Matthew Linton, PhD’18, History
Publication and Communication Manager, Council of Graduate Schools
What services and/or resources did you use while at Brandeis for your career search? (i.e., The Center for Career and Professional Development, program administrators, professors, peers etc.)
I ended up using a combination of resources to inform my career search. I flailed around for awhile trying to use a combination of web resources (LinkedIn and Indeed) and online job boards at local universities. These resources gave me an idea of what jobs were out there, but nothing more. However, my search changed when I started working with the Center for Career and Professional Development and they suggested that I contact alumni. Talking with alumni helped me focus on a few career pathways and helped me build a network outside of my academic field.
Can you describe your career path and how it has led to your current work?
During my time at Brandeis I accrued writing and public speaking skills as a lecturer and writing center consultant. Through professional contact, I applied for a position in Publications and Communications at the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) in Washington, DC, which is a membership organization that provides practices and research for graduate deans.
What skills from your Brandeis degree have you found most valuable in your current work?
I thought I would use my writing and research skills the most; however, the skills I gained through the process of managing my dissertation have been most useful. Breaking down my dissertation into daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals has helped me balance my weekly obligations and long-range publication projects, presently.
What advice do you have for current students as