In this issue:

Articles:

• Creative Careers: A Year in Links
• Career Portfolios: A Valuable Tool in the Job Market
• Get to Know Your EACE Board Members
• Recap: EACE Professional Development Committee, Philadelphia Region Program

Announcements:

• The EACE Information Exchange Database is Here!
• Nominate a Colleague and You Could Win An iPod (Or Other Fabulous Prizes)! Hurry--Deadline March 15!
• Your EACE Membership Committee has Been Hard at Work
• Contribute to Bridges
• Welcome New EACE Members!

Creative Careers: A Year in Links
By Cameo Hartz, Assistant Director for Arts, Media, Entertainment, and Communication at Duke University

The New Year, as a time of reflection and anticipation, is a popular occasion for releasing lists. A Google news search for “best 2007” at the time I was writing this article indicates that 263,783 stories had been posted on the topic in the previous hour.

Whether it is a review of the past year’s top news stories (albums, movies, toys, gifts…) or a prediction of what trends we might anticipate taking hold in the upcoming year, it now seems that any person or group who claims to be “in the know” feels compelled to release a list to mark the year’s transition. In the spirit of year-end sharing, I submit this annotated list of five interesting resources on behalf of the EACE Creative Career Network. Enjoy!

COMMUNICATION ARTS: 50 ESSENTIAL BOOKMARKS
http://www.commarts.com/CA/resources
When working with students who are browsing for careers, I have developed a habit of sending them off on a mission to test their ongoing curiosity within an industry. Response has been great, and the task puts the student in a position to value his or her gut instinct and natural response to committing to a particular field.

The task that I ask students to commit to is spending thirty minutes a day for the next seven days to explore an industry of interest as if they already did that work. Is the content from the professional associations, trade publications, blogs, and other resources engaging over a period of time?

Using this strategy puts the onus on me to provide some relevant and compelling resources and links that an industry professional might consider pertinent. This collection of bookmarks is a great place for “one-stop shopping” across realms of careers related to communication. I’ll use a combination of specific referrals and introducing the site, broadly, depending on the student.

GOOGLE DIRECTORY: ARTS
http://www.google.com/Top/Arts/Directories
The introduction to the article you’re reading right now has already revealed that I keep Google in my back pocket for more than the basic query. Google’s directories take advantage of the fact that they are at the center of the search universe, and combine the page-ranking criteria with the efforts of volunteer editors.

The offerings here are broad—from the business of art to directories of artists. It’s a great resource to find some of the best of the web related to niche interests.

QUARTERLIFE
http://www.quarterlife.com
I mentioned trend-spotting earlier, and this is my attempt to get ahead of the curve. The concept of “quarterlife” and its accompanying crisis may scream 2002, but when the creators of “My So-Called Life” and “Thirtysomething” create another generational mini-series, it demands attention.

Visitors to the site will find ongoing episodes of this web-only drama that features the lives of frustrated twenty-something creative professionals trying to break through. The site also hosts media-sharing, with an emphasis on original artistic creations, regularly-posted articles about a variety of creatively-influenced topics, and an open bulletin board to discuss any topic. If this takes off, it has the potential to be a great space for young artists.

FREELANCE SWITCH
http://freelanceswitch.com
This site is brand new to me and I’ll admit that I’ve yet to determine whether there are better resources to be found. Regardless, this site provides a combination of blogging, resources, and job listings for freelancers of all types.

I have found this to be a difficult career path to discuss (send your tips my way!), and look forward to delving into this community to build my knowledge from the insider’s perspective.

MASHABLE: 70+ TOOLS FOR JOB HUNTING 2.0 http://mashable.com/2007/07/21/job-hunt
This site falls outside of the realm of creative-specific job searching, but I couldn’t resist another compilation of internet job search sites. Like some of the other sites listed, the resources included range from the broad to the niche. On this site, each has a little blurb to identify the purpose of the site. The list is relatively comprehensive (especially if you read the reader comments), but the web is an elusive place and the site could never be all-inclusive.

A favorite of mine that I didn’t see listed is hound.com. This site focuses on aggregating industry and organization job postings from the company websites themselves. Jobs are pulled directly from the primary source and not from other listing organizations.

