Career Days
Career Days bring us directly into the intentional job search season. Below are some reminders and tips to students who are seeking either full-time professional positions or part-time, summer, or seasonal opportunities. Keep in mind some basic etiquette and professional standards.
A. Communication – coherent, meaningful communication whether written or verbal – from letters to applications to interviews, all tell “on” you or about you. Have someone else proofread written work and practice interviewing with friends or colleagues. Know what you want to learn from the interview and the message you want to share.
B. Appearance and manners – create that very lasting, first impression. After that, you can validate the positive, but it is very difficult to overcome the negative. The appearance of correspondence and applications is as important as matching socks and professional dress. Practice your handshake to make it comfortable and sincere as a professional greeting.
C. Courtesy – be timely and responsive in all interactions: individualized follow-up letters and thank-you notes. Request any offer to be made as a written offer, even though it may originally be made verbally. Acknowledge, in writing, all offers and conditions of those offers, as you understand them. Meet the employer’s deadline or ask early for an extension.
D. Responsibility – accepting a position should come with full consideration of the ethical and professional obligations and responsibilities concomitant with agreeing to an offer of employment or opportunity. If you are feeling pressure from an employer for a decision or if you are uncomfortable with some uncertainty, talk with your advisor or a faculty member BEFORE you accept. After you accept, the employer expects you to come to work! This is a critical decision on your professional career path. In the grand scheme of personal and professional development, those capabilities reflected above are continuing validation of the “outcome abilities” identified by the College of Pharmacy: critical thinking and decision-making, communication, and responsible use of values and ethical principles. From the classroom to the workplace, all factors facilitate your successful pursuit of your professional goals.