Our 2025 Fall Community Event!
On Tuesday October 14th, we held a community event in partnership with Bedford Books where we enjoyed a lively discussion with New York Times bestselling author Lindsey Pollak and our outstanding RPS graduated scholar, Lesly Mejia!
Lindsey, author of Getting from College to Career, shared some fantastic tips for parents about the job search process after college, and Lesly’s recent experience echoed her message. Here are some of the discussion highlights:
The current job market:
- Lindsey said (as most of us know) it “isn’t a particularly good job market right now”. Coupled with the fact that companies receive vast numbers of applications for open positions, you must make yourself stand out from the crowd.
Taking advantage of college career services:
- Lesly used SUNY Binghamton’s career center to help prepare her resume and shape her LinkedIn profile.
- Lindsey shared that while students must get to know and work with their school’s career services department, 90% of schools continue to offer those services to alums as well —it’s never too late!
The importance of listing all of your “job experience”
- Lindsey reminded the audience that job experience includes everything the student has done, such as internships, summer jobs, volunteer work, and student organizations —and these should be listed in the “Job Experience” section on LinkedIn.
- Lesly used stories about her first job at Burger King to highlight her skills in problem-solving, interacting with the public, and commitment to hard work.
Networking:
- Lindsey reminded us that not everyone has well-connected parents, but there are lots of ways you can network- primarily through alum networks and LinkedIn. Look for connections to the companies you wish to apply to, and don’t be afraid to reach out and introduce yourself to the person who can connect you.
- Lindsey also suggests that students need to practice introducing themselves to others and explaining how they can benefit the company they wish to apply to.
Going Through the Door AND the Window:
- Lesly told us that when she found job opportunities on LinkedIn, not only did she send a resume (going in the “front door”), but she also sent a DM to the hiring manager and followed up with phone calls (going through “the window”).
- Lindsey emphasized the importance of multiple connections to companies over time- meeting recruiters at job fairs, connecting on LinkedIn, and finding alums who work there. It is vitally important to find more than one way in!
Practice, Practice, Practice:
- Lesly practiced her interview skills with her RPS Mentor, Dave, until she felt confident walking into that interview!
Overcoming Gen-Z Stereotypes:
- Yes, Gen-Z has stereotypes- that they’re lazy, aren’t committed to the companies they work for, demand too much work-life balance, and spend too much time on their screens! Lindsey suggests addressing these concerns head-on in an interview, acknowledging these stereotypes and sharing examples of how you are different! Lesly did this beautifully with her examples of experiences while working at Burger King!
We are so grateful to Lindsey Pollak for sharing her wisdom, to Lesly Mejia, our shining example of how Rewarding Potential Scholarship has been a part of launching her career, and to Fran Hauser of Bedford Books for hosting the event and moderating the discussion!