Road to Career Success For Liberal Arts Majors

Microsoft. Nike. American Airlines. Coors. MTV. Magnet companies attracting tens of thousands of resumes. But your degree is in liberal arts—would a magnet company hire you? And an even bigger question—what would you do for them? These are important questions. Do you have the answers? Have you begun to consider the endless list of career choices and fields that you could go into? Do you know what steps to take to land that job once you decide exactly what you want to do? Let’s begin by exploring your career options, and then look at some of the strengths and skills you may not realize you have to offer an employer.

A world of opportunity awaits you

Some of the liberal arts grads I’ve worked with over the years were just as confused about their career options as you might be. They just didn’t know about all the fields or jobs that they could investigate.

Dave, for example, had his heart set on working for Nike. He loved sports and had played college baseball. Nike was his place—he just knew it. Problem was, Nike didn’t know it. Dave was an English major and never defined what job he could do for them. When a family friend arranged for a meeting with an accountant who worked at Nike, Dave hoped the man would find him a job at the company. Dave never told the man the type of job he could do, never asked questions about Nike’s communications department, never inquired about who else he should talk to at the company. The result: Nothing happened after that meeting. It wasn’t the Nike employee’s job to figure out what Dave could do, it was Dave’s. Not having a clear idea of the types of jobs you can do is a critical error; lots of new college grads are fuzzy about their options because they don’t understand their skills or how those skills fit into a variety of careers.

I began to work with Dave shortly after the Nike meeting, focusing him on his stronger skills—writing, editing, and computer knowledge. He began working temporary jobs and started networking with other alumni. Through networking, he learned about a position at a publishing company. He landed a job as editorial assistant at a company that published comic books and was coming out with a new baseball video game. Dave found a terrific job once he focused on what he could do for an employer instead of what an employer could do for him.

In another instance, Allison, a history major who graduated from one of the West Coast’s top colleges, thought that finding a job would be easy. She wanted to work on planning events. Unfortunately, no one would hire her. She sent out hundreds of resumes, but got no interviews. When she called employers, everyone said the same thing—she lacked experience. Since the only events Allison had ever planned were a few sorority functions, I suggested that she volunteer to do an internship for six weeks. There she could learn about the meeting planning business and get some experience. She persuaded a top events company to take her on by selling them on her good computer skills. Within three weeks, Allison got a job offer from another company after she followed up on a lead from someone in the office. When her internship boss was called for a reference, he offered Allison a paid position. Two years later, she’s still there planning large-scale events.

Sometimes, locating a person’s special talents requires a bit of digging. Take Sam, for example. He had chosen psychology as a major because it was easier for him than the business courses he’d taken. He wanted to use his degree and thought he might find a counseling job. However, Sam’s verbal skills were pretty weak, and he recognized that. He was not good at speaking to groups and had rather poor grammar skills. We did manage to uncover that Sam had excelled in his job as a pizza delivery man. He’d earned more tips than any driver at the company. He was organized, courteous to customers, and efficient. His productivity led to an assistant manager’s job, where he improved sales by suggesting optional items to customers and ensuring speedy delivery. He quit the job when he left college. I encouraged Sam to explore store management as a career. His organizational skills and ability to think like customers have served him well. He landed a job as a grocery distributor and went on to his second job as a deli manager for a large metropolitan store.

Peggy was in a different predicament. She went back to college after her kids started school and earned a degree in sociology. She had never held a paid position. When I first met with her, she opened with “Will anybody hire me? I’ve got no work experience and I’m almost 40.” She had discounted the skills that she acquired in school and through volunteer work, skills that eventually landed her a fund-raising job.

Heather was a philosophy major and knew nothing about insurance, except that people sold it. Today, she has a good-paying job as an underwriter. Tanya became a legal assistant; Jason is a probation officer; Steve is a computer communications specialist; Stephanie works as a sales account executive; Eric went into customer service credit. All of these grads—as well as Dave, Allison, Sam, and Peggy—are real people. And, they’re all liberal arts grads delving into new fields and new options. You can do it, too.

Where do you start? Start where the grads profiled here started: They evaluated past jobs, volunteer work, activities, and academic projects to identify the skills they had developed. They found that they had a lot of skills that matter to employers—and you will too. Start by completing the checklist at right to identify your skills.

Pursue a field in which you have a lot of interest—broadcasting, computers, fashion—and it can lead to greater lifetime satisfaction. If you have a practical way to mix interests with work, follow your dreams. Dave was discouraged that Nike didn’t hire him, yet he now loves his job at the publishing company. The greatest number of opportunities lie within small companies, so look for small organizations—those employing fewer than 100 people. Typically, you’ll find you have more responsibility in a small office than you would in a large one; that level of responsibility can propel your career into future jobs. You’ll find such employers in the yellow pages, in want ads, and by asking family and friends for leads. Remember, too, that many good jobs are available with nonprofit organizations such as the American Lung Association, which has offices across the country and hires fund-raisers, events planners, and communications people. And, consider state and local government jobs, not just those with the federal government.

The environmental, high-tech, service, telecommunications, retail industries and some areas of healthcare offer many opportunities. But racing after a job simply because it’s in a hot field is like racing after a magnet company—your future job and happiness may not lie there. It’s better to combine your interests and abilities when you’re looking for career satisfaction. Spend time investigating career options. Career centers and libraries have extensive resources available. The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a good place to start researching career areas.

Finding the job

Job hunting is challenging, so learn the process. Visit your career center. Read books. Attend workshops and seminars on the job search, resume writing, and interviewing. Volunteering, performing internships, and working at temporary jobs can all give you valuable experience and often lead to that first paid position. Network—and start with your college’s alumni. Many will be happy to clue you in on their job, field, and/or company.

Remember that careers are built one step at a time. The market is competitive, but you are unique. Always remember you have a lot to offer. Do what you like best, in organizations whose products and services you find interesting. You’ll find more satisfaction and reward this way. Finding the right career opportunities becomes easier when you view this process as an exciting adventure and realize you can be anything you choose to be. So explore and you’ll discover opportunities you didn’t know existed and talents you never know you had. Your future is what you make it.