From Student to Professional: A Career Readiness Journey

In this episode of the Career Podcast, hosts Pierre Michaels and Rebecca Harrington dive into the essentials of career readiness. Pierre interviews Samuel Wilson, a College of DuPage graduate and tax consultant at Deloitte. Samuel shares his inspiring journey from high school electives to landing his dream job. The conversation includes the importance of networking, internships, and leveraging AI tools for resume building. Samuel's insights on transitioning from college to the workforce and finding your niche are invaluable for anyone looking to make their mark in their career. 

Before the interview, Rebecca kicks off the episode with a listener question on how to answer the daunting "Why should we hire you?" Interview question. She provides actionable tips to showcase your unique value. 

Tune in to hear Samuel's advice on embracing challenges, staying passionate, and making impactful connections. Plus, discover his favorite board game that combines strategy and fun! 

Full episode transcript can be found on the episode page. Below is a general timestamp summary.

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:22:28
Introduction to the Career Podcast and overview of the episode.

00:00:23:00 - 00:01:10:04
Tips on answering "Why should we hire you?"

00:01:10:04 - 00:02:24:29
Further advice on connecting skills to the job description and understanding the company.

00:02:25:01 - 00:03:07:12
Researching a company before an interview.

00:03:07:14 - 00:05:31:16
Recap of key points for answering "Why should we hire you?"

00:05:31:16 - 00:06:00:29
Introduction to Samuel Wilson's interview.

00:06:00:29 - 00:08:23:25
Samuel Wilson's background and hobbies.

00:08:23:28 - 00:11:10:29
Samuel's journey into accounting and reassessing career paths.

00:11:10:29 - 00:12:47:07
Resources Samuel utilized as a student.

00:12:47:07 - 00:15:13:22
Samuel's approach to creating his resume.

00:15:13:22 - 00:18:06:25
Advice on preparing for interviews.

00:18:06:25 - 00:22:18:26
Importance of internships and networking.

00:22:18:26 - 00:27:07:15
Adjustments transitioning from college to the workforce.

00:27:07:15 - 00:29:09:23
Advice on challenging oneself with difficult classes.

00:29:09:23 - 00:30:01:24
Final thoughts and words of encouragement.

00:30:01:24 - 00:31:01:10
Discussion on Samuel's favorite board game.

00:31:01:10 - 00:36:53:21
Hosts reflect on key takeaways from the interview.

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Transcript

00:00:01:13 - 00:00:22:28

Unknown

Welcome to the career podcast. Learn about resumes cover letters LinkedIn interviewing and all things need be career ready with the Career Service Center at College of DuPage. I'm one of your host, Pierre Michaels. Later in today's episode, you will hear my interview with Sammy Wilson, a tax consultant at Deloitte and College of DuPage graduate, about his path to be career ready.

00:00:23:00 - 00:00:42:10

Unknown

And I'm your other host, Rebecca Harrington. I'm going to start our episode today with a listener mail question sent to careerpodcast@cod.edu. Here's the question how should I answer the question? Why should we hire you? That always scares me that I won't give the right answer.

00:00:42:10 - 00:00:46:13

Unknown

I don't like that question either. Pierre. It's it's really not one of my favorites.

00:00:46:19 - 00:01:10:04

Unknown

It's intimidating to hear it. It's like, tell me everything. This is it. This is your chance, right? So when you're asked the question, why should we hire you? Focus on highlighting your relevant skills, experience and talk about how you align with the company's needs and culture. Showcase your unique value. Explain how your strengths are going to benefit the team and the company's success.

00:01:10:04 - 00:01:32:11

Unknown

Remember to mention specific accomplishments and quantifiable results to back up your claims and remember that they chose to interview you so you may have some things that they want, right? They obviously saw something. So just to kind of go over those, I mentioned a lot of things. Right. But you know, the takeaway is connect you to the job.

00:01:32:13 - 00:01:58:10

Unknown

You need to showcase that you want this particular job and you want to work at this particular company. And why you are going to be able to bring to them what they need. So that means you want to look at the job description, right? Clearly identify the skills and experience from your resume that connect to that job description, and make sure you're highlighting those skills and your unique abilities.

00:01:58:13 - 00:02:24:29

Unknown

Mention anything that may be specialized that might set you apart from other candidates. And with that, make sure that you're quantifying those achievements. So give any numbers you have or, you know, actually, we haven't heard Sam those interview yet, but I have. And he mentions telling stories in an interview and I think telling stories is a great way to not just say, oh, hey, I have this skill.

00:02:25:01 - 00:02:28:13

Unknown

It's a way to prove that you have this skill.

