FAQs

Parents  •  High School Students  •  College Students & Recent Grads

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for College Students/Recent College Grads

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You call yourself Position U 4 College, but I’m already in college. How can you help me? What do you mean by positioning? I’m so busy with academics, job and extra-curricular activities. Why add this obligation to my already overwhelming schedule? "Marketing myself" sound a little phony ... So if I just show up for these sessions, you’ll get me into the organization or graduate school of my choice? If I say I’m going to a consultant, they might think that you’re writing my materials for me. When is the best time to start? How often do I have to meet with you? Where are your sessions held? Is it possible for you to come to our house? We don't live in your area. Can I still use your services? I think I might need a resume to help me apply to summer internships too. How are you sure you can help me?

1) You call yourself Position U 4 College, but I’m already in college. How can you help me?

I can help you discover who you are now as a college student, who you are becoming, and what you are looking for in a career, summer internships and graduate or professional school.

Then I can help you uniquely position yourself in your cover letters, resume, online profiles, interviews or application materials, communicating how your key strengths fit with the needs, values and culture of your target organizations or institutions of higher learning.

I can “position you for college” and “position you for life”!

2) What do you mean by positioning?

Think of a baseball shortstop - he plays a specific position. To join a team, the most valuable information he can give is his position. It is more useful than saying, "I'm a baseball player," or a "good athlete."

When you apply for an internship, job or institution of higher learning, you must communicate what sets you apart from the applicant pool. Your “stats” (GPA, GRE, GMAT, LSAT,
MCAT) give general data. They are the critical foundation of your application, like the baseball shortstop first establishing that he’s a good athlete.

But stats are the first cut. Beyond the stats, grad schools or target organizations need more specific information about who you are and what special qualities you have to offer! It is positioning that makes you stand out from the crowd.

3) I’m so busy with academics, job and extra-curricular activities. Why add this obligation to my already overwhelming schedule?

You are busy. You are probably too busy to even think! So how can you be expected to be ready to launch your life’s work, find a job, or apply to graduate school?

If you start early, you only need to meet with me once a month. This allows self-discovery to fit into your busy schedule in a natural, painless way. It gives you “permission” to pause and reflect, to figure out what you want, and what you uniquely have to offer to organizations and institutions of higher learning.

4) "Marketing myself" sounds a little phony ...

Knowing yourself, your unique strengths, and learning how to communicate those qualities in an authentic way is what I call effectively “marketing yourself.” It’s honest and it’s real. It helps the organization or institution of higher learning know what you’re truly about and why they should want you in their community It can result in a great match between you and the organization or school where you will spend some of the pivotal years of your career. There’s nothing phony about that!

5) So if I just show up for these sessions, you’ll get me into the organization, or graduate school of my choice?

You know better than that! You get out of it only what you put into it. This process requires thinking, looking within, writing, and personal commitment. Between sessions, I ask you to prepare an assignment that will lead you to the next step in the process.

I can help you to put your best foot forward in resumes, application, or personal statement, but at the end of the day, no one can promise to control the outcome. I could never give a guarantee, but if you put in enthusiastic effort, you can enhance your chances of finding and being accepted at an organization or graduate school that will fit your unique talents and goals.

6) If I say I’m going to an outside service, they might think that you’re writing my materials for me.

No way! You’ll find out pretty soon that it is you who will have the authorship for this work. This is about discovering the unique you and communicating who you are. This is about finding your own voice, and using it. My added value is helping you find that voice. It would be counterproductive to that process if it became my voice, besides being unethical! No, I’ve already gone to graduate school and landed positions in organizations. It’s your turn.

7) When is the best time to start?

For the one’s first job out of college or applying to graduate school (while in college or in the workforce), I recommend at least a year-and-a-half before your intended start date. If you are a junior in college, this would mean starting fall or winter of junior year.

8) How often will I have to meet with you?

For college students or recent college graduates, it is an extremely individual process, depending on exactly what you need. For example, if you are a college junior with a major but starting “from scratch” in the career exploration process, you would need more frequent sessions than a recent college graduate committed to a specific field applying for a master’s degree in that field or search for a different job in that same field.

For your convenience we offer blocks of consulting hours at a discount. The hours do not expire and provide you with great flexibility at a reasonable price. A 5 hour contract is $500 and a 10 hour contract is $800. Individual hours are $120 for in-person sessions and $75 for phone consultation. See Rates & Packages for more details.

9) Where are your sessions held?

Unless otherwise arranged, all sessions will be conducted at my office, conveniently located off I-287 in Basking Ridge/New Vernon, NJ. For details, see Location & Directions.

10) Is it possible for you to come to my house?

Yes, I can come to your house or to a mutually agreed-upon public place that has WiFi.

11) We don't live in your area. Can I still use your services?

Of course! We can arrange a program using online conferencing, teleconferencing and email.

12) I think I might need a resume to help me apply to summer internships too.

If we are already working together, we probably only need another hour for this, because it involves shifts of emphasis on material that you have already generated.

13) How are you sure you can help me?

I have helped numerous students in NY and NJ with resumes, college and graduate school applications. You are welcome to read testimonials from these students!