Megan Riksen:

Hello And welcome to the Work Like a Laker podcast. I'm Megan Riksen. Today I'm joined by Grace Joaquin, and in the Career Center we meet with many students who either drop in or schedule an appointment to talk about career pathways. So Grace, what are some of those phrases or maybe even myths that we hear often here in the Career Center?

Grace Joaquin:

There are a few that we get a lot. For example, I know I majored in blank, but I'm really open to any opportunity. Or another one is no employers want to hire someone who majored in blank. And then I think a third that we often hear is, I want a career in business, but I wasn't a business major. Or fill in the blank with a different field. Where do I start?

Megan Riksen:

Yeah. So these phrases are part of what we'll address in today's episode because there are many majors where a direct career path seems straightforward. That could be something maybe like education. You wanna be a teacher majoring in nursing, wanting to be a nurse, engineering, wanna be an engineer. Right? However, there are other majors, lots of them, probably the majority of them. You can think along the lines of like liberal arts majors, interdisciplinary studies that may not always have one career path that emerges from that major. So even in cases where a direct career path is common, graduates might decide that they want to pursue another career path that also happens all the time, or that they have the skills to potentially do something different.

Grace Joaquin:

So what if you are in the job search right now, or don't know which employers hire your major? Well, today we're going to discuss a few opportunities that might be of interest to you if you're in that situation. So some things that we'll cover, common postgrad options, like grad school, fellowships and service slash volunteer programs. And then we're also going to talk about leadership development programs and management trainee programs.

Megan Riksen:

Yes. We'll be bringing in a special guest as well to help us with that.

Grace Joaquin:

Yeah. So Megan, do you want to get us started with some common post-grad options?

Megan Riksen:

Absolutely. Yeah. So sometimes students decide to pursue options other than full-time employment after graduation. This option is beneficial for students who want to hone their skillset in a particular industry, who might want to gain more knowledge prior to working in the field, or for fields who require specialization or advanced training, maybe like medical school or even for those who want to focus on service or leadership prior to entering the workforce full time. There are just, there's a lot of options of what you can do. And I think in our heads, we get a little fixated sometimes on, well, I'm gonna graduate from college and I'm gonna go and do a full-time job. Yeah. But that might be the time in your life that it makes the most sense to do something other than that because you might not be as place bound or bound for other commitments. Things like that. So yeah, a few of these options would be graduate programs, of course. Some graduate programs like medical school as I mentioned, or physical therapy, do have certain majors or pretty specific course requirements that need to be fulfilled prior to enrollment. Might be test scores or hours fulfilled in clinical settings, things like that. But then there are also plenty of graduate degrees that don't typically require a specific major or background. And these include things like a Master's of public Administration, master of Social Work, master of Business Administration, master of Education. Right. There are so, so many. And just something to remember when you're, when you're kind of evaluating your options here. Well, graduate school may help you refine your skillset and help hone in on a certain career path. It's still an investment, and you should be really clear about what your goals are before entering the program, before applying. So, you know, we, we always are big on the research train, so make sure you're doing some research ahead of time to truly understand the career paths you are qualified for after the degree is completed, rather than just jumping in because you don't necessarily know what your next step is. And in some fields I'm thinking business, for example, it may be more beneficial to gain some work experience prior to enrolling in a graduate program because that experience can really enhance your curriculum and what you're learning in the classroom. And not all graduate programs have the same requirements for admission. So again, do your research on that side of things as well with what qualifications are recommended for admission prior to applying.

Grace Joaquin:

So if you're someone who either doesn't wanna go to grad school or wants to gain some experience before grad school, one option for you is service and leadership programs. These organizations that have, these are often mission based where you provide, where they provide service often to a specific community for a certain amount of time. These are not jobs per se, but there's often some sort of benefit or compensation included when serving in these organizations. Depending on the program and location, benefits might include a stipend for living expenses, tuition coverage, or reimbursement housing costs, cost or transportation to your service location. Service activities vary based on the program, but often focus on initiatives related to education, public safety, economic development, agriculture or infrastructure. Specific responsibilities may include teaching English in a school setting, providing financial literacy education or tax preparation for individuals who might not be able to afford that, public safety activities or service programs in countries abroad. I think a common one people think about is the Peace Corps.