00:02:28:13 - 00:02:46:07

Unknown

And then lastly, here is on your show your understanding of the company. So that means that you need to do research on the company before you go into the interview. And, you know, I'm going to stop here for a second here. Do you have any tips for researching a company before going into an interview?

00:02:47:00 - 00:03:07:12

Unknown

So there's a few things that you could be doing as you go into the interview, and you want to get better understanding of the company, the first thing is go to their website, read the company's website, definitely look at their mission statement, their value statements, things like that. But what else are they showcasing on the website going to their social media?

00:03:07:14 - 00:03:32:20

Unknown

Go to multiple platforms. LinkedIn is great because that's a professional platform where you will get some information, but then what are they doing on other social media platforms where maybe a different personality is coming out about that company? So then that could give you a little bit more insight into it. Just doing a general search, of the company online, how are they showing up in the news?

00:03:32:28 - 00:03:58:19

Unknown

Those are great things to be aware of. And then if you can network and have some connections, maybe talk to people that are at the company, that will also give you some really good insight into the company and maybe also helping. They can help you understand that interview process and how that company approaches the interview. Absolutely. And then it's harder to find out information about the specific department.

00:03:58:22 - 00:04:27:10

Unknown

So sometimes that might be looking up the employees and that department on LinkedIn, see if they have anything. But the other is I would just say pay attention during the interview. Usually this question of, you know, why should we hire you is going to come towards the end. So make sure that you're paying attention during the interview and take note of projects that they mentioned or, you know, things that that they you maybe say, you know, this this role is going to help us with X, Y and Z.

00:04:27:13 - 00:04:45:23

Unknown

So it's a little bit of, kind of on the spot part of it. But that's where coming prepared with these are the skills I know they're looking for. And this is how I can demonstrate those. And then you can kind of make that quick connection to the projects that they're working on. You know, so just as a recap, right.

00:04:45:24 - 00:05:13:21

Unknown

Go beyond just your basic skills, you know, go deeper into those next competencies that we're always talking about, like problem solving and teamwork. And again, that personal touch of talking about you as an employee and how you can come in and be a strength to them and help them and focus on the future. Right. So you're talking about, you know, how you're going to be able to come in and move them to the next step that they want to get to?

00:05:13:23 - 00:05:31:16

Unknown

Yeah. So I think it's a scary question, but one that if you plan ahead and make those connections between the company, your skills, your past experience and thinking about the future and what they're looking for, you can build a great case for why they should hire you.

00:05:31:16 - 00:05:39:02

Unknown

All right. So now we're going to listen to peer's interview with Samuel Wilson about his success as a student and early career professional.

00:05:39:02 - 00:05:53:25

Unknown

For today's episode, I'm excited to have Samuel Wilson, a College of DuPage outstanding graduate of the 2022 class. He has since transferred, completed his bachelor's and has entered the workforce in his desired field. Samuel, thank you for being here today.

00:05:53:25 - 00:06:00:29

Unknown

Awesome. Thanks for having me on here. Okay, so as we get started here, I am so excited that we have you here.

00:06:00:29 - 00:06:17:24

Unknown

I get to know you, as you are here, but the listeners need to get to know you. So can you provide a quick introduction and or do we like to say your elevator pitch? Yeah. Of course. So, I first started out here at the College of DuPage, right. During Covid. So during 2020, you know, everything was shut down.

00:06:17:26 - 00:06:40:15

Unknown

And I decided to pursue accounting. Main thing I could quick shout out to Maureen McBeth here at the accounting department. She really inspired me in trying to pursue a career. And I got really passionate with tax accounting. And from there, you know, I kind of just took with it where I was. So, as Pierre noted, I graduated here.

00:06:40:15 - 00:07:15:02

Unknown

I gave the commencement speech as the Cod outstanding graduate in 2022. And then I transferred down to U of I, down at Urbana-Champaign, to really get into, you know, dive deep into my field of accounting. And that's where I was able to network and, I'm where I am currently today at Deloitte tax doing tax consulting, for various corporations that are within our communities, down at U of I, I was able to really hone in to my craft and, I was able to graduate as the valedictorian award over there, which is also called the senior 100.

00:07:15:04 - 00:07:35:26

Unknown

And from there, I've just kind of started into the workforce and I'm really enjoying, you know, my day in and day out, working at Deloitte Tax. So, yeah, that's, a brief introduction about myself. Some things that I like to do, you know, some things that I like to do for fun. I'm big into board games.

