Developing a Professional is an Art

Jeanette Hickl VCUarts Career Consultant

Meet your career consultant

• Jeanette Hickl– Master of Science

– Counselor Education: College Counseling– Emphasis on Career Advising– Over ten years of training in the field of career

advising

Meet your career consultant

• How can you reach me?– The classroom– Email: jwhickl@vcu.edu– Like us on Facebook:

VCU University Career Center– Website: www.jeanetteknowsjobs.com– Phone: 828-4846

How can you and the UCC help?

• Defining your career and future – Choosing a graduate program– Choosing a career path

• Developing your professional image– Resume, cover letter, and portfolio/reel

feedback– Interview skills – Networking and resume referral

resources

Criteria for choosing a graduate program:

• Accreditation• Admissions

standards• Career assistance• Cost/financial aid• Culture• Degrees offered• Faculty• Focus of program• Location

• Multiculturalism of campus/program

• Physical facilities • Reputation/ranking• Resources • Size • State regulations• Surrounding

community

Choosing a career pathMost common/not all:

• Author/ Editor / Content Provider

• Multimedia artists and animators

• Designer

• Graphic Artist / Illustrator

• Multimedia Developer

• Multimedia Systems Analyst

• Producer / Publisher

• Programmer

• Project Manager

• Sound Technician / Musicians

Are these your only options?

NO!

Want to look for more options?

• There are several different ways for you to conduct your research. However, here are a few links to help you get started in the process. They are based on the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT). This resource was designed to answer the question of "What do they do?"

• CHECK THEM OUT!• Job Summary/Profile Sites

O*Net Online:http://online.onetcenter.org/

• CareerInfoNet:http://www.careerinfonet.org/Occupations/select_occupation.as

Where are the employers?

• Entertainment industry agencies

• Medical and Science Employers

• Museums

• Design firms

• Non-profit organizations

• Any other ideas from the group?

So how do you reach them?

• Network, network, network!!!– Speaker series– Festivals– Shows– Professors– Alumni

Helpful resources for networking

• School of the Arts Opportunity Site : http:// prudenceknows.com

• Art Careers http://www.artcareer.net/• Artist Resource http://www.artistresource.org/• Arts Organizations, Associations, Societies & Clubs

http://www.artshow.com/orgs/index.html• College Art Association Career Center

http://careercenter.collegeart.org/search.cfm• The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts

http://www.ccaha.org/• New York Foundation for the Arts• http://www.nyfa.org/opportunities.asp?

type=Job&id=94&fid=1&sid=54• Articles for Artist Success:• http://www.artjob.org/cgi-local/displayPage.pl?

page=articles.html&sid=43724624

Now apply your research and exploration

• How to be ready as a professional– Resume writing

– Portfolio/Reel development

– Cover letters

– Interview skills

Cover letters with a description

• I am writing to apply for the __ position (#) at ___. VCU/major/graduation date and any unique traits of skills related to position.

• Why them? Show that you’ve done your homework and looked at their web site. Why do you want to work for them?

• Skill matching: Boil down the position description into a series of check boxes. Then, go through and address, by giving an example, how you have that skill and/or quality.

• Wrap up your letter and express excitement for opportunity; Provide your phone and email as a method of contacting you; thank them for taking the time to review your materials; Outline a plan to follow-up with them in 10 business days to check

on your application.

Cold cover/prospecting letters

• Combine paragraphs 1 & 2.

• Forecast what skills and qualities they would need in someone who works for them. Then, go through and address, by giving an example, how you have that skill or quality.

• Wrap up; excited about opportunity; phone; email; thank them

Interview skills

• We have several resources to help you with interviewing.1) Use the web-based Interview Guide

http://www.students.vcu.edu/careers/docs/Interviewing.pdf

2) Signing up for an Interview Stream account .

3) Conducting a mock interview with me.

What is InterviewStream?

Looking for some focus for your upcoming interviews???

The University Career Center and InterviewStream can help YOU!

HOW??? Record Interviews

Rehearse Responses

Review Your Technique

Get started TODAY and put yourself one step closer to the career you have been looking

for!

We’ve covered a lot today

From finding career paths to establishing the proper credentials when you’ve

found a career …

Keys to remember

• The most important thing to remember when looking for a career is:

• There is no ONE right career path. It takes exploration to see what is out there.

• The University Career Center and the School of the Arts are making great strides to help better prepare you for careers in your field or outside your field.

Words of Advice

Quote for Adrienne

Thanks for your attention!

• Please keep in mind that there is no one right career path. The information I have presented to today will give you a start in identifying your best fit.

• I encourage you come see me in hopes that we can approach your career path on a more tailored and individualized level

• Please feel free to contact me with any questions: jwhickl@vcu.edu or 828-4846