If five resources isn’t enough, for good measure and self-interest, here is a bonus listing:

DIRECTORY OF ARTS-RELATED RESOURCES
http://www.eace.org/networks/creativecareers.html
Be sure to check out this document compiled and recently updated by members of the EACE Creative Career Network. It can be downloaded from the website. While there, don’t hesitate to linger and join our e-mail list.

Enjoy a happy and healthy 2008, and don’t hesitate to send your comments to cameo.hartz@duke.edu. If you couldn’t yet tell, I’m a bit of a geek and like to keep abreast of great web resources. Send me your favorite sites!

Cameo Hartz is the Assistant Director for Arts, Media, Entertainment, and Communication at Duke University. She is a member of the EACE Creative Careers Network and on the Directorate of the ACPA Career Development Commission.

Top

Career Portfolios: A Valuable Tool in the Job Market
By Dawn Sherman, Assistant Dean for Special Academic Programs, Nichols College

Students at Nichols College in Dudley, MA are required to develop an extensive career portfolio to use in the job interview process. The portfolio clearly demonstrates the skills and qualities the student brings to the employer, adding value to the student’s candidacy. Since 2000, Nichols’ students have found success in the interview and recruiting process by utilizing this valuable tool.

The portfolios are developed as part of the Professional Development Seminar (PDS) Program, a series of four required one-credit career development courses specifically focused on each year of their education. PDS topics include career exploration in the freshman year, resume writing and internships in the sophomore year, the interview process and mock interviews in the junior year, and the job search and transition into the “real world” in the senior year.

The portfolio is first developed in the Sophomore PDS course and it is further enhanced in the Junior and Senior courses. It is graded annually, with extensive feedback from faculty. This process ensures a quality product which reflects not only on the student, but also on the college.

The foundation of the portfolio is based on:

• Nichols College’s mission statement, which focuses on professional skill development
• “Top Ten Qualities Employers Seek” as published annually by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)

The following categories were designed to best demonstrate the students’ skills and experience:

• Required categories:
  Career and Professional Planning and Growth
  Teamwork and Leadership Skills
  Communication Skills
  Analytical/Problem-Solving Skills
  Technology Skills
• Additional Categories (a variety of items in one or more categories):
  Community Service/Volunteer
  Humanities/Arts/Culture
  Other

Within each of these categories, students include evidence of quality academic work, projects accomplished at work and internships, extracurricular activities and athletics, volunteer activities, certifications/licenses, hobbies, travel, and more. Other required components include: a personalized cover with the student’s name, a table of contents, an Introductory Statement (includes values, personal characteristics, professional goals, experience), resumé, and multiple letters of recommendation.

Updating the portfolio is a continual process. A three-ring binder best serves this purpose, as items can be added or removed easily. Within the binder, students must use plastic sheet protectors to protect their work and to maintain a professional image. The table of contents, title pages, and sectional tabs help keep the portfolio organized.

To add value to the contents in the portfolio, each item in the portfolio has a brief description:

• what the item is
• when it was completed/accomplished
• the skills developed or enhanced
• why it is included in the portfolio

The descriptions not only give the interviewer a framework for the item, but they also allow the student to be reflective about why the item is noteworthy. Thus, the portfolio is important as a product, but the process of developing it becomes an even more important demonstration of the student’s professional growth. Students are forced to consider what they have learned, judge the value of each component, consider what an interviewer might want to see, and explain their choices.

There are specific methods for using the portfolio effectively in an interview. Building rapport and communicating clearly with the interviewer are more important than using the portfolio. However, the portfolio does have an important role to play once rapport has been established, and its effective use can be the deciding factor in obtaining a second interview.

The following process of using the portfolio in an interview is based on eight years of experience with these portfolios:

• Organize the portfolio in advance—prioritize the contents with the most relevant items first in each section.
• Identify 3-6 items that relate to the position interviewing for, and try to create an opportunity to show them.
• Carry the portfolio to the interview in/under the left arm or in a leather briefcase
• If asked what this item is, state the portfolio is a collection of best works and accomplishments and may be shown later in the interview to demonstrate skills.
• Once rapport is established and the interview is well underway, the portfolio may be used in response to a question by following the three As method:
1. Answer the question fully.
2. Ask if an example in the portfolio may be shown.
3. Articulate what the item is and how it relates.
• Students are encouraged to create a CD of items from the portfolio that are related to a specific position they interview for. This CD can be left with the interviewer at the close of the interview.