00:07:35:26 - 00:07:55:16

Unknown

Really love that. Some strategies. And I've really recently picked up pickleball, as a cute kind of hobby where, you know, me and my friends go on the weekends, and especially with nice days like today, you can go out and have fun. So, yeah, that's a quick, you know, minute or two about myself. And. Yeah, yeah.

00:07:55:18 - 00:08:23:25

Unknown

Thanks for that introduction. I got to learn a little bit more about you. And, I have some various questions for you, but we'll try to stick on topic right now. So, you mentioned wearing Macbeth here, helping you get into accounting, but can we just expand on that? What really made you decide to go down this path and what helped confirm this path for you?

00:08:23:28 - 00:08:47:29

Unknown

So I back in high school, I decided to take as many electives that I thought were interesting. Like I said before, you don't really know what's out there until you've kind of tried it once or twice. And, back in high school, I took an accounting one class, with my teacher, Mr. Broca. And he was really passionate about accounting, and, I kind of, you know, enjoyed the work.

00:08:47:29 - 00:09:11:18

Unknown

You know, I looked forward going to that class every day. And from there, it kind of made me think, okay, what type of careers could be out there in terms of that? And, as I've been here at the College of DuPage ever since I was three on the kids on campus, you know, I figured that this would be a great spot to, you know, try to ask questions, you know, really poke into it and get into that mindset of, okay, this is where I need to go.

00:09:11:21 - 00:09:33:26

Unknown

Cody offered a case competition back in high school for high school students to come out. And that's kind of really where I, you know, fell in touch with Cody and reconnected, so that's kind of what sparked my interest into going into it. But when you're at, you try to put yourself in communities where you have like minded individuals who have similar goals and aspirations.

00:09:33:28 - 00:09:50:26

Unknown

I knew that if I wanted to learn more, I'd have to get into a community like that. Which is why I went to Cody here for my first two years, and then I went down to U of I because they're very well known in terms of their accounting expertise and to kind of get that experience. It was pretty crucial.

00:09:50:29 - 00:10:13:17

Unknown

And why I wanted to do accounting. Now, I know for a lot of other people, you know, it's very difficult to kind of find your niche right out of high school or find what makes you super passionate, but the big thing that you can do is kind of just put yourself out there and not what I mean, like put yourself out there, you know, you talk to everybody, but you really find things that take your interest and you want to learn more about that.

00:10:13:17 - 00:10:35:24

Unknown

And it's okay to feel uncertain. It's okay to have doubt. I had tons of doubt, you know, throughout my, you know, four years in college. And, you know, as we move on today, it's okay to feel stuck. But, having that mindset and trying to reassessing your situation, thinking about it, you know, every 3 to 6 months, you know, am I going into something that I really enjoy?

00:10:35:26 - 00:11:10:29

Unknown

That's super crucial, especially for young students, as they get into their academic journey? Yeah. Great. I, really appreciate hearing that. And you were introduced to it early on, and you just kind of were drawn to it at this passion and continuing to grow in it. But you had your doubts at times, and I'm sure there are others that have those doubts, and yours just kind of, or something that you moved on from where other people may have those bigger doubts, but then you're thinking if those periods prolong, well, then you just reassess your path.

00:11:10:29 - 00:11:26:11

Unknown

Exactly. And you don't have to find it all. You know, on the first go. You know, I was interested in audit for a little bit. I was interested in, you know, I was thinking about going to NIU, you know, there were so many different options that I could have, you know, taken my, you know, academic and professional career.

00:11:26:13 - 00:11:44:11

Unknown

And, you know, you have me. It's important, like you said, having those check in points where like every 3 to 6 months am I happy in my content and doing, you know, what I want to do. And, you know, I feel like you'll get to a point where, you'll decide, you know, it might not be in your 20s, it might be later on.

00:11:44:11 - 00:12:16:01

Unknown

But, where you go, this is what I truly want to do. And if students kind of have that mindset, it can really help them, through the college process where, you know, everyone's throwing everything at you and there's so much that you can do and you feel like the world's at your fingertips. Yeah. So as you moved forward through this process and maybe working through some of those periods of doubt and then confirmation of your path, what were some of those, resources that you utilized as a student to help you move forward in your journey?

00:12:16:07 - 00:12:47:07

Unknown

Yeah, I think the biggest resource in college and, you know, in the professional work space is the people that you interact with. Like I said before, the professors, peers, you know, especially people here at Career Services, they have the connections with, you know, the outside world, you know, things that you know where you are today. How do you get to your goal or how can you get to, your dreams in terms of that and just being able to connect and it, you know, you don't have to make it like a targeted approach, like I need to talk to him to get here.

