10
How Can You Try On Your Career Interests?
I (Shaun) changed my major in college three times. I started in physics, then changed to electrical engineering, and finally landed in economics. Even then I wasn't entirely sure that was right for me, as he also really liked Asian languages and Asian history, but he was running out of time to change my mind and needed to make a decision and finish his degree. According to data from the U.S. Department of Education, about 80 percent of college students change their major at least once. The reason that young people are so likely to change their future educational and career interests is that they lack experience. We cannot truly know something until we try it. A fascination with history is one thing. Reading three books a week and writing five papers a semester is entirely different. Similarly, a fondness for babysitting and helping children is quite different from managing a classroom of twenty-five third graders, some of whom have significant learning differences, and making sure they are all on track to pass a test that measures Common Core Standards for math.
This sounds obvious, but it is remarkable how frequently we make educational and career decisions based on gut instinct or following the path of least resistance instead of actively trying to get some experience to better inform ourselves, even as adults. In this chapter we give you a set of strategies to discuss with your child about how he or she can try on career interests before committing too deeply to an extensive education or a career in that field. Our hope is that these strategies can be valuable for your teen's whole life, not just the beginning of his or her career.
Before discussing these strategies, we want to emphasize a couple of points. First, we don't believe that a career is completely dependent on your degree. Throughout this book, we note that a certain type of education or degree can be perfectly fine preparation for careers in a wide range of fields, even those outside the general category. A biology major can become a financial analyst, and a journalism major can become a mobile app developer. More than ever before, talent trumps pedigree, and if you have any kind of bachelor's degree at all, that's an indication to potential employers that you are likely to be intelligent, motivated, and capable of working hard. Second, no matter what your experience is, there is no way to have your life all mapped out ahead of time. What would be the fun in that? There may come a time in a person's life when it could be very impractical to become a neurosurgeon or fly jets for the Navy, but for most people, many career pathways could lead to fulfillment and it's probably not too late to try at least one of these. These two common misconceptions, that your degree limits your career choices and that it is too late to try something new once you pick a certain path, can create unnecessary stress and keep us from exploring fulfilling pathways in the future. With that in mind, let's help your teen learn more about herself and make more informed choices about her future.
We are assuming that if you are reading this chapter, your son or daughter already has some general or specific interests in a career direction. If not, it's okay; there is no reason to worry. There are plenty of students entering college with a major of “undecided” who ultimately select a major after their freshman year. But if your child wants to begin exploring future careers and does not have any specific thoughts, there are a variety of resources to discover more about themselves and explore career fields to get a couple of initial starting points based on their interests and strengths. We discuss helpful ways to approach this a lot more in the first few chapters of this book if you have not already read them.
Informational Interviewing
One of the most useful ways to try on a career is through informational interviewing—essentially connecting with people in a specific career field and spending some informal time with them to ask questions, establish a relationship, and learn more about that career from people who do it. There are websites that will let you read a lot about specific careers and even watch video interviews of people talking about their daily experience in that career, but there is no substitute for being able to talk to someone in person. Magazine articles and online resources don't always capture the firsthand realities that you might pick up through a more candid conversation, where you can speak off the record and watch someone's facial expressions.
Another benefit of informational interviewing is to get a better understanding of how to prepare for a specific career field and learn the typical pathway into an entry-level job. This can help your teen make better decisions about where to attend college or what major to select and give her ideas for how to better position herself for a job opportunity when she is ready to apply.1
Finally, informational interviewing can be a great way for your child to start forming professional relationships within a chosen career field. Because it is a low-key conversation without pressuring anyone for a job, kids have a good opportunity to develop a relationship that could allow them to reach out again in the future for advice, mentoring, or perhaps a referral to someone else in the field who may be looking to fill a job opening. We now explore the basic steps of information interviewing.
Step 1: Find People to Interview
Once your teen has some specific interests, the first step is to try to connect with people practicing in that career field. This may be a daunting prospect for teenagers without much experience in the world, but their youth can also be an advantage. Some adults may feel compelled to help a young person and flattered that they have been asked for advice. And since they are not going to be asked for an actual job, there is less pressure or concern than if they are being approached by an adult. Some people may be too busy or uninterested in helping but still feel compelled to refer your child to a peer or colleague who has more interest and time. There can be many direct or indirect sources for people to interview, and your son or daughter should try all of them to generate as many potential resources as possible.
