Undergraduate Resource Series

Transcription

1 OCS JOB SEARCHING: AN ENTREPRENEURIAL APPROACH Undergraduate Resurce Series Office f Career Services 54 Dunster Street Harvard University Faculty f Arts and Sciences

2 2018 President and Fellws f Harvard Cllege All rights reserved. N part f this publicatin may be reprduced in any way withut the express written permissin f the Harvard University Faculty f Arts & Sciences Office f Career Services. 8/18 Office f Career Services Harvard University Faculty f Arts & Sciences Cambridge, MA Phne: (617)

3 The Start-Up f Yu* Sme f the characteristics f a successful jb search are very similar t the cmpnents f launching a successful new business r venture. Bth require taking initiative and being practive, finding ways t stand ut and differentiate yurself frm the pack, being resilient and adaptable if yur first plan desn t wrk, and making prfessinal cnnectins that will help yu thrugh each step f the prcess. It is nt enugh t send applicatins and then sit back expecting yur Harvard credentials t d the wrk. The jb search is a very active prcess that invlves meeting and interacting with many prfessinals, which is why OCS ften refers t the jb search as a cntact sprt. D yu knw the new career rules? Gne is the escalatr mdel where yu start at the entry level and ride t the tp. Organizatins are less likely t invest in training and prfessinal develpment. The amunt f time yu spend at ne jb is shrinking. Glbalizatin and technlgy have changed the wrld f wrk. Cmpetitin, markets and the prblems that need t be slved are changing. Yu need an entrepreneurial mindset t wrk in any rganizatinal setting, whether a start-up, multinatinal crpratin, nnprfit r gvernment agency. Are yu prepared fr the future? Many f the pssible jbs in yur future haven t been invented yet yur ability t learn, adapt, and develp additinal skills will quickly becme mre imprtant than yur current technical skills: Are yu able t adapt, be flexible, pivt and iterate and view failure as a learning pprtunity? Can yu perate in permanent beta mde nt finished and ready fr imprvement? Are yu prepared t learn mre, d mre, grw mre, and knw that yu have the pwer t imprve yurself and the wrld arund yu? What is yur cmpetitive advantage? Knwing this can help yu answer What shuld I be ding with my life? Which pprtunities shuld I pursue? Hw shuld I invest in myself? The best way t learn abut these things is by ding. Yur identity isn t fund it emerges. Yu remake yurself as yu grw and change. Yur skills and experiences are cnstantly develping. Accept the uncertainty f where yu are headed when starting ut and yur career will unfld ver time. *This handut is summarized frm the bk The Start-up f Yu by Reid Hffman, the c-funder and Chairman f LinkedIn, and Ben Casncha. T learn mre see

4 Three frces affect the future: yur SKILLS, ASPIRATIONS, and MARKET REALITIES. Skills Aspiratins Market Realities Skills and Assets Take stck f yur skills and assets since success ften builds n these: Knwledge and infrmatin Yur strengths (things that cme easily t yu) Skills and abilities Prfessinal cnnectins and peple with whm yu have a track recrd f success Yur reputatin and brand what wuld peple say abut yur wrk? Yur rle n a team? Yur ability t meet deadlines? Financial resurces, savings, and husing ptins Equipment (i.e. laptp, smartphne, furniture, car) Hw might yu strengthen yur assets by investing in yurself? What might yu add t yur knwledge and skills t make yu mre cmpetitive? What are yu willing t expend energy n, shw enthusiasm fr, and wrk and hustle t learn? Aspiratins and Values Ideas, gals, and visin f the future dream big! Where d yu see yurself in 5-10 years and what are yur gals? Cre values What is imprtant t yu in life (i.e. knwledge, autnmy, mney, integrity, pwer, family)? What drives yu frward? Market Realities Where is there grwth r hiring in areas yu are interested in? Wh might be willing t pay yu fr what yu want t d? What is available and pssible right nw with yur skills and experience? Are there any waves t catch? (OCS can help yu with market realities.)

