EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Setting our Students on the Path to Career Success

Meghan WalshUnion County College

Olympic Figure Skater?Private Detective?TV News Anchor?

Teacher?Lawyer?

White House Press Secretary?

Editorial Assistant at a major

Publishing House

Marketing Assistant at the

same major Publishing House

Publicist at boutique creative

PR firm

Senior Publicist at another small but

business focused PR Firm

Director of Alumni Relations at a Private High

School

Grant Coordinator at Union County

College

Academic Affairs Administrator at

Union County College

Job Exploration• What do you want to do after college?• What does it mean to have that career?• What do you need to do now to get where you

want to be?

Interviewing• How to set up an exploratory interview• How to prepare for an interview• How to conduct yourself during an interview

Presentations• Presenting your experience to peers, faculty

and staff

Business:Accounting – LLI CPA Associates

Human Resources – American Express

Advertising – The Disney Channel

Financial Planner – Westfield Wealth Management

Small Business Owner – Augusta Mae Boutique

Real Estate – Coldwell Banker

Renewable Energy Investing – Energy Power Partners

Business Development – Ark Media

Advertising Sales – Theknot.com

Government/Law: Senior Policy Advisor to the US Ambassador

Legal Counsel – Fox News Corporation

Police Captain – Cranford Police Department

Lawyer – Union County College

Education/ Social Services:Teacher/Administer – Summit High School

Social Work/Counselling – Elizabeth High School

Psychiatrist – Private Practice

STEM:Environmental Engineering – Langan Engineering

Digital Marketing – The Red Cross

Engineering – Sika Corporation

Biochemist - Celgene

Arts:Published Author – Eva Natiello, The Memory Box

Medicine:Midwife – Overlook Hospital Dentist – Private Practice

Ophthalmologist – VA Hospital Obstetrician- Private Practice

Here are the things that you will need to do for this experience to be successful:

Contact the professional. Research the company you will be visiting.Fill out a Experiential Learning consent form.Confirm your appointment.Conduct a professional interview or office visit.Follow up with a personal note of thanks.Present your experience to your classmates.

Checklist

• What was your major?• What path did you take to get to where you are

today?Did you always know you wanted to be in this field?

• What is your favorite thing about your job?• What is the most challenging part of your job?• What opportunities for growth are there in this

profession?• What is the home-life balance with this career?• What advice do you have for someone starting

out in this profession?

Do Ask…

• How much money do you make?• Are you married?• Do you have kids? (unless this comes up in

conversation)• Will you hire me?

Don’t Ask…

What should you wear?

Business Casual is the way to go! This means:

Don’t Wear… Sweats! Jeans! Anything too short,

too tight or too revealing!

Sneakers! A hat! Printed tee-shirts!

Do Wear… (for the guys)

Pants – khakis, black, grey, or navy Button down shirt, collared shirt, or sweaterShoes that are not sneakers

Do Wear… (for the ladies)• Pants (khaki, navy, grey or

black)• Skirt (not short or tight)• Dress (tailored and neat)• Blouse or sweater• Flats, boots or heels

Dear Ms. Monroe,My name is Meghan Walsh and I am a student at Union County College. I am a Business major and a member of the American Honors program. Thank you so much for offering me the opportunity to learn more about your career in the field of Marketing. I look forward to meeting with you at your convenience. I am available on Tuesdays and Thursdays and am happy to meet with you at a time that works for your schedule. I appreciate the time and expertise you are willing to give to help me explore my career options. I look forward to meeting you.Sincerely,Meghan WalshMeghan.walsh@owl.ucc.edu908-555-5555

The Big Day! Don’t forget to: Be on time… no… Be early! Turn off and put away your phone

(headphones too!)Shake hands. Be polite. Be engaging – ask lots of questions.Be patient (remember that they are

taking time out of their day to meet with you and might have to take calls, meet with colleagues, etc.).

Respect the property and space of the office you are visiting.

Thank them!

Dear Ms. Monroe,

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your schedule to meet with me yesterday. I learned so much about the Marketing field. I was mostly intrigued by the business development aspect of your job. This seems like something I would be very interested in pursuing. I really enjoyed meeting you and visiting the CMW Media offices. Thank you for everything.

Sincerely,Meghan Walsh

Experiential Learning

Challenges• Non-credit• Optional assignment• Presentations• STEM opportunities

Moving Forward• Required assignment• Presentation skill session• Technology• More opportunities

• Networking – Community• Networking – Organizations(Rotary, Jaycees,

etc.)• Networking - AH

• Career services• Resume Writing• Mock Interview• Social media for job seeking

Meghan M Walsh

Questions?

Ideas?

Suggestions?

THANK YOU!

MEGHAN WALSH908-497-4394

MEGHAN.WALSH31@UCC.EDU