M O N DAY, S E P T E M B E R 2 3 , 2 013
FALL CAREER GUIDE
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THE DIAMONDBACK | fall career guide | monday, september 23, 2013
College: Full minds, empty pockets Students make money on the campus By Jessica Nocera @thedbk For The Diamondback Student loans, rent and dining out can become expensive — that’s why many students find jobs on the campus to earn some extra money. Whether it’s serving up caffeine to sleepy students at The Coffee Bar in Stamp Student Union or displaying the latest Terps gear at the University Book Center, there is an opportunity for everyone. “Working part-time is a great option for broadening skills,” said Becky Weir, an assistant director at the University Career Center. Weir said employers look for employees who can take their skills and apply them in their workplace. Not only are on-campus jobs a way for students to earn money, Weir said, but they can also serve as resume boosters. “A student’s degree won’t get them a job, but work experience will,” she said. Below are three students working different jobs on the campus:
Caroline Cummings freshman, letters and sciences Office worker at Good Tidings Catering Although Cummings is still learning how to navigate college life and balance school with other obligations, she is up for the challenge of having a job her first semester on the campus. Cummings works 16 hours a week at Good Tidings Catering, editing contracts for the executive chef and manager and managing social media connected to the Good Tidings food truck, Green Tidings.
Although Cummings has an office job, she is still in the kitchen and sees people hard at work in each position at the catering company. Cummings applied for the job at freshman orientation, and although it hasn’t exactly met her expectations, she’s been making the most of it. “I thought I was going to be working as a server for the catering business, but even though I have a different job,
it has all been working out great, and Scott said he really never has a I really like it,” she said. typical day at the Visitor Center because his job revolves around whoever comes through the door. Javier Scott “We mostly receive questions about sophomore, journalism parking and tours, but occasionally a Welcomer at the Visitor Center few interesting questions are thrown Scott started working at the Visitor at us,” he said. Center this semester. “I love my job; I love meeting and Wenxiao Li greeting people,” he said. junior, business One of his favorite parts of the job is Facilities staff member at Eppley meeting a variety of people every day. Recreation Center He’s seen prospective students and faculty members, tourists and alumni Li has worked at Eppley for the past come through the center. two years. A a facilities staff member, “Last week an alumnus came in she primarily checks people into the who had graduated about 30 years gym and gives out equipment. ago, and he went to the Dairy to relive Li said she sets her own hours, his past College Park days,” Scott said. and she typically works four hours
each week. “Working at Eppley is an enjoyable working environment because everyone is always energized and happy,” she said. However, Li can be confronted with difficult situations at work. People who aren’t affiliated with the university sometimes try to work out at the ERC, which isn’t allowed. “We turn them away, and they get angry,” she said. “We go along with our day, as there is nothing we can do for them.” Interested in finding a job on the campus? Visit the University Career Center in Hornbake Library or check out careers.umd.edu. newsumdbk@gmail.com
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013 | fall career guide | The Diamondback
Landing the job By Gillian Vernick @thedbk For The Diamondback In the first few days of fall, stu-
the experience and make the task a little less intimidating. Kelley Bishop, the University Career Center’s director, said dents are often met with the daunting while it may seem like common task of landing a coveted internship sense, it’s extremely important for or job. While this undertaking may students to have an interest in the be overwhelming, there are plenty of jobs they’re pursuing. The best way experts and students to shed light on to network, he said, is for students
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to be plugged in to the professional field of their choice. Bishop also recommended students spend 60 percent of their energy on simply understanding the employer, looking into the company’s history and researching the marketplace they want to enter. Bishop said interviews are primarily about the
employer and the company, rather than the interviewee. While it’s extremely important to be prepared, Bishop advised students not to look too far into simple questions. “I think the toughest interview question is, ‘Tell me about yourself,’ because kids will overthink it,” Bishop said. “It is not a trick question; they truly want to know about the person they may be employing. Give a genuine answer.”