Megan Riksen:

Absolutely. Yeah. That one's been around. Thousands of people have been through that program, very time tested. We know it's a good one.

Grace Joaquin:

In addition to Peace Corps, you might not have heard of AmeriCorps, which is similar, but it's set in the United States. And there are program, there are many programs within that, and they cover a variety of fields. So if you're interested in working with kids, you could do that in an education setting. You might be able to do that in a healthcare setting. You might be able to do an AmeriCorps program where you're doing a variety of things to get experience if you're not quite sure what you wanna do. So there's a lot of variety even within that. And there are plenty of other programs. Michigan College Advising Net Network is another example that you can look into that would be great opportunities for you to get this experience. These programs often accept all majors and may benefit students taking a gap year between school and full-time employment or undergraduate education and graduate school.

Megan Riksen:

All right. So let's move on to a different topic. I wanna talk about leadership development programs, management trainee programs. These are things for those of you who might be interested in management or who have a variety of leadership experiences, these types of programs can be an excellent option. So to help me with this, I want to bring in Julie Quick, who is a Campus Talent Acquisition Manager at Cintas. Hi Julie.

Julie Quick:

Hi! Thanks you for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

Megan Riksen:

Thank you for being here. So before I jump into my, you know, line of questioning for you, can you just tell us a little bit about yourself, maybe how you got into your role?

Julie Quick:

Sure. So my name is Julie Quick and I am the campus Talent Acquisition Manager for Cintas. And I actually found this role when I had been living out in California and had been a HR manager for Cintas. And as we were getting ready to do fall recruiting, we had a, a company-wide meeting where it was, you know, how do you, how do you recruit on campus? How do you get there? I was going as an HR person, and they had mentioned that there were some openings across the country and one of them happened to be right here in the Great Lakes area. I am born and raised from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Graduated from Grand Valley State University 2014. Currently sitting on the alumni board.

Megan Riksen:

Oh, cool.

Julie Quick:

I'm really excited. Love Grand Valley, obviously.

Megan Riksen:

That's awesome. Obviously.

Julie Quick:

So I was really excited to get the opportunity to interview. Ended up getting the position, came back home. And so now I have the opportunity to go around to different campuses within the Northern Territory. So Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, new England states, and then in Canada as well. So I get to very travel, travel globally, if you will. And get on campus and get in front of students and show them what's out there.

Megan Riksen:

Oh, so good. Okay. So we need some help here. On this episode, can you just talk to us a little bit about what management trainee programs are? Give us the basics.

Julie Quick:

Yeah. Okay. So I'll do it based off of ours here at Cintas. So in our management trainee program, we are looking for students that are seniors that are about to graduate or have just graduated. So most of, well at least the management trainee program within Cintas is a full-time salaried position. This is an opportunity for students to find their career within a company. So within Cintas, it's a 15 month rotational program that we offer, and it allows the student to come in and actually experience a lot of the different divisions that we have within a single location. So the cool thing about Cintas is we have probably seven or eight different divisions within the company. So we have our rental division, we have our first aid and safety, we have fire, but we also have global supply chain. We have design Collective, which is our in-house fashion -

Megan Riksen:

Oh, cool.

Julie Quick:

house that we have among other things. You could go to corporate. So but this allows a student to come into our company and learn everything you would need to know about the operational side of our business, and then you get to go into our sales side of the business. And so by putting those two together, you're able to set yourself up for a really successful career within Cintas, within other companies as well. But also within these programs, it's not just you coming to work doing your day to day Monday through Friday. It's you coming to work and getting to experience hands-on. How our facility runs. You're also getting to strategize with your managers and your leaders. You are getting one-on-one mentoring from your gm, from your group vice president. You get opportunities to travel to corporate and actually sit down with our CEO and ask questions. Really get to see the ins and outs. Of our company outside of the four walls of a facility. The idea behind our program, and I'm assuming for others as well, other companies, but for Cintas specifically after your 15 month rotational program, you have the opportunity to become a sales representative for us. You have the upper hand from someone who's just being interviewed and brought on from, you know, outside. You have sent, you've spent 15 months learning everything you would need to know of how we operate, how do we have our customers, what do we do for our customers what do we do if there's, you know, jeopardy customers, things like that. But you're, you know, everything from the operational side and the sales side to make you a better leader. And then so you're going into that, that position right outside of your rotational program, but the overall five to seven year plan is that you are that next leader taking over a general manager position, and these leaders are running multimillion dollar locations.