00:12:47:07 - 00:13:05:13

Unknown

I need to talk to him to get here. But getting in that comfortable mindset of just, hey, I can just go out. I can reach out to somebody, I can, you know, engage in a nice, pleasant conversation and, you know, it's, you know, I hear about some opportunity. I can ask and inquire a little bit more and go on from that.

00:13:05:15 - 00:13:26:18

Unknown

Within the classroom, you we should try to engage, not within, but also beyond it. There's so many clubs, programs, events here, especially at coffee. That students can just get involved in. And that is probably the biggest thing that you could do, is just being active in college life and not just focusing on your academics. Academics are important.

00:13:26:18 - 00:13:48:14

Unknown

They build the foundation, of your career. But what makes you you is what you do outside of it. The skills that you build in the classroom. How can you translate that to your career? How can you translate that to other, you know, clubs and activities and taking those experiences, you can really enhance the club? I, I'll just speak from personal reference of Vida.

00:13:48:17 - 00:13:55:20

Unknown

Here at the College of DuPage, they offer a volunteer income tax assistance program for low income individuals to come in and get their tax returns filed.

00:13:56:00 - 00:14:08:09

Unknown

when I went into it, I had a vision of like how I wanted to scale the program. Here's my thoughts. Here is my inputs. And using that along with the teachers and the professors, as well as some of the other students who are in the program.

00:14:08:11 - 00:14:27:05

Unknown

We were able to scale that program up to where it is today, where we are now. I think the number one center in, Illinois in terms of getting that tax preparer service complete. And I would say without having that type of goal or that mindset outside of, you know, my tax class, that I took care, it wouldn't have gotten to where it is today.

00:14:27:05 - 00:14:46:25

Unknown

And that is the impact that not only employers are looking for, but that's the impact that I think everyone should try to make. And their communities at large. Yeah, I love it. Being involved, the network, those connections. And I just have to, bring it back to some some things about you. You're an outstanding graduate. And a valedictorian.

00:14:46:25 - 00:15:13:22

Unknown

So mean that you had really good grades. But talking about being involved as the more important thing, and I have to believe some of that involvement really made the classroom learning just more impactful, more meaningful, because you got to see it applied in different ways. Exactly. And I think the big thing is finding that why, you know, I learned in my psychology class that I took care that, you know, remembering and understanding is like the lowest type of learning that can do it.

00:15:13:22 - 00:15:38:11

Unknown

But that analysis and being able to evaluate that's the higher end type of skill that you want to take in, where you're able to not only learn something, but you're able to replicate it, reproduce it, enhance on it, improve it, and that is that's what makes, you know, outstanding individuals outstanding is they're able to take the skills that they've built and then crafted into, you know, kind of their own path.

00:15:38:13 - 00:16:06:10

Unknown

So thinking of taking those skills, crafting them into your own path, and then building off all these ideas of being involved. What was your approach to creating your resume and what advice would you have to students to help make their resume stand out? Yeah, so back when I was here at the College of DuPage, you know, we didn't have a lot of, you know, new AI softwares that, you know, a lot of the present day students have.

00:16:06:10 - 00:16:24:03

Unknown

Now, I'm not saying go into ChatGPT and type create a resume because you're going to get garbage in, garbage out. But you should try to tailor it. And the best way to do it is find what activities you're in and look at the job that you're applying for. Every time you're crafting a resume, you're looking to land that next job.

00:16:24:03 - 00:17:03:07

Unknown

You're looking to get some experience or, you know, try to apply for something new and what the College of DuPage here has is, Vmax software, which I think is the best thing, hands down to this day, where it will read your resume and will find, you know, areas where it needs improvement, like you need action oriented language, you know, you need it, you know, incorporate those nice competencies, you know, like leadership, communication, critical thinking, professionalism, teamwork, you know, technology skills, things that employers are looking for, things that you know, that what is what is going to drive you and make you in-demand in the marketplace.

00:17:03:09 - 00:17:24:18

Unknown

So when I was creating my resume, I kind of wrote down some items that I think, you know, this is what I did at this job. This is what I did. We mocked, helped me tailor it to get that action oriented language. But especially now with ChatGPT and these AI tools, you can grab the descriptions and the qualifications that employers are looking for.

00:17:24:21 - 00:17:45:04

Unknown

And now you can kind of incorporate that on top of the resume that you've already built. And you say, hey, enhance these points and obviously do a second round of checks. Don't blind, you know, copy paste it because sometimes it'll hallucinate. But having that ability to do that for, you know, a wide array of jobs is so impactful.

