What an Industry Relations Manager at UCLA Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Higher Education Industry
Stella, a UCLA Industry Relations Manager, learned the importance of concise communication in professional settings, noting that "no one is reading past the first sentence" of lengthy emails—a stark contrast to academic writing expectations. The interview process, Stella also discovered, is far more conversational than anticipated, requiring a different approach to self-presentation than what was experienced in undergraduate-level interviews.
Communication, Job Search, Interview Skills, Professional Communication, Career Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Stella Petrosyan
Industry Relations Manager
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
University of California, Riverside 2019
UCLA Anderson
Economics
Education
Strategic Management and Executive
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. The importance of concise communication in professional emails and communications; learning to be thorough yet brief is a valuable skill. In the professional world, word limits are often in place, unlike academic writing where length may be encouraged.
2. The interview process is more conversational than one might initially expect. It is beneficial to develop skills in articulating your experiences and qualifications in a conversational, rather than solely bullet-point, manner.
3. The need to unlearn certain writing habits from undergraduate studies such as writing extensively to get a point across. Professional settings often prioritize brevity and clarity over extensive explanations.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone had told you before you entered this industry?
This is a funny one. Keeping emails and communications concise yet thorough is a valuable skill. In undergrad, we're often taught that the more you write, the better.
However, in the professional world, there's a word limit, not a minimum word count. When I first started writing emails to my director or colleagues, I would write extensively to explain one thing. Coworkers would tell me to stop, saying no one reads past the first sentence.
I wish people had told me this in college. It's something you definitely have to unlearn. For my MBA application, we had a 500-word limit for both essays. This is the opposite of undergrad, where you're encouraged to write as much as possible and learn to express the same idea in multiple ways.
Another thing I wish people had told me relates to the interview process. Interviews are more conversational than you might think. When I interviewed for student positions, it was often like answering bullet-point questions.
It's really helpful to learn how to talk about yourself in a more conversational setting. I think that really helped me communicate better and be more successful in interviews.