Megan Riksen:

Very cool. sounds like a really great program.

Julie Quick:

Yes, it really is.

Megan Riksen:

And I do like, certainly other companies, like every program varies from program to program, how they're going to structure it. So I would just encourage listeners too, you know, do your research. Of course. I know you, for example, are always on campus and willing to talk. And other companies are the same way. But I think that exposure to multiple areas and kind of getting that leg up is a really cool feature of these program. So can you talk to me a little bit about what the, a day in the life might look like? Maybe give a few examples Of what that looks like for these students?

Julie Quick:

So it all will depend on where you are in your rotation. We have three different spots within that rotation that our, our students are going through. But usually, so we're a Monday through Friday company. We don't work on the weekends unless there's a fire. But usually you're coming in anywhere from the earliest, could be maybe 4:00 AM most likely you're gonna be there eight or 9:00 AM in the morning. You're leaving five or six in the afternoon. But you're coming in to your location. Everything is on location. We're a very hands-on company and you'll come in. And the beauty of our management training program is we have a full training guide that our MTS can look up and see on a weekly basis. What do they need to focus on? So most of them are gonna come into the location. They're gonna get down, they're gonna go into their office or their cubicle area check their emails. 'cause That's what everybody does first thing in the morning and put out any fires that need to be take put out. But they're going to really set themselves up for the day, and it's kind of on them to decide what they wanna do. So if they're in their production rotation, most likely they're gonna come in, check their emails go out and meet with the production supervisor or manager and strategize for the day. So where are we when it comes to how many days out are we, are we set up for what garments came back and maybe need some extra love who called out for the day? Things like that. So your basic managerial things. Would be probably the start of the day. And then as you're just going, it's checking in with your partners. Maybe it's jumping in, if we're running behind on something it's sitting down, maybe going through the schedule. Maybe it's it's sitting in any, you know, conversations that need to be had with partners. But then say you're in your service portion of the MT program, you could be on a ride along you could actually be getting on one of our Cintas trucks with one of our drivers and going, you know, customer to customer dropping off their garments, picking up their things coming back. And just seeing how that whole process goes. But it really changes day by day. But you will always have that training guide to kind of guide you through. And really, like I said, you make it the day that you, you want it to be. It's really, it's checking in on the partners. It's checking in with the management and ensuring that you're getting your things done in a timely fashion.

Megan Riksen:

Awesome. That's so good. So when we're thinking about what would make someone be a successful management trainee. We've been talking a lot throughout this episode about how majors don't always align with careers. And I know that Cintas and a lot of these other leadership development or management training programs, you don't necessarily care what someone's major is. So can you talk to me a little bit about maybe just like traits or skills, qualifications, things that you think would make someone successful in this program?

Julie Quick:

Yeah. So we definitely are looking for that student who is just a go-getter. The student who really wants to make a difference in what they're doing. Of course you have the, the mandatory things that you need in order to be in this program, which is a bachelor's degree or be graduating from that. We really love students who have a little bit of leadership experience behind them who are, are able to kind of pivot in you know, at the last minute. It's a very fluid business. There are things that happen on a day to day where you could think you're coming into one thing and it's completely different. But being able to pivot and, and kind of work through that and be able to still perform after. Resiliency is a big thing. There's gonna be long days and there's gonna be moments where you're like, why am I doing this? I graduated with my degree. But it all leads up to the bigger purpose in the end. I always have to remind people that, but one of the really big things that we love looking for is a student that has grit. OSo we look at this -

Megan Riksen:

Yeah. What are some of those indicators?

Julie Quick:

I feel like it's a buzzword, right? It's a buzzword for us, but, so think of like a student athlete. A student athlete has everything that we would be looking for. So, you know how to, you know, how to work with a team 'cause you're playing with a team. You know how to take instructions, you know how to take criticism. You're a leader when it comes. To whether you're leading your team or you're leading whatever it may be, maybe coaches. Or running a, a play, things like that. You know, how to take a hit and come back from it. So really looking at, I would say that's, that's probably like our biggest word is just grit. Knowing how to work through things and, and come out stronger. Yeah. You also need to know how to communicate. It's a customer facing position for the most part. You are going to be dealing not with just the outside customers, but your frontline partners, your management team, you know, your own bosses. You need to know how to communicate with them. You need to know when to pipe up and when not to pipe up in a way. And, you know, even if you are kinda lacking in some of those traits, the great thing about this program is there's so much leadership development that goes into this that you could easily go and take a course on how to communicate or how to have a a constructive conversation.

