What To Do With A Sociology Major

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What To Do With A Sociology Major

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Lets Do Some Reflection

• As you reflect upon your four years of college,
  what do you see as significant changes in
  yourself which have occurred during this period?
• How did these changes come about?

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They Were All Sociology Majors
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Some Famous People Who Majored in Sociology

• Martin Luther King Jr.
• Jesse Jackson
• Ronald Reagan
• Robin Williams
• Regis Philbin
• Keisha Knight Pulliam (RUDY HUXTABLE!!!)

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Information on Recent Grads

• 6-7 Months after graduation
• - 75 will have secured a job¹
• - 80 of those jobs in business
• - 20 will decide to go to graduate
• school
• 1. National Association of Colleges and Employers

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Information on Recent Grads

• Among college hires (class of 2004), 61.9 had
  internship experience¹
• - Internships are a valuable tool to gain
  experience
• and insight into a field
• - Gives you a taste of what you are in for (do
  you
• really want to do this?)
• - Networking and possible references
• More than half of graduates say they plan
• to live with mom and dad after graduation²
• 2. Monstertrek.com online survey results 2001

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10 Industries with Fastest Projected Wage and
Salary Growth

• Software publishers
• Management, scientific, and technical consulting
  services
• Community care facilities for the elderly and
  residential care facilities
• Computer systems design and related services
• Employment services
• Individual, family, community, and vocational
  rehabilitation services
• Ambulatory health care services
• Water, sewage, and other systems
• Internet services, data processing, other
  information services
• Child daycare services
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2002-2012 projections

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Common Roadblocks

• Lack of knowledge about the workplace, positions,
  and how to find them.
• - Internships and informational
• interviews valuable to remedy this
• - Career Center (100 Pomerantz
• Center)

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Common Roadblocks

• Not understanding and selling your education to
  potential employers
• - What have you learned in your
• courses that make you a desirable
• candidate on the job market?
• - EXPLOIT YOUR SKILLS AND
• CREDENTIALS!!!

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Common Roadblocks

• Failure to commit to job search
• - Many resources out there to search
• for jobs
• - Web-based services
• - City, county, and state government
• web sites
• - Networking, volunteer work, informational
• interviews, and internships (potential
• references)

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Skills Acquired by Completing a BA in Sociology

• Critical thinking
• Writing and revision
• Oral communication
• Time management
• Computer skills
• Organization
• Statistical analysis/research design

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Skills Acquired by Completing a BA in Sociology

• Work on major independent projects
• Working with diverse groups
• Networking
• Conceptualizing complex issues
• Abstract thinking
• Understanding of human behavior
• Multidisciplinary

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Top 5 Soft Skills

• Communication Skills
• Honesty and Integrity
• Teamwork Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Motivation and Initiative
• As reported by Job Outlook 2003 and published in
  Job Choices for Business and Liberal Arts
  Students. A publication by the National
  Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)

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Connect the Dots
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Now, to Answer Mommy and Daddys Question

• What can you do with your BA in sociology?
• - Researcher
• - Statistician
• - Human resources
• - Journalism
• - Public relations/politics
• - Police/probation/corrections
• - Counseling/social work
• - Community development
• - Graduate school
• and the list goes onand onand on

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Why Irving Goffman?

• Presentation of Self
• - You need to be able to present
• yourself in a desirable way
• - Working with others requires being
• able to align your behavior according
• to the definition of the situation

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Presentation of Self

• Employers
• - Want to appear confident in your skills,
  able to
• work with others, reliable, knowledgable
  (know when to
• brown-nose?)
• Co-Workers
• - Be able to read others and align accordingly
  for
• smooth interaction and teamwork
• Clients
• - Read clients and respond reasonably and
• effectively
• Keep in mind the definition of the situation
• - Interview, team project, client review etc.

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Presentation of Self

• Clients
• - Read clients and respond
• reasonably and effectively
• Keep in mind the definition of the situation
• - Interview, team project, client
• review etc.

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What We Are Facing

• Did you know?

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How To Find Jobs

• Online Resources
• Government Pages
• Companies
• Networks
• Job Fairs
• Internships
• Direct Inquiry

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Online Resources

• Easy to use
• Geographic range
• Job specific
• Degree specific
• Skill specific
• Upload resumes (jobs may open)

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Online Resources

• www.monster.com
• - job title and location
• www.careerbuildeer.com
• - post resumes
• www.iowajobs.com
• - jobs in iowa
• www.thejobnetwork.com
• - job title, category, and area

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Government Pages

• Country, State, Local Government Jobs
• - Shows broad listing of all jobs
• - Online applications
• - Good for looking for specific
• areas
• - Also good for categorizing jobs

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Government Pages

• Iowa Department of Corrections
• 6th Judicial District
• Iowa Department of Administrative Services
• District of Columbia Department of Employment
  Services
• United States Department of Labor (Bureau of
  Labor Statistics)

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Companies

• Company specific
• Microsoft
• - www.microsoft.com/careers
• - Job search and explanations of
• careers
• Target
• - www.target.com
• - Keyword careers

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Networks

• Friends, friends of friends, family
• members, colleagues, internship
• networks
• Weak ties (Granovetter 1973)
• Use other capstone students (all
• of you are in the same boat)
• Social capital
• http//www.linkedin.com

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Informational Interviews

• Appear confident and interested
• in the job they might remember
• you when a position opens
• Leave business card
• free business cards
• www.vistaprint.com

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Job/Career Fairs

• Pomerantz Career Center
• www.careerbuilder.com
• www.job-hunt.org
• - advice from experts
• - list of job fairs by category
• - nationally representative

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Internships

• Dont expect a job from an internship, you are
  their to get experience
• - line on your resume
• Could open up to networks for future employment
• Hidden job market
• Make sure to do a good job and be remembered

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Internships

• Undergraduate advisor
• Internship advisor (Dr. Baller)
• Criminal justice (Dr. Albonetti)
• Online resources
• Contact companies/agencies
• directly
• - i.e. call human resources with
• DOC

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Direct Inquiry

• Call employers
• Write letters of inquiry
• Emails of inquiry
• Maybe a bit old fashioned, but what do you have
  to lose?
• Job/Company specific
• Shows initiative

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No Thank You Could Mean No Job

• Send a thank you letter to the interviewer
• 15 of interviewers said they wouldnt hire
• someone that didnt send a thank you letter
• after the interview
• 32 said theyd still consider the
• candidate, but would think less of them
• 1 in 4 said theyd prefer an email
• 19 prefer email followed by a hard copy
• 21 prefer hard copy only
• 23 prefer a hand-written note

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Act Quickly

• 26 of hiring managers would like a letter
  within the first 2 days post-interview
• 36 would like it in 3-5 days
• Benefits
• - reinforces your enthusiasm
• - helps keep you at top-mind of
• the interviewer

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Tips

• Stick to 3 paragraphs
• 1) Thank interviewer
• 2) Remind them of your
• qualifications
• 3) Re-iterate interest in the
• position

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Tips

• Fill in the blanks
• - add key information you forgot
• to mention in interview
• - clarify points and/or ease
• reservations interviewer might
• have expressed

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Tips

• Be specific
• - no generic correspondence
• - tailor your not to the
• specific job
• - also tailor it to the
• relationship you established
• with hiring manager