GUC - Ep 3 - FNT

SONIC Northwestern19min

Cecilia Zhou

00:02

ICA Presents. Welcome to the Growing Up Comm podcast, a production of the ICA Podcast Network. I’m Cecilia Zhou, a PhD student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Communication department and one of your hosts for this podcast series.This series covers topics that are primarily relevant for students and early career scholars. Today on the show we’ll be talking about preparing for and beginning the job search process… from networking at conferences to campus visits to letters and statements. I’m joined by two special guests for this conversation, Regina Ahn and Yvette Wohn. Regina, Yvette, thanks for joining me today. Can you start by introducing yourselves?

Regina Ahn

00:48

Hello, my name is Regina Ahn. I'm an assistant professor at the University of Miami School of Communication. And I do research related to children and advertising, parental mediation, media literacy and media education, especially for children and adolescents. And I'm very happy to join today's ICA podcast.

Yvette Wohn

01:09

Hi, my name is Yvette. I'm an associate professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. And my research area is human-computer interaction. Specifically, I look at how people interact in virtual worlds. You might think, “Why is a computing person a part of this podcast?” I actually graduated from Michigan State University from the Department of Media and Information Studies. So I also wanted to bring the perspective of how someone coming from a communication background does not always have to go to a communication department.

Cecilia Zhou

01:36

Great. Thank you, everyone. So I'd like to just kick things off with the first question. How would you describe your academic job hunting journey in the US with one adjective?

Regina Ahn

01:48

I can think of a lot of adjectives, but well, I will say adventurous. My job hunting journey started in fall 2017. And it was a mind-blowing experience. There are a lot of things to do, starting from job applications and phone interviews and campus visits. And there are a lot of uncertainties. But also I was excited to meet new people there. So I kind of expected good results. But at the same time, even though I fail, I can earn that network and all the experiences, connections, through that opportunity.

Yvette Wohn

02:27

That's a very positive take. My experience, not just on the job market, but also hiring is that a lot of the components are outside of your control. And I think that's something that is really important for people who are going to be on the job hunt to understand is that you might do everything you can in your power, but there will still be a lot of things that are completely out of your power. And it gives you a sense of helplessness. But I think it's important to know that it's not your fault. So lack of control would be my adjective.

Processing audio...