KIMBERLY NEWTON

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Q1:

Name: Kimberly Newton

Degree from UMD: Bachelor of Arts in Communication

Graduation: 2014

Current Job: Student Activities and Leadership Development Coordinator at Concordia University- St. Paul

 

Q2:

As a senior at UMD, when did you start applying for jobs?

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I knew I wanted to go into Student Affairs/Higher Education, but knew I needed a Masters degree if I wanted to go that route. I also had to take my senior seminar in May term and was hired as a temporary casual employee in the CLA Advising Office, so that kind of delayed the job search process for me. During my senior year, I was stuck between two paths: 1) Go directly to grad school or 2) go into my other intended career path of Communications/Social Media Specialist. I also had originally planned to stay in Duluth for a few years after graduation. I'll be honest, I really struggled with the job search, but that was because I knew I wasn't applying for jobs that I truly wanted. Finally in July, I admitted that I wasn't finding jobs I was passionate about and made the decision to go to graduate school beginning in September. It was a really quick turn around but the best decision I ever made.

 

To answer your question a little better, I began look at jobs in February/March, but didn't seriously begin job searching until after I completed my degree, because I had the comfort of living at home and having a part time job.

 

Q3:

What websites or resources did you use when you were applying?

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I used Indeed Jobs, the UMD Career Services website, and higheredjobs.com. I also used LinkedIn and would look to see if I knew anyone who worked at companies I was interested in. I would even go as a far as reach out to people who served as a degree of connection between me and someone from a company (depending on the relationship I had with that person). It seems a little excessive, but social media is such a powerful tool.

 

Q4:  

If you could do anything differently about applying for jobs or the job market in general, what would it be?

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I wish I would have been more organized and thought about it a little more seriously earlier on. I made such a BIG last minute decision and that definitely impacted some things financially for graduate school. I also wish I would have just admitted to myself that going to graduate school is what I wanted to do. I know my partner started job searching quite early and he landed his job in January or February. 

 

Q5:

Do you enjoy your job/profession at this time?

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I LOVE my job! I interned at Concordia for 2 years while I finished up my Master of Arts in Educational Leadership (Leadership in Student Affairs) and was hired on full time right after graduation. My undergrad degree in Communication helps me daily because I am always working with students, faculty, and staff. I have definitely found my passion and am so thankful that I enjoy going to work each day.