October 2006
Review: HELLO REAL WORLD!
By
President of Workforce Associates
and author of
NetWork: Maximizing Your Career Resources on the Internet
Available online and in print from Author House
October 2006
Review: HELLO REAL WORLD!
By
President of Workforce Associates
and author of
NetWork: Maximizing Your Career Resources on the Internet
Available online and in print from Author House
One of the best parts of my involvement in Gary Johnson's BraveNewWorkWorld is that I get to meet fascinating people online who have a passion for career planning like I do.
Recently, Gary introduced me to Jengyee Liang, author of HELLO REAL WORLD! A Student's Approach to Great Internships, Co-ops, and Entry Level Positions
Jengyee is a survivor and thriver in the complex, complicated world of internships -- with more energy than ten people combined! She exudes confidence, willingness to learn, and sophisticated networking skills that most young people are clueless about or think that it is beneath their exaggerated sense of dignity.
Regardless of your age or career, this is a book that you should study and learn from. It offers plenty of tips and do's and don'ts to make your internship or coop experience work for you. And it's offered from the perspective of someone who recently went through two so-so experiences and one outstanding internship. Clearly, Jengyee was an astute observer of all of her experiences that she delights in sharing with her readers.
Here are the details of what you can expect:
Part 1: Where to Start
"You don't have the luxury of experimenting for two months and bailing if you end up not liking your work. So, you should take care to practice working and practice interviewing. Internships and co-ops are your dress rehearsals for your career."Part 2: The Job HuntThis introduction includes vital tips on why you should read her book. She strongly urges young people to begin researching possibilities for internships before they graduate from high school. She gives concise information about how to pursue them as early as the beginning of your freshman year, and then again as a sophomore, junior and even as a senior. Since she is the daughter of immigrants, she did not have the informal contacts that many of us already have but . . . that is no excuse for not finding out about them in your proposed field.
"Be proactive. Being proactive basically means not limiting yourself to a single source for finding job leads. Try everything."Part 3: From offer to first day on the job: sealing the deal
This is where Jengyee excels because she shares insights and help to her own generation that is already computer savvy re where to look for employment, the art of "mingling,," as she prefers to call it (aka "networking" if you're over the age of 30), and being positive and upbeat about your abilities to land an internship with some crusty employer.
She advises to treat your internship job search like you would a hefty four-unit class in university. In other words, be prepared to do a lot of reading about companies in your field, whether they already have internship programs and application processes for them, research online with alums from these internship programs, if that's possible, and spend time calling employers to arrange interviews and informational sessions.
She also goes into a lot of detail about making the decision to choose the "right company" in terms of its size, preparing your resume, and arranging to have letters from your references ready to send. She also does a fine job of alerting those who haven't interviewed much for jobs re how to prepare for interviews properly. For example, she makes sure that you understand the importance of an interview as a discussion, not an inquisition where you have to endure answering endless questions!
Jengyee offers ways in which to handle the luxury of multiple offers from companies and to do it in a gracious manner that does not close future doors to the companies that you turn down. She discusses the need to have pre-job conversation with your to-be-manager that will include specific questions to ease your transition into your new job. Your goal as an intern is to make this short term experience a winning one that enhances your new career. It should include goals that are set up by the employer and the intern so that there is a product at the end of the internship period to mark your accomplishments on the job.Part 4: Once you are there: Shining at your new job
It may be easy from the cloisters of university campuses to assume that the employer knows your university and its eminent professors. Chances are that s/he won’t know them or be impressed either way. The employer is more concerned that the investment of his time in having an intern will turn into an asset for his organization and possibly future full time employment of the intern when she graduates.
"Just like you don't need perfect grades, you don't need to attend a prestigious school in order to enter the workforce and succeed in the real world. Your employer is concerned with the work that you do, not your academic background. You'll make more friends too if you don't flaunt a superiority complex."
This section covers an overview of what you can expect at your new work place and how to make most of your internship. She suggests, since you only have a short time there, that you quickly learn time management skills so that you can balance your work and social life.Part 5: Reflecting on your experience
She also alerts interns about the importance of whatever the corporate culture is and to make the most of it. For example, if it's very competitive, strive to succeed in whatever projects you undertake. If it's more sociable, join in the parties, outings, volunteer days, and other events that the company engages in.
"Companies value a well-rounded student and a well-rounded employee. They want to see you interact with your coworkers and enjoy yourself at work."
And probably most importantly, Jengyee includes valuable tips like keeping a journal of your day-to-day experiences so that you can see how your project and networking skills progress over time. She also highly recommends a project log as a tool for tracking your performance. Templates for journals and project logs are noted in one of her many appendices.
This section focuses on how to evaluate your internship experience. She shares some not-so-good experiences in her own internships and offers this perspective:Part 6: Tables turned
"You are in a great position once you have at least one internship under your belt, not just because work experience speaks lounder than all else on your resume but also because you are more familiar with what you like and what you want from your career."
It's a great reminder for when things are not going as well as hoped!
And another sober quote when it doesn’t seem like the internship is working out:
"I encourage you to appreciate your internship because this is an exploratory time where mistakes are expected and won't be crippling to your career. This is also an opportunity for you to meet new people and hopefully, experience living in a new place."
In this final section, the actual case study of an intern is fully described who successfully converts her internship into full time offer. Here, Jengyee presents the employer's perspective on how this particular company evaluated its interns to let you understand their perspective.Appendices
There are 6 appendices which can be chapters onto themselves, so I consider this as the seventh part of the book, as each appendix has great information like "Internships vs. Co-Op."Summary:
In Jengyee’s review of someone elses book, she provided 12 points that apply well to her own book, HELLO REAL WORLD!:For more information about ordering this easy to read and absorb book, check out the book's website There are many reviews on Amazon that will confirm that this is an excellent resource for those looking for internships or new positions at any age or in any profession.
1. Optimism, enthusiasm, and hard work pay off.
2. Adopt the philosophy that work can be good and even fun.
3. Confidence is always important.
4. Don't limit job search options to only what you find in school.
5. Internships are an opportunity for career clarification and are never time wasted.
6. Interns have the power to make the most of an experience. 7. Networking is important.
8. Fitting in with what you're wearing is important.
9. Work comes first, and balancing socializing can be a tricky matter.
10. Companies may be a little clueless about what to do with you and often fail to tell you the back-story of an assignment.
11. Chances are you will feel bored at sometime, but you can find things to do.
12. Never burn bridges and always leave on a positive note.
Please also check nearly six years worth of subjects related to job searching in my monthly articles on newwork.com. There are several NetWorking columns that relate to internships and many more that highlight ways to create your electronic resume to catch a potential employer's attention when you're looking for an internship. Other articles talk about networking in depth, handling interview situations in style, and assessment testing so you pick the right career while you're still a student.
Enjoy the Fall season and the excellent job hunting environment! Keep sending me your resumes for review!Jane M. Lommel, Ph.D.
jlommel@WorkforceAssociates.com
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