Speaking Up

Gillian Lopez
Management Consultant
Career Services Center

Do you ever get nervous to speak up in class or in a meeting? Have you ever skipped out of answering a question in lecture even though you knew the answer? It’s common to see the same old students answering questions in lecture, but try and challenge yourself one week and practice speaking up in class or at a meeting. Last week I was able to conquer my fear of speaking up in class and it felt really good! I learned that, if you have full assurance in your knowledge, your research, and what you have learned then you should feel confident when speaking-up in class. There are a few good reasons why practicing to speak up in class can also help prepare you for the work world and here’s how.

I am an extrovert outside the classroom setting and in my everyday activities I am very outspoken and lively. However, in the classroom setting I am a little more reserved, quiet, and I prefer to listen to those student’s answers rather than be that student who answers the question. It’s an odd mix, but if you are comfortable speaking up in lecture with a classroom size of 100 students, then you should be comfortable enough to speak up in a work meeting. Perhaps you have a great idea that you would like to share with your boss and colleagues, or maybe you disagree with one of your coworker’s statements. Most managers like to see their employees speaking up and actively participating in meetings. It demonstrates strength in knowledge and it also provides assurance that their employees can advocate on behalf of their company with full confidence.

Another great reason for speaking-up in class or at work is that you get recognized for having a voice. In the lecture I spoke up in, the professor continuously recognized me for sharing my answer with the class. He likes to encourage all students to participate in class by sharing their opinions. At the end of that lecture, he acknowledged my participation in class, because he knew I was previously a shy student. Now I enjoy speaking up in class and other classes as well. You can also get positively recognized in a work setting for speaking up. For example, I’ve shared a few workshop ideas in a meeting and received positive feedback from my boss. If I never had spoken up about my ideas, the events would have never happened. Sometimes you lose more from not speaking up, but you can also gain more credibility from voicing your opinions if done so in a professional and respectful way. When you speak up firmly and with confidence you are more likely to get recognized by your manager and colleagues in a admirable way.

It’s understandable to be nervous to speak up in large or small group settings, but with practice that fear will slowly diminish.  If you understand what you’re talking about then you should have all the confidence to speak up and voice your opinions! Try this week’s challenge: “Don’t be invisible. Introduce yourself and get noticed!” I accomplished my fear of speaking up in class, now how will you?

Campus Involvement as Resume Builders

Gillian Kay
Career Services Management Consultant

One great thing that I love about UC Merced is the countless leadership opportunities and campus involvement that are available to all students. I’ve encountered a sophomore who became president of her sorority, to a junior who serves as a resident assistant for over 80 freshmen students. Getting involved on campus or in the Merced community is something all students should consider doing while going through the collegiate experience. Campus involvement can vary from research, to part-time jobs, clubs, and activities.  Getting involved is so important because they are stellar resume builders especially for candidates who have had no previous work experience.

My first leadership role on campus was at my first job, the Career Services Center. When I first started applying for jobs I had no previous work experience to put on my resume. However, I had plenty of leadership experience in community service and student government during high school. My high school leadership experience portrayed to recruiters that I had relevant skills that could be applicable for the position such as teamwork, time management, and event planning. So if you don’t have any work experience, start changing that today by joining a club on campus that interests you because who knows, maybe employers would also like to know what you like to do and what you are involved in.

Employers consider leadership and volunteer experience as a substitute for real work experience because essentially the skills that they look for in a prospective employee can be found in different ways like through a campus club. The most popular skill that recruiters look for in a prospective employee is communication, and the best way to enhance communication is through campus involvement. Being a part of two organizations and a part-time job has really strengthened my correspondence and communication techniques. The most common forms of communication that I use on the job or as Chapter President are emails and phone. Having professional correspondence skills are critical because you are not only representing yourself, but a company or organization. In other words, you are being held to a higher standard and that’s what some companies and departments on campus look for in their prospective employees. This example displays how a simple skill like communication can be built from previous work or organizational experience. If joining an established club on campus is not for you then consider creating one at UC Merced.

Entrepreneurial and innovation are prime skills to have on your resume, especially in today’s economy. Creating a club that you are passionate about is almost like starting your own company. You have to create a plan, propose the idea to certain officials, look for members, do some paperwork, and the list carries on. Creating a club on campus not only gets you involved but others too, and the dedication put forth into creating it displays an entrepreneurial spirit and leadership skills to hiring managers. Getting involved on campus can benefit you in so many ways from the work force to personal skill enhancement. 

The Summer Internship Hunt

Gillian Kay Lopez

Management Career Consultant

Career Services Center

People always say, “So you’re an expert at landing a job, right?” I may have background knowledge about the career field with my part-time job and some experience, but that doesn’t mean I can land a job quickly. Applying for a summer internship hasn’t been the easiest journey for me, but with persistence and hard work I have a good feeling that the right internship will come around.

I’m currently exploring the entertainment side of management such as event planning, public relations, and marketing. I’ve applied to two public relations firms earlier this week and the suspense of just waiting around is quite nerve wrecking and exciting at the same time. Before I applied to these internships, I had to do a ton of research on the companies’ culture, clients, and work projects. I wanted to be sure that the companies I was applying for were right for me.