First, you and your teen should try to think of family members, friends of family members, friends of your child's teachers, or colleagues at your office who may know someone in a particular career. Second, you can use the Internet to research professional associations that may list people, or you could try to reach out using a site like LinkedIn. If you as a parent have a LinkedIn account and have a network established on LinkedIn, it is possible to pay for a premium account that allows you to directly send email to your second-degree contacts (contacts of your direct contacts), but this may be worth it only if you have a decent sized network already. You would be surprised how quickly you might be able to find someone working in a career field if you ask a lot of different people and you make it clear that you are just looking for information about a career field for your teenager, and are not seeking a job.
Step 2: Prepare
Your teen should prepare a list of questions ahead of time (see Step 6) and have a brief personal introduction (no more than thirty seconds) that is just a quick overview of who he is and why he is seeking an informational interview. Before arriving for the interview, he should also try to search for information on the interviewee or his or her employer. Having this background information will make your teen better prepared for the interview and can create a good impression on the interviewee, who will see that this young person is serious about this career and be more willing to help in the future.
Step 3: Reach Out
After your teen has developed a list of potential contacts, it is time to ask for a meeting or phone call. She can reach out by phone or email. If she chooses to call, she should not assume she can have a conversation during that first phone call and should not assume the person will say yes. However, she should be ready with questions in case the contact says that he would prefer to talk during the initial outreach. We offer suggestions later in this chapter for a sample phone introduction and email introduction.
Your teen should always mention how she found out about the person she wants to interview, especially if it was a personal connection from a friend or family member. Also, make sure she knows that it's normal for people to say no to requests like this and should not take a refusal personally. Even people who have interest in talking to your child may simply not have the time. Rejection is a natural part of life, so this is an opportunity for your child to learn that she can handle it and keep moving toward their goal through persistence.
Step 4: Conduct the Interview
If your teen is meeting in person, make sure he dresses appropriately, similar to how he might dress for a job interview, and make sure he arrives on time. If your child is conducting the interview by phone, he should ask again to make sure it is a good time to talk.
To begin the conversation, your child should quickly remind the interviewee who he is and what he hopes to accomplish with the conversation. If your child is in high school, it may not be necessary to remind the person that he is not asking for a job, but it can be helpful to reiterate that he is calling to learn, not to ask for a job or job referral (this is especially important if your child is in college). That can always come later if a good relationship is established.
Your child should try to listen more than he talks and be prepared to keep the conversation moving with a list of questions. It can be helpful to take a few notes, but we suggest he limits notes to the key points he wants to remember later or maybe something interesting he wants to research more. Taking excessive notes can sap the energy from a conversation and annoy the interviewee. Your child should spend most of his energy listening and engaging in a free-flowing and candid discussion for the best results.
Remember that this is as much an opportunity to establish a relationship as it is to get information. It is important to stay within the agreed-on time range for the discussion and offer to end the conversation when that time arrives. As the conversation wraps up, your child can ask if it is okay to reach out again with any follow-up questions and also ask if there is anyone else with whom the interviewee thinks he should speak.
Step 5: Post-interview Follow-up
After the interview, your teen should take some time to think about what she learned and maybe add to her notes for future reference. It can be very helpful for her to discuss what she learned with you. She should also follow up with a thank-you note as soon as possible—no more than a couple of days. If she had a positive conversation and thinks she made a good connection, she should consider sending a follow-up note to that person if she decides to pursue that career field, letting the person know what she is up to so they can stay in touch.
Step 6: Evaluation
Once your child has completed a few informational interviews, he should sit down and give some thought to what he learned and then discuss it with you. Here are some helpful questions you can ask your child to get him thinking in a useful way:
How did you feel at the end of it? Did you feel energized, indifferent, or disappointed?- Can you imagine being the person you interviewed? Would that excite you? If not, why?
- Was the information you learned about the career different from what you had imagined it would be like? If yes, how so?
- Did the actual daily work sound engaging to you? Do you think that type of work makes sense for your personality and strengths?
- What preparation is needed for this job? Is it a lot of learning in school or more about on-the-job experience, or both? Do you think you would be okay with that?
Sample Phone Introduction
This introduction is for a cold call to someone without a personal referral:
Hi, my name is Pat Smith, and I'm a senior at Robert Johnson High School. I'm trying to find people to interview about criminal justice careers, and I was wondering if I could have just a minute of your time to see if we could schedule a conversation?
If this was a personal referral from a friend or family member, make sure to include that:
Hi, my name is Pat Smith, and I'm a senior at Robert Johnson High School. I'm trying to find people to interview about criminal justice careers and my civics teacher, Mr. Burke, said he thought you might be able to offer a helpful perspective. I was wondering if I could have just a minute of your time to see if we could schedule a conversation.
