Natalie Arimah 鈥19 used to think that she would go to med school or law school, find the right job and stay there forever. But now, she鈥檚 gaining confidence and realizes that she鈥檚 in charge of her own career. If a job isn鈥檛 challenging her or fitting in with her goals in life, she鈥檚 not afraid to find something else.
Behind her all the way is Jen Maclaughlin, director of Career Development for the 麻豆视频 & 麻豆视频, who has been Arimah鈥檚 career coach since she was an undergrad.
鈥淲hen I鈥檓 considering a new position, Jen helps me develop a set of criteria it has to meet,鈥 said Arimah, who started a new job in May. 鈥淚 like project management, working with new people and being in a mentorship role. I like seeing things through from beginning to end. Instead of just trying out a job and seeing how it goes, I鈥檓 now seeing if the position fits my standards.鈥
Arimah isn鈥檛 alone 鈥 Maclaughlin said her office has seen an increasing number of young alumni contacting career counselors for help, either with job searches or graduate school applications.
鈥淲e would always have a handful of people we were working with, but I鈥檝e seen a spike in the numbers this year,鈥 she said. 鈥淪ome worked for tech firms and have been impacted by recent layoffs, others started their jobs during the pandemic and never received full training with their companies or felt like they were part of an office.鈥
For Arimah, Maclaughlin offers big picture advice about her career, along with logistics like resume and cover letter reviews, and practice interviews.
鈥淚鈥檓 an anxious person and Jen is very centered and calming,鈥 Arimah said. 鈥淪he helps me think about reasonable, actionable steps that I can take right away. I know I can tell her exactly what I鈥檓 thinking and there鈥檚 no embarrassment.鈥
For students who choose to work for a few years before going to graduate school, the office can offer similar services.
Thomas Nolan 鈥20, who will be starting law school this fall at the University of Virginia, worked with Diane Miller in Career Development for two months to perfect his application materials.
鈥淲hether we were discussing application ideas, or she was providing feedback on my written materials, Diane always made herself available to help and provide honest feedback,鈥 he said. 鈥淪he was invested in my application from the start and always worked with me to put my best foot forward in my materials.鈥
Working with the office wasn鈥檛 a new experience for Nolan, though. As an undergrad, he visited the office to find internships, funding opportunities, graduate application assistance and mentorship.
After graduation, Nolan studied at the University of Oxford, where he earned a master鈥檚 degree in global governance and diplomacy. Since November 2021, he鈥檚 been in Washington, D.C. working at a non-profit, CRDF Global, developing and implementing sanctions enforcement trainings on behalf of the State Department and other government funders.
鈥淚 think everything I鈥檝e done for the last seven years has prepared me to embark on my legal career鈥 from experiencing a rigorous academic environment at Cornell, to becoming a stronger researcher at Oxford, to working at the heart of international legal enforcement for the last two years,鈥 he said. 鈥淐ornell taught me how to work alongside preeminent academics, develop networks in student organizations and, most importantly, to make the most of administrative resources explicitly provided to students.鈥
Maclaughlin encouraged other young A&S alumni to reach out to the office for help.
鈥淲e鈥檙e experts on early careers and can help with the same services they used as an undergrad,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e can make alumni connections, help with job and interview strategies and tell them who is hiring. We can also just update them on how the job market has changed since they were undergrads.鈥
Visit the Career Development website to make an appointment with a counselor.
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