5 Putting the Three Frces Tgether Career plans shuld leverage yur skills, set yu in the directin f yur aspiratins, and accunt fr market realities. Building a successful career invlves reflecting n these three frces each time yu make a decisin r turn in a new directin. Since the wrld is changing, the best yu can d is have a hypthesis and test this thery in the wrkplace thrugh trial and errr. Practical knwledge is best develped by ding, nt just thinking r planning, and yu will nt knw what the best plan is until yu have experimented with different ptins. It is ging t take years t develp a career; think f it as a jurney rather than a destinatin. Yur first jb ut f cllege is yur next step alng that jurney. Fllw These Steps Frward Strengthen and diversify yur skill set by learning new things. Priritize ptins that ffer the best chance at learning abut yurself and the wrld. Find a lcatin r envirnment where yu can shine brighter than thers. Differentiate yurself by building expertise. Build a prtfli f accmplishments and relatinships with thers. Plan A Plan B Plan Z THE START-UP OF YOU: A, B, Z PLAN Chse an ptin t start ut that allws yu t meet interesting peple and acquire new knwledge and skills. As yu learn, make adjustments and iterate regularly. This is what yu pivt t when yu need t change yur gal r the rute fr getting there. It may invlve a new jb r graduate schl. Plan B ften is in the same ball park as Plan A. Yu might pivt because yu have discvered a new pprtunity, because in Plan A yu are nt learning and grwing as much as yu wuld like, r because yu feel yu need educatin t advance. Yu want t give thught t Plan B but yu can t predict what it will be since Plan B will be based n what yu learn in Plan A. Once yu pivt t Plan B, stick with it; it becmes yur new Plan A. Yu shuld als have a Plan C, D, etc., but Plan Z is a lifebat. Have a reliable alternative if career plans fall apart r yu want a majr life change. Plan Z allws yu t take n uncertainty and risk. Occasinal missteps are t be expected but errrs are nt permanent. Plans can be stpped, reversed r mrphed. Iterate bit by bit. Start with a trial perid. Keep yur day jb if yu want t experiment with smething cmpletely new. Think and plan tw steps ahead and d nt fcus n immediate gratificatin. A gal that can be achieved in a single step is prbably nt very meaningful r ambitius. If yu are unsure starting ut, pick a first step that might lead t a brad range f pssible next ptins. Establish an identity independent f yur emplyer, city, and industry s that yu have a prfessinal identity yu can take with yu when yu mve r change jbs.

6 It Takes a Netwrk Wrld-class prfessinals build netwrks t help them navigate the wrld. Invest in yur prfessinal netwrk t grw the start-up that is yur career. Peple yu cnnect t are a surce f resurces, pprtunities and infrmatin. Peple are als gatekeepers wh can exert gravitatinal pull frm within an rganizatin t help yu get that meeting r interview that might get yu the jb. Relatinships matter because they shape wh yu are and wh yu will becme. Are yu taking full advantage f the Harvard netwrk? OCS advisers can help yu learn hw t d this. Finding Opprtunities Use yur netwrk t find and develp prfessinal pprtunities that will extend yur cmpetitive advantage and grw yur Plan A r Plan B. Lk fr breakut prjects, cnnectins, experiences and luck that lead t career grwth. Develp habits f behavir that increase yur likelihd f being in the right place at the right time. Being curius abut industries, peple, and jbs will alert yu t prfessinal pprtunities. Hanging ut with curius peple can lead t new discveries. Even if yu are happily emplyed, keep up yur prfessinal netwrk t build pprtunity and muscle memry. When yu d smething, yu stir the pt and intrduce the pssibility that seemingly randm ideas, peple, and places will cllide and frm new cmbinatins and pprtunities. When Jack Drsey, funder f Twitter and Square, spke at Harvard he said he walks a different way t wrk each day t fster new ideas and bservatins. When yu are lking fr an pprtunity, yu are really lking fr peple. An rganizatin desn t ffer yu a jb peple d. Final Wrds f Wisdm Build a prfessinal netwrk, invest in skill develpment, keep learning, be curius, take intelligent risks, pursue breakut pprtunities, and begin frging yur wn differentiated career path. Evlve and adapt, and as the wrld changes, enjy knwing hw t functin in permanent beta mde t make a cntinuing impact in yur field f interest. Let OCS advisers help cach and advise yu as yu explre next steps.