Advice
The Physics of Job and Internship Search
By Burton Nadler, director of the Gwen M. Green Career and Internship Center
Albert Einstein, an eminent career counselor once posited: "Jobs are not finite, they are constantly expanding." He was not a career counselor you say. A physicist. Not an economist? Are you sure? And, he was most likely theorizing about the universe's expansion. Well, what about his famous formula E = mc2; Employment (E) equals majors (m) multiplied by career counseling (c squared)? What? This formula explains how energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared; hypothesizing that any amount of mass is equal to the same exact amount of energy? Really? Fascinating!
Maybe he wasn't a career counselor, job search coach, or internship guru, but he certainly inspired much thought over the years. And, what about that crazy hair and mustache! This piece shares what he (actually I, another crazy haired, mustachioed and bearded genius ) might call "the physics of job and internship search."
While some perceive otherwise, career positions and internships, even if documented as postings, are not finite. They are not like seats in a physics classroom; filled by students who sign up, then show up first. Wrongly, many think that once seats are taken (openings filled), there are no more left until next semester (next year's hiring cycle). Yes, some fields have identifiable seasons when recruiting and on- and off-campus efforts are most visible. But even employers with predetermined numbers of analysts, engineers, research assistants, or whatever title, recruited in a given time expand numbers when needs arise and physics of internship and job search demand. Thus, the so-called job market (universe of opportunities) may appear to shrink or remain constant; with little warning, suddenly expands. Then, the efforts of active, effective, and strategic students manifest a big bang of success.
We inspire candidates to address issues of time and place, not Einstein's time and space; persistently communicating proactively with potential employers to be placed. We encourage candidates to take courses, volunteer, intern, shadow, and complete projects that, ultimately, impact entry into a challenging and rewarding place. In reality, candidates are not really "placed" into positions, whether posted or not. Internship and job search strategies and behaviors can be taught physics, engineering and applied sciences, humanities; social science; as well as mathematics and natural science students. The one-on-one counseling and seminars offered by the Career and Internship Center facilitate time-tested series of ten steps to success.
While there is a relationship between inaccurate perceptions of finite numbers of positions available as of certain dates and anxiety manifest by internship and job seekers, all should realize that positions available in any given field, function, firm do expand when influenced by energy invested. Although not infinite, opportunities are clearly not finite nor, in reality, measurable. But, when efforts are manifest via communication, especially well crafted targeted resumes and networking notes, not simply application techniques, potential for success becomes evident. The Career and Internship Center has proof that energy expressed really does matter!
Einstein's theory of relativity overturned Newton's concepts, into suppositions that all motion is relative. Oh, maybe it was Isaac Newton who was the career counselor? No, not him either. Oh well. For our friend Albert, time was no longer uniform and absolute, and physics could not be understood as space by itself, or time by itself. Instead, an added dimension had to be taken into account. Time depended on velocity, and contraction became a fundamental consequence at appropriate speeds. Time was linked, or related, to matter and space, and thus dimensions of time, space, and matter constitute a continuum. They must come into being at precisely the same instant. Time itself cannot exist in the absence of matter and space. Einstein as many before and after, including prominent University of Rochester faculty, believed equations can be conceived and solved in order to prove this theory. Thus, came to be his famous formula E = mc2.
Energy equals mass multiplied by the speed of light squared? Maybe, but relatively speaking, what does that have to do realities we all must address? In actuality, this algebraic sentence is best expressed for our purposes as "Employment (E) equals majors (m) expressed as field, function and firm focused options, multiplied by clearly articulated goals and job and internship coaching (c squared)." The constants of effective goal articulation and coaching, taken to the second power, truly empower and energize candidates to achieve desired goals. Career and Internship Center offerings constantly facilitate the masses to energize goal articulation and attainment through individualized coaching and counseling. Time required to succeed depends more on consistency of actions placed in motion by individuals, not on velocity of efforts initiated. Candidates in motion, with clear momentum, not those at rest, achieve desired consequences of internship and post-commencement jobs.
Soon our candidates will take accelerated actions required to participate in January 2012 Career and Internship Connection events in New York, Boston, DC and Los Angeles. University of Rochester conceived and organized CICs have, for over a decade, hosted 300 employers and generate thousands of interviews each year. As of 2012 nineteen schools, including Boston College, Brandeis, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Notre Dame and Washington University compose the consortium. UR students are annually selected for over 20 percent of all CIC interviews; by far the largest percentage! Registration has begun. The Student "Token Password is" cic2012.
The first Engineering and Technical Career and Internship Connection was held in New York City on Sep. 26. Seventeen firms conducted 175 interviews with students from 10 consortium schools; 57 (33 percent) by UR students. When Meliora-driven candidates go "resume to resume" with consortium cohorts, they over time, no matter the locale, generate the most interviews and, subsequent, employment!
Yes, equations can be conceived to illustrate physics of job and internship search; and our theory of employability.
E = mc2
"Employment (E) equals majors (m) expressed as field, function and firm focused options, multiplied by clearly articulated goals and job and internship coaching (c squared)."
E=m3cic2
"Employment (E) equals maximum meliora motivated (m cubed) use of Career and Internship Center resources and services as well as Career and Internship Connection offerings (c squared)."
E=f3p4
"Employment (E) equals field, function and firm goals (f cubed) transformed into postings, places, people, and program driven efforts (p to the fourth power)."
Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and alumni do transform algebra into actions and physics into posting, places (geographic and functional targets), people (networking for information and consideration) as well as program (formalized overseas and domestic internship offerings) into articulately expressed goals. Success is indeed relative, impacted by many factors, but time has proven that constants, including services, programs and counseling of the Career and Internship Center equate with success. I may not be Albert Einstein but, sincerely, I am smart enough to know that the genius expressed by the dozen professionals with whom I have the honor to work do inspire requisite attitudes, actions and achievements of your sons and daughters. Relatively speaking, please encourage them to visit our office and our website. And, you can do the same.
Parents, if you, like me, are a bit confounded by physics and algebra, or are inspired by our Einsteinian and pun-filled prose, please ask questions via burton.nadler@rochester.edu.
