So, Ya Wanna Be A Pro…(Matching Skills to Needs)
WAPA Career Mentoring Event
March 6,2018, 6:30-9 pm
Sumner School
The WAPA Career Mentoring Event is a forum to provide anthropology students and new or transitioning professionals with an opportunity to discuss their job-seeking and career questions with experienced, professional anthropologists. If you have wondered what kinds of opportunities exist for professional anthropologists in certain domains, or if you wonder how to describe your own skills so they make sense to employers, then this meeting is for you. This event will begin with a brief overview of career options based on the experiences of the event leaders and comments they have received from a variety of students and new professionals. It will include the identification of skills gained in anthropological training, and matching those skills to the needs of employers.
The next phase of the program will offer two tracks for participants. either a small group discussion of relevant issues and skills required in several different domains of anthropology, or a resume review clinic. The first track will be an opportunity to meet in small groups with experienced professional anthropologists to focus on particular anthropological arenas including: archaeology/cultural resource management, cultural heritage, international development, medical anthropology, health and human services, and museums. The small group session will run for 30 minutes and then participants will move to another mentor conversation. This process will be repeated 3 times.
The second opportunity, running parallel to the small group conversations, will be a resume review clinic. The first fifteen individuals to register on the website event page at https://wapa.wildapricot.org/event-2782684 will have an opportunity to participate in a 30-minute session in the resume clinic. After the first fifteen registrants, we will try to accommodate as many individuals as possible. The resume clinic will be staffed by professional anthropologists who are knowledgeable about employers’ views and how to best present yourself on paper. As entry to this track, each participant will be required to bring two (2) hard copies of their resume (not a CV) for review and editing. The resume should not exceed 3 pages.
At the conclusion of the event, we will ask you to discuss what you learned and what you would have liked to learn to help us plan future career-building events. We will also ask that you complete a brief evaluation form to help WAPA learn what can be done to improve the next event.
Terry Redding, Stanley Yoder, Cathleen Crain and Niel Tashima have organized this year’s WAPA Mentoring Event. In early 2017, WAPA held a mentoring event that provided an opportunity for students and new professionals to participate in a “Speed Mentoring Event.” During the 2017 American Anthropology Association’s Annual Meeting, Terry Redding led two successful workshops focusing on career development. Cathleen Crain led the organization of the NAPA/AAA Careers Expo at the annual AAA meeting, the largest assembly of professional anthropologist focused on sharing their career paths and experience, met with over 700 students, new professionals, and faculty. Stanley Yoder has led the WAPA Mentor Program and Niel Tashima leads the NAPA Mentor Committee. This depth of experience places these program leaders in an excellent position to talk with students and new professionals about how best to plan their path from campus to a career as a professional anthropologist.
For more details or to register for the resume clinic go to: https://wapa.wildapricot.org/event-2782684