“As far as interviews go, the most important thing is to be specific. Don’t brush over the details or sell yourself short.” ERICA ELY
University Career Center director of internships Erica Ely, the internships director at the University Career Center, recommended that students think about their “power stories,” or stories that express their interests and experiences both in and out of the classroom. Students should practice these stories and sell themselves to the company with which they’re interviewing. “As far as interviews go, the most important thing is to be specific,” Ely said. “Don’t brush over the details or sell yourself short.” Ely warned against being the senior with nothing to talk about in regards to a resume. She recommended students volunteer, take part-time jobs and intern, not only to boost resumes but also to figure out what they like and dislike. Ely also said students shouldn’t use the exact same resume, cover letter and interview tactics for different companies. She suggested students “tailor and target” when trying to land the right job. It’s best to find out what the employer is seeking and communicate that through a resume and a cover letter, she added. Do not be generic, Ely said; it’s important to put effort into the resume because that positive work ethic carries over into the workplace. See Jobs, Page 5
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THE DIAMONDBACK | fall career guide | monday, september 23, 2013
The business behind baseball By Ryan Carbo @thedbk For The Diamondback Summer vacation conjures images of beaches, sun, ice cream and America’s pastime: baseball. Although most fans see baseball as a form of entertainment, for Evan Friedman this summer, it was a business. Over summer break, Friedman, a sophomore business student, interned for the business and marketing department of Major League Baseball Advanced Media in New York City. Friedman described the experience in the beginning as “surreal,” but said he quickly grew accustomed to
both the work and the environment, ultimately finding the internship incredibly rewarding. However, despite the glamorous employer, working for MLB Advanced Media showed Friedman the amount of number-crunching that goes into the baseball business. “Every day I would go in and I would get an email from my supervisor with data,” Friedman said. “I would put them into an Excel file … so I could analyze them on a day-today basis.” This task, he said, was arguably the most tedious part of his day because he had to enter the numbers manually, and he was often given multiple days’ worth of data every day. That much math can really add up, but
Friedman’s love of baseball made all the computations worthwhile to him. “I definitely knew what I wanted to get into when I was doing this,” he said. “As much as it was about business and marketing, it was also about baseball.” After Friedman finished his data work, he usually monitored baseball games — either previous games or ones being broadcast live. Friedman was tasked with making sure everything was in the proper order from a marketing perspective. This meant looking out for the company’s interests by determining whether the announcers were doing their jobs and keeping track of all the advertisements during games. “Major League Baseball has a deal with every broadcasting team. They are supposed to make at least one advertisement for the company I worked for every nine innings,” he See mlb, Page 5
Evan friedman, a sophomore business student, interned for the business and marketing department of Major League Baseball Advanced Media in New York City over the summer. marquise mckine/ for the diamondback
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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013 | fall career guide | The Diamondback
mlb From PAGE 4 said. “I listened to what the announcers said to make sure they were doing what they were supposed to do, and I also looked at the field itself for advertisements.” Not many people outside the industry know what really goes into the marketing portion of the game, but the opportunity to see the inner workings of baseball left Friedman wanting more, he said. Friedman’s advice for students who want to land a dream internship is to apply early and often. He encouraged students to seek out opportunities that excite them, no matter their educational focus. “Pick something that you really want to do and you really have a passion for because if you don’t, you will be very, very bored,” he
said. “Don’t just do it because it fits with your major.” However, Anna Koozmin, a sophomore community health major, said it’s difficult to make an internship work with school. “Internships are a great way to gain experience in a field you might want to pursue as a career. What concerns me the most is trying to figure out how to fit it in to your schedule, especially if you apply a semester before and are unsure of your final schedule,” she said. Sophomore finance major Zach Cohen agreed with Friedman and emphasized the importance of going after internships, even if they seem overly ambitious. “Getting any sort of internship as early as possible is definitely crucial to getting your foot in the door in order to succeed later in whatever field you are studying,” Cohen said. newsumdbk@gmail.com
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jobs From PAGE 3 With the university’s Fall Career and Internship Fair on the horizon, Bishop advised taking the time to prepare. Students should look into what kinds of employers are going to be there and what their companies have been doing lately, he said. As for resumes, Bishop said exposure is definitely an advantage; if employers have heard about students or have seen their names before they see their resumes, students are in a good position. Additionally, Bishop said although this week’s career fair offers lots of opportunities for students to get exposure to potential employers, there are also specialized career fairs going on all year. Senior marketing major Kyra Peckaitis interned with Honest
“Even if it isn’t the internship you always wanted, take it anyways because you never know.” JILLIAN DINARDO
Senior English and film studies major
puter science major, echoed Peckaitis’ sentiments about attending the career fair, where she previously met with company officials who offered her an internship. Moore also said family connections helped her get another internship, which she kept for three consecutive years. Jillian DiNardo, a senior English and film studies major, stressed the importance of experience. She works at the on-campus Writing Center and recommended it to students needing experience on their resumes. DiNardo said it’s important for students to try not to get discouraged when job or internship opportunities don’t come to fruition; students should keep trying and take chances. “Even if it isn’t the internship you always wanted, take it anyways because you never know,” she said. “Take the opportunities as they come.”
