Career Counseling Advisor | Certified Professional Resume Writer

Beyond The Bachelor’s Degree: Applying to Graduate School & Early Career Counseling

Should you consider applying to graduate school or get started on your career? Did you take a job you thought you’d love, only to find you don’t? Have you worked somewhere for a couple of years and now feel that it’s time to move on?Graduating from college marks a new phase in your life – one in which there are many options and many decisions to be made. This can be both exciting and overwhelming. Perhaps you simply don’t know what path is right for you, right now.

You don’t have to go it alone. Whether you know where you’re headed and want support in getting there, or need help figuring out your next step, OIS can help.

Applying to Graduate School (Master’s, Doctoral, and Professional Degrees)

If you’re applying to graduate school – whether for a master’s, doctoral, or professional degree program – you’re probably more focused this time around than you were when you applied to college as an undergraduate. While the school’s network and reputation remain important, you may also be focused on choosing schools that offer the opportunity to work with a mentor in your field or to obtain specific training or credentials you need to pursue your career. OIS can help you pursue your advanced degree, whether that’s:

• Master’s Degree (MA, MS)
• Doctoral Studies (PhD, PsyD, MD)
• Professional Degrees (JD, MBA)

Writing a graduate school application is similar to writing an undergraduate application, with one big difference: you need to make a strong and logical case for why you want to pursue the degree and a career in your chosen field. You’ll also need to illustrate why each of the schools you’re applying to will be a great fit for you and the best environment in which to achieve your academic goals. Johanna will work with you to answer these questions with targeted and insightful essays and a stellar overall application, ensuring that you always put your best foot forward throughout the process.

Early Career Coaching

“If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do it with much conviction or passion.” —Mia Hamm

Your twenties can be a confusing time. Your peers may seem to be off and running, while you feel like you don’t know what path to follow. Perhaps you aren’t sure how to leverage your degree, or you don’t know how to break through the barrier of not having the necessary experience to land your dream job. Maybe you’re unhappy with your current job and don’t know how to determine what will make you happy professionally.

If you’re not sure of your next step, whether it be returning to school, landing a first job, or changing jobs, we can help. Figuring out what you want to do professionally isn’t easy – it requires looking within yourself and considering your interests, skills, values, financial needs, and geographical constraints, amongst other factors. You may be clear about some, all, or none of these things when we begin. Wherever you are currently in your exploration is where we’ll start.

Once we have identified clear objectives for your career, we will begin to research available resources to get you where you want to go. We’ll assess your existing network and determine how to best leverage and grow it, identify any necessary training and credentials, work on your job search materials, research target companies, and develop a job search strategy, including review and/or development of your resume, LinkedIn profile, cover letters, and other job search materials.

Depending upon your unique situation and goals, we will create a customized plan to help you explore these questions and develop the self-awareness necessary to answer them. Your plan may include a guided exploration of career options and job search support, as well as other resources and strategies to help you make decisions, establish goals, and move forward in your life to achieve them.

Work with Johanna

We will schedule individual meetings, either in person at our office in Princeton, on the phone, or via videoconference. Meetings are typically 60-90 minutes, and may be held weekly, every other week, or monthly, depending on your individual needs. At the end of each session, you will be clear about what you need to work on to prepare for your next session.

After you’ve achieved your objective, whether it be graduate school admission, your first job, or a new job, we love to stay in touch with you as you develop your life and career. You can check in with an update, share challenges and successes, or reach out for guidance about your next step. Once you’ve worked with ObjectiveInSight, you become part of our network – a continually growing group of smart, motivated students and professionals who enjoy sharing their experiences to guide others who are following in their paths.

Resumes and Other Career Materials

If you’re already focused and know what type of job you’re looking for, please click HERE for information on Career Search Materials (Resumes, LinkedIn Profiles, Cover Letters, and Professional Bios).

Ready to move forward? Contact us to set up an appointment.