00:17:45:04 - 00:17:48:14

Unknown

And it's going to make your resume so much more outstanding.

00:17:48:14 - 00:18:06:25

Unknown

In terms of I know it might be different depending on careers. But for accounting, your resume doesn't have to be flashy. You know, it's better not to be flashy, just as lots of resumes are read by, I, you know, I think there's a study where 98% of them are read three AI before actual human touches it.

00:18:06:25 - 00:18:25:05

Unknown

So, my best piece of advice is keep it simple. Don't make it super flashy with all these fun fonts and texts, but also reach out here at Career Services because they helped me a ton, especially from when I was here at Cod to where I land my internship, where I am today at Deloitte, and now I have a full time job.

00:18:25:05 - 00:18:47:04

Unknown

So that use the skills and use I as a friend, but don't rely on it as the thing that's going to make your day. Yeah, you know the best way to use AI is to really think of it as an assistant. Where are they? Okay, don't ask it to write the resume for you, but you provide a resume and say, can you help me enhance these points?

00:18:47:04 - 00:19:09:01

Unknown

Or so I love hearing, that perspective. And obviously you've been able to be successful as younger as you are, as you just, you know, are entering the field, you've made things work out for you. I'm so I really like hearing your perspective, your take on it. And, you know, it has led to some success here.

00:19:09:01 - 00:19:11:16

Unknown

So that was building up your resume.

00:19:11:18 - 00:19:37:15

Unknown

So from the resume, as we share that with employers, we then hopefully get into interviews. So can you just share, some stories from your, interview experiences, maybe some challenges and how you worked through those. Yes. So for my interviews, I didn't have many technical interviews. A lot of it was behavioral. So it's kind of just I wouldn't say generic questions, but it's like, name a time you struggled.

00:19:37:15 - 00:19:58:20

Unknown

Name a time, you know, where you exude those like those names competencies like leadership, name a name, a spot where you were able to communicate with people who weren't able to get along. That is how you kind of show your unique strengths. You know, your resume is just, you know, it's it's very black and white. It's kind of like, here's a bunch of points.

00:19:58:22 - 00:20:17:18

Unknown

But what makes you you is that interview. It brings those points to life. And being able to talk about those points, going back and referencing your resume is super crucial. Especially during job interviews. When I was interviewing for, I think it was my junior year down at U of I when I was interviewing with a wide array of firms.

00:20:17:21 - 00:20:30:19

Unknown

Something that I picked up on is that the people who are interviewing you, they have the your resume right up, you know, while they're talking with you. So being able to just reference it back and tie it back, they're able to see like, oh,

00:20:30:19 - 00:20:36:09

Unknown

those points you didn't just make up and put on a resume. You actually like embodied, you know, envisioned that.

00:20:36:09 - 00:20:59:16

Unknown

So, reviewing your resumes and kind of having a story for each of those points, that's kind of what is really impactful in showing your unique strengths. Now, for a lot of people I know when I first started, it was very kind of difficult in terms of getting that communication skills up and running. And the best way to practice is just

00:20:59:16 - 00:21:09:16

Unknown

I don't say get behind a whiteboard, but, prompt general resume questions, general interview questions that employees are going to ask.

00:21:09:17 - 00:21:27:17

Unknown

You can go online and you can ask them, I know at U of I, they gave us like a stack of cards that had like, oh, here's some generic resume or generic interview questions and just being able to just kind of just practice through it. That's going to make you become more comfortable, especially, you know, talking and communicating.

00:21:27:19 - 00:21:51:22

Unknown

And same with like what we are talking in here today. You know, me coming on here on this podcast in terms of that, you had to build that communication skill somewhere. And, having those online interview questions and those banks that helps you prepare for not only just the interview, but helps you for, you know, small talk situations and work and, you know, a wide variety of ways where you can try to exude who you are to somebody else.

00:21:51:22 - 00:22:18:26

Unknown

So in short, best way to put it is just use that resume as a template or as like a base, but try to draw out those important facts, draw the emotion, try to draw that appeal to make who you are, who you are. So yeah, yeah, I love that point of using the resumé to help you prepare for the interview, because bring it back to this bigger idea of branding yourself and presenting yourself as this professional.

00:22:18:26 - 00:22:28:12

Unknown

You need that consistent message. So to make sure that you're reinforcing what they are right about, you can really make you stand out through that interview process. Exactly.

00:22:28:12 - 00:22:46:03

Unknown

So from that interview, you got an internship. All right. So can you just talk about the importance of that internship and then how that, I would assume, helped you get into, your current employment opportunity?

