As you begin to embark on a career opportunity, knowing the tight tools on how to present yourself will aid in the interviewing process.
You have this one. You’re golden. You’ve gotten your internships. You’ve studied abroad. “I’ll be fine,” you mumble to yourself. They call you’re name and your eyes shift to the individual who leads you into an office and a situation that may decide the fait of your career path.
Big Impact
Interview — the word alone is enough the make you cringe. But, luckily, the situation doesn’t have to. With some preparation you will be ready to face any interview with confidence and peace of mind.
According to Wendy Berg, Pepperdine Career Counselor, small things can make a big impact on your interviewer — such as how you dress, talk and present yourself. She also explained that by researching the organization and having a clear idea of why you would fit in at a given job, you will have more confidence when answering questions.
Building Relationships
Statements of commonality are very impactful. “Wow, I see you have a new puppy! I have two dogs …” Look for simple things that can allow you to find common ground with your interviewer. For instance, take note of photos on his or her desk, and names of books on bookshelves.
Or, ask the question, “What keeps you grounded?” Your interviewer will be impressed that you care enough to try and get to know them.
Some other important aspects of interviews, like networking, should begin before the actual interview takes place, explained Berg. “Networking needs to start way before you get the job. Meet now and then for coffee [with potential connections], not just on Facebook.”
Q & A
Be prepared to answer these common questions during your interview: Why do you want to work at this organization? What are your strengths and what are some of your weaknesses? Do you work well in teams? Tell me about yourself?
So how do you leave a positive impression on your interviewer? Ask questions afterwards. It makes you appear genuinely interested in your potential position.
Another good tip, according to Berg, is asking the interviewer (post-interview) if there is anything that would prevent you from getting the job, such as a lack of experience or skill sets. Now is your opportunity to speak up!
And don’t forget to follow up with a hand-written letter, thanking everyone for their time.
While working toward the perfect position, internships let students test different jobs and learn important skills.
Internships are the name of the game when it comes to getting your foot in the door. Corporations and organizations expect to see real work-level skills when they review a resume, and that’s where these educational experiences come into play.
Both a learning and work opportunity, internships provide students with the types of skills that employers want to see. They allow for the application of one’s education, and the chance to get an insider’s look at a company.
It’s Who you Know
According to Pepperdine’s Career Center, networking is key in attaining a compatible internship. Talking with friends and family about your ideal job will provide you with assistance in the job hunt. As well, yellow pages and business journals often display internship positions available in your area.
CollegePlus, a program designed to help students work toward an accelerated degree, reported that 80 percent of college graduates in 2009 were unable to find jobs after graduating. However, previously in 2008, 70 percent of interns were offered jobs after their work with a company.
Based on a 2011 Senior Exit Survey at Pepperdine, 40 percent of students were employed at graduation. During college, 71 percent had worked in an internship position, whereas 65 percent were employed while in school. Finally, 22 percent of departing seniors planned to attend graduate school.
By working for an organization while attending school, you are able to connect and make a good impression for a possible job post-graduation.
Ideal Experience
As well, internships can clarify whether a given occupation is the right fit. Students get the chance to “try on” different careers, while gaining valuable work experience.
Internships can be paid or unpaid. But in order to receive credit for your internship at Pepperdine, you must be enrolled in the internship class. Each 45 hours of work receives one unit of credit for the class.
Statistics collected by the University of Wisconsin La Crosse indicate that out of 815 polled students 60 percent received a salary for their position. As far as job opportunities, the most popular internship positions were found in accounting within the Business Administration Division (108/815).
A Global Market
With globalization becoming more prevalent, competition for jobs is increasingly more difficult. Opportunities to network become essential. The market is, after all, one of “who knows who.” Your internship can become an opportunity to develop your contacts and references as you build your resume.
Try and get to know as many people as possible while you are interning. This will allow you to become acquainted with your colleagues and provide potential connections for future jobs.
If there are scheduled social gatherings at your place of work, put in the effort to attend. There are immeasurable reasons why getting to know your colleagues will be beneficial. Most of all, personal references are important, and leaving a good impression on your coworkers could potentially get you in line for a real job at your current company.
Tools to Use
If you are just starting your hunt for an internship, the Career Center is a good place to start. Their website offers internship databases like Career Space, where students can locate their ideal job. Other program resources include: meeting with a career counselor, career fairs and networking events—all of which are tools to take advantage of while in school.
In addition, the web currently offers numerous non-traditional forms of job searching. Unsolicited sites like LinkedIn are newer “search engine-based” form of career building, where headhunters seek potential candidates and contact them directly. Individuals can place their profile online, and build their “friends” from people they have networked with in the past. The site is something of a professional Facebook.
But don’t be surprised if your next job offer comes from an international company. It may be an opportunity to have a summer internship while living abroad.
Pepperdine Alumni Network (PAN) is a service that allows students to stay connected with current classmates and alumni. Tabs include resume posting, search options for individual alums and network opportunities with contacts. Class notes and upcoming events display approaching opportunities for the school’s alumni network.