Megan Riksen:

Cool Do you offer that through Cintas or externally?

Julie Quick:

We do. No, we do. So we have a full leadership and development program or division. That offers tons of different trainings. How to be an effective communicator, how to write, how to have executive acumen. There's so much that you could easily tell a leader or your, your general manager, whomever your main manager is like, Hey, I'm struggling in this area. Most likely we have something that you could go in and learn how to be better at it.

Megan Riksen:

Wonderful. Awesome. Okay. Yeah. So my last question then is for anybody out there who's like, this sounds awesome, I want this, I think I have grit. Maybe I'm okay at communicating. What are your tips for those who are applying? Like, walk me through the process a little bit. In terms of application and resume, all that good stuff.

Julie Quick:

So we have positions all across the United States and Canada, and I always recommend that if a student is interested in a position like this is, if you can get on campus and say you .you know Cintas is gonna be at a career fair. Or they're gonna be in a classroom. That you're gonna be a part of. Go to that event, meet the people that are coming to that school because they're coming there. So that they can have you in our company, we want you to be a part of our company. So go to those, those career fairs, stop at the booth, say hello, introduce yourself, bring your resume. Bring your 32nd elevator pitch. Let us know who you are, what you're interested in. So then we can put a face to the name. Then recommending going on to our careers website and looking up our management trainee programs. We are across the United States and Canada. So there are tons of openings and you could choose, you know, say you have housing in California and you wanna, you're gonna be living in California after you graduate, go ahead and apply out there. You're gonna be staying in Grand Rapids. Go ahead and apply in Grand Rapids. But fill out the application. Make sure your resume is up to date. Really highlight your leadership experience. And when I say leadership, it's not you at a company or you needing to work somewhere. It could be you leading your football team. It could be you decided to be the leader of the group project. If you have a contact from the company, shoot 'em an email. Get on LinkedIn, look up who the recruiter is, look up maybe the location, and find out who the general manager is and send 'em a message on LinkedIn. We love being able to get those messages. Of course for me as a recruiter, sometimes it's very busy and I can't get back to those. But if you've come to a career fair and I met you and then I see you in my LinkedIn inbox, I'm gonna put two and two together and most likely, most likely, you're gonna get an email of, okay, let's set up an in, like an interview for you.

Megan Riksen:

Yep. Great. So it's putting yourself out there.

Julie Quick:

It's, it really is. We can't find you.

Megan Riksen:

Where can I - Exactly.

Julie Quick:

Yeah, we can't find you if you're just sitting in your dorm room. Yes, exactly.

Megan Riksen:

I love that.

Julie Quick:

Unfortunately, yes.

Megan Riksen:

Come to the events. Yes. Get to know people and then the follow up Yes. Piece as well. Because you're meeting a lot of people.

Julie Quick:

Yes. Oh my goodness.

Megan Riksen:

So how helpful if you get to meet someone maybe at a career fair, and then they stop by a table at employer showcase. Yes. And then they send you a message on LinkedIn. It's gonna be much more helpful for you.

Julie Quick:

It really is. And we're also, a lot of companies are, are looking at Handshake as well. And I know a lot of our universities and colleges utilize Handshake one to get their, their Faires out there and any opportunity for employers to get on campus. But that's a great way as a student as well, to go in there, put your profile together and look for employers. If you see an event come through, you can register for that event. We get notified of that. So another way of getting your name out there but really taking really taking advantage of Handshake LinkedIn, and then those in person opportunities to get in front of those partners. Great.

Megan Riksen:

Perfect. That's wonderful advice. Awesome. Well, this was excellent. I'm so, so glad we got to hear more about the program and really appreciate you sharing your expertise.

Julie Quick:

Yes. Thank you for having me. And I'm looking forward to meeting Grand Valley students.

Megan Riksen:

Yes. Come and see Julie, come and meet Julie. Absolutely. All right. Well, thank you so much Julie. And thank you to all of our listeners. We hope you tune in to a future episode soon.