There are many benefits of developing and keeping current a career portfolio:

• A thorough process of self-assessment and evaluation—defining strengths and identifying areas needing enhancement, an important process before interviewing
• One organized location for all important items
• An indispensable tool for use in an interview to prove or demonstrate skills, achievements, talents, organizational skills, and more
• The basis for creating a career portfolio for use in professional positions after graduation to identify accomplishments and skill areas for performance appraisals and promotions

The career portfolios created by students at Nichols have proven to be successful in job interviews, scholarship competitions, and graduate school interviews. Based on this experience, we offer several suggestions for creating a portfolio process at your institution:

• The process of developing a quality student portfolio is lengthy, and should be done over a period of time for the best results.
• An assessment component is recommended—a review of the portfolio with comments/suggestions and a process for making changes. This maintains a quality product, since the portfolio is a reflection of both the student and the college.
• The framework for the portfolio process must consistently be reviewed/evaluated, keeping in sync with market demands to ensure the portfolio’s effectiveness in the interview.
• Be sure the students understand the value of the portfolio in the interview and how and when it can best be used to demonstrate achievements. Have the students practice using it.
• Include faculty, staff, administrators, and corporate recruiters in an annual process of evaluating the contents and relevancy of the portfolio.

Your students will find a career portfolio is not universally understood and therefore they may need to explain it to an interviewer, but the results are most often extremely positive. A portfolio will help a student to stand out in the interview process, and will open doors because experience and achievements are documented. It is a valuable tool in the competitive job market!

For more information, please contact: Dawn C. Sherman, Assistant Dean for Special Academic Programs, Nichols College, (508) 213-2263, dawn.sherman@nichols.edu.

Top

Get to Know Your EACE Board Members

Name: John Fracchia

Title & Organization: Assistant Director for Employer Relations at Ithaca College

Years in EACE: 9

EACE Position and Responsibilities: I actually have two roles. The first is Director of Member Marketing and the second is Chair of the Public Relations Committee. My role on the board has to do with member recruitment and retention—and of course—helping to publicize the good work that the association does. My role as chair of PRC is to help publicize the work of the association and also to help committees and networks get their messages out.

What gets you out of bed in the morning?
So many things, actually. If I were to boil it down, I suppose that it is the infinite possibilities that each day holds. I'm involved in many different things—ranging from my job and the professional associations that I'm involved with—to teaching, and my almost parallel life of being a writer and artist (film and music). I've always got something to keep my mind stimulated and engaged. But even more than that it's the interesting people that I know—my wife, my colleagues, my friends and my students. I'm probably the luckiest person that I know.

What's your favorite destination in the EACE Region?
That's a really difficult question to answer. I'm fortunate to live in Ithaca, NY, which is a phenomenally beautiful area. But, I love Boston, and as a Long Island boy, I always feel a touch of home when I'm in NYC. With Donna Ratcliffe as President-elect, I look forward
to seeing more of the southern part of our region!

Name: Sam Ratcliffe

Title & Organization: Director, Career Services at Virginia Military Institute

Years in EACE: 24

EACE Position and Responsibilities: Chairperson, Long-Range Planning Committee. We consider strategic issues for the association as requested by the Board of Directors.

What gets you out of bed in the morning? The opportunities and enjoyment brought by working with a dynamic staff, esteemed professional colleagues, and students who are engaged and appreciative.

What's your favorite destination in the EACE Region? Washington, DC

Top

Recap: EACE Professional Development Committee, Philadelphia Region Program
Submitted by Lynn D’Angelo, Assistant Director, Lehigh University

The New Piece in the Puzzle: Parental Involvement in Career Development & the Recruitment Process
Date: February 8, 2008 Location: Vanguard, Malvern, PA

On February 8, 2008, the Philadelphia Region of the EACE Professional Development Committee held a program on the topic of “helicopter parents.” We would like to again recognize and express our appreciation to Vanguard for graciously hosting the event at the Malvern, PA campus and also sponsoring breakfast. Thirty-two individuals attended the program, representing both college/university administrators and recruiters.

The first speaker on the agenda was Mr. Stephen Merritt, Dean of Enrollment at Villanova University. Stephen is a popular and frequent speaker at educational conferences throughout the country on topics that include Helicopter Parents, Marketing Your School Wisely, and Integrated Technology. He holds a BA from Villanova University.