00:22:46:08 - 00:23:06:10

Unknown

Exactly. I would say 80% of internships, maybe. Maybe even higher. The whole point of an internship is to try to bring you on full time. So trying to get that internship or trying to get experience to get to an internship is crucial. Like I would say, most entry level jobs now are looking at, and they want to have some experience of some sort.

00:23:06:10 - 00:23:27:15

Unknown

You did something. It's not like you just decided to wake up one day and just I wanted to go apply and give that chance. You kind of have to show that initiative. So the internships or part time jobs or volunteering, those are crucial as it builds your resume up to, you know, trying to set the tone of who you are and what you want to be.

00:23:27:17 - 00:23:38:14

Unknown

But once you get into that internship, you also should network. That's essential in trying to make connections and leads to new opportunities. I didn't figure out, you know,

00:23:38:14 - 00:23:58:00

Unknown

within I can get very niche. But like within the tax world, right? I didn't know that there is a difference between doing like tax returns and doing like consulting type work where I'm going to companies and were analyzing, oh, here's ways that you can use the tax code to help you save money and help you invest in the community at large.

00:23:58:03 - 00:24:20:10

Unknown

I only knew this because I was able to network within the internship that I had at Deloitte. That is, I for a wide variety of jobs. There's so much that you can learn that's just in the job and building those real relationships and not just trying to like, game it. That's essential and it helps you leverage your network, it helps you solve problems.

00:24:20:10 - 00:24:32:18

Unknown

And it also gives you that mindset of, hey, this is something that I'm interested in. This is something that I want to do. And it gets you that, you know, becomes more well versed of, you know, there's more out there than you initially know. Yeah,

00:24:32:18 - 00:24:47:21

Unknown

love hearing all of that. So as you've gone through this story, what were some of those biggest adjustments as you transitioned from the college experience to now the workforce?

00:24:47:23 - 00:24:56:13

Unknown

I think the biggest thing is, losing Fridays off. I think that was the biggest thing that, you know, I maybe took for granted in college. And,

00:24:56:13 - 00:25:07:26

Unknown

when you're in the workforce, you're always I mean, you're working. It's, you know, it's time consuming and having that adjustment from, you know, only going to a couple classes a day to, oh, you're expected to be in work from 8 to 5.

00:25:07:28 - 00:25:37:15

Unknown

You know, that's, that's a big that's a big shift, especially for a lot of college students. And it takes time. But just like everything, you know that's that segue from your academic career to your professional career. You know, you have full time responsibilities. You know, a job's paying you to, you know, produce work. So, that was probably the big thing in terms of that, but also learning how to navigate with, you know, different ages and different, diverse teams.

00:25:37:17 - 00:26:00:23

Unknown

I think, you know, when you get into college, you kind of are surrounded by like the people of your same age group, right? You're kind of talking and, you know, you kind of want to have type of groupthink. But, you, you have similar opinions. It's very easy to work within, you know, your age group. And once you get into the workforce, you're not working with, you know, just people in your 20s you're working with, you know, people who are way older than you in terms of that.

00:26:00:23 - 00:26:18:05

Unknown

And, you know, it could be vice versa. You know, especially with the people who've been they're more tenured. They have to try to make an effort and try to be understanding of, you know, the youth in terms of that. So, that professionalism of trying to work with diverse teams and trying to work with what works best within people.

00:26:18:05 - 00:26:24:07

Unknown

And I think that's like a big mindset that you have to take in that, you know, not everyone's going to know what you knew.

00:26:24:07 - 00:26:28:13

Unknown

I had this revelation with, my parents, who,

00:26:28:13 - 00:26:32:26

Unknown

my mom still works here at the College of DuPage in the librarian department. And,

00:26:32:26 - 00:26:36:25

Unknown

it's like a big shift of, like, stuff that I would learn in college.

00:26:36:28 - 00:26:57:11

Unknown

Doesn't always directly translate to the workforce. There's some, you know, areas where you can improve. And that's where I've been helping out in terms of trying to, like, bridge that gap, especially within my own family. And I just have to be well aware that when I'm in the job force, stuff that I might know, you know, especially is like, I'm a first year, I'm just coming on.

00:26:57:17 - 00:27:07:15

Unknown

People above me might not know how to do and just being aware of that. That's a big gap that, you know, I kind of experienced when I moved from college into the workforce.

00:27:07:15 - 00:27:32:10

Unknown

All right. Thanks for those tips. You know, it's been a while since I've made that transition, but, you know, hearing you talk by it brings back some memories of me making that transition from college to the workforce. So now that we're kind of in this reflection point, is there one thing you wish you knew sooner that would help you get to where you are today?

