Yeah… So I got this lovely bouquet on Friday 😂 but first let me tell you a little bit about my experience with getting a job in NYC and some general tips, as requested by @veertje !
Getting a job in NYC
So of course this varies greatly depending on the industry, where you’ve gone to university, what experience you’ve had, in which country, to which country you’re applying for…this could be endless…but I’ll focus primarily on my experience applying from London to NYC.
1. Is the university and subject degree important?
Well… It definitely doesn’t hurt! Yet again, it greatly varies. In my case, it was certainly great help due to the industry (consulting and analytics) as well as city I was focused on (i.e. One of the highest competitiveness within that industry). As such, studying management information systems (a combination of IT and management, focusing on understanding IT from a technical and business application standpoint) on a bachelor’s (from University College London) and master’s (from the London School of Economics) level would stand out on a traditional Resume, especially within tech/analytics. Nonetheless, the way to truly take advantage of university is through its extensive alumni network, as that is where you can create and develop professional relationships that open up a pathway to your industry of preference (see point 3 for further information on networking).
2. Experience and skills carry more weight
Experience and skills are key. By experience I mean unpaid internships, freelance work, personal portfolio; anything in any manner that could add to your skillset and knowledge of the industry you’re interested in. For instance, if you want to go into analytics, having some technical knowledge of statistical analysis (e.g. SPSS) and programming (e.g. R, Python) would come in handy so if you take online courses and/or have any examples of your work – SHOW IT! Either make an online portfolio to show or add it to your resume (or preferably both). Similarly, having any university or summer internship experiences do help, not only in terms of learning and adding to your resume, yet also about expanding your network and making yourself stand out within the existing workforce of the industry.
3. Networking is key
Great – you have the education (whether through university or online school/code academy), now you passed the initial screening. You have some experiences/skills – now you have additional validity to your claim that this role is a suitable fit for you. However, regardless of the industry you’re interested in, everything is people-centered. Build and maintain relationships. LinkedIn, university events, professional events, friend of a friend – really get yourself out there. However, this is where many people get it wrong. Do not network for the sake of network, more so, do not even think of it as “networking”. You are meeting people who you share common interests with or just anyone who you can have an interesting conversation with. Accordingly, “network” with everyone and anyone. I know of some people who try and meet a new person every single day and in doing so, you truly cover any sort of professional path you might want to pursue. Do not forget however – Always Give, Give, Give. The rest will be returned naturally, when you are truly doing what you believe in.
4. My Path
So finally – how did I end up in analytics in NYC? Education, skills and networking.
It is important to have the knowledge and skills to back yourself up, however this does not matter if you cannot voice it. Accordingly, I took to LinkedIn and networked however I could – whether it be with UCL and LSE alumni, people from the same country as me or any other link I could make. I would always customize my invitation and would dedicate quite a bit of time doing this. Through persistence, a family friend was able to introduce me to a contact they knew in one of the permanent missions to the United Nations in NYC. As such, I was given the opportunity to voice and sell myself in an interview. That is how I interned in strategic development in the Summer of 2018.
Also, when applying to a different city/country, make sure you have a reasoning/backing for why. For instance, you are a citizen, you’ve studied there OR you’ve done a past internship there (which is extremely important if considering a competitive city like NYC). That is why the Summer 2018 internship helped me, as now I had the in-city experience I required to apply to NYC.
Then, when applying to my current company – I went through so many rejections but don’t forget, all you need is that one positive response. But how did I gain that first spotlight to present myself and go through the application process? Networking. I reached out to one of my teachers (yes, that is correct) who was a mutual connection with an employee, which then initiated my process. Thus, it is just so important to get yourself out there however you can.
Flowers from GaryVee
Well on a different note – got this pleasant surprise Friday night haha! Such a great marketer. What made it even greater was when he retweeted it! Not much to add but damn, I love living in NYC! You can definitely feel his energy in every single New Yorker. Love it.
Until next time!
As usual – if you want to know anything else, or would like me to go in detail into a particular topic, just drop a comment and let me know Would love to expand on anything.
THANK YOU ALL for the love in the past few posts, and now excited more than ever to learn everything New York has to offer in terms of blockchain.
Vince
Thank you for taking the time to write this article! I think this sentence is the most important: "I was given the opportunity to voice and SELL myself". I think that selling yourself is the most important skill to get a job/ an internship or to just stand out. Unfortunately, I still have to learn (can you learn it?) that skill. I feel that it is so important to stand out, dare to speak and so on. Do you feel that everyone at your job is so confident? Because I'm guessing it is super competitive there? I will certainly take your wise words with me! And so nice that you have received flowers, they really appreciate you! :)
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