Career Services: Resources for Life After College

As a student, it is sometimes easy to forget that college life is not indefinite.  Though it may not be a pleasant thing to think about (I really wish that I could remain a member of this beautiful, vibrant, and enriching community forever), there will come a time when my undergraduate education has run its course.  At Fordham, the office of Career Services is one of several organizations that helps prepare students for life after college, specifically by helping us develop ourselves professionally as we prepare to enter the workforce.  One of the many ways they do so is by hosting career fairs - events where employers are invited to campus to interact with students.

Some of the companies that participated in the Career Fair.

Today, the Fall 2014 Career and Internship Fair occupied the second floor of the McGinley Center, one of three career fairs occurring this fall (in addition to the Fall 2014 Accounting & Finance Career and Internship Fair and the Common Good Career and Internship Fair). These events are a great opportunity for students to interact with potential employers.  They offer the face time that is impossible through the traditional method of applying for jobs and internships online and provide a forum for students to network and converse with corporate representatives.  Today's career fair included companies from a diverse range of industries, from Societe Generale's Corporate and Investment Banking division; to Viacom, the media conglomerate that owns MTV, Comedy Central, and Paramount Pictures, among other holdings; to the Peace Corps.

Employer's tables set up for the fair

Career Services also offers a number of other resources that help students prepare for and find jobs.  They hold educational seminars on a weekly basis that cover topics such as resume writing and editing, professional communication tips, and interview preparation and practice.  Career Services staff are also available for one-on-one meetings with students upon request.  Furthermore, there is an online job search tool, called CareerLink, that allows employers to post jobs and internships exclusively for Fordham students.  

Senior Spotlight: Emily Pandise

During my short time at Fordham, I've met plenty of hardworking, ambitious students, especially in Rose Hill's performing arts scene. One of the busiest and most accomplished is Emily Pandise, who I've gotten to know mostly during her time as president of the Mimes and Mummers, our main stage theatre group. Having been recently accepted to NBC's insanely competitive Page Program, her post-grad plans are also looking pretty sweet. This weekend I chatted with Emily about her college experience, crazy schedule, and future adventures.

Name: Emily Pandise

Year: FCRH '14

Major: Double major in American Studies and Communication & Media Studies 

Hometown: Mahwah, NJ 

Clubs: The Mimes and Mummers, Fordham Experimental Theatre, 90.7 FM WFUV, Fordham TV (Fordham Nightly News and Fordham Mornings)

Internships: Entertainment Events, Inc. (Summer '12), Weekend TODAY at NBC (Spring and Summer '13), MSNBC's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell

Did you come to college with a clear idea of you wanted to do? 

I did, but I completely changed my mind. I really wanted to go into publishing; I wanted to be an editor for fiction publications and ultimately become a writer. I wanted to write first-person essays and short stories. When I got here and got involved in a few activities, I realized that I really like working with people more than I like reading about people. So through my involvement with the Mimes and Mummers and especially with Fordham TV, I realized that I really like to be hands on, not working in an office, and that television would be a better fit for me. 

How did you end up at Fordham? 

When I was looking at schools, Fordham was on my list because my guidance counselor had mentioned it, and I knew a lot of people who went here who were happy. I ended up getting in through early admissions, and they gave me a bit money. This was the last school I visited. I had been doing theater since high school, and I came to visit a friend of mine overnight and sat in on an FET rehearsal; they were doing Clue. I sat in on a class I really liked. I think it's nice that the people here are the kind of people who open doors for each other. Good vibes.

If you could do the college process over again, what would you do differently, if anything?

I applied to a lot of reach schools, so I would've probably applied to more safety schools for scholarship money. But I'm so happy I ended up here, especially as someone who didn't know she was interested in television until she came here. 

Could you describe your most favorite role as a leader and student on campus? 

That's such a toss-up. I have loved working with the Mimes and Mummers, and the club has afforded me so many opportunities that I wouldn't have been able to get elsewhere… but I have loved producing Fordham Mornings just as much. I really couldn't pick one.