00:27:32:28 - 00:27:41:00

Unknown

I think that for a lot of people, taking the, I would say the easy route, but the more comfortable route,

00:27:41:00 - 00:27:55:06

Unknown

it's kind of common. You look for instructors and you look for classes that, you know, are easy to pass, easy to, you know, pad your stats. But I think real growth comes from like the discomfort of, like challenging yourself, picking up, you know, a class that it might be more challenging to take,

00:27:55:06 - 00:27:55:29

Unknown

might be more.

00:27:56:01 - 00:28:15:16

Unknown

It'll bring you more skills. It will be much more stimulating. But, you know, you'll have to put in work. You have to put in effort. I think I find I wish I kind of knew that a little bit more when I was here at college. You too. Page. I did take a bunch of, like, I would say, classes that were challenging, but I could have done way more where I could have kind of brought in my mindset.

00:28:15:16 - 00:28:46:10

Unknown

And I didn't really get to that until my senior year in college. And that's where I kind of took a negotiation class. I kind of like put myself out there in terms of that, and I learned so much in that class. It was difficult. But, I really grew from that class and I kind of wish that a lot of college students kind of go in that mindset of, you know, don't just look at my professor and just try to, you know, pick the easiest teacher, but try to find a teacher that's going to make you grow, that's going to kind of stimulate your mindset, give you a new perspective.

00:28:47:00 - 00:29:09:23

Unknown

I've got two more questions for you. The last official question here, are there any final thoughts or words of encouragement you would have for our listeners? Yeah. So focus on your strengths and your passions. You know, your strengths, stuff that you're good at, but what you're passionate about. And if you're able to find something that both of those intersect, you're going to make a real big impact on wherever you go.

00:29:09:23 - 00:29:30:04

Unknown

And from there, you'll be able to find your niche and from your niche, you're able to connect and grow with a wide variety of people within those fields. And that's how you're going to become a professional which has passion, purpose, and you're going to ultimately become career ready and make an impact on the world. Right? Great. I wish we were ending it there.

00:29:30:04 - 00:29:50:16

Unknown

But I said, I have one more question for you. Of course. So I want to circle back to your elevator pitch. Sounds good. You've mentioned playing board games. Yes. Favorite board game board game you would recommend to our listeners? I love Settlers of Catan. It's a classic. It is very it's a classic game, but it has all aspects of, I think a board game.

00:29:50:16 - 00:30:01:24

Unknown

It's got some strategy. There's a little bit of luck in there, but it's also communication table skills. You know, you have the hard skills and you have the soft skills and you kind of have to interweave those two and

00:30:01:24 - 00:30:08:15

Unknown

I think it's probably the best way to grow yourself as an individual.

00:30:08:15 - 00:30:10:01

Unknown

for fun. And,

00:30:10:01 - 00:30:11:18

Unknown

you know, it might not be,

00:30:11:18 - 00:30:15:05

Unknown

you know, everyone might have different opinions in terms of what's their favorite board game.

00:30:15:05 - 00:30:19:09

Unknown

But I think it really culminates a lot of skills that are successful.

00:30:19:09 - 00:30:38:23

Unknown

in the game, but also, you know, as your career or, you know, you as a person at large. So if my $0.02 for everyone who's listening out there, try to pick up the game. I know it's a a big step to try to understand the rules and such, but once you get to that point where you kind of become familiar with it,

00:30:38:23 - 00:30:45:28

Unknown

it will take up your Friday afternoons and evenings, because it's so much fun and it's just, it's that many hours.

00:30:46:00 - 00:31:01:10

Unknown

Well, I really appreciate how you took this last question. Circling back to the elevator pitch insight right back into how it helps you be career ready. So thank you for all this wonderful insight you provided. Of course. Thanks, Pierre, for having me on.

00:31:01:10 - 00:31:18:00

Unknown

Wow. Appeared. That was an amazing interview. Yeah. Any time you get to have a conversation with Samuel, you just have to take advantage of it because he's got such a positive attitude, such a wealth of experiences that he's taken on.

00:31:18:02 - 00:31:48:08

Unknown

And he's only one year removed from college. Absolutely. And yet down to earth regular student. So I think his advice was spot on. And I love taking these opportunities after an interview to just quickly highlight, right, some of the things that I would say are good takeaways from the interview. And one of the first things and you pointed out in the interview was he shouted out his teacher and I thin.

00:31:48:08 - 00:32:10:04

Unknown

And he also said, people are the biggest resources. And I think that is so important. I know when I was in college, I did not take advantage of faculty like I should have, and getting to know your faculty, asking them questions is one of the best ways to learn about different careers and to get get ahead, get forward, you know, on a career.

