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Last Monday, I went a guest lecture by, Christina Rawlins from Center for Marketing intelligence. We learned a lot from the guest lecture because she taught us general information about what marketing is and how it is done. Although most people in the class did not know much about the topic since the purpose of the class was to learn some general information about marketing. I found the lecture pretty entertaining and helpful because at first I did not know much about marketing, but after, I have a general knowledge about how the marketing industry operates. It opened my mind because I didn’t know there was more to marketing than just advertisement. I was exposed to the how market researching was and it was a lot more complex than I thought it would be. It required using databases which reminded me of what I did in library class. I could not imagine myself searching databases in the future just to learn about how to effectively market a company. I did enjoy the videos that she showed us though. These advertisements that she showed us were not the typical ads, they had strategies behind them and appealed to certain groups of people. I think this guest lecture will help me throughout college because I learned about the how marketing is a crucial part in business and without it, not many business, if any, would be able to grow or even realize their weaknesses. Overall, I thought this lecture widened my view in the business world.

As we all know, resume, along with cover letter, is one of the most important things to be prepared before even contemplating about getting employed, whether it be volunteering, internships, or full-time employment.

To have the full package of a prepared interviewee, one of the characters I have to experience being before officially getting employed, regularly updating my resume is undoubtedly crucial.

So, when I found out that none of the session at Starr Career Development Center was of my interests, I decided to call up my mentor to review my almost ancient resume.

Without being reminded of the document’s existence, I was not aware of how outdated my career-related documents were, let alone of the urge to duly, constantly update them.

During our conversation, I put in my most recent experience in an internship, which I did before the end of my last semester in high school. Although the responsibilities of the position — administrative assistant tasks: organizing files and registering costs on spreadsheets — were largely similar to the one before, we still managed to find subtle differences between the two. Investor relations, the department I had the pleasure to work for in my most recent career-like experience, was finance-related. That means the speciality of it was more number-oriented. Corporate engagement, of which I had very similar experience with a year ago, had given me tasks that were mostly related to policies — city, state, and federal — and the implementation of them.

My mentor was kind enough to sacrifice his time to give me a timely session on such an essential item in my life, and also gave me a reminder that everything, literally everything, in this incessant lifestyle has to be updated.

For this week’s blog I interviewed  Yalan Wu who is a Senior Associate at KPMG which is one of the Big Four auditors. We weren’t able to meet in person but I was able to have a phone conversation with her. I also had questions prepared on a word document in which I recorded down her answers. I still do not know exactly what career I want to be in so I decided to interview someone who is currently in the financial services industry. I personally wanted some insight into what I should do to prepare myself to getting a job while in college. The following are the questions I asked and her answers. While I couldn’t get her signature, I took a screenshot of our phone call.

What school did you go to and what was your major?

Barnard College and double majored in Political Science and East Asian Studies.

What activities did you do during your freshman year?

Was part of a student group called the Asian American Alliance. It is a student group welcomes undergraduate students from other schools.

Did you have any internships before or during college?

During freshman year I interned with the NY State Division of Human Rights

What did you do there?

I worked with attorneys who worked discrimination cases which includes discrimination regarding gender, age, and disabilities. We would help bring up and investigate these cases. I personally would help these attorneys document claims.

What did you do to get that internship?

I used my school’s career center to see if there were any internships available for students.

What is something you wish you did during college?

Some advice I have is to explore different things even if you don’t excel in them. Try to take a balance of courses that you need to take and those that just interest you.

How do you prepare yourself to get a job after college?

There is no one way to prepare yourself. A lot of jobs require critical thinkers and those who are responsible.

What is your current job?

I’m currently a consultant in the financial services industry.

What skills do you need?

A lot of Excel skills, data analysis, and problem solving.

What are the hours like?

It varies from project to project and client to client. Depending on what the client wants or demands, you may have to work longer hours to complete a project.

Difficulties of the job?

Difficulties involve having to find ways to solve problems efficiently. Another is getting along with other people. When working on a project, you don’t always work with the same people so you have to find ways to get along and find out how others work.

Any advice for someone who is currently pursuing a finance degree in school now?

Equip yourself by taking all the necessary courses in school. Make sure to do well in your statistics class. Also familiarize yourself with data skills and problem solving. Also develop good skills in tools like Excel. Again, take classes that you like.

