2016 Young Professionals Symposium: Overcoming the “Experience Paradox”

November 29, 2016

On Saturday, November 12, the second annual Young Professionals Symposium explored the experience paradox: How do you get the job without the experience, or the experience without the job? More than 120 young professionals from around Connecticut attended the event, which was co-hosted by Future Leaders of Yale and Connecticut Young Professionals.  

Marc Brackett, director of Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, delivered a keynote on using the power of emotions to create a more effective and compassionate society. “We have to understand our temperaments and personalities to be happy,” Brackett said. “With emotional intelligence, there’s no correct answer. There’s the correct answer for you.” He emphasized the necessity of emotionally intelligence in the workplace to be better colleagues and employees. 

A panel of young professionals spoke on how they gained experience in nontraditional ways from entrepreneurship to networking. Panelist Scott Nevins, a recruiter for Monster.com, encouraged job seekers to be proactive in their searches and to demonstrate excitement. Shana Schneider, who works at Technolutions and also runs Zoefit, noted that balance looks different for everyone. Her recommendation: Find the activities that gives you energy and prioritize them. Other panelists included Marinda Brown, Yale; Lori Rasille, Yale; and Faris Virani, USAA.  

“The professional panel helped me understand the importance of having work experience when entering the work force. Hearing the stories from young professionals inspired me to keep working hard towards my goals,” commented Alejandra Rodriguez, a web producer in Yale ITS. “I really enjoyed Dr. Marc Brackett’s presentation. He had a great sense of humor and explained the importance of having a life balance, socially, spiritually and professionally. I look forward to the next YPS.” 

“YPS 2016 provided several valuable lessons for me and my peers,” said Jon Sevilla, HR People Analytics Analyst at Gartner, Inc. in Stamford, CT. “The panel about continuing education was helpful to discuss the challenges and benefits of obtaining a Master’s or Doctorate degree while working full-time. FLY and CTYP did a great job of organizing the panels to provide a topic of interest to everyone. And Shana Schneider helped me realize that it’s okay to relax and focus on yourself while trying to progress in the workplace.”

To learn more about the theme of the symposium, the Experience Paradox, check out the YPS Resources page for links to articles recommended by panelist Scott Nevins. To see pictures of the event, please visit the FLY Facebook page.   

YPS is grateful for its sponsors who keep the event free for attendees. For our full list of sponsors, please see http://www.ypsymposium.com/. If you are interested in supporting next year’s symposium, please contact Alina Nevins at alina.nevins@yale.edu