If the person says yes:
Could we schedule maybe thirty to forty-five minutes of time to talk sometime this week or next? I would be happy to buy you a cup of coffee, or we could talk on the phone.
If the person asks for more information about what the teenager is trying to accomplish:
I'm interested in learning what a career in criminal justice is actually like in the real world, so I can figure out if it would be a good fit for me, and maybe also get some ideas about the best way to prepare myself.
If the person says he doesn't have time to help out but still seems nice, try asking for another referral:
Sure, I understand. Is there anyone else you know who might be interested in speaking with me?
If the person seems annoyed by the call or says no without being very friendly about it:
Okay. I understand. Thank you for your time and have a good day.
Sample Email Introduction
Kathy, my name is Pat Smith, and I'm a senior at Robert Johnson High School. I'm trying to find people to interview about criminal justice careers, and I was wondering if you would be willing to speak with me. I'm very interested in criminal justice careers and I want to learn as much as I can about the field. My civics teacher, Mr. Burke, said that he thought you might be able to offer a helpful perspective. If that sounds okay with you, could we schedule maybe thirty minutes of time to talk sometime this week or next? I would be happy to buy you a cup of coffee, or we could talk on the phone. Also, if there is anyone else you think I should speak with, please let me know. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Pat
Informational Interview Questions
As you can see from the list that follows, there are a lot of questions your teen could ask someone about a career, but you should spend some time helping her to strategize about the questions that matter most for her. Maybe she has some doubts about a certain aspect. Maybe you are concerned that she is being unrealistic about something in particular. It's worth prioritizing the list in case she runs out of time during the interview.
- What do you spend most of your time doing?
- What is a typical work week like for you?
- What do you like most about your job?
- What do you like least about it?
- What are the most challenging parts of your job?
- What are the most rewarding parts of your job?
- Are there any common misconceptions that people have about what you do?
- Do you work alone or spend a lot of time working with others?
- How does your position fit within your overall organization/company?
- Where do you plan to go next with your career?
- What kind of work/life balance do you have?
- Do you get to keep learning new things?
- Do you travel or go to conferences?
- Do you feel like this is a financially rewarding career field?
- Are there good opportunities to advance in terms of responsibility and pay?
- What types of accomplishments are highly valued and rewarded in this career?
- What got you interested in this career?
- How did you get started?
- Is there a typical path to entering this field? What kind of educational background do entry-level employees have in this field?
- What did you study in college, and was that very relevant to your career?
- What are the educational or training requirements for this career?
- Are there certain skills or abilities that make a person more likely to succeed in this career?
- Are there other related career fields that you think I should consider?
- If you could start over, would you choose the same career path? Would you do anything differently?
- Are there any online resources or trade journals that I should explore to learn more about this career field?
- Are there any big changes or trends going on that will affect this career field?
- What do you think are the best ways to find a good position in this field once I complete my education/training?
- Is there any reason you would not encourage someone to pursue this career path?
- How long do people typically stay in this career? Do they often move on to a certain type of career after this?
- Are there other people with whom you think I should speak?
Job Shadowing
Job shadowing is similar to informational interviewing but involves actually spending a day (or part of a day) on the job with a person, following her around as a “shadow,” observing her work, and asking questions when appropriate. Job shadowing is more difficult to arrange than an informational interview, but has some advantages. Your teen can watch as someone conducts a job and observe things that a person might not think to share during an interview. Watching a person in action may also prompt questions that your teen had not originally imagined ahead of time. Finally, she can observe other intangibles such as what kind of atmosphere surrounds the job. Is it quiet or lively? Is the host around a lot of people or often alone? Does the host spend most of her day sitting at a desk or get to move around a lot? What are the rest of the people like who work around the person your teen is shadowing? Also, during the day, your teen may bump into other people in the same organization who can also answer questions and provide another perspective.
Your teen should approach job shadowing in a similar way to the informational interview in terms of how to find the opportunities, to reach out, and to articulate the kind of information she seeks during the experience. Some industries may have well-established practices of offering job shadow opportunities to high school students, and your child's school may have relationships with local employers where students make connections every year. These tend to be career fields where the job activities are very tangible and visible, such as medicine, technology, manufacturing, clinical work, and criminal justice, but there is no specific rule about which type of job is appropriate for a job shadow, so there is no harm in your child's reaching out to someone and asking if a job shadow would be feasible. Your teen can always ask for an informational interview if job shadowing is not an option.
