You Majored in What? (26 page)

The simplest way to expand geographically is to start where you are and connect with family or friends who might know about opportunities in your field. Pay attention to what’s going on right at your college or university if you’re still a student. Is there an opportunity to learn the skills you need through working in an administrative office or department on campus? No jobs? Ask if you can volunteer a few hours a week or offer to work on a special project using your skills. If you’re in school, branch out to see what’s happening in the town or city where your school is located. By changing the location of your search, you might change the nature of the work. For instance, if you’re in a social work field and living in a small town, you may find you’ll provide more direct client service. If you’re in a big city, you may work for a large agency where you won’t have much client contact but will provide other services that ultimately benefit the client. If you’re working at the national headquarters of a nonprofit organization, you might even be involved in lobbying for legislation or setting policies.

Alyssa is considering a career working with homeless individuals in some capacity. She has already volunteered at a local shelter and is looking to expand her job possibilities. She brainstormed about the different opportunities she might have depending on her geographic focus, and developed the chart on pages 188-89. She’s filled in the opportunities for her vision; there are two blank rows for you to write in your vision and how it might grow if you choose a different level of involvement. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the answers to the questions: that’s what research is for.

Not only is Alyssa expanding her geographic opportunities, she’s also noticing that the opportunities start to vary in scope. When she volunteered at the local agency, she dealt with all the issues of her clients. But if she goes with a state agency, she might find she can specialize in one area. She will want to consider her specific skills and strengths and seek a variety of positions within those larger agencies.

A second way to expand your career possibilities is to consider a variety of jobs within a particular field or to consider related fields. On the work sheet on the next page or in your notebook, try listing up to three industries or fields you might be interested in. Then list several places where you could work within those fields. Finally, indicate possible job titles or functions you would be interested in within those industries. The first one is filled out as an example. If you’re having trouble identifying the locations or titles, keep researching!

EXPANDING YOUR CAREER POSSIBILITIES WORK SHEET

FIELD:
Writing

POSSIBLE EMPLOYERS:

a.
Publishing firms

b.
Computer or high-tech companies

c.
Professional trade organizations (newsletters and journals)

d.
College alumni, admissions, and development offices

POSSIBLE JOB TITLES:
Freelance writer, Web writer, technical writer, assistant editor, science writer, training and development specialist, editor, copywriter, proofreader, grant writer

Now
you try
it:

FIELD:

POSSIBLE EMPLOYERS:

a. _______________________________________________________

b. _______________________________________________________

c. _______________________________________________________

d. _______________________________________________________

POSSIBLE JOB TITLES:
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FIELD: _______________________________________________________

POSSIBLE EMPLOYERS:

a. _______________________________________________________

b. _______________________________________________________

c. _______________________________________________________

d. _______________________________________________________

POSSIBLE JOB TITLES:
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

FIELD:
_______________________________________________________

POSSIBLE EMPLOYERS:

a. _______________________________________________________

b. _______________________________________________________

c. _______________________________________________________

d. _______________________________________________________

POSSIBLE JOB TITLES:
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

2. ANALYZE THE CULTURE OF THE WORKPLACE

Company cultures are like country cultures. Never try to change one. Try, instead, to work with what you’ve got.

—PETER DRUCKER

You’re about to enter a foreign land. Most of the people are older than you, and they gather around a water cooler laughing and joking. The only person close to your age is an intern. They dress more formally than you. They’re pleasant to one another, but your attempts at making light conversation aren’t working. They seem to use certain words or acronyms over and over and you don’t know what they mean. You were given a name tag on your first day, but you forgot to wear it and now you realize you stand out. Despite some joking or friendly banter, there’s a serious atmosphere to the setting. Sometimes you even sense fear, but you’re not sure why. The rules seem odd and not all of them are written. Welcome to the workplace.

A culture is defined as a set of shared meanings, values, and assumptions, and in general, it is the responsibility of the individual to adapt to the culture. Just because some rules are unwritten doesn’t mean you don’t have to know them. It’s important for you to quickly size up the culture so you can determine whether you are a good fit or not, and good research can help you uncover the information you need.

Cross-cultural understanding is imperative in today’s workplace. An HR executive at a California-based Marriott Hotel once stated that their employees speak over one hundred foreign languages, including the special dialects within each language category. Can you image the challenges of communicating with that workforce and how important it is to be aware of your culture and what you bring to the workplace?

It’s not unusual for students to experience a certain culture shock at their first professional job. You might be used to sleeping in, having long breaks over the holidays and in the summer, being surrounded by people your own age and being immersed in other common characteristics of college life. The first step in analyzing a culture is understanding your own. Take a few minutes to describe your culture. Where are you from and what implications does that have for where you want to live? Noticing your own cultural perspective will make you more cognizant of what you consider “normal.” Can you think of a time when you felt you didn’t fit in somewhere? Why? Did cultural differences have anything to do with your feelings?

Some books and Web sites (such as the Vault guides) interview employees to give you the inside scoop on an organization. You definitely want to get past any bias you might have from watching
The Office
or reading
Dilbert
cartoons. You can also gain a perspective through reading the organization’s Web site and corporate or annual reports to see what they say about themselves.

• How do they present themselves in writing?

• Are their publications creative, conservative, visionary, or traditional?

• Do they state their organizational values or mission?

• Is the leader clearly identified and does she or he dominate the publications?

While all of that information is helpful, the best way to ascertain the culture is when you visit the organization for an interview and see for yourself. People tend to view things through their own perspective, and Web sites that rate organizations (just like the Web sites which rate professors) are often biased with either extremely positive or extremely negative perceptions. Take a look at the environment where you’re considering working. You won’t be able to assess everything on a single visit, but you might be able to assess culture through some visual cues:

• Buildings

• Is it in a freestanding building or a suite within a larger building?

• What is the architectural style? Modern, stylish, conservative, nondescript?

• Location of the office: rural, urban, suburban?

• How safe is the location?

• Ambience of office

• How do they greet strangers?

• Is the reception area formal, informal, elegant?

• What kind of furniture/decor? How attractive is the environment?

• Is the general noise level quiet or loud? Is music piped in? Or do a lot of workers have headphones on?

• How neat are the offices?

• Does there appear to be a policy for the appearance of the offices?

• Do people wear name tags?

• What are the characteristics of the workers you can observe?

• What is their age range?

• Are they friendly, neutral, or tense?

• How diverse is the workforce? Will you be one among many, or will you stand out for some reason?

• How much are they interacting?

• How do they dress? Is there a dress code? Do they wear uniforms?

• Are most workers in cubicles or offices?

FINAL QUESTIONS

What experimental wanderings are you going to try in the next twenty-four hours? What is your goal in doing this?
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