When you really want something such as a job, you’ll find that the application process will take some extra time and care because who knows how many people you are competing with for that one position. Just recently I strolled upon my summer dream internship, with a small but charismatic PR company. The position I’m applying for is experimental marketing, which entails some event planning assistance, client promotions, and marketing development. If anyone knows me personally, they know that once I set my mind to something I’ll try my hardest to accomplish that goal. Getting just an interview with this company would bring endless amount of joy and slight relief.

So as I was doing research homework on this PR firm’s website, I stumbled upon a previous intern’s article titled, “My First Day.” After reading the wonderful article I decided to reach out to the author via LinkedIn to ask for advice about the company. The author gave me the best advice that typically would not be found in an everyday job description. Some advice she mentioned were how to stand out in the application process, what to put as a salary estimate, why the company is so wonderful to work for, and more. Not only did I gain assistance with my application, but I also established a new network.

The key idea to my personal experience with this internship job hunt is to do your homework before applying. Identify if you have any networks within the job you are applying for. If you don’t have any connections within the company and you really want the position, don’t be afraid to utilize great social network tools like LinkedIn, but make sure to stay professional and respectful towards the person you are asking assistance from.  

Life is a Balancing Act

Gillian Lopez
Management Career Consultant

Balancing work, school, and extra curricular activates

I never understood how precious time was until this year. Being a third year management student, with a part-time job, and a leadership position in my sorority can be very busy at times, but it truly helps when I manage my time wisely. Finals are just around the corner and as a planner I like to balance my responsibilities. Although finals are my main priority, I also need to maintain my work responsibilities as well.  These are a few techniques that help me balance my school, work, and personal activities during finals and throughout the entire school year.

Schedule your month and your weeks

Having a planner or a calendar in your phone is a great way to organize and remember important dates such as midterm days, assignment due dates, or even work meetings. At the beginning of each month I like to write down important dates in my monthly calendar. This helps to plan around my weekly and daily schedules in the near future. Every Sunday evening I like to plan my week by the hour implementing homework and class times, office hours, and so forth. Then I would plug in my work times, following extra curricular activities. I also include breaks to maintain a healthy wellbeing. Planning by the hour helps me stay on track and focus. It also prevents me from working too long on just one assignment.

Prioritize

If you have a busy schedule, it really helps to prioritize things that are important. Every student’s priorities will differ, but my number one priority will always be school and my personal wellbeing. Working for the Career Services Center is my second priority because it is a job that contains great experiences and many opportunities that are preparing me for my future. When working on assignments I like to do my priority assignments when I feel most energized. During my breaks I like to do my sorority responsibilities such as making crafts or sending emails because I personally find them fun!

Bit size career activity while in school

Although I currently have a job I’m also looking for a 2013 summer internship. Finding a job can sometimes take awhile so it’s important to frequently checkout job postings in order to stay up to date. Even though my weeks can be very busy, I still make time for job-hunting. To keep things organized, I created a folder on my desktop to hold jobs that I would be interested in. If I didn’t have time to read the job description at that specific moment, I would save the link to read during my breaks or down time. It is a high priority for me to find an internship this summer so sometimes I may have to readjust my schedule and priorities in order to make time for my application especially when due dates are near.

Future Event Planner

Gillian Lopez

Management Career Consultant

Career Services Center

It’s my third year at UC Merced and in three semesters I will be embarking on my path towards a business career. I’m uncertain as to what job is out there for me after my collegiate experience comes to an end, but just recently I developed this plan to help aid my career journey and diminish any unnecessary fears that would stop me from achieving my goals. I have never felt more confident about what I will be doing after graduation until now. My career plan entails exploring passion, researching, and gaining valuable experience.

Over the years, I have discovered that I am very passionate about event planning. It excites me when I am presented with the opportunity to plan, manage, and host an event for my sorority, job, or even my family and friends. I discovered my love for event planning back in high school during my four years in student government, and the activities that I am involved in now on campus only reassured my passion.  Event planning embodies many aspects of business that I find fun and interesting such as marketing, finance, consulting, management and so forth.  The list is quite diverse, and I love how event planning is a creative business field, which is something that I value in a work environment. My dream and goal is to become a social entrepreneur in event planning.  Until then I continue to research and find work experience that will help me reach my goal.

I am currently researching for summer internship opportunities and I have currently applied to two that are located near home. One company is looking for a business development associate who carries an entrepreneur spirit, while the other is looking for a public relations/event planning intern. I was so happy to apply to these jobs because it can be difficult to find opportunities that match my passion of interest. It would be great to get an internship at either one of these companies because I would gain a better understanding of entrepreneurship, business, and event planning. Finding a job is never easy; I’m constantly researching applying, and modifying my resume.

I also thought about going to graduate school directly after college, but after thorough research and good advice from a few mentors, I realized that graduate school is not for me after college. In fact many schools that I was interested in stated that they prefer students who have at least a few years of full-time work experience. People have daunted me about how hard it will be to go back to school once the income flows, but little do they know how committed I am to graduate school and receiving an even larger salary after completing my MBA.

I am a planner at heart, and this career plan has prevented me from stressing out about the unknown. My current career journey entails learning and exploring my true passion. I want to ensure that I am happy with my choice of career because it is of priority and importance.