College Experiences That Helped A Program Coordinator At ECOSLO Succeed
Grant's career success, particularly in securing a position at Cal Fire via an internship and their current role at ECOSLO, highlights the importance of relationship building, stating that "relationships are really important" in a smaller community. The interviewee emphasizes the value of internships and networking with local organizations to build connections and master interviewing skills, advising that "a lot of it is about relationships and a lot of it is about connections," which often outweighs academic performance in career advancement.
Networking, Relationship Building, Interview Skills, Career Development, Local Community Engagement
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Grant Helete
Program Coordinator
ECOSLO - Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo
California Polytechnic State University
N/A
Environmental & Related Sciences
Climate, Environment, Sustainability & Waste Management, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Operations and Project Management
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Build relationships with professionals in your field of interest, especially if you plan to work in a smaller community.
2. Seek out internships or similar opportunities to gain experience and build your network. Consider paid opportunities like College Core to balance experience with financial needs.
3. Develop strong interviewing skills, as they are crucial for securing positions and making a good impression on potential employers. Networking and relationship-building often lead to opportunities before formal application processes even begin.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
Relationship building is a big part of it. I got my position at Cal Fire through an internship, which helped me get familiar with many people in city government. Especially if you plan to work in a smaller area like SLO County, relationships are really important.
Get to know people, become familiar with them, and remember their names. A lot of the time, we underestimate how lucky we are as students at Cal Poly to have avenues for relationship building within the community. So, if you want to stay in SLO County, building relationships is crucial.
Consider internships or programs like College Corps where you can gain experience, mentorship, and learning opportunities while being paid. Try to leverage your experience at Cal Poly to develop relationships with local organizations. Learn about what they do and build those connections.
This familiarity can be helpful later on. When recruiting or hiring, people often recognize a name on a resume or someone they had a good interview with. Learning how to interview well is also very important.
These two things—relationships and good interviewing skills—go a long way. Young people might be surprised by how much they matter. People respond well to those they know and can have good conversations and work well with.
While good grades are important, once you're in the field and have your first job, relationships and connections become much more significant. So, those are the most important things.
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