What’s Next

March 2021 | Book Discussion: No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions
From caring more about yourself than your work to finding motivation when you’re feeling stuck, from communicating across differences to leading people and teams, the creators behind lizandmollie.com introduce the new rules of emotion at work. Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned pro, we’ll talk about strategies you can use to “bring your best self (and your whole self) to work every day.” Purchase your copy of No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy and join in the conversation with your fellow Wake Forest Alumni!

Wednesday Webinars | Spring 2021
Learn with Life After Wake in our Wednesday Webinar series! Throughout the spring, we’re offering 30-minute webinars to help you cope, grow, learn, and connect. Register for one or all of the webinars, with all descriptions outlined below! We’ll record each presentation, so even if you can’t join live, you’ll have a chance to watch the content at another time.

• February 10th: Do More of What You Love: Strategies for Turning Your Strengths into Your Next Job
  Zone in on the part of your job you love most and do more of it. In this webinar, you’ll learn how to clarify and maximize your strengths, pursue opportunities to hone your skills, and ultimately parlay your passions into your next job.
• February 24th: From First-Gen to First Jobs: Navigating the College to Career Transition 
  Fifty percent of U.S. college students are first-generation: the first in their family to attend college. What challenges and opportunities do these students face when they graduate and enter the workforce? How can employers better support their needs? What should first-gen young professionals know about work and life after college? Join Dr. Nate French, Director of Wake Forest’s Magnolia Scholars Program, and Dr. Rosalva Castrejon-Garcia ’14 a Magnolia Scholar and member of the First in the Forest Program for this in-depth and important conversation.
• March 10th: UX Strategies to Pivot and Excel in Your Career 
  Are you interested in pursuing a new career but not sure where to start? Would you like a strategy to help you pivot and crush your new role? In this webinar, Sam Larsen (‘16), User Experience (UX) researcher at Wayfair, will share UX strategies you can use to identify how to pivot and excel once you are in a new role.
• March 24th: How To Write A Cover Letter That Actually Gets Results 
  Austin Belcak is a Wake grad who left schools with a biology degree and a 2.58 GPA. He went on to land interviews and offers with Google, Twitter, and Microsoft (where he spent 5 years working as a Director of Partnerships). Now he runs a career website called Cultivated Culture where he teaches people how to land jobs they love regardless of their experience or background. In today’s session, he’ll be breaking down the science behind a cover letter that actually gets results. He’ll cover the data behind who reads cover letters, the mistakes most job seekers make, along with some examples of cover letters that landed real job offers.
• April 14th: Finding Your Strengths in the Unexpected
  Have you experienced a reassignment or realignment in job duties due to the pandemic? Are you longing for the “normal” days when your job description matched the work you were performing each week? John Champlin (’06, MBA ’15), Director of Engagement Programs in the Alumni Engagement Office at Wake Forest University, will discuss strategies for continuing to engage in work despite significant changes. He’ll stress the importance of continuing to focus and align your strengths on the work at hand to prevent disengagement and burnout.
• April 28th: Getting A Grip: How to Make Decisions for the Indecisive
  Do you struggle with decision-making and decision fatigue? Do you often find yourself stuck in analysis paralysis? Hear from a recovering decision-making-procrastinator about how to take control of your process of deciding. We’ll talk about how to squelch the confusion, how to overcome regret, and how to take a step forward.

Open Enrollment | JUMPSTART: A Job Search Strategy Prep Course
Between endless online applications and emails to networking contacts, the job search can feel like a shot in the dark. But it doesn’t have to be! There are effective tools and strategies known to increase success, and in this self-paced online prep course, we’ll break down what you need to know for your next job search. At the end of this prep course, you will have clarity on your job search target, a refreshed resume and LinkedIn profile, greater understanding of the strength of your network, and a plan for what’s next. This open enrollment prep course is entirely self-paced. You’ll have access to all the materials and we won’t remove you from the course after you finish.

Monthly | Job Seeker Accountability Group
Are you currently searching for your next job? Whether you’ve lost employment because of COVID-19 or you’re trying to plan your next career move, the job search process feels different right now. If you’re struggling to apply to jobs or network within your industry, this group is for you. Alongside a group of fellow Deacs, this group will provide support and accountability for alumni who are on the hunt for their next role. It’s a space to share your progress on your goals, get feedback from a career coach, exchange ideas about tools and strategies that are working, and build resilience during this emotionally tumultuous and occasionally discouraging process. We will meet online from 4-5pm EST on the third Thursday of the month.

Call to Conversation goes Virtual! Are you interested in attending or leading a Virtual C2C? Let us know you’re interested!

February 4, 2021 | Careers in Tech: A Panel Discussion with Alumni at Google Companies
This career panel program will provide students and alumni the opportunity to hear from Wake alumni in the tech industry (specifically, Google companies) to learn about their careers paths, their individual experiences in their roles, company culture, and advice regarding pursuing employment opportunities in tech.

February 24, 2021 | Excel: Cleaning Data
Is your Excel data misbehaving? Are you missing pieces of information? Does your data need to be split or formatted properly?  Join us in this Excel class to learn fast and efficient ways to clean and manipulate your data. Facilitated by Beth Malone, Technical Learning Manager, School of Business.

March 11, 2021 | Mail Merge with Excel and Word

Do you need to create letters, name tabs or addressed envelopes? Learn how to use Microsoft Word’s mail merge tool with Excel lists to create personalized documents that include images like the WFU logo. *Additionally, understand the process of saving merged letters as individual files. Facilitated by Beth Malone, Technical Learning Manager, School of Business.

April 20, 2021 | Google Mail & Calendar: Customize and Accessorize
Learn new ways to customize the Google Mail and Calendar interfaces with labs and extensions, in addition to learning a few shortcuts. Facilitated by Beth Malone, Technical Learning Manager, School of Business.