How to find a job with a liberal arts degree

Many students in liberal arts major may feel like there's no clear line of work for them to pursue. "How can I use my degree to get a job when I graduate?" they often ask.

The older I get, the more fiercely I defend unduly maligned liberal arts majors. I'm the proud recipient of an English degree. Some people thought that studying literature was an endearing quirk, not a career path, but it led me to a fulfilling career in journalism.

Now that I'm out in the real world, I've seen how desperate companies are for good writers, communicators and researchers. According to a National Association of Colleges and Employers spring 2016 survey, employers rated critical thinking, professionalism and teamwork as the most important career-readiness traits of college graduates all achievable through liberal arts studies.

It's true that PayScale's list of bachelor degrees with high income potential is dominated by science and engineering. But a humanities background can give you the foundation to solve problems, lead and collaborate with others, which can help you rise through the ranks in any industry. You never know where your liberal arts background may take you. Late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien majored in history and literature. Howard Schultz, chairman and chief executive of Starbucks, majored in communications.

Follow these steps to gain confidence in your formidable knowledge, relay it to employers and land a job you love.

Test your interests

Liberal arts students often feel overwhelmed by all the career directions they can go, says Karyn McCoy, assistant vice-president of DePaul University's Career Center in Chicago. If you're a political science major, for instance, you could pursue law, journalism, business, international relations, academia, the list goes on.

Before you graduate, hone in on what excites you by volunteering, working part time, joining extracurricular clubs and taking on internships. You'll build additional skills that can make you more marketable with employers. My experiences as an intern at nonprofit legal organizations helped me get my first job as a paralegal.

"In many cases in job interviews, it's those other applied experiences that students have had that help them stand out," says Paul Timmins, director of career services for the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

Use tools such as the O*NET Interest Profiler, sponsored by the Department of Labor, to explore potential occupations based on the types of tasks and job-related activities that most interest you. You also can ask your college's alumni relations director to put you in touch with alumni with your degree. Set up a phone call or brief coffee meeting to discuss how they translated their liberal arts background into a successful career.

Own your skills

It takes practice to assess exactly how your major has prepared you for the workplace.

"Students don't necessarily know how to identify the skills that they're gaining or to talk about them in a way that sells them to an employer," McCoy says.

Brainstorm with your college's career services department, a trusted professor or an internship supervisor about the transferable skills you can bring to the workplace. McCoy also recommends scrutinizing a few job descriptions that interest you, then writing down an experience showing how you meet each qualification.

If the employer wants someone who can take initiative, for instance, you'd share in a cover letter or during an interview your experience at forming an anthropology study group. It would be even better if you could report a measurable positive result, such as a classwide increase in test scores. Is the company looking for a strong collaborator? Your work on a team that curated the new on-campus museum exhibit would be relevant.

Remember, too, that your first job is a single rung on your career ladder, McCoy says. You can prepare incessantly and still find you'd rather work in a different company or industry that better fits your passions or lifestyle.

"Each step is going to give you something, whether it's a specific skill or an insight that says, ‘OK, this definitely isn't it.'"

Associated Press

拥有文科学位如何找到工作

很多文科专业的学生可能会觉得，自己未来的求职方向并不清晰。他们常常会问：“我毕业后怎样能利用自己的专业学位找到工作呢？”

随着年龄的增长，我愈发坚决地捍卫受到过度中伤的文科专业。我就是一个骄傲的英语专业毕业生。有人认为，学习文学只是一个可爱的小癖好，而非选择了一条职业道路，但文学却引领我在新闻业小有成就。

如今身处一个现实世界，我看到公司企业对优秀的作家、传媒人和研究学者求贤若渴。根据全美大学和雇主协会2016年春的调查报告，雇主将批判性思维、专业化和团队合作，视为大学毕业生做好就业准备的最重要特征，而这些特质都可以通过文科教育得以实现。

诚然，PayScale网站上具有高薪潜能的学士学位名单中，科学和工程学占据上风。但拥有文科学历背景能够给你打下解决问题的能力基础，能够指引你，并教会你与他人协同合作，这能够帮助你在任何一个行业中出类拔萃。你永远不会知道文科背景最终会将你引向何种职业道路。深夜脱口秀主持人柯南·奥布莱恩主修的是历史和文学，而星巴克的主席和首席执行官霍华德·舒尔茨主修的是传播学。

遵从以下步骤，让你在自己强大的知识宝库中获取自信，传递给雇主，从而收获一份你喜爱的工作。

测定职业兴趣

芝加哥的德保罗大学就业中心的助理副主席嘉琳·麦考伊表示，文科学生通常会因为面对太多职业选择而不知所措。比如，如果你是政治学专业学生，你可以从事法律、新闻、商业、国际关系、学术研究等等各种职业。

毕业前，通过参加志愿活动、兼职、加入课外俱乐部和接受工作实习，锁定自己的兴趣点。这样你会拥有受雇主青睐的额外技能。我在非营利法律机构做实习生的经历，就帮助我得到了第一份工作——律师助理。

“在众多工作面试的案例中，正是学生拥有的其他工作实践经历帮助他们脱颖而出，”位于明尼阿波利斯的明尼苏达大学文学学院就业服务中心主管保罗·蒂明斯介绍说。

你可以使用像由美国劳工部赞助的O*NET兴趣分析器这样的工具，根据你最感兴趣的工作任务类型和相关活动，来发掘你的职业潜能。你也可以让你们学院的校友关系主管帮你联系你们专业的校友，给他们打个电话或者简单见一面喝杯咖啡，聊聊他们是如何将其文科背景转化为成功的职业道路。

掌握职业技能

你需要去实践，才能准确地评估自己的专业是否让你做好了进入职场的准备。

麦考伊表示：“学生不一定知道如何去鉴别他们正在获取的技能，也不一定知道如何与雇主交谈才能将这些技能展示出来。”

找你们学院就业服务部门的人员，或找一位你信赖的教授或一位实习导师一起，来一场头脑风暴，想好你能带到职场的技能。麦考伊还建议你要仔细研究一些自己感兴趣的职位描述，然后记录下来自己符合这些要求的相关经历。

比如，如果雇主希望招聘一个具有主动性的员工，那么你可以在求职信或面试中，分享你如何组建一个人类学学习小组的经历。你要是能提供可量化的成果报告，比如全班成绩普遍提高，那样结果会更好。如果一家公司在寻找一个较强的团队协作者，那么你在组织校园博物馆展览团队中的工作经历就是公司需要的。

(本段的翻译有奖征集中)

“你走的每一步台阶都会让你有所收获，无论它是一项特定的技能，还是一种能告诫你‘好吧，这个绝对不行’的洞察力”。

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上期获奖者：山东威海　哈尔滨工业大学（威海）孟宇