Tea over the summer and said internships are all about keeping in touch. She said students shouldn’t be discouraged when they don’t immediately hear back from a company, and she recommended networking and taking advantage of opportunities on the campus. “In general, I really think that the most important part of marketing yourself is to make connections all the time. Go to career fairs and meet recruiters; email them and tell them how nice it was to meet them,” she said. “Companies care about people that care about their company.” Brittany Moore, a senior com- newsumdbk@gmail.com
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THE DIAMONDBACK | fall Career guide | monday, september 23, 2013
Managing college responsibilities DAVE STROH College students these days are perhaps some of the busiest people on the planet. Many are forced to deal with working a job along with taking classes and attempting to maintain some sort of social life. I know I have found it challenging (at best) to balance an internship, school responsibilities and relationships. My most time-consuming commitment is school. Despite taking only four classes this semester, I still find myself devoting a majority of my time at home to homework and reading for my classes. The Internet may have revolutionized how knowledge is shared, but it also revolutionized how homework can be distributed and collected. A large portion of my homework is completed online, which forces me to plan my evenings around workloads and due dates. Readings for classes also take large amounts of my time. As an English major, I am assigned multiple readings for each class that can range from a few pages to an entire novel at a time. If I plan poorly during a week with a paper, presentation or exam, I could find myself seriously behind. While I am fortunate enough that I have not needed to keep a job during my time in school, I have had the opportunity to work as the Terps and ACC sports writer for SportsWatch.com. As a blogger, I am charged with writing several articles a week and keeping up to date with sporting events. These articles can take an hour or more to write and as much time to research. If I am assigned a game recap, I have to plan free writing time around the start of the game and its fluctuating time of comple-
tion. Because the website covers all sanctioned NCAA sports, I have to keep up with many different sports and the news events pertaining to them. Of all my life’s facets, my social life has suffered the most because of
my responsibilities. Having hours of schoolwork and additional writing each day limits the free time I have to interact with friends. While I know they have similar obligations and time restraints, I still feel as though I have missed many opportunities to spend time with those around me. With differing class and work schedules, my friends and I can rarely get large groups together. Often I am forced to choose between completing assignments and enjoying time with friends.
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I know all of these specific obligations and responsibilities are temporary, and I know I am blessed to have opportunities like these, but I can’t help but feel stressed and overloaded sometimes. In the long run, putting my time toward schoolwork and writing will do more good for my life than any-
thing else — it’s just the getting there that is difficult. But I’m looking on the bright side. At least after college, responsibilities go away — right? Dave Stroh is a senior English major. He can be reached at dstrohdbk@gmail.com.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013 | fall career guide | The Diamondback
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tasked with monotonous office work, be sure that your other duties include active observation and involvement in the field. While having a brand-name summer internship may look great when applying for jobs or graduate school, your earlier college years should be filled with exploration of your interests. Sometimes, this endeavor is more successful at a local or family-run business that isn’t quite the corporate workhorse for which you would eventually like to work. Internships help to solidify your interests, but more importantly, they help you eliminate potential careers from your consideration. Not every experience will serve as some sort of divine epiphany of your perfect future job. For example, after drafting wills, observing divorce mediations and hearing explosive custody battles, I decided family law was not for me. The criminal dockets were equally unappealing because my emotions often clouded my professional judgment. While my internship turned me away from certain types of law, it simultaneously reinforced my desire to practice law in general. Actively participating in hearings, alternate dispute resolution and client appointments gave me a far more complete picture of the legal profession than simply taking a few law-related courses at this university. Regardless of your major, completing an internship is invaluable in exploring career options. Landing your first choice requires careful research and active self-promotion. Use your resources — check department blogs and local newspapers for job listings, and consider visiting the University Career Center.
While choosing a career path may seem daunting for many students, one of the best ways to explore an interest is an internship. Unlike simply reading books or taking a related course load, internships allow students to observe a career up close and discover how it tangibly affects its employees and clients. As a pre-law student, one of my favorite internships was working two summers at a family and criminal law firm in Frederick. The firm had two attorneys and one paralegal, falling on the small side of private-sector firms. At first, I was apprehensive about working with so few attorneys. What if one didn’t like having me in the office, or — worse yet — what if I didn’t learn enough? By the end of my first day, it was clear to me these fears were unfounded. The firm’s small size proved to be an invaluable asset to my learning because the attorneys were more willing to sit with me one-on-one, provide their insight on cases and their implications and give advice on the best way to achieve my goals. It is often helpful to return to an enjoyable internship after a semester or more to evaluate the career through a new lens. During my experience with the law firm, I worked two nonconsecutive summers and found that my life experiences and coursework in the interim period allowed me to analyze complex legal issues in a more thoughtful way. Further, by my second summer, I already had a knowledge of office procedures and therefore had time to observe additional court dockets and client meetings. The type of work you complete can be even more important than the type Tiffany Burba is a senior government of business with which you elect to and politics major. She can be reached intern. While most interns will be at tburbadbk@gmail.com.
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THE DIAMONDBACK | fall career guide | monday, september 23, 2013
Taking charge of the fall career fair By Katy Kelly @thedbk For The Diamondback Many students are painfully aware of the difficulty the job market poses for college graduates. With sometimes hundreds of college students and recent graduates pursuing a limited number of jobs for a certain listing, it’s more important than ever for prospective employees to set themselves apart and prepare to enter the market. According to some experts, the key to landing a career is networking. And with more than 300 employers slated to attend, this year’s Fall Career and Internship Fair — which runs from Tuesday to Thursday in Comcast Center — is the perfect opportunity. The career fair will feature a wide range of employers varying from Microsoft and AT&T to the National Security Agency and Capital One. Erica Ely, director of internships at the University Career Center, said the best way for students to take advantage of the event is to come prepared. “Prove that you have done your research ahead of time,” Ely said. Students can easily find out what companies will be at the fair by logging on to Careers4Terps, the online career database for university students. The database allows employers to list any special skills they are looking for from students, as well as whether they are “first-year friendly” for freshmen looking to secure jobs or internships. Ely encouraged students to go to employers’ websites and the Careers4Terps database to research opportunities and ask employers specific questions about those positions. The career center has a website for the fair, and it keeps students updated on career-related happenings through social media outlets such as Instagram, Face-
book, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest. Ashley Delaney, a senior kinesiology major, has attended multiple career fairs and encouraged students to check this year’s out. “I would want students to go just to see what there is to offer and for them to look at the career center’s website to see how they can efficiently spend their time there,” she said. Delaney said she hasn’t always been as prepared as she could have been for the career fair. It wasn’t until after attending the fair that she discovered how helpful campus resources can be. “If you are going to take it seriously, you should look at the career
“you should look at the career center website, and you should be yourself. dress to attract the employers you want to work for.” ASHLEY DELANEY
Senior kinesiology major center website, and you should be yourself. Dress to attract the employers you want to work for,” she said. Melissa Barron, a senior communication major, landed a job with Pepsi as a food service intern for the past two years, and her work experience made her realize she wants to go into business. She used career-oriented tools to help her secure the internship, she said. “I use LinkedIn and Careers4Terps religiously,” she said. Although she’s still a freshman, Shahrazad Hired, a government and politics major, said she hoped to gain
a student attends a past fall career fair. This year’s fair is Tuesday through Thursday; more than 300 employers will gather in Comcast Center to recruit students, and shuttles will run each day. file photo/the diamondback more knowledge about interviewing and the workforce by attending the fair. She said she plans to bring copies of her resume and dress professionally in “trousers and heels.” “I’m hoping I’ll get more knowledge on getting a career, resume building and networking,” Hired said. “Just basic knowledge to further
myself in the workforce.” Shuttle buses are available to and from the fair from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. each day and are expected to arrive every 15 minutes. A full list of employers attending the fair is available at careers.umd.edu. newsumdbk@gmail.com
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