When it comes to small talk, I am able to keep a conversation going only if I’m up for it. There are some times when I want to talk to someone and other times when I just want to be alone. Even so, there are those times when I can’t avoid talking to someone and small talks may be nerve wrecking. At this workshop I was not only able to relate but also gain knowledge regarding the different ways to create small talk and learn new techniques that I can use in the future. When you approach someone that you aren’t familiar with but want to be friends with, you can do that with small talk. What makes small talk effective is that by asking simple questions or making small comments, it may branch out to even further, deeper topics that may result in a full conversation. We learned body language says a lot about someone and depending on their posture and atmosphere, they may give off different vibes. It’s also important to give the person you’re talking to your undivided attention and you can show that you care by actually listening, keeping eye contact, and leaning forward. At the end of the small talk, you should always end on a friendly note and if you haven’t exchanged names yet this will be the best time to do so before you both part.

All in all, I found this workshop helpful and enjoyed the interactive activities. We were also given a student guide packet so that we can refer back to the techniques discussed during the workshop if we ever need to. I was able to learn how important small talk is and how you can not only make new friends or acquaintances but improve your conversation skills. 

On Wednesday, November 8th, I attended the Small Talk: It’s a BIG Deal workshop. The night before, I looked at the STARR Career workshop options for the first time to find out most of the events were already booked or did not fit into my schedule. Of all the workshops available, this one seemed the most interesting and so it was decided. I would attend this workshop after school the next day.

At the start of the workshop, the presenter made an extensive trip around the room, shaking the hands of and greeting every person in the room. She later asked us about the implications of this gesture, to which many people gave insightful responses. My biggest takeaway was that I should always be the first to go up to someone to say hello and introduce myself.

Speaking of which, there were 50 tips to making small talk in the packet all attendees were given and they really are useful! Included were small tips and reminders such as “Be able to succinctly tell others- in a few short sentences-what you do”, “Reintroduce yourself to someone who is likely to have forgotten your name” and “Let others play the expert”.

We conversed with each other throughout the workshop, talking about the assigned subject matter, and I found out that many people preferred not to make eye contact when in conversation with another.. well, that was something different.

As someone who has always struggled with starting conversations and keeping the ball rolling, I feel like I’ve learned a few more ways to tackle this problem after attending the small talk workshop.

^ Picture taken at the workshop. Opps. Missed Sophia

^ Above is a picture of the packet received at the workshop

 

Last Wedsnday I attended a workshop called “Small Talk: It’s a BIG  Deal!” I had a bad mindset going into this again as I personally thought at the time it was bothersome and I really wouldn’t have learned anything. Small talk to me at the time was so irrelevant and I thought it was a skill that everyone knew how to do already. Upon arriving, I saw many different types of people I had never seen before. Thinking to myself then I would not have been able to make small talk to the majority of the people in the room as first it would be awkward for me and second I don’t have many topics to talk about. These were only the first few problems that popped into my head at that moment. There were plenty of other issues that I came across after. Our instructor Ellen, was very kind and explained to use all the tips and strategies we should be using everytime we engage in small talk. For example what type of body gestures you should be showing, what topics to talk and not talk about, and how to keep the conversation flowing smoothly instead of ending it at an awkward point. Small talk is indeed a very important skill that can lead to many life-changing events in your life. Some talk with a stranger can turn out to be someone big in a company or someone knew that you’ve never heard of! Because of that, you could be lucky in finding yourself in working for them in the future. This was a great workshop that I never thought would have been helpful at all and I am glad I went to experience this. 

Today, I went to the workshop for America needs you believing that it was a good opportunity for me to learn about their available scholarships, internships, and the service they provide. As I entered the room, I was surprised that I was the first one, so I thought people might start showing up sooner or later. As time proceeds to pass, it was clear that there were not many people who were interested in this workshop, but the students who were running the workshop decided that they would wait a little longer.

When we started, they introduced themselves and told us that they were both from the ANY fellowship program which is extremely helpful for students who are first generation college students as well as those who are financially qualified for this program. As they continued, they moved onto how students in this program can receive one on one assistance from a professional of a certain field; they would guide us and prepare us for interviews, future jobs, resumes, communication skills, etc. It really struck me how this program will be beneficial to my career goal. I was mostly interested in the internships that they offered for their members. Later on, they described what was expected of the students who were going to be selected in the program; meaning they had to attend weekly workshops as well as prepare to follow through for more work that are aimed at preparing them for the real life experiences after college.

I personally would love to sign up for this program, but if the student lives in New York, they have to attend a CUNY in the following semester. It is a great opportunity for any students here to expand their network as well as gain real life experiences and consultation. I believe that it would prove to be of great aid when students may struggle with interviews, finding internships, and preparing to enter society. I am interested in the professionals of various fields that offer their help, it seemed like it would be an eye-opening experience to communicate with these people.

Vicky Lin