[nabs-l] Tips for soon-to-be grads who are looking for work

Sun Jul 28 05:33:28 UTC 2013

Arielle,
Thank you for a lot of these great reminders. Another way recently I've started to network is through Facebook. I know not everyone is into social networking, but I was able to talk to a former classmate who was working at the social services agency. She made me aware of possible jobs that I could apply for. I think social networking, whether it be Twitter or Facebook, can be a useful form of networking. Especially for those of us who may be a little bit more shy. :)

Sent from Anjelina's iPhone

On Jul 28, 2013, at 1:26 AM, Arielle Silverman <arielle71 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> I know everyone says that the best way to get a job is through
> networking. It's quite true, but sometimes it's hard to figure out how
> to network. I'm not the expert on networking by any means, but here
> are a couple of ideas that have worked for me:
> 
> One good piece of advice is to ask for a reference letter from any
> professors you connect with who seem to like you, or anyone for whom
> you work as a volunteer, like as an intern or research assistant. You
> should ask as soon as your relationship with that person ends, rather
> than waiting until you have graduated or are ready to start applying
> for things. I've been on both sides of this because I have had
> research assistants I supervised ask me for letters. Sometimes they
> don't actually need the letter until a few years after we stop working
> together,  because they are younger students and/or decide to take
> some time off before applying for grad school or full-time jobs. It
> always helps if they tell me right when we stop working together that
> they might want a letter in the future, so I can write down things
> about that person while my memory of them is still fresh and then when
> they come to me later asking for a letter I remember who they are and
> how they stand out. Also, it's best to request letters from people you
> actually spent time with one-on-one rather than just professors you
> had in big lecture classes. I have heard professors complain about
> students they had four years ago, in a big lecture class, asking them
> for reference letters and feeling like they couldn't possibly write a
> good letter. Going to professors' office hours is a great way to build
> that relationship with them so they will be more able to write you a
> good letter (and can also help you excel in their class). Professors
> are required to sit around in their offices waiting for students so it
> is no inconvenience to the professor to come visit them in their
> office, and good professors will appreciate the chance to connect with
> their students in this way.
> 
> Also, if you meet someone at a conference, a  speaker on campus, or
> anyone else in your field whose work sounds interesting, you can
> approach that person or get their contact info and send them an email.
> Ask to hear more about what they do, and tell them that you are a
> student wanting to learn more about their job, research etc. I've done
> this twice and it is not something that comes naturally to me since I
> can be a little shy, but it has actually worked amazingly well for me.
> At least in academic circles, I've found that people who enjoy their
> jobs want to mentor younger people and help them get involved in their
> line of work. If these individuals are impressed by your resume or
> your academic accomplishments, they could invite you to work for them
> as an employee or  volunteer or at least inform you about job
> opportunities and help recommend you to other employers.
> Finally, if you think you might want a job that even remotely relates
> to blindness, NFB forums and conventions can be a great place to
> network. I got offered a job last year by a research team who first
> connected with me through NABS, because they were looking for blind
> consumer help with their research. They did not know that I had social
> science background, but just approached me because I was involved with
> blindness advocacy. There are likely other employment opportunities
> with blindness agencies, legislative groups, etc. that could benefit
> from your feedback and experiences as a blind person. If you're
> interested in  doing assistive tech work, for example, it might
> behoove you to walk around in the exhibit hall at national and get to
> know some of the reps from the various AT companies.
> 
> I would be interested in hearing about other strategies that folks
> have used for networking.
> 
> Best,
> Arielle
> 
> On 7/27/13, Ashley Bramlett <bookwormahb at earthlink.net> wrote:
>> Gloria,
>> What do you want to do? FYI, you cannot exactly use a psychology degree
>> without being under someone's supervision. You have to have a masters in
>> psychology to practice therapy independently.
>> However, a related job using the people skills you studied in psychology can
>> 
>> be obtained.
>> You may be able to get a support role job in the federal government under
>> Schedule A, the hiring authority  for disabled applicants.
>> You may also be qualified for a job in sales, marketing, or outreach in a
>> nonprofit if that interests you.
>> Sociology is also a good major. Its interesting; I loved my intro to
>> sociology class.
>> Ashley
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Gloria G
>> Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2013 8:18 AM
>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Tips for soon-to-be grads who are looking for work
>> 
>> Hi,
>> This is a great question and any suggestions will be welcomed. I just
>> graduated this past spring with a bachlers in psychology and sociology and
>> am worried about finding a job. This is a scary situation to be in.
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "melissa Green" <lissa1531 at gmail.com>
>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2013 10:20 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] Tips for soon-to-be grads who are looking for work
>> 
>> 
>>> this is a really good question.
>>> I am interested in the answer as well.
>>> I am looking for jobs currently.
>>> there may be something different for me.
>>> 
>>> Blessings,
>>> Melissa Green and PJ
>>> Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot
>>> drive out hate; only love can do that.--Martin Luther King, Jr.
>>> facebook Melissa R Green
>>> twitter: melissa5674
>>> Linkedin www.linkedin.com/in/melissagreen5674
>>> skype: lissa5674
>>> Goodreads Melissa Green
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Anjelina Cruz" <anjelinac26 at gmail.com>
>>> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list"
>>> <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2013 5:21 PM
>>> Subject: [nabs-l] Tips for soon-to-be grads who are looking for work
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Good evening all,
>>> As a soon-to-be grad from college in December, I'm starting to put
>>> serious thoughts into what I need to do in hopes I'll be able to find
>>> work. I'm planning on using my career center, job fairs on campus or
>>> networking to find possible employment opportunities.
>>> 
>>> For those who are working: what tips could you offer blind students
>>> who are looking for work? Are there parts of the process you wish you
>>> did differently? Was blindness a big barrier to finding employment?
>>> Thanks for any thoughts or advice.
>>> --
>>> Anjelina
>>> 
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>> 
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> 
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