{"283801":{"#nid":"283801","#data":{"type":"news","title":"McDow Preps Students for the Job Hunt","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFinding a job is a lot like dating a company. That\u2019s how Lauren McDow explains job hunting to \u003Cbr \/\u003Estudents.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI feel like I do a lot of relationship coaching in my job,\u201d said McDow, a corporate relations manager in the Scheller College of Business. \u201cMost students initially think only of employers who post jobs on campus, but I want them to pursue industries that excite them, regardless of whether those companies are actively recruiting here. But students can\u2019t do that by emailing an executive to ask about internships. I try to get them to understand that sending a cold email asking for an internship to the vice president of a company is kind of like asking a person you just met in a bar to marry you \u2014 it\u2019s too much too soon.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMcDow, who earned her bachelor\u2019s from Scheller, oversees career programs for undergraduate students, which includes teaching a one-hour required weekly career course to students. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn addition to teaching them how to build relationships, I do a lot of critiquing of resumes and cover letters,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve learned that if you just stand in front of the class and tell them how to format a resume, it goes in one ear and out the other.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo, students spend a lot of time revising these documents, sometimes over and over again, until McDow thinks they\u2019ve got the hang of things.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI won\u2019t just mark what\u2019s right and wrong, and give the resume back with a grade,\u201d she said. \u201cI want the focus to be on improving \u2014 and having the skills that actually get them a job \u2014 not on just getting a good grade.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERead on for more about McDow and her time at Georgia Tech. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat did you want to be when you were a child?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EA vet. I loved animals and helping them. But at some point I realized that I\u2019d rather play with puppies than operate on them. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you arrive in your position at Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhen I graduated from Tech in 2003, I thought about trying to work here. But I ended up taking a job in the corporate world instead. I was responsible for managing strategic corporate giving programs and relationships with ChoicePoint\u2019s nonprofit clients. In 2007, my current position opened up, and I decided it was time for a change. I love that in this job I get to enjoy everything I loved about Tech as a student \u2014 and get a paycheck!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the most satisfying part of your job?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt\u2019s when students tell me about their positive job hunting results. As I mentioned before, I wouldn\u2019t recommend that a student email a vice president and ask for an internship. But I do encourage students to reach out to leaders to set up informational meetings to express interest in companies. I\u2019ve had so many students tell me that they never would have thought an executive would have time to meet with them but that the conversation ultimately led to a job opportunity. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u2019s the most challenging part of your job? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESeeing students who are capable of excelling at things like time management, interviewing, and other life skills not seem to care about improving in these areas. But all I can do is encourage them to take the time to hone these skills and show them the resources available to help them do so. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is one piece of technology you can\u2019t live without?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt would have to be LinkedIn. Part of my job is connecting students and companies. So, when a student expresses an interest in a company, I can just look at my network to see if there is a person at the organization I can connect the student to. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite spot on campus?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe top of Tech Tower. That\u2019s where my husband, Randy, who is also a Tech graduate, proposed. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are a few things every employee should do while working at Tech?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EEat in a dining hall, attend a homecoming event (especially the Mini 500 race), and attend the When the Whistle Blows ceremony. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to have lunch?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI love a burrito at Moe\u2019s on Mondays.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFinding a job is a lot like dating a company. That\u2019s how Lauren McDow explains job hunting to students.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Finding a job is a lot like dating a company. That\u2019s how Lauren McDow explains job hunting to students."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2014-03-14 16:06:26","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:16:03","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-03-17T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2014-03-17T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"283711":{"id":"283711","type":"image","title":"Lauren McDow","body":null,"created":"1449244216","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:50:16","changed":"1475894978","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:38","alt":"Lauren McDow","file":{"fid":"198989","name":"mcdow.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mcdow_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/mcdow_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":791709,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/mcdow_0.jpg?itok=gR78SgT_"}}},"media_ids":["283711"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"89291","name":"Lauren McDow"},{"id":"167089","name":"Scheller College of Business"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}