Kyle Flaherty
Kyle Flaherty
Computer Science ’19
Cyber Security @ Capital One
What advice would you give students who have an interest in STEM/Health?
My best piece of advice is to be cognizant that not all STEM/Health jobs are where you may expect them to be. By that I mean – some of the most interesting positions in the tech industry are at companies who you would NEVER associate with technology. Use this to expand your job/internship search into companies that are not only your typical tech companies – but start targeting companies that you combine your other interests. For example – I had a large interest in finances and ended up doing cybersecurity for a bank and LOVE it. I know people who do cybersecurity at Home Depot, hospitals, etc. All of this to say – just because you are interested in STEM/Health for work – does not mean you have to sacrifice your other interests in a job.
What WFU career resources did you utilize that were most helpful to you?
I used a plethora of different resources from the WFU OPCD – and quite frankly I cannot believe they are free. They say you never know what you have until it’s gone – but I really felt that when I left Wake. Having the opportunity to just pull up Handshake and meet with a PROFESSIONAL career counselor in a week’s time is just something you cannot ever expect to do outside of Wake.
Specifically in the Health / STEM space, I highly recommend STEM slam for my friends who are a bit intimidated by the typical career fair setting. It provided me with a much more laid-back environment to network with industry leaders.
Lastly, Career Treks are always an amazing opportunity. Especially for folks who have not seen what these tech hubs look like – please do yourself a favor and try to attend one.
What courses, activities or experiences gave you an edge in the job search process?
To be frank – I drank the Kool-Aid. I fully bought into the OPCDs process and by the time I was in my junior year I was turning jobs down. The fact of the matter is this – people always turn to professionals when it comes to their car, their house, or their appliances – but for some reason, people neglect the opportunity to get help from professionals for their CAREER. The people at the OPCD are professionals – plain and simple – treat them as such and use them as such.
What specific advice would you give regarding effective networking?
The, by far, most effective tool in your job search process will be LinkedIn. If you are reading this and do not have a LinkedIn please take a pause, create one, and then resume :). The reason I say this is this – if you apply to your dream job without a referral you have done something wrong. Many people assume effective networking is meeting the hiring manager or vice president who will simply hand you a job. What it actually looks like is this – say for example I want a job as a medical scribe at company X.
- Google search medical scribe at company X on LinkedIn – this should return a list of people in that role at company X.
- Write an intro – nothing more than 3 lines – and send it to them in a connection request. Something along the lines of “Hi my name is Y I am looking to break into X Field would you be open to chatting…”
- Repeat until someone connects with you
- Following a successful connection – ask for an informational interview with them. If it goes well – ask them for a referral
- Repeat for each company you are interested in applying to
With a referral, you will dramatically increase your chances of getting an interview.
What specific advice would you give to students regarding effective interviewing?
- Use Glassdoor to see what questions have been asked prior. While the questions likely won’t be verbatim, they can help give you an edge for targeted preparation.
- Don’t be afraid to not know something – I’d rather a candidate admit they don’t know the question they try and BS their way to the answer. By admitting you don’t know if you give me the chance to ask more questions about what you do know.
- Be confident – you were chosen for the interview for a reason.
Are there any books, magazines, websites, etc. that you would recommend to students who are interested in STEM/Health?
This is not a book specific to either of those fields – but I highly recommend everyone read Money is Everything.
It’s a book about personal finance geared towards college-aged kids. Highly, Highly recommend.