{"id":3538,"date":"2021-11-18T19:28:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-18T19:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/afe.epicenter1.com\/news\/career-insights-for-young-professionals"},"modified":"2024-03-15T21:46:48","modified_gmt":"2024-03-15T21:46:48","slug":"career-insights-for-young-professionals","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/endowment.org\/es\/news\/career-insights-for-young-professionals","title":{"rendered":"Career Insights for Young Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Survey Results and Webinar Recording<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>

\"YPC<\/a>This fall, the Endowment created two informal surveys for professionals in the industry and academia about their experiences and advice to help young professionals interested in pursuing a career in floriculture\/horticulture. The surveys include insights on the job market, career development, application advice, background on how professionals attained their current roles, and more. The surveys were released to AFE\u2019s community of faculty, donors, and industry members.<\/p>

With the help of our Young Professionals Council (YPC)<\/a> through member Michael Wijesinghe, AFE analyzed the data and compiled the results into two executive summaries, one for the Industry Survey<\/a> and one for the Academic Survey<\/a>. We are pleased to release these resources for young professionals interested in careers in our industry.<\/p>

To share the results and answer any questions, the YPC sponsored a webinar on November 16th, 2021. The webinar featured the following speakers:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

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Dr. Megan Bowman is currently Director of Research Operations for the Ball Helix research and development team at Ball Horticultural Company. She also serves on AFE\u2019s Board of Trustees and is the Board Liaison for the YPC. Michael Wijesinghe is an Assistant Grower for Bell Nursery in Springfield, Ohio. He became a member of the YPC in 2021. Dr. Kimberly Williams is a Professor in Greenhouse Management and University Distinguished Teaching Scholar at Kansas State University. She also serves as a member of the Vic and Margaret Ball Internship selection committee and AFE scholarship reviewer.<\/p>

The webinar began with a presentation of the survey results led by Wijesinghe. Highlighting some key trends in the data and sharing AFE\u2019s resources through the YPC<\/a> y AFE Career Center<\/a>. After this, the panel opened for an interactive Q&A with their audience of young professionals.<\/p>

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Application Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>

When asked about common mistakes on applications both in industry and academia, Dr. Bowman responded, \u201cMistakes we often see are sometimes people will assume that their networks alone will get them the job that they want. Applicants will have gone to great universities, worked with fantastic professors and floriculture labs, and that\u2019s important, but it\u2019s only so much. What matters is what you\u2019re going to take from your education and bring to a team of people that you\u2019re going to start working with and offer your skillset to. It\u2019s important to show the value you bring beyond your network.\u201d From the survey data, the panel also discussed the importance of having a \u201cclean application\u201d with correct spelling and grammar; this can often be the difference between an application making it to the next round or being dismissed.<\/p>

Dr. Williams expanded into best practices for applications sharing, \u201cAs was mentioned in the survey, apply for jobs that really are what you love and what you want to do. If you are a researcher, don\u2019t apply for an 80% teaching position and vice versa. Along those lines, look at the position you\u2019re applying for, address all aspects of the position that they\u2019re looking for, and tailor comments of your own experience to pull out highlights that will resonate with the search committee by meeting key functions of the role.\u201d<\/p>

Both surveys showed the importance of a variety of experiences for those applying to jobs in floriculture. Sharing his own experience as a young professional in the industry, Wijesinghe added how internships can provide an opportunity for young professionals to interview their company as well as the company interviewing them.<\/p>

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Finding a Fair Salary and Negotiations <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>

Young professionals wanted to hear from the panel how and where to do salary research to make sure their pay is competitive. They also asked how to properly negotiate once they receive a job offer.<\/p>

Dr. Bowman answered, \u201cA lot about a salary really depends on the cost of living. You have to consider that a job outside of a metro area will probably have a lower salary because the cost of living is lower compared to living somewhere as expensive as California, for example. The money you put towards providing a life you want to live in different places may look very different \u2013 you have to factor that in.\u201d She added that some good sources for salary data are Glassdoor and LinkedIn. Dr. Bowman stressed the importance of doing your research on benefits and salary before going into an interview. In the full webinar, you can find her advice for negotiating based on which benefits mean the most to you.<\/p>

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When to Apply Before Graduation<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>

When looking for roles and industry and academia, students would like to know when they should apply with regards to their graduation dates. \u201cWithin academia, it\u2019s not uncommon to start searching for jobs the semester before graduating because the timeline is so long between interviewing, getting the offer, and starting,\u201d noted Dr. Williams.<\/p>

\u201cIn industry, if employers are looking for someone out of grad school, it\u2019s really helpful to know when your defense is. That\u2019s one of the biggest things that we ask. If you can\u2019t tell us, then it\u2019s not a full stop, but it is a risk. Once you know when your defense is, that\u2019s probably the earliest you should be applying,\u201d answered Dr. Bowman.<\/p>

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Diversity of Roles in Floriculture\/Horticulture<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>

Our survey data for both academia and industry emphasize the diversity of roles and encourage young professionals to be ready to wear multiple hats. During the discussion, the audience wanted to know how best to juggle and balance multiple priorities.<\/p>

Dr. Bowman noted the importance of knowing your team and sharing support, \u201cBalancing a role can be challenging, and a lot of times success is partly dependent on who your direct supervisor is and the team that you work with. In interviewing for a role, that matters a lot when you\u2019ll be balancing priorities.\u201d In her expanded response during the webinar, she also shares tips on being your own advocate and matching your personal goals to the company\u2019s goals.<\/p>

Dr. Williams shared, \u201cI think it\u2019s a struggle we all certainly face. There\u2019s always the imminent fires you have to put out, so I think some of the art comes into play when you figure out how to do the stuff that\u2019s not urgent but needs to get done to be successful.\u201d She also stressed the importance of being true to yourself and your passions, noting that balancing priorities is easier when you are doing things that you love.<\/p>

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Networking <\/strong><\/span><\/h3>

Networking is an important tool when finding career opportunities. AFE has helped young professionals to meet professionals in our industry through the YPC and other resources. The YPC has opportunities to meet up at hosted dinners and lunches at industry events throughout the year. This year, the group met both at Cultivate and ASHS.<\/p>

\u201cI thought the survey results on networking were on the mark. Every presentation that you give is going to be an opportunity to network with someone who may work in a department with a position open \u2013 that becomes a really important connection in the future,\u201d reflected Dr. Williams.<\/p>

Wijesinghe added that networking is especially important in our industry due to how connected all of our segments are, \u201cOne of the great things about floriculture and horticulture is the existence of extension and how much cross there is between breeders, researchers, gardeners, farmers, and everything in-between. It\u2019s really important to build those connections and what\u2019s nice is that a lot of them are fluid.\u201d The panelists expanded on collaboration opportunities and setting yourself up for success in networking.<\/p>

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More Available Career Advice & Resources<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>

Additional career advice for young professionals can be found both in the full webinar recording and executive summaries seen below. AFE\u2019s Career Center<\/a> also offers job opportunities, a job search resource center, and more. Finally, membership to the Consejo de J\u00f3venes Profesionales<\/a> is totally FREE and offers networking, volunteer, and professional development opportunities.<\/p>