Staying aware is the most important part of any job search. Other less-traditional options for your job hunt include: Monster.com, Craigslist and Facebook marketplace, an app within the site, that posts jobs in a given region. Twitter can also be helpful in finding the right job. Follow your favorite organizations and you may find postings for job openings.
It may seem obvious, but Googling organizations will yield specific results about a company. And sometimes, that will offer you the most direct answers about an establishment. In addition, blogs often post positions and have space to ask questions and receive answers about a company or job opportunity.
Jointly, experience and resume building as well as contacts and references will provide the tools you need to get your most idyllic internship.
Interviewing for the Job
And don’t forget that having a good interview is half the battle in attaining a job. Wendy Berg, Pepperdine Career Counselor, explained the importance of an effective interview.
“Interviewing is a skill,” Berg said. “You’re not born with it, even if you have a great personality.”
Photo Credit: rhl.org
By being prepared to answer questions, doing your research about the company and looking the part, you’ll be prepared to ace any interview.
Another good tip, according to Berg, is asking the interviewer (post-interview) if there is anything that would prevent you from getting the job, such as a lack of experience or skill set. That way, you won’t be as surprised if you are not chosen for a position.
For more information about your job options visit either Pepperdine’s Career Center to set up a meeting or mock-interview with a counselor, or visit the website at: seaver.pepperdine.edu/careercenter.
Professor of Art, Avery Falkner retires from Pepperdine University after having taught in the Fine Arts Division for 39 years.
Color the World
What would the world be like without artistic expression? “Drab!” exclaimed Fine Arts professor of 39 years, Avery Falkner.
“[Art] is a natural thing,” Falkner expressed. “In all cultures, you have people doing artistic things. In the most primitive and most sophisticated cultures, art is just a part of life.”
Artistic Beginnings
Originally from west Texas, Falkner did his undergraduate work at Abilene Christian University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in art. He then traveled to New York on a scholarship, where he furthered his studies and found a love for contemporary art.
Falkner did his graduate work at the California College of the Arts, and then went back to his alma mater Abilene Christian and taught for four years, before coming to Pepperdine in 1973.
To say that Falkner is passionate about art would be an understatement. He lives art, and finds enjoyment and fulfillment in creating.
“You’re an artist because you have to be,” Falkner said. “In a way it’s not a choice. In a way it’s something that has to be. Once you’re into it and caught up in the activity, it becomes so much a part of you that if you then couldn’t be whatever you did, even if you changed mediums, [you] would be artistic. I think it’s an ingrained disease.”
Photo Credit: Rachel Miller
Initially, Falkner considered going into commercial art such as automotive design and airplanes, which he used to draw as a kid. He explained that in his youth, he was able to identify types of airplanes in the sky, by both sound and sight—the onset of his visual acuity.
But he decided to shift his focus when he discovered a fascination with modern art.
“As soon as I was exposed to the world of fine art, contemporary art in particular, I was amazed by that and attracted to that. I later became very serious about painting in undergraduate school.”
Past Influences
Falkner listed artist Richard Diebenkorn as a favorite painter, in addition to Picasso and other classical painters like Rembrandt and Leonardo Di Vinci.
“I like the way [Diebenkorn] works and leaves a recognizable history in his process,” Falkner said. “It is such an educational thing to see, because it demonstrates beginnings and changes and finally coming around to a conclusion. It really reveals the process.”
“Because, what is interesting about art is the process. That’s where the joy is and the struggle is and where the meaning comes.”
Passionate Person
Both a passionate artist and father, Falkner explained that artistic expression runs in his family. His children all have artistic jobs, but differing mediums.
“Art is not just in the visual sense,” he said. “My chef daughter is creating art, not only in the way it tastes, but in the way it looks, and food is the medium.”
Not only does Falkner enjoy visual art, he also enjoys music, travel and film, foreign films in particular. He explained that he and his wife thoroughly enjoy learning about other cultures. In the future, they hope to travel to South America and New Zealand.
“It’s always a joy to go to another place in the world and experience a whole different culture. To see what people do, what their culture is like, what their art is like. [Art forms] are produced in every culture with their own imprint, their own stamp.”
Leave a Legacy
For Falkner, art is like an exploration, an adventure to be undertaken. His passion is one that has allowed him, during his 39 years at Pepperdine, to combine his two loves.
“It’s the best of both worlds as an artist and a teacher to be an art professor.There’s the joy in being able to do your creative work, and then the joy that comes from the students.”
In addition, his profession has allowed him to exercise his passion, something that Falkner believes is essential to attaining fulfillment.
“Passion is necessary in the arts and necessary in life. I think it’s necessary that you’re passionate about something,” Falkner said. “Passionately is to be excited, to be full of life and to fully engage in what you’re doing, and that’s when there’s fulfillment.”
After such a vast career in the art profession, what kind of legacy does Falkner want to leave for Pepperdine and his colleagues? His goal involves a plan to appreciate the world’s collective talents.
“Live life with love and joy. Through that appreciate and love your own abilities and utilize all the gifts that have been given to you as an individual. Also, appreciate those gifts in others and recognize the brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity to appreciate what others are doing.”
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