Going to College to Get an Education…….and a Job.

As much as us second semester seniors don’t want to admit it, our undergraduate education is ending this May and we will need jobs. Luckily, Fordham has an abundance of resources and events to help students get just that.

First, there is our Office of Career Services. Here you can have your resumed revised, practice interview skills, and talk to professionals about career options. Many students use Career Services starting as young as Freshman or Sophomore year.  Career Services also hosts on-campus interviews, networking events, and workshops for students.

Second, Career Services manages an online platform only for Fordham students called CareerLink. The major function of CareerLink is internship/job searching. Employers directly post internship and job openings where students can apply.  Students can search by industry, job function, position type and location. There is where I found, applied and eventually accepted an offer for my first internship as a Sophomore.  

Next, Fordham hosts a number of career fairs each semester at both the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campuses. At these events, about 100 employers typically come and set up their own table to talk to students.  Here, many students make connections for internships and jobs. There are typically three career fairs each semester, with focuses on Finance and Accounting, Arts and Media, and Non-For-Profit/Service. 

The Gabelli School of Business also has a Personal and Professional Development (PPD) center, where there are multiple career advisors for each major. Students simply can make an appointment with either a PPD advisor or their class dean for industry specific career advice. 

Employed!!

So there are an abundance of resources…but are actually students getting jobs?  I currently work part-time at an advertising agency and plan on accepting a full-time offer for post graduation.  Two of my best friends – both Accounting majors – are set with summer internships at EY and PwC for this summer. A Finance major I’m close with landed a full time analyst job with TD Bank, beginning with an on-campus interview in our Career Services office.  I even know a Rose Hill student who had an internship on the Jimmy Fallon show last semester and is now interning at Comedy Central. And keep in mind, these are just a few examples!

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.

The Call Center

As a college student I know I can always use money for textbooks, trips into the city, food and clothes. As a result, I, like many students, have a job on campus. I work at The Ram Line, Fordham’s Phonathon (more commonly known as the Call Center).

the call center 

Working at the Ram Line is an amazing job for students because the flexible hours allow students to work around their academic and personal schedules. This is extremely important as a student because of all of the responsibilities we have. (On a side note, it is one of the highest paying jobs on campus!!) 

leader boards 

student callers

What exactly do we do at the Ram Line? We call alumni, parents, and friends of the University to foster positive relationships while raising money for scholarships, on-campus activities, clubs and organizations. When I make a call I always form rapport with the person I am speaking to and then work to get the person to commit to a donation directly through credit card or by means of a pledge card (a postcard we send out in the mail with a specified amount that the donor sends back in the form of a check).

Supervisor Joey running a game of Jeopardy

The supervisors at the Ram Line are extremely encouraging and want to do everything they can to encourage callers to work their hardest and raise money. Supervisors offer beneficial coaching that allows callers to improve their communication skills.While we are making calls, supervisors run games as incentives to raise more money. For each pledge or credit card donation we receive our team gets to answer a question in a game of Jeopardy or guess a response in a round of Family Feud. At the end of the shift, the winning team receives a prize.  

Working at the call center is an exciting job because I love talking to people and sharing my passion for Fordham with others. When I speak to alumni I always tell them about the new things happening on campus and encourage them to come back to visit.  Since I have started at the Call Center, my public speaking skills have greatly improved because I am constantly talking to new people.

Post Grad Plans

As a Senior, many people ask me what my plans are after graduation. That's why we went to school, right? To gain skills and experience to help us land a job? While many Seniors still haven't locked down plans, there is a lucky handful of people who do know what they'll be doing in September. Here's a look at the different way post-grad life will look like for some of my friends:

Elisa DiMauro FCRH'12

Elisa, a fellow blogger, had a life changing experience last summer in Texas while interning with Teach For America. After the summer ended, she realized that Teach For America was a company she could see herself with long-term. When she got back to school, she got right to applying. After going through a rigorous application and interview process, Elisa was offered her choice between positions at two New York City schools. She is perhaps one of the most involved people on campus and is always coming or going to a Residence Hall Association meeting (she's the President), or serving up aces during an intramural volleyball game.

John Donovan GSB '12

John is originally from Westchester, New York and plans on staying in the city after graduation. The Management of Information and Communication Systems major has made the most of his time at Fordham, leading to a job offer with JP Morgan. On campus he is the Vice President for the Association for Information Systems (AIS), a Freshman mentor for GSB students and still has the time for intramural sports. Before landing his position at JP Morgan as a Technology Audit Analyst, John completed internships at Donovan Financial, Amalgamated Life, and Middle Office Solutions where he currently is interning. However, it was position as Vice President of AIS on campus that opened the door to JP Morgan. While organizing an event for JP Morgan for the AIS club, he was able to network and keep in touch with many JP Morgan employees that began to notice his potential. He was invited to participate in a case study where he interviewed through multiple rounds before being asked to officially sign on this past October. He will begin working at the end of the summer.

Eve Rossmere FCRH'12

Eve, a San Jose native, will likely end up in her home state of California. That's not to say she didn't make the most out of her time here in New York. Her unique Urban Studies major coupled with her French and Psychology minor makes her stand out in a pool of job applicants. She's been working at the United Nations Development Group since her sophomore year so her plans after graduation are just as international. Eve is planning on doing some traveling in Asia, after which she will hopefully be completing a two-month long graduate development internship in Nairobi, Kenya.