Reframing the “yes, but” statements — Jessica’s Career Tip of the Week
Sometimes we may find ourselves getting busy during the academic semester and that is normal. However, what I have found as a career services practitioner over the years is that students will make countless excuses as they are progressing through the career development stages/phases. In this blog, I will present some of the common “yes, but” phrases that I have observed in the Career Center over the years from students. We can think of the “yes, but” statements as negative career cognitions that you are likely to say as you are navigating the career development process. In order to assist you with these negative career cognitions, positive reframes of the “yes, but” statements will also be provided.
- Negative Cognition: “Yes, but everyone applies to those companies and I know I’m not going to get it so there is NO point in applying.”
Positive Reframe: While there may be many applicants when you are trying to land an internship/job, if you do all of the right things, you will have increased your chances of getting to the front of the stack. This includes networking with company representatives via LinkedIn or attending their Information Sessions, having a good GPA, knowing your skills and highlighting them well on your resume.
- Negative Cognition: “Yes, but I know I don’t have the skills anyway.”
Positive Reframe: If you have immersed yourself in your engineering curriculum here at Fulton Schools, you should have the skillset and be able to verbalize your learning outcomes in an interview, and also know how to translate it as accomplishment statements on your resume and cover letter. Additionally, skills acquired through student organizations such leadership, teamwork and communication skills are also important skills to highlight on your resume or in an interview with a future employer.
- Negative Cognition: ”Yes, but I’m really busy this week, so I’ll just go to the next career fair.”
Positive Reframe: I understand that we all get busy, but this is your CAREER! You should make time for it and make it a priority in your life. This can be done through setting goals and action steps for yourself.
- Negative Cognition: “Yes, but my resume isn’t up to par.”
Positive Reframe: All of you have access to our wonderful Career Center, and with the help of our professional staff and peer career coaches, we can assist you to make it an excellent product to showcase to all of your constituents. Consider the resume a builder and we are here to help you build it for your success as you progress in your academic career here at ASU. The appointments are typically scheduled through Handshake, and then you will receive your personal link to meet via Zoom from your peer career coach. This doesn’t have to be a daunting process where you are going through it alone.
- Negative Cognition: “Yes, but I’m a sophomore so they’re probably not going to hire me anyways.”
Positive Reframe: By the time you have reached your sophomore year, you should have acquired some of the technical skills. Currently, I have a peer career coach (who is a mechanical engineering major) on my team that only had a few of the technical skills-MATLAB, SolidWorks, AutoCAD and Microsoft Office by the beginning of his sophomore year. All of these came from his coursework, as well as a few summer camps he attended in the summer after his freshman year. By the end of his sophomore year, he stated that he didn’t obtain any new skills per se, however, he did become more proficient in the new ones that he already had acquired. He also mentioned that he obtained lab skills at the end of his freshman year. All of these experiences have made him marketable as a sophomore, so my advice is to apply and see what happens!
- Negative Cognition: “Yes, but I didn’t meet all the desired qualifications, so I’m just going to get rejected.”
Positive Reframe: You won’t know until you try! However, this is why I strongly recommend setting yourself up by taking advantage with all that Fulton Schools offers. E2, research opportunities, student organizations and the engineering curriculum will assist you in meeting those desired qualifications. Your goal should be to verbalize those learning outcomes from your engagement and participation in the after mentioned.
- Negative Cognition: “Yes, but I’ll just start applying after I graduate.”
Positive Reframe: Applying after graduation is NOT encouraged! It is going to be a miserable experience to have to start the career development phases and stages at that point. The time is NOW! At the Career Center, we work tirelessly to enhance all students’ career readiness by providing programs, workshops and one-on-one appointments. Utilize the service because we are here for you every step of the way until graduation.
**The Yes, but statements have been provided by Jessica Caolo, Career Counselor and her team of Peer Career Coaches – Aarya Mecwan, Prashant Mokkapati, Keene Patarakun, Richard Rigby