Don't Listen to the Career Services Department if They're Giving you Crappy Advice

Go straight to the source with an informational interview.

Who should you ask? (source)

Because even the most well-intentioned people can lead us astray, it is important to be thorough in your research – career-related and otherwise.

Take, for example, my friend Carl*.

In college, Carl decided he was interested in a career in computer forensics and investigating cyber crime.  So Carl followed conventional wisdom and visited his school’s Career Services Office. It turned out to be the wrong decision.

Whatever boneheaded person he talked to in the Career Services Office told him to study criminal justice. 

Carl listened.  

Carl majored in criminal justice.  

But when Carl tried to get a job in computer forensics nobody would hire him because he didn’t have a background in computer science. 

Of course!  Someone wanting a career in a field that is a computer science should study computers.

When I heard this story I was appalled by the career disservice Carl received.  

Without a doubt, people working in career services are well-intentioned. Many have advanced degrees in related fields. But what they often don’t have is recent experience trying to get a job in this economy.  They may not have actually interviewed or hired anyone recently or ever. They may be a bit institutionalized, a bit out of touch. 

So I started thinking ways Carl – and you – can get the best possible information about fields and careers of interest.

The easy solution is to go straight to the source. Find a person who has the job you want and request an informational interview.  

An informational interview is one of the most valuable career development tools out there.  It is basically a meeting where you and the object of your career affection talk for 20 minutes or so about the specifics of the job they have and how they got there. You’re not there to hit them up for favors. Instead, they’re doing you a favor by enlightening you about a potential career or company of interest.  Be sure to act accordingly and be prompt, prepared and polite.  There is tons of guidance online and in job searching books about how to set up and conduct informational interviews.  

Even if you're not currently looking for a job or career change, I recommend setting up informational interviews with people in fields you think are interesting. How about one per month for the next three months?

Learn, discover, and maybe you'll uncover what you didn't know you always wanted. 

So . . . what happened to Carl, you ask?  

Carl's a resilient and easy going guy.  After spending some time pretty pissed off about the bunk advice he got, he started a small side business in technology.  

Eventually, he went into sales.  It turns out Carl is an amazing salesperson – a rare gift that many of us lack and envy – and is making a great living at a job with a bright future. 

But he never took the final credits he needed to graduate because he quickly determined his criminal justice degree wasn’t worth what he was paying for it.  Bet that career services person would feel pretty bad about that.

* - name changed to protect the innocent.