page you? If not, on to step two:
  2. If you have a super common name, you might be out of luck. But if you can find a way to get yourself online along with keywords for your industry, that could definitely help. Ex: “‘Marian Schembari’ and publishing”. Now, I think I’m the only Marian Schembari in existence, but you get the point.
  3. Create a web page. Doesn’t have to be complicated, but I say the prettier the better. I like 1&1 for website hosting. Include your resume, contact info, references and work samples if applicable.
  4. Create as many profiles as you can: LinkedIn, Google, ZoomInfo, Jigsaw, Naymez, Ning, etc etc. Because these are all big sites, they’ll show up first on the page. It takes awhile for your own personal homepage or blog to show on a search, but if you’re linking to it left and right, it will pop up quicker.
  5. Blog. Use your free time during the job search to become an expert. This blog is about publishing, but the job hunt doesn’t differ much from industry to industry. My friends are in acting so they should learn about how the economy is effecting theater prices, stage manager layoffs, movie reviews, whatever. Not only does it get your name out there, but it gives you something to talk about during interviews and establishes you as a valuable resource.
  6. Guest blog. Find people with similar sites or blogs based on your interests and ask nicely if you can post. Many wont respond and many will say no, but just having one or two a) highlights your writing and b) puts your name out there! And you can link back to your online resume… When I Google myself (yes, yes I do) one of the first things that pops up is Debbie Stier’s post on HarperStudio. Because tons more people read her than me, it’s almost always first on the list. That being said, she links back to me so it works.

So there you go. Make it easy for employers to find you, a more detailed work history you can’t fit on a resume, comments from other employers (email them for quotes, if you left on good terms, I’ve found they always want to help) and your contact info. By doing this you’re showing them who you are and that you’re a serious contender for a position.

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Interview with Writer and Editor Sian Meades

by Marian Schembari on October 23, 2009

I’ve wrangled the lovely writer Sian Meades, all the way from Londontown, to give me the scoop on her sweet job, even sweeter site, and equally delicious new projects (I’m hungry, what do you want?). Take a look:

Tell me a little about what you do.

I’m a freelance writer and web editor. I write for everyone from AOL to Lastminute.com and I also run a website called Domestic Sluttery. It’s about interiors and style and is dubbed “the home and lifestyle for women who have better things to do”. I’m lucky that I get to write about fun things, but there’s also something cool about knowing someone has bought something you’ve featured and it’s made them happy. I’m pretty obsessed with design. Constantly. I’m such a magpie. I think that’s spilling over into my jewellery design and photography – something I’ve only just started learning about.

What made you want to be a writer?

I’ve always wanted to write. Since I could pick up a book. It was Terry Nation’s book Rebecca’s World that started it when I was a kid (I coincidentally blogged about that last week). I’m working on the third draft of my novel at the moment which is really exciting. That said, I’m freelance by accident – I took a chance and quit my job on a whim, no one would hire me in a full-time role because I wasn’t experienced enough. That was about two years ago. I wouldn’t change a thing now.

sianytwestivalHow did you come up with the idea for Domestic Sluttery?

That was completely by accident. I set up a site called Cocktails & Cake, which I guess was an early incarnation of DS even if I didn’t realize it at the time. I wasn’t very experienced then and I think DS came at the right time – there’s an awful lot of cooking sites, and some fab design blogs, but none that mix the two. I think the recession has actually been good for us – people get so excited when they buy something we feature. We only blog about things that we think are special. But it’s not just me behind the site – there’s a large team of girls who make it brilliant. Without them it would just be me cooing over plates.

Explain a little about what the editorial process is like for an online publication.

It’s busy. Sure it’s fun, but there are nights when I work until 2am without even thinking about it. I spend at least 4 hours of my freelance day on the site. We publish about 6 posts a day, and there are ten of us working on the site. But it’s the behind the scenes stuff that takes the most time – organizing images, competitions and discounts. Talking to PRs, trying to get invites to events (which is much harder for a blog, believe me). But, there are some great perks too – having an instant reaction to a designer you love is my favorite thing. When I love something, I cross my fingers when I hit publish and usually, they’re the posts that get comments right away. It’s so much fun when that happens.

Online writing is quicker. Faster, punchier. But people mistake being laid-back for being lazy. We work hard to make sure that doesn’t happen. Just because we’re friendly and engaging on the site, that doesn’t mean we don’t take it seriously. It’s a fine balance.

How do you balance the freelance life with your “regular” life? Do they often blend? Is that good or bad?

I’m so lucky that I enjoy my job, but I’m not very good at balancing. At all, actually. I’m getting better, but if something needs doing, I’ll do it and then go out. But for the time being, the site is coming first. That said, it’s nice to put the laptop down, watch a film and ignore my emails. I don’t get to do it very often, but it’s great when I do.

Any upcoming projects?

Personally? Hopefully I’ll have my novel finished by Christmas (so probably March) and I’ve just started a new diary project – I’m sending postcard to myself. It sounds strange (more here) but it’s the first writing project I’ve done just for me in a long time. I start this weekend and I’m really excited.

Most of the projects for DS I can’t talk about yet but they’re really exciting. There’s always something new coming up in online publishing. Most of the silly ideas I have I jump on straight away. I’m also working on a brand new website that’s set to launch next year. It’s totally separate from Domestic Sluttery so it’s going to be great to work on something new. I haven’t worked out yet how I’m going to juggle the two.

Advice for aspiring writers?

Write. Blog. Write some more. Blogging gives you an outlet to write every day. Even if you don’t want to write online, having a blog let’s you discover what you enjoy writing about. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing about, as long as you’re write regularly. You’ll find your niche. And it’ll probably be something you never saw coming.

Thanks Sian! Not entirely sure if I’ve linked to her enough, but here it is again. And just to promote her a bit more, Sian is one of the most self sufficient, creative, brave, brilliant women I know. Really. We should all do ourselves a favor and take a page out of her book :)

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