Supporting Graduate Students’ Career Journeys: A Conversation with May Wilson

May’s journey from UC Irvine (UCI), where she wore many hats from undergraduate events planner to alumni engagement director, has uniquely positioned her to understand the multifaceted needs of graduate students navigating their career paths. At UCI, she witnessed firsthand the emotional and identity-based challenges graduate students face when making life decisions, while also discovering the power of early community-building between graduate students, alumni, and employers.

The move to Berkeley has been transformative for May, who describes feeling grateful every day for the opportunity to focus solely on her priority: making a positive impact on graduate student life. In this conversation, May speaks with GradPro Professional Development Liaison (PDL) Jonathan Landeros-Cisneros about her approach to three core aspects of her work: building authentic communities and relationships, helping graduate students embrace their genuine selves for career success, and identifying and addressing the unique obstacles graduate students face when exploring careers and connecting with employers.

Jonathan: How do you incorporate relationship-building into your professional practice and create genuine connections?

May: There’s a quote from Ted Lasso that I really resonate with: “Be curious, not judgmental.” I ask questions! Whether personal or professional, I ask questions – what’s your favorite bakery, why do you love researching compost, how did you start recruiting with Samsung? On one hand, it’s from a selfish perspective because now I know the new bakery I should go try, but on the other, it’s because I can build a strong community if I understand the people I work with. These conversations aren’t just about connections for their own sake, but they allow me to find common threads and build bridges between students, alumni, employers, whoever! A shared hometown or common hobby can be the spark that makes a networking conversation feel more personal and less transactional.

It’s a priority that at the beginning of each graduate student appointment, I ask the student to share more about their research so we can geek out about it together. The way that a student’s eyes light up and they go into this other world of pride when talking about their research is amazing. In a world so dreary lately, it’s a light I want to make sure isn’t snuffed out. I want to serve a person’s needs not just looking at them in their label of graduate student, but more as a human being I can help grow into the best version of themselves.

Jonathan: What does “building a stronger community” look like in practice for graduate students and their career development?

May: There’s that cliché saying of “It’s not what you know, but who you know,” and to be honest, it’s extremely true for career exploration. “Who you know” can lead you to a deeper understanding of your own career journey – whether that’s understanding what obstacles you might face due to your specific background, or what the industry you are interested in looks at in resumes, cover letters, interviews, etc. There’s a reason that career services staff, whether from Berkeley Career Engagement (BCE) or from another department, always recommend networking with alumni or employers!

I’ve been trying to take everything I learned from alumni relations and implement it into developing a community for graduate students. Early exposure to relationship building is key, and I’m trying to start that here at Berkeley. I have plans for more alumni-type events so graduate students can see in reality that someone from their background made it into a successful career. 

I also want to focus on building out the internal relationships with campus partners. By having a support system from any office that a graduate student might interact with, we can provide consistent support, shared resources, and an overall stronger sense of belonging throughout their journey.

Jonathan: You shared that you don’t have to “change who you are to excel at your job.” How do you help graduate students embrace their authentic selves in their career journeys?

May: A job may be something that interests the graduate student, or maybe it’s a means to an end, but no matter what the circumstance, I advocate for them to see that there is value in the person they’ve become and that value translates across career paths. I think sometimes graduate students come in thinking that they have to pivot from their passion of research or change their way of thinking to land a job in industry. I try and help them see that many employers are seeking the exact skillset that they’ve developed. I truly believe that authenticity is not a limitation, but can be the spark for a meaningful career. Because when an individual stays grounded in their genuine self, it’s easier to identify the opportunities that align with their values and keep their passion alive.

On a more logistical level, our office tries to get to the core of why graduate students enjoy their field of study. Do they like the policy impact? Do they like researching? Do they like talking to people? We then hone in on what a student truly loves doing and recommend them to industries where those traits are found. We bring to light that there are industries looking for analytical mindsets, policy changers, and quantitative researchers. You don’t have to completely lose yourself during this career exploration phase.

Jonathan: Can you give an example of how traits others might see as “weaknesses” have actually become strengths in your work?

May: I remember having a senior leader in my second year of working tell me that I was “too nice” and “too polite” and that I would be walked all over and taken advantage of. I internalized that. I started to change to become more closed-off. I stopped smiling and nodding along with conversations because I wanted to seem stern. Luckily, I had a mentor and friend snap me out of it. She told me something that would always stick: “You are 1 of 1. No one gets to tell you that’s a bad thing.” I owe her so much because I fully embrace my “niceness” now and, gasp, it’s really helped me build trust with people. I truly care about how people are doing, and it’s why relationship building is something I truly excel at.

Jonathan: How do you help graduate students overcome imposter syndrome?

May: I have no advanced degree, but am helping advanced degree students find jobs. If I had a nickel for every time I had thoughts of imposter syndrome since I started this position four months ago! But just as my colleagues put trust in me, I put that trust in the grad students so that they know how to succeed in any role they face. 