00:32:10:06 - 00:32:31:21

Unknown

Yeah. And he actually came up to I don't know if you. Oh yes. Also in high school. Yes. Absolutely. So early on he caught that idea of these people are here to help me. And he took advantage of it. And, you know, I'm glad that he did because that's gotten to a great spot. So, you know, that whole using your network, right.

00:32:31:21 - 00:33:03:02

Unknown

We've been talking about it a lot of recent in our office. And you know, there's proof, right, that the networking is very important. Yeah. And with that high school piece, the other thing that I caught too was take as many electives, he said. I took as many electives as I thought were interesting. Right. Like the idea of, you know, he you know, this is a person who seems like if I saw him today and I was a student, a younger student, I'd be like, wow, this guy.

00:33:03:02 - 00:33:24:23

Unknown

And he's got it all together. He knew what he wanted to do and he made it happen. No he didn't. Right. Like he wasn't sure what he wanted to do. So he took classes that were interesting and also recommended at the end that we take some classes that are challenging to us as well. Right. But the idea that that is what community college can be for that is what high school can be for, is.

00:33:24:26 - 00:33:45:12

Unknown

If it sounds even slightly interesting, take the class, see what you think. Yeah. And it helps you be very well-rounded. It helps you confirm interest, but then also gives you insight to these other areas. Maybe you don't have to go super in-depth into them, but at least you have that more fundamental knowledge base that you could utilize something that I wish I did.

00:33:45:14 - 00:34:11:05

Unknown

Yeah, definitely. And I think that kind of goes my one last connection that I'll make. I mean, I have some others, but but I'll give you a chance, is, he talked about networking during your internship. And how important that is. And what you just said is having taken these other classes. And he also talked about being a part of college life is a great way to network with these people that you're working with.

00:34:11:05 - 00:34:29:16

Unknown

So if you can build not just a business connection with them, but also that personal connection with them, then these are people that are going to help you move forward with your career and and be a resource for you. And you can be a resource for them, throughout your career, which is that there's a lot of benefits to an internship.

00:34:29:16 - 00:34:47:28

Unknown

And I think that's one that we don't often talk about. Yeah, yeah, he definitely pointed out a lot of benefits to these various things we talked about. And, you know, for me, him making that connection of, oh, I'm working on this resume. And then I'm going into the interview and I'm using that resume to help me prepare for that.

00:34:48:01 - 00:35:10:19

Unknown

Right. It's not like these are just single conversations or single things to be thinking about. All builds on top of each other to really help you move forward and create opportunities for yourself. Yeah. Now, is there anything else that you wanted to highlight from the interview that I haven't mentioned yet? Just the overall, I don't know how much you guys could pick up on it.

00:35:10:19 - 00:35:34:21

Unknown

Just listening to it, but the smile that he has on his face, talking about these things, and just like how he's passionate about what he's talking about, what he's done and what he's doing, and you know, when you can have that passion and no matter what path you're going down, you're going to be happy, you're going to make things work out for yourself because you're doing the things that you enjoy.

00:35:34:21 - 00:35:37:10

Unknown

And he just really enjoys

00:35:37:10 - 00:35:54:10

Unknown

talking about these things and helping people and being where he's at. So I just want to emphasize that point. I'm sure it came across a little bit in his voice, but sitting here across the table from him, it really stood out to me as being able to interview him. Thank you for painting that picture.

00:35:54:10 - 00:36:16:15

Unknown

I appreciate it, but, you know what? I just have one more little shout out just because it does relate to our topic this season, which is, you guys talked about the fact that I is an assistant. Yeah, right. It's very helpful. He mentioned the Mac and other AI tools, but that they are tools they do not do all the work for you.

00:36:16:15 - 00:36:20:05

Unknown

yeah. Great point. Because as you know, we're doing a bunch of

00:36:20:05 - 00:36:21:23

Unknown

I,

00:36:21:23 - 00:36:25:23

Unknown

pieces here and we've got some more coming up with AI. So

00:36:25:23 - 00:36:45:02

Unknown

Thanks to all of our listeners. And special thanks again to Samuel for joining us on the podcast. We hope you found his insight on preparing for the workforce to be helpful. We answered a listener question earlier in the episode, and if you have a question you want to hear answered in a future episode, you could submit it to Career Podcast at Coda.

00:36:45:05 - 00:36:53:21

Unknown

As we end here, we encourage you to join us for our next episode where we continue the AI conversation, this time looking at interview prep.