Seven months to unemployment? In this economy, as a Tufts senior, the word "graduation" probably summons up more anxiety than hope.
When my classmates and I left Tufts four years ago, the "real world" seemed easier and much more welcoming. But do not give up. This fall's financial crisis has made you all adults now. It will challenge, teach, and, likely, shape you as a generation. It has also given you what I believe is the opportunity of your lifetime.
Since 2004, through the Tufts Career Advisory Network and Connecting Alumni and Student Experiences (CASE) program, I have helped close to a hundred students with their first job search.
My advice to you is fourfold: Choose your path. Make the job search your 6th class. Take smart risks. Give back along the way. Do all this and you'll do better than you can imagine.
Do not graduate unprepared like many of my friends and me. For many of my schoolmates, the first job came easy: from a parent's advice, a career fair or a Monster.com job posting. Some chose jobs based on friends. Others on what seemed hot or glamorous. Four years later, few are in the same industry, let alone at the same firm. One friend left "indigenous-rights filmmaking" for an MBA and a private equity firm. Another changed from doing Fortune 500 strategy consulting to working on public school reform. A third switched from masters in accounting to medical school.
Some career transitions are an exciting self-discovery, but many are pretty gut wrenching. Perhaps your path will wind less. However, you should take the time now to craft it.
Imagine yourself in ten years. What would you be happy doing? Why? Saving the world, running a company, or being rich and famous don't quite count—dig a few levels deeper. Also, don't limit yourself to options like Foreign Service, being a lawyer, or working for Google. They are all good possibilities but not the right ones for everyone.
To help you along, e-mail and call as many alums as you can. Know what industries and job roles are out there and what skills and personalities they take to succeed. Perhaps the best advice I have ever gotten was from a Tufts alum in investment management who told me to not go into investment management. It was a lucrative option, but wasn't at all right for my interests and personality and would've made me miserable.
As you think through your path, make job searching your 6th class. With many 2008 grads still job hunting, it could take you six to 12 months to land the right spot. If you haven't started already, catch up and make your plan over winter break. Ask a mentor or friend to serve as your "job search professor" and keep you on track.
When you do find an opportunity, ask yourself two questions. First, why is this the right job for me? Second, why am I the number one person for
this job? Why me and not a top Ivy League grad or my best friend?
Besides Tufts alums, there is a library of information that can help, such as Vault and Glocap guides, books like Tim Butler's "Getting Unstuck" or Stephen Covey's "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," Myers-Briggs personality tests and online tools like "Remember
the Milk."
My third piece of advice is to take risks — but be smart. My first job out of Tufts paid $14,000 with no health insurance. I was managing a State Senate campaign for a Republican against a four-term incumbent in "blue" Massachusetts. Was I crazy? Well, I had the chance to work for the former head of Honeywell Consumer Products group—one of the smartest and most honorable people with whom I've ever worked. I probably learned more about building and managing teams than I have in later, better-paid senior positions with the Boston Consulting Group and Motorola.
In your own job search, are you betting on an opportunity to learn? Employer's brand? Fulfilling your passion? Being one of many at a large New York firm, or having a higher profile but not a network in a smaller company or city? Each option presents an opportunity and a downside.
Finally, I suggest no matter where you find yourself, give back. Changing the world doesn't need to mean selling your stuff and moving to Africa. Nor does pursuing a lucrative career shut you out from an opportunity to help. The world needs your passion and your skills no matter what field you're in.
A mentor of mine is an investment banker and advises Unicef on its budget. With my own background in strategy, politics and business, I'm starting a non-profit organization helping entrepreneurs in low-income urban areas. This is my way to give back.
I hope today's challenges will let you find your own, unique way and will serve as the guiding beacons along it. Now is your chance. Now is your opportunity. Best of luck.
