By Erin DeGregorio '16
Five influential panelists gave students academic advice and career-related recommendations at the panel program titled “Liberal Arts Ideals and Real World Skills: A Panel on the Power of Liberal Arts Disciplines for Employment” on Tuesday, November 10.
The panelists included: Jerry DeFrancisco ’68, former president of the American Red Cross Humanitarian Services; Mallory Baringer ’07, legislative director of the New York State Senate and a member of the Siena Board of Trustees; Deb Delbelso, director of Siena’s Career Resource Center; Professor Deb Kelly, management professor at Siena; and Tricia Hertz, senior associate executive director for human resources, communications, and training for NYSARC.
The interactive panel provided students with an opportunity and outlet to think about how their liberal arts education and degrees will greatly help them with getting a job following graduation. The objective was to bring together those who hire and those who influence who will be hired, and to have them relay how a liberal arts discipline can be used to gain employment.
“[Employers] are looking for someone who’s willing to learn, … who will try their very best to deliver what needs to needs to happen. They want someone who will solve problems,” said Hertz. “And I know that through your educational background, particularly in liberal arts, it’s not always a clear cut answer; you’re going to have to think through different ways to present a paper, different ways to talk about a story. All of that will come across when you prepare for an interview.”
All of the panelists unanimously agreed that students from a liberal arts institution, like Siena, possess great behavioral structured thinking, oral communication skills to express ideas, analytic skills, teamwork skills, and knowledge to real world problems. When combined, these skillsets make a Siena student better prepared for the professional world and very qualified for job applications and interviews.
The panelists also recommended customizing résumés and cover letters; doing homework on the company prior to the interview; networking, especially with Siena alumni; joining groups and asking questions on LinkedIn; and practicing responses to standard interview questions. The panelists also encouraged students to take advantage of the opportunities made available here at Siena, like taking courses outside their comfort zones, interning, volunteering, and utilizing the Career Center.
“I think that while education is so important, experience is just as important, and [with] the liberal arts major – through internships and different courses – you can really gain experience that you can use in the real world, which employers are looking for,” said Baringer, who attributes her current career to her internship in the State Senate while attending Siena.
In his concluding panel remarks, DeFrancisco said, “I graduated [from] Siena 47 years ago with a major in history and I never regretted it. It gave me a solid platform, and it taught me how to learn, the analytic skills, the reading skills, and I just can’t think of a better platform to operate off of … from a liberal arts education.”