What kind of opportunities has Fordham given you that you might not have found elsewhere?

I think it's really great (because this is not the case in other schools) that students have the chance to work in the TV studio and the radio studio no matter what their major is. Neither of my co-producers for Fordham Mornings are communications majors. My sister's at Syracuse, and I know they won't let her work in the television studio because she's not a communications major.  

What kind of duties do you have as a Fordham TV producer?

We have production meetings every week to decide what's gonna go into our next show. We write, shoot, and edit everything ourselves. Every week I do between one through three packages to air. And we have bunch of live segments, musical guests, and interviews every week. This semester we've added a cooking segment, which has been really fun. I do a lot of the "Do It Yourself" segment each week. I've done fitness segments. We have a new segment called Student Spotlight, and we focus on people and events on campus. During the shows, I floor manage.

What're your post-graduation plans? Do you have an ideal job in mind?

Since I was a little kid, I wanted to be a writer in some form…and then you know, theater is the art of live storytelling. News is the same thing, and I love that no matter what, you can talk to the most important person in the world or the least important person, and you can still tell someone about them. I'm really excited because I was accepted to the Page program in November, so I'll be starting work as a Page in August. 

My ideal job is to be a segment producer for news. I really love talking to people, and I love asking questions and hearing what people have to say, and telling the story for those who can't tell it themselves. You know, because there's so many people who don't have the means, or just can't really articulate what needs to be articulated. 

Can you talk more about what the Page Program entails?

It's a one year program, and it's super competitive. They choose about 80 people from about 12,000 that apply, so it's really, really exciting. And they choose people that want to spend their careers at NBC. You apply for three-month assignments, so you can really get a taste for what each department is like, and from there you can decide what you want to do. Hopefully I'll get to do work with MSNBC, and then morning shows, and then nightly shows. We also give tours and seat people for SNL and other shows.

I know you've had several internships at college. What has been your most favorite internship experience so far?

That's hard. Weekend Today was great, obviously. I spent 8 months there, and I really loved it. And I gotta tell you, I was working on the The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, and they had amazing people there, and I learned a lot from them. I learned a lot about politics. And at network news, they have so much money and so many resources, but they do so much with so little in a 24-hour turnover period at MSNBC. It's incredible what the producers and editors do over there. 

I remember seeing on Facebook that you actually got to go on air at one point.

Yeah, I was modeling Kate Middleton's maternity dress on Weekend Today. I was working late in the office one weekend, and they said, "Hey, what's your dress size?"

Finally, what have you loved most about Fordham?

I think the sense of community here is really strong. And you can really find people who are passionate about the things you're passionate about, and you form lifelong friendships over those things. I love how open people are, how much they're willing to share their time and share themselves with you.

Alumnae Spotlight: Melissa FitzGibbon, GSB '13

Name: Melissa FitzGibbon
Hometown: Scotch Plains, NJ
Graduation year and major: Business Admin., Concentration in Marketing, Minor in Visual Arts GSB ’13

Did you have any internships during your time at Fordham?

I did a total of four internships while at Fordham. When I was in middle school I became convinced that I wanted to work in the music industry, so during my sophomore year at Fordham I made a list of all of the record labels based in New York City and applied to internships. Second semester sophomore year I interned for an artist management firm where I did a little bit of everything, from digital and direct marketing to graphic design. Second semester junior year I interned for the digital marketing department of Atlantic Records. I managed artists’ blogs, websites, and social media properties. I also interned for the radio station 95.5 WPLJ and within a different department at Atlantic Records. My favorite thing I did while interning was creating a marketing plan for the band Matchbox Twenty. In addition to the marketing plan, I had the opportunity to pitch an application idea to Spotify and Matchbox Twenty management. Both parties loved the idea and my idea became an application that lived within the music streaming service. I also rode the elevator with Diddy once and met Jay-Z… so that’s pretty cool too. My internships were amazing and gave me excellent hands-on experience. While I loved my internships, I ultimately learned not only what activities I did well but also that I don’t want to work in the music industry.

