My Interview with The New School Office of Career Development!
(Check out The New School Careers Blog where this interview is now up!)
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2011
New Frontiers - Marny Smith (Lang ‘05)
The Office of Career Development is introducing another new feature to the blog: New Frontiers!
New Frontiers aims to see where alumni of The New School have traveled, metaphorically, in their job search.
Alumni of various programs will be sharing their experiences of their time at The New School and beyond, discussing things such as the internships they’ve done, looking for work after completing their degree and will be giving advice to current students.
If you have seen one of the many blog posts for the events hosted by the New York Creative Interns, you might be interested in knowing one of the people behind the group. Marny Smith is the Community Manager at NYCi and is an alumna of Eugene Lang College.
Career Development: What was your time at The New School like?Marny Smith: What I loved about my time there was that the school is structured in such a way that students have an incredible amount of autonomy when it comes to their studies. Lang makes it easy to concentrate on the topics that most interest you while also giving you the freedom to explore many different subjects.
CD: Did you ever use the Office of Career Development? If so, how did the office help you with your career goals?
MS: I visited the Office of Career Development often during my time at Lang. I loved the internship program and did several internships as an undergraduate. I interned at FOX, ABC, Playbill, and for a number of independent casting directors.
CD: What were your internship experiences like?
MS: Doing internships was an invaluable experience. The lessons I learned as an intern are still with me today. I learned the importance of having a good work ethic, how to act in a professional manner, and that attitude is everything. Be positive, be humble, work hard, and good things will come to you.
CD: What was your post-college job-hunting experience like? What was your first job? What was it like working there, and why did you decide to move on, eventually?
MS: Since I had so many internships while at Lang I had a lot of casting experience and it was fairly easy for me to get work after graduation. My first full-time job was working at a casting assistant for the casting company Hopkins, Smith & Barden where I had previously interned. I learned a lot working there and was given a lot of responsibility. I worked on multiple feature films including World Trade Center (dir. Olive Stone) and Che (dir. Steven Soderbergh) as well as several independent films. I spoke with agents and managers to set up auditions, checked actors’ availabilities, and taped auditions. I eventually left to get into publishing and to work as the Publicity Manager for the book publisher Ryland Peters & Small.
CD: What is your current job and what is it like?
MS: I currently work as the Customer Support Manager for ChallengePost, a privately funded start-up based in New York City. ChallengePost powers challenges that drive new ideas and creation and fosters participation around compelling goals. ChallengePost’s clients include First Lady Michelle Obama and the USDA, the City of New York (and the NYC BigApps challenge), Thomson Reuters, Samsung, and more.
I love working at ChallengePost because everyone’s opinion is respected and everyone’s ideas get heard. Everyone is dedicated and hard-working, but the environment is relaxed and creative too.
CD: How did you become involved with NY Creative Interns?
I worked at a book publisher for 4 years before I came to ChallengePost and during that time I met a lot of amazing publishing professionals, including Emily Miethner, the Co-Founder and President of NY Creative Interns. We became Facebook friends and one day she posted that she was working on starting NY Creative Interns and she was looking for people to help her. I emailed her, told her I thought the idea was amazing, and the next thing I knew, I was the Community Manager.
CD: What does NYCi hope to accomplish?
MS: NY Creative Interns is dedicated to enabling college students and recent grads to find internships, mentors, and inspiration through networking and meetups. In addition, we are a resource for companies and organizations, helping to alleviate the interview process by creating cool, unique atmospheres for creatives to interact and connect.
CD: What do you hope to accomplish at NYCi?
MS: My goal is to provide young people with the tools they need to transition into the “real world” and get the internship or job of their dreams.
CD: What role do you think social media plays in the modern day job search?
MS: Social media is now a crucial part of any job hunt. One of the most important things to know is that every potential employer will Google you. The good news is that you can decide what they will see. Start a blog and write about things that interest you, events you attend and articles that intrigue you. Create a profile on LinkedIn and make sure it is 100% complete. Create a Twitter account, follow professionals in your field, and participate in Twitter chats.
CD: Is there any advice you would like to give to current students looking for internships and entry-level jobs?
MS: Do internships and stay in touch with everyone you meet. Ask professionals you admire to have coffee with you. Create an account on Meetup.com and join meetup groups that interest you. Use social media to get your name out in the world. Go to gotprint.com and create business cards for yourself – you don’t need to list a job title – just put your name, email, phone number, and website.
Come to the NYCi event at The New School on Wednesday, September 21st:Start Something: Why Every Creative Needs to Be an Entrepreneur (Details here).
I’ll see you there!
You can connect with Marny on her Tumblr, Twitter and LinkedIn.
