“Work” (1852-1865), Ford Madox Brown

1. translating the liberal arts for aspiring professionals James Jeffries Assistant Director, Career Services Wabash College jeffriej@wabash.edu “Work” (1852-1865), Ford Madox Brown

2. the constant anxiety “You majored in what? What are going to do with that?” “What value does a liberal arts degree have today? You need technical skills.” “You can read Sophocles in Greek, but can you read an expense report?” How do liberal arts students effectively understand and demonstrate their value?

3. an argument “In all fairness, it's no wonder that professors look askance when careers are discussed. Some career courses are little more than strung-together workshops with no academic depth or integration into the curriculum. Such courses promise to teach needed professional skills but instead highlight the lack of real career knowledge provided in the classroom.” --Katharine S. Brooks, “Close the Gap between Liberal Arts and Career Services,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 1, 1999

4. we help cause the anxiety… …in principle. We say students need to: • brand themselves • market themselves • sell themselves …and in practice. We teach students to: • build their brands • treat their resumes as marketing materials • consider themselves as products on an open market This strategy tells students that their skill-development is inadequate. It tells them the aspiration of the liberal arts is not appreciated. What students, after pursuing the education of a free and whole person, want to sell themselves?

5. an alternative the liberal arts language

6. Me: “Realize that your resume presents an argument. It has a thesis, and it has premises you must defend.” Student: “I hadn’t thought of it that way before.”

7. resume workshop Purpose: To land an interview 1. Profiles, objectives, or summaries • Summaries do notsay enough • Objectives are notconvincing • Profiles present implicit arguments Summary: Well-rounded leader and analyst Objective: To obtain a position in finance. Management Trainee Profile: Hands-on leader with a strategic and focused approach. Strong in managing teams through collaborative and creative problems-solving. Seeking position as management trainee. Financial Analyst Profile: Well-rounded leader with strong analytical skills. Excellent communicator and collaborator in teams. Ready to contribute as a financial analyst.

8. resume workshop 2. Marketing, Generic, Narrative, or Argumentative • Marketing resumes invite confusion • Generic resumes drown out details • Narrative resumes lead to autobiography At their best, each of these resume-types function argumentatively to convince a reader about the qualifications and fit of an applicant. The argumentative resume puts this goal first. Basic Attributes Concise ● Audience-focused ● Implicit argumentative structure ●

9. resume workshop toward a robust job-search • Audience • Job listing • Company research • Contacts • Profile • Premises=key attributes • Conclusion=I’m great for this job ARGUMENT cover letter interview Resume Content =focused on direct and indirect evidence for premises resume

10. brainstorm workshop SET ONE SET TWO • What general advice do you typically give for: • Cover letters • Interviews • Networking • Job-search • Expressing the value of liberal arts skills • What strategies do you have for involving employers and faculty in supporting the professional aspirations of liberal arts students? • Resources? • Industry-specific ideas? • Specific examples? • Questions: • Is your advice consistent with the overall mission of your institution? • Is your advice consistent with the skills your students already possess? • Are there ways to reframe your advice for liberal arts students?

11. final thoughts • As much as possible, reconcile advice to the liberal arts skills our students already have • Seek to translatethe language of marketing, branding, and networking • In dealing with employers and recruiters, be an activist for the liberal arts • Above all, counsel freedom