Meet Cara O'Malley
The featured student for the Career Services website is Cara O’Malley. Cara is an alum who majored in Communication Studies with an emphasis in Advertising. Cara took the time to sit down with me recently to share her experience in choosing a major and how she went about job searching.
I hope you enjoy the interview!
Shawn Johnson-Williams
Director of Career Services
Shawn:
Cara, how did you go about choosing your major?
Cara: I started
in Elementary Education. After my experience working in a daycare center, I
realized that I didn’t have the patience I would need to work with kids. So I
took the creativity you would need to use in the field of Education and the
knowledge that I knew I wanted to work with people and thought that a
Communication Studies major with an emphasis in advertising would fit the bill.
Shawn: What
resources did you use to help with your decision?
Cara: I spoke a
lot with family members because I was confused at that time. I pulled from my
daycare experience but I knew I needed to move away from working with children.
At that point I didn’t use the Career Services at the school I was attending (UW
Eau Claire).
At first I worried about changing my major in Education and
getting behind in that track but I knew eventually I needed to do something. I
knew what my strengths were and how you might fit them in to a career. Talking
with a career counselor can help you get some clarity around making a choice
about a major or career path.
Shawn: What
experiences in college helped you prepare for a career?
Cara: I job
shadowed someone in the area I was interested in and had several internships
through the Communication Studies program (Cara interned with St Mary’s PR
Dept., the Wisconsin Foundation of Independent Colleges and had a sales job).
Each of these experiences helped me to become more motivated about my future.
My internship in sales really helped me to realize that this is what I wanted to
pursue as a career path.
Shawn: How did
you go about preparing for the job search?
Cara: I knew I
needed to start early based on what my older sister advised. Working in the
Student Resource Center with the Career Services staff also helped me get on the
way to finding employment after graduation. I also took the Job Search
course offered by Career Services.
I started slowly, step by
step doing it in stages so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed during my senior year. I
participated in the mock interview sessions with local employers offered by
Career Service. My first mock interview was terrible but with each practice
session, I got more comfortable. I studied the typical questions most
employers ask and felt more prepared each time. I realized that you are just
talking about yourself so there are no wrong answers.
I put together my first
resume during my sophomore year and just kept adding to it every year. It was
helpful to have the resume done early so that it was easy to hand it out for
summer jobs.
I went to job fairs like
the one sponsored by the Wisconsin Foundation of Independent Colleges (WFIC) in
Milwaukee. I had 7 interviews in 4 days from the contacts I made at that job
fair! It was helpful to attend a job fair because you have a large number of
employers in one place. That was much easier than having to chase down all
these employers on my own.
I ended up with multiple
offers but in the end I accepted an offer with Liberty Mutual Insurance
Company. I start May 31st!
Shawn: What
advice do you have for other students?
Cara: Start early
preparing your resume and for the job search. Start your senior year at least
one semester prior to graduating if you want to find a job. If you are
exploring careers, take the Myers-Briggs or TypeFocus personality assessment.
This kind of information causes you to dig deeper into who you are – a vital
step in finding the career /major that is right for you. It will really point
out to you your strengths and how you might use those strengths in a career. (For more information about the TypeFocus assessment contact Edgewood Career
Services at 663-2281. So start early and work hard in school and it will
all pay off in the end!