Here is some basic etiquette that we recommend you review with your teen before the shadow experience:
- Dress appropriately. It's fine to ask the shadow host what would be appropriate to wear ahead of time. Remove a hat before entering the premises.
- Use proper hygiene, and do not wear excessive amounts of perfume or cologne. Do not chew gum. Do not smoke near the premises before entering. Breath mints are appropriate and a good idea.
- Arrive around five minutes early. Plan ahead to make sure you know how long it will take to get to the location and find parking if necessary.
- Be prepared to wait if your host is running behind or is occupied with something critical for a period of time. Also be prepared for potential changes in your schedule or an unexpected ending of the shadow sooner than planned due to unforeseen circumstances that day for your host. Remember that your host's primary responsibility is to do her job.
- Be polite and respectful to receptionists and anyone who works for your host.
- Your shadow may include lunch. If so, your host will most likely offer to pay, but be prepared to buy your own lunch if a group goes together to a fast food establishment. Make sure you use good table manners at lunch and do not eat excessive amounts of food.
- Shake hands firmly with everyone you meet. Smile, look people in the eye, and thank them for this opportunity.
- Silence your cell phone, and do not text or use social media unless you are sitting in a waiting area while you wait for your host. Even if you are in a waiting area, do not watch videos, put in headphones, or play sounds on your phone out loud. While you are with others during your shadow day, the focus should be on them and the job experience. If your phone rings, let it go to voicemail. If you must check your phone, do so in the restroom, so that your hosts know you are completely focused on learning and getting the most out of their time.
- If you are not sure how to address someone, use Mr. or Ms., or Dr. if the person is clearly a medical doctor or if they use Dr. in their email signature or on their business card.
- It is okay to make some casual conversation and get to know your host, in addition to asking job-related questions. This can be helpful in making the day more enjoyable, but also emphasize listening more than talking.
- Don't be afraid to ask questions. Your host may be unsure of what to show you or tell you, so be prepared with questions.
- Expect to answer questions about yourself from people you encounter. They may ask where you are from, what you like to do, and why you are interested in their career field.
- Ask for business cards from people you meet so that you can begin to build your network of contacts in the field. If you meet someone during the day who expresses an interest in helping you, ask for that person's card and then connect with him or her later if appropriate. Make notes on the card as a reminder if necessary.
- Do not give out your personal phone number, email address, or social media connections to anyone if you are unclear about the reason for their request it and there is not a professional purpose for doing so, such as connecting you with additional job shadows or answering career questions. You can politely decline by asking if it would be okay to have their email address so you can follow up with them. If you have any concerns about further contact, you can ask your parents to send an email on your behalf or simply choose not to send anything.
- Thank everyone you meet for spending time with you and sharing information.
Internships and Part-time Jobs
Another way to try on a career is by doing a summer internship or taking a part-time job. Some employers in your community will take on a few high school students for internships in which they have an opportunity to work on a project and spend a lot of time doing both informational interviewing and job shadowing, but in a more informal manner. For high school students, these internship opportunities are most likely to be advertised directly through the school. Your teen should check with the school counseling office to see what may be available.
Part-time jobs may also be available in certain fields for high school students, although this depends greatly on how much education and expertise are required for that career. Sometimes there may be a part-time position that is clerical or running errands, but the point is that it gives your child an opportunity to be around those in a career field that interests them and get informal opportunities for informational interviewing and job shadowing. When considering such part-time jobs for the purpose of learning more about a career, it is important to make sure that the role will expose your teen to the types of individuals from whom he hopes to learn something and will not just be a source of cheap labor for menial tasks without any learning opportunities. A good way to determine this is to speak with students who previously worked at that organization or held that part-time job. Here again the school may have a longstanding relationship with local employers and may know which opportunities provided the best experiences for students in the past.
Online Communities
We have talked a lot about in-person experiences that can help students get a better sense of a career field, but there are also many online resources that can help add some perspective, and these are not the standard career profile sites that schools offer. It takes some Internet sleuthing to find the right resources, but we can recommend a few search terms that will help identify online resources that may provide more of an insider's look at specific career fields:
- “how to increase your earnings as a [career name]”
- “professional development for [career name]”
- “email newsletter for [job title]”
- “best blogs for [job title]”
- “why I am no longer a [job title]”
- “are there good jobs in [career field]”
Some of these search terms will lead to online articles that are more candid and expose some of the hot issues in the field, especially around job opportunities, how to get ahead, and compensation.