Graduate students’ CVs are literally a 3-4 page paper highlighting the skills and knowledge that most of us could only ever dream to achieve in our lifetime. Nonetheless, graduate students often feel like impostors. To help them counter this, I ask them to look at their credentials as a researcher would: How can they deny the hard evidence lying in front of them? This is concrete proof that they have created an impact on the world, and they could do the same in any industry. 

A lot of times I end up just being their hypewoman and helping them celebrate their wins in life. We need to combat negative self-talk with its opposite, positive self-talk!

Jonathan: What are some unique career challenges that PhD students and postdocs face when transitioning to industry that differ from undergraduate students?

May: I see two glaring gaps between the resources and programming offered to PhDs and postdocs vs undergraduates.

Employers don’t make it a priority to separate out their opportunities for advanced degree holders, so PhDs and postdocs have to put in extra work compared to undergrads to find their career opportunities. Our team has been working extra hard to guide employers to craft targeted events and use more explicit language to show that something is applicable to an advanced degree candidate.

And language is commonly tailored to undergraduates. PhD students and postdocs have such advanced experiences and knowledge that the typical guidelines for crafting a resume or creating an elevator pitch are not a 1:1 transfer. For example, we often tell PhD students that their resume should not rely on chronological order, but rather a hybrid format where their experiences could be 6 years old, but if they are relevant to the position, then they should be closer to the top of the page.

Jonathan: How do you help employers see the full value of Berkeley graduate students?

May: It’s about reframing the employer’s expectations and needs into a set of skills or experiences that only Berkeley graduate students can satisfy. 

It’s about educating employers about the unique needs and circumstances of graduate students. For example, grad students are typically busier and not as commonly present on campus as undergrads. So while many employers prefer in-person events, it’s my job to push for virtual events and greater flexibility to accommodate grad students and optimize the opportunities available to them.

There’s also the challenge of stereotypes. There’s a slide in one BCE presentation that asks PhD students if they believe recruiters automatically think of them as “team players,” “excellent communicators,” and “socially graceful” individuals, to which many students usually end up chuckling. Graduate students collaborate across disciplines, mentor peers, instruct undergraduates, and communicate complex ideas every single day. The industry should be seeing all of that!

Jonathan: What other strategies do you use to help employers understand the value that graduate students bring to industry roles?

May: One of my key strategies is leading with data – employers respond to results! I like to share metrics with them, such as high attendance from other employer events, the increase in graduate student engagement with our office, and listing out graduate alumni who have placed at other companies. I try to demonstrate that there is clear demand and success with graduate students.

I also ground a lot of these conversations with direct insight that I receive from graduate students. I try to convey the message that I’m asking for these opportunities on behalf of a large audience. Graduate students are actively engaging with our office because they are interested in career exploration. They are asking where to gain more skills that align with trending job descriptions. They are going above and beyond to fit the company culture, and employers should recognize that these are genuinely enthusiastic candidates ready to work for them.

Which leads me to my other key strategy.  I plain and simple start bragging about graduate students. I’ll talk about the multilingual fluency and the incredibly dedicated work ethic that graduate students all have. I’ll go through the side projects that they all pursue ON TOP OF pursuing a PhD. All of this to show employers that graduate students are multifaceted and possibly more engaged than any other candidate pool they may interact with.

Jonathan: How do you envision your role evolving as you settle into Berkeley and the Bay Area ecosystem?

May: I want graduate students to think of our office early in their degree programs and to view career exploration as an exciting process of choosing different opportunities. I also want employers to automatically think of Berkeley as the premier hub for PhD and graduate-level talent. I hope my role goes beyond facilitating opportunities, to actively shaping a thriving, connected ecosystem that centers graduate students in the future of work.

I see opportunities in increasing communication channels – making resources such as Handshake more readily accessible and easy to digest for graduate students, working with campus partners such as GradPro to share information, and knocking down siloes to create a seamless career ecosystem. 

There is also potential for more internships and experiential learning programs. Industries such as consulting and machine learning have shown that there is value in such a pipeline (from an internship to a full-time position). Companies get to secure their workforce ahead of schedule and the graduate student pool learns quickly within these 3-6 month programs what may have taken undergraduate candidates 1-2 years to understand.

May’s approach to supporting graduate students combines genuine curiosity about people with strategic advocacy for their unique talents. Her commitment to helping graduate students embrace their authentic selves while navigating career transitions reflects both her personal journey and her deep understanding of the graduate student experience. As she continues to build bridges between Berkeley’s exceptional graduate students and Bay Area employers, May remains focused on creating a thriving ecosystem where advanced degree candidates are recognized for their full potential.

Graduate students and postdocs are encouraged to connect with May ([email protected]) and the BCE grad student services team to explore how their unique skills, experiences, and authentic selves can translate into meaningful career opportunities. Whether you’re seeking guidance on career exploration, looking to connect with alumni, or need support in articulating your value to employers, May and the BCE team are here to support your journey.