Stephen “set the stage” for the program by providing a perspective on the millennial generation, including a discussion of the relationships between millennials and their parents. He noted that millennials have closer and much more lateral relationships with their parents than any other generation in history. Their parents, of the Boomer generation, have developed a particular set of expectations for the organizations involved in their children’s lives, including outcomes (data-supported “guarantees”), accountability (knowing who is responsible for performance requirements) as well as transparency (how do processes work?). The resulting implications for higher education institutions and employers alike include addressing these expectations proactively, in promotional and other communications materials to parents as well as students. Moreover, the need for higher-education institutions and employers to create clear roles for parents and reinforce them regularly is crucial for successful relationships.

One of the most interesting points that Stephen made, which created quite a buzz after the program, concerns a conflicting dynamic. Millennials have been trained by their parents to be “doers” and “achievers,” with the belief that the more one does, the more likely one will be successful. As a result, millennials have the least amount of free time than any other generation in history and many have also been accelerated through their educational programs with some having earned college credit before entering college. This phenomenon creates a particular challenge once millennials enter the workplace, as they continue to expect high activity and a subsequent workplace promotion in a very short period of time. While there is no universal solution to this dilemma, employers are encouraged to take this dynamic into consideration as they plan their promotional activities and presentations for college graduates.

Our next speaker was Dr. Kathy Williams, Director of the Center for Career Development at Gettysburg College. Dr. Williams has a 24-year history in higher education as a Student Affairs professional and faculty member. Outside of higher education, she has provided outplacement consulting services to a number of multi-national business organizations. She completed her doctorate in higher education administration at The George Washington University, received her master’s degree at Western Michigan University, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Albion College in Michigan.

Dr. Williams co-presented with a parent, Mr. Gregory Schell, Attorney-at-Law. Mr. Schell is a 1981 graduate of Gettysburg College and is the parent of an incoming student for fall of 2008. He has been actively involved as a career volunteer at Gettysburg for a number of years, and annually sponsors a law internship for undergraduates at his law practice.

Dr. Williams challenged the audience to view parents differently as well as to take into consideration that parents have fears for their children. This was best expressed in a family cartoon in her presentation, with the caption, “This is our son, Eddy. He just graduated from school and is entering a void this fall.”

Dr. Williams advised viewing parents as a resource as opposed to a nuisance, and provided concrete examples colleges and universities can use to involve parents in productive ways. She encouraged the involvement of parents in experiential programming for students, as opposed to programming involving step-by-step lectures or book reading. Dr. Williams and Mr. Schell provided examples of such programming at Gettysburg, including mock interviews, externships, networking events, and career panels.

Mr. Schell noted the effectiveness of parents modeling networking skills at such events. Whereas other outside groups (of employers or alumni) may expect students to have honed skills coming into such an event, parents can help students build their networking skills in a less threatening way. An overall benefit of such parent involvement can be enhanced internship and employment partnerships.

Our program concluded with a presentation from an employer’s perspective of helicopter parents and the millennial generation, delivered by Christine Gallagher, Regional Vice President for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. In Christine’s 18-year history with Enterprise, she has provided training to over 7,000 Enterprise Managers from five different countries, on the topic of work-life balance. In addition, Christine has been heavily involved in researching the characteristics of the millennial generation and the subsequent implications for recruitment at Enterprise. Enterprise boasts a 70% acceptance rate of employment offers extended to students. According to Christine, “It’s not the brilliance of, but the consistency of the interview process,” that can be attributed to Enterprise’s recruitment success. She advised recruiters to stay connected to interviewees through emails, phone calls, and short one-to-one meetings and to follow-up with them immediately and not break promises. Such activities help build trust which, as Christine commented, “…takes a lifetime to build and a nanosecond to lose.”

Christine also noted how Enterprise includes parents in the recruitment process. Once Enterprise extends an offer to a student, that student is encouraged to “talk over” the offer with someone he/she trusts. This trusted person is often a parent, although not always a parent. Enterprise feels this practice has not only improved recruiting but has also helped with retention.

Christine provided further advice for working with millennial such as: making work meaningful by connecting it to the overall community, creating goals collaboratively, providing flexibility and autonomy, providing opportunities to learn new skills, encouraging teamwork, and recognizing success. As further justification to adopt these practices, Christine closed her presentation by reminding the audience that although millennial are “high maintenance” and “high risk,” they are also “high output.”