What were you involved in during your time at Fordham?

I played six seasons of intramural softball. I was on the CAB general board and the executive board as the chairperson of the comedy committee. I was also a resident assistant, which definitely had the most profound impact on my college career. Each extra curricular was amazing and such an awesome adventure. I was constantly on the go and loved every second of it. Plus, because I was so involved, I got to meet a lot of different people that I wouldn’t have gotten to know otherwise. I still consider a lot of those people my closest friends.

Can you talk a little about the interview process for your full time job offer? 

The interview process for my current position was definitely atypical. I initially applied for a marketing specific job at the Kaplan headquarters in New York. I got an email a few days later expressing that while they did not feel I was a good fit for the position that I originally applied, the company did have an opening in New Jersey for which I “seemed to be a good match”. I expressed further interest and had an initial phone interview the following Monday. I had a second phone interview with a hiring manager on Tuesday. We had a great conversation that led to an in-person interview on Wednesday. At this point in time, if you’re keeping track at home, I had three interviews in three days. The phone interviews were very basic. I was asked to describe myself, what I thought about Kaplan and give a glimpse of where I saw myself in five years. While the in-person interview had very similar questions, it was more to get a feel for my personality and how I react in various situations. I clicked really well with the hiring manager and at some point forgot that I was on an interview. We laughed a lot and had an interesting and engaging conversation about business development in general as well as the Kaplan brand. After the third interview, I waited nearly a week and a half for my final interview with the regional sales director. One of the most peculiar aspects of my position is that I am part of a remote workforce, which means my team doesn’t have an office. Each member of my team works from home. Thus, my final interview was via Google Hangout. It was a great conversation. We spoke about '80s music, the NY Football Giants, and of course my previous work experience. After that final interview I knew that working with Kaplan is where I wanted to be. Two weeks later I got my official offer letter via email and the rest is history.

What do you do on a daily basis at work? 

As one could have imagined from the brief overview of my interview process, every day is different. Today I started my morning off with responding to emails, following up with students and clubs. I then ventured to Rutgers Newark for a presentation about the “Path to Graduate School” that I organized with one of the deans. Tomorrow, I’ll be putting my art minor to use editing pictures and creating signs for an upcoming conference. I’ll also be calling students to follow up about potential course options and continuously refreshing the sales numbers for the month of October. There’s never a dull moment at Kaplan! Sometimes I’m working directly with students on campus, other times I’m on national conference calls about the forthcoming MCAT test change, and sometimes I’m talking about academics with specific teachers. The fact that my day-to-day changes so much is what I like about my job, though! I’m never bored and always on my toes.

What do you miss most about Fordham? 

I think the shorter answer might be “What don’t you miss about Fordham?” I miss running into people on campus. I miss the spontaneity that happens when you live in a res hall and/or five blocks away from all your friends. I miss my Residential Life staff. I miss my intramural softball team and the people I came to know and love during my four years at Fordham. If I had to choose one thing, what I miss most is the sense of belonging and the Fordham community. I feel at home when I’m at Fordham, and that’s what I miss most.

How did Fordham help prepare you for the "real world"?

I think my business major definitely helped me prepare for the real world. For one thing, after feeling that “business casual dress” was the most ambiguous dress code for 19 years of my life, I finally figured out what that means! But in all seriousness, I learned how to carry myself in the professional world, the importance of networking, and how to think analytically. Since I was so involved, I am quite prepared to multi-task and manage my time wisely. The core prepped me with an education that made me a well-rounded individual. My education in the classroom wasn’t limited to one specific subject, but rather a foray into many different subjects. I feel like I can handle anything that gets thrown at me professionally because I have such a sturdy educational foundation.

What is your advice for students beginning their college experience?

If you’re not a morning person do not register yourself for 8:30s; you will regret it (I learned that the hard way). Take professors with whom you connect, it makes the work you do for that class seem less like work. Don’t take the sunny days on Eddie’s for granted. Network as much as possible; you never know where you’ll end up. Intern to test what it is you might want to do after graduation! Most importantly, enjoy your time at Fordham! It’ll be over before you know it.

A Brave New World: Studying Abroad

Are you interested in studying abroad when you become a student at Fordham? Read this interview with junior Pat Higgins to get a taste of what the experience would be like!

How did you come to choose the program in which you are studying?

When I first decided that I wanted to go abroad, I had a list of priorities. The first was that I wanted to go somewhere where English was spoken because I am not fluent in any other languages. I also wanted to go somewhere different from my friends. I came to the conclusion that I wanted to go to Scotland because I am Scottish but did not know much about my heritage. I met with the study abroad office and they directed me to several programs in Scotland for which I would qualify. I was apprehensive at first because my program was run by a different university, but the ISAP office assured me it would not be an issue at all. I narrowed my decision down to Glasgow or Edinburgh. My mother informed my that our family was from Edinburgh so naturally I picked Edinburgh. In talking to my Grandpa about my trip this summer, it turns out we are from Glasgow (proves how much my family embraced the Scottish portion of my heritage). Needless to say I am still glad I ended up in Edinburgh.

What was your initial reaction to the country during your first week?

Before crossing the pond I had never left the country (or been west of Milwaukee for that matter) and I did not have any notion of what to expect overseas. I distinctly remember looking out my airplane window when we started flying into Scotland. I saw these hills everywhere. It was stellar. I had never seen hills so tall with nothing but grass growing on them. I was spoiled in my first week here because the university put us up in a hotel for a few nights before our dorm was ready. Our hotel overlooked Edinburgh Castle. Every morning when I woke up and looked out the window it was a constant reminder that I was not at Fordham anymore. I was located in one of the oldest parts of the city and it looked so ancient. There were buildings older than the United States as a country. The setup of the city was very different. Everything was smaller here. However, being a student from NYC helped significantly because Edinburgh had a city feel and I was accustomed to the etiquette associated with living in an urban environment. I think Fordham directly prepared me for the city environment.

What has been your favorite experience thus far?

Thus far my favorite experience has been playing for the shinty team (which I will get into greater detail in later) and exploring the many avenues of Scottish culture that Edinburgh offers. Within the city there are a vast series of museums that I have visited. There also exists a hill within the city limits that provides great scenic views of the region. In the weeks leading up to the trip I was learning about my Scottish heritage and had built up an anticipation of eventually "coming home." When I was standing on the hill looking at the Firth of Forth (like a bay in the U.S.) and the early beginnings of the highlands in the distance I felt for the first time that I had made it home. Such a feeling cannot be correctly articulated through words. I cannot wait until next month when I am in Glasgow exploring the same places my great-grandparents lived.

Have you gotten involved in any cultural activities? 

The most exhilarating thing I have experienced since departing JFK is Shinty. Shinty is Scotland's national sport but specifically has its roots in the Highlands. Shinty is a combination of several sports. The easiest way to describe it is hyper-aggressive field hockey. Ice hockey developed from shinty when Scottish immigrants went to Canada, and the sport "hurling" is a close cousin. I have not played organized sports since high school and really miss playing in competitive environments. The shinty team has allowed me to satisfy that desire. The guys on the team have been amazingly welcoming. It has been great because I am the only American on the team and it allows me to really immerse myself in Scottish culture. I probably get made fun of once a week for my "accent" (even though I am from Connecticut and everyone knows we don't have one) but it is all in good fun. The days we meet are easily the best days of the week.

Finally, do you have any words of advice for students beginning the study abroad process?

If I were to offer any sort of advice to a student starting the process, I would tell them to exit their comfort zone. The vast number of study abroad programs available allows someone to go anywhere they desire. I was initially nervous going abroad because I was the only Fordham student in Edinburgh. I learned just as much about myself as I have about Scotland. This may be the only time you will be able to spend a few months out of the United States. Do not confine yourself to the herd! Seek out your own highland pastures; you will be surprised with what you find.