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

Sun Jul 28 05:36:54 UTC 2013

I can definitely agree with the shy thing, :-)

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 28, 2013, at 1:33 AM, Anjelina <anjelinac26 at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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>> 
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