Spring Break
A guidebook for female college grads
Megan Henderson
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Culture
Graduating with a college degree may be the easy part, especially against the prospect of finding an enjoyable job.
This idea and other advice for finding a dream job, and keeping it, are the subject of Hannah Seligson's new book "New Girl on the Job: Advice from the Trenches."
Seligson visited UMKC Monday, April 14 to discuss her first book, a book she wishes she would have had after graduating college.
"I wrote the book I wish I'd had," she said.
Seligson said she graduated from college and got a job she thought she could do. After being miserable sitting in a cubicle and making PowerPoint presentations for nine months, she was fired.
"I was a wreck," she said. "It was terrible. Here I was with this fancy education, fired from my first job, didn't know what I was going to do."
Seligson began writing articles for her local newspaper and found it was what she loved to do.
"There's a lot of pressure to figure out what you want to do right out of college, and sometimes, you just hit a few bumps in the road and it all works out," she said.
For her book, Seligson interviewed women just out of college along with well-known, successful women, such as cosmetics mogul Bobbi Brown, to find out what Generation Y faces when entering the workplace.
Seligson said it is important to ask what the day-to-day responsibilities will be.
"I wish I'd asked during my first job interview, 'Will I be sitting alone in a cubicle making PowerPoint presentations all day?' … I might have really thought twice about taking that job," Seligson said.
Seligson recommended job searchers research the company for which they are applying, talk to current and former employees and ask about the corporate culture during the interview.
"People like talking about [corporate culture] and companies are really big into that these days," Seligson said.
She also discussed the importance of having a network.
"Ninety percent of jobs aren't listed. They're all found through people you know," Seligson said.
Seligson stressed the importance each individual should place on finding a job he or she loves.
"Life is too short," she said. "I would really implore you all to find that thing that makes you want to get up in the morning."
mhenderson@unews.com
This idea and other advice for finding a dream job, and keeping it, are the subject of Hannah Seligson's new book "New Girl on the Job: Advice from the Trenches."
Seligson visited UMKC Monday, April 14 to discuss her first book, a book she wishes she would have had after graduating college.
"I wrote the book I wish I'd had," she said.
Seligson said she graduated from college and got a job she thought she could do. After being miserable sitting in a cubicle and making PowerPoint presentations for nine months, she was fired.
"I was a wreck," she said. "It was terrible. Here I was with this fancy education, fired from my first job, didn't know what I was going to do."
Seligson began writing articles for her local newspaper and found it was what she loved to do.
"There's a lot of pressure to figure out what you want to do right out of college, and sometimes, you just hit a few bumps in the road and it all works out," she said.
For her book, Seligson interviewed women just out of college along with well-known, successful women, such as cosmetics mogul Bobbi Brown, to find out what Generation Y faces when entering the workplace.
Seligson said it is important to ask what the day-to-day responsibilities will be.
"I wish I'd asked during my first job interview, 'Will I be sitting alone in a cubicle making PowerPoint presentations all day?' … I might have really thought twice about taking that job," Seligson said.
Seligson recommended job searchers research the company for which they are applying, talk to current and former employees and ask about the corporate culture during the interview.
"People like talking about [corporate culture] and companies are really big into that these days," Seligson said.
She also discussed the importance of having a network.
"Ninety percent of jobs aren't listed. They're all found through people you know," Seligson said.
Seligson stressed the importance each individual should place on finding a job he or she loves.
"Life is too short," she said. "I would really implore you all to find that thing that makes you want to get up in the morning."
mhenderson@unews.com
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