In this episode, we speak to student government leader Ulysses Smith about his unique approach to networking, translating university experience into professional skills that employers care about, and his personal insights on how to be humble yet influential as a newbie to the professional world.

In this 1-hour episode, you’ll discover:

• 7 specific professional skills every employer looks for that you likely gained in your extra curricular activities and
  • how to translate those into your work environment
• 3 skills you already gained as a student leader that are less commonly mentioned in the interview process and
  • how they can make you stand out among your colleagues
• 3 radical shifts in perspective on networking that get you job offers, professional development opportunities, and speaking engagement invitations– without hustling for them to happen. This advice will help introverts, people who hate being fake, and those who don’t know where to start.
• The 1 essential ingredient to increasing your influence and learning power in work environments with well-established employees committed to the status quo
• Yourkey advice to dealing with feedback that says you’re too young (read: inexperienced) to be taken seriously

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Ulysses J. Smith is the Diversity & Inclusion Strategies Specialist in the Division of Human Resources and Safety Services at Cornell University.

He works across all schools, colleges, and units of the university to devise and refine their initiatives under Toward New Destinations, the university’s diversity and inclusion framework. Smith also assists with compliance matters as they pertain to federally protected and underrepresented groups and helps develop strategic initiatives for the university.

In addition to policy coordination, he works closely with the shared governance groups at Cornell to create effective and inclusive university policies and brings focus to strategies for engaging underrepresented groups in the governance process. He also implements designated aspects of Title IX, including managing the Bias Reporting System and co-chairs the Bias Assessment and Response Team, which collects data on the occurrence of bias incidents and develops educational responses.

Smith is a graduate of Cornell University, receiving both a B.S. in Urban & Regional Studies from the College of Architecture, Art & Planning and a B.A. in Government from the College of Arts & Sciences. His research focused on participatory governance structures and creating access to institutions for underrepresented groups.

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Links:

• You can reach Ulysses here: ujs3@cornell.edu
• Have a look at Cornell University’s Program for Diversity