by Amanda Dennis | Apr 19, 2019 | Alumni Perspective, Career Exploration, General, Networking, Student Perspective |
This article has been reposted from the Haverblog. To see the original blog post as well as any updates or edits after 4/19/19, please visit this link. By Allison Wise ’20 | Apr 9, 2019 | Original Post on the Haverblog The Center for Career and Professional Advising (CCPA) is known for facilitating relationships between current and past Haverford students, and nowhere is this more apparent than through their signature externship program. For more than 40 years, the CCPA has played matchmaker for students and alumni sponsors for a weeklong workplace experience over the College’s winter or spring break. An externship is different from an internship in that it is a much shorter engagement (one week versus a whole summer or semester) for professional shadowing rather than hands-on work. And as such it is a much less committal way to test the waters of various lines of work. “Career exploration takes many forms, and shadowing is a great way to sample a career or industry that you are considering without going all-in for a full summer, or saying yes to a full-time job,” said Director of Career Engagement and Initiatives Jennifer Barr. “For liberal arts students, it’s incredibly helpful to shadow someone from the same type of educational background, and witness how alumni transfer their academic skills to the workplace.” The process begins with students pouring over the CCPA’s list of alumni and parent externship sponsors. They then select up to six of them who work in careers they are eager to explore and apply by sending in their resume and an essay outlining their interest. With a strong alumni...
by Amanda Dennis | Apr 3, 2019 | General, Interviewing, Networking |
Professional etiquette is the unwritten code of conduct people are expected to follow in the workplace and at professional events. As a Haverford student, you likely already follow most, if not all of these just by adhering to the Honor Code. However, it never hurts to brush up to make sure you’re making good impressions. Here are seven rules that should live by in any professional setting: 1. Be on time. You know the phrase “If you’re early, you’re on time, if you’re on time, you’re late”? Follow it! Havertime doesn’t apply anywhere besides in class on campus. 2. Dress appropriately. Just because nobody explicitly told you to show up dressed professionally, doesn’t mean you should come in sweats and flip-flops. If you are going to work or a professional event, even those on campus, you should do your best to dress appropriately. It shows that you care. If you don’t have professional clothes, contact the CCPA and we can help you find something temporary from our Career Closet or direct you towards where you can find inexpensive permanent items. 3. Keep personal and professional separate. Don’t use your work computer, email, calendar, and/or other accounts for personal activities. When you’re at work, you should be doing work-related activities. The same goes for office conversation. It is fine to be open and talk about yourself in the workplace, but be careful not to overshare! 4. Be professional and positive on social media. Never post negative content about an employer, manager, or colleague online, even if you have a private account. There...
by Amanda Dennis | Mar 8, 2019 | Career Exploration, General, Internships, Job Search |
As your semester has geared up with mid-terms, class projects, papers, exams, practices, and club events, you might have put your career search to the side. Here are some tips on how to energize your career, job or internship search over spring break. 1. Pick a Direction. Students at every stage of college struggle with figuring out what they want to do. Job hunting can be completely overwhelming if you haven’t narrowed down what you actually want out of your summer or for your first destination after graduation. Use the CCPA’s self-assessment resources to evaluate your own skills, personality style, and interests. You can also contact us to talk through your ideas and questions. Try to narrow your interests down to a couple fields of interest. 2. Learn From Alumni. When you have identified some fields that interest you, contact at least 2 alumni in these fields for information and advice. Talking to alumni will help you to gain an “insider’s perspective” of a field or a certain position. They can tell you about their career path and industry trends and share advice for entering or exploring their industry further. Use our Networking Guide which contains sample emails, tips on questions to ask, and etiquette for reaching out. All HC students have access to the Haverford online alumni community, which contains the online alumni directory (click on Fords Alumni Directory). This is also a great time to update (or set-up) your LinkedIn account. Once you have this account and add your education information, you can go to www.linkedin.com/alumni and search Haverford alumni by industry and location! 3. Narrow It Down and Search. After talking with alumni about your...
by Amanda Dennis | Mar 4, 2019 | Career Exploration, Events, Networking |
Happy March (and Mardi Gras) to everyone! We have a light line up this week, so take this time to do some job hunting on your own. Check out our website for a list of resources for finding and nailing the perfect summer opportunity! Monday, March 4 U.S. Census Bureau Info Table 11:30 a.m., DC Foyer Tuesday, March 5 Student PIRG Info Table 5:00 p.m., DC Foyer Wednesday, March 6 CAMPUS HANGOUT – With PayPal Developers 12:o0 p.m., Online, see link above. Comcast – CXT (Customer Experience Technology) Early Career Networking Night 5:00 p.m., 1800 Arch Street, Philadelphia Multitrack Audio and Podcasting: TechPlay Series 6:30 p.m., Stokes Hall...
by Amanda Dennis | Mar 1, 2019 | General |
Today, the CCPA had a special finance-themed Fords on Friday talk with not one, but TWO awesome Haverford Alumni! Varun Bedi ’92 and Sasan Doroudian ’92 both dedicated their Friday lunches this week to sit down and chat with current students about their careers in Finance. Throughout the Q&A session, these alumni recommended several titles for students interested in finance, business, and other fields! Enjoy! Recommended Reads: Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time By Keith Ferrazzi 7 Habits of Highly Effective People By Stephen. R. Covey How to Win Friends & Influence People By Dale Carnegie Thinking, Fast and Slow By Daniel Kahneman These links lead to the books’ Amazon pages so students can access previews and reader reviews. The CCPA encourages students to check Tripod and reach out the the Haverford Library for these titles. Speaker Bios Varun Bedi ’92 Managing Director, Co-Founder, Tenex Capital Management Economics Major Varun leads transaction origination, execution, and structuring activities for Tenex. Tenex is a private equity firm that invests in middle-market companies. Varun’s focus at Tenex is on identifying and underwriting investments. Varun is one of the founding Managing Directors of Tenex. Previously, Varun served as Senior Vice President at Cerberus Capital Management, where he played a wide‐ranging across several portfolio companies from both an operational and financial perspective. Mr. Bedi played a key role in the successful build‐out of Cerberus Operations into one of the leading portfolio management entities in the industry. Through his active sourcing activities, Mr. Bedi helped build and expand the Cerberus presence in the Canadian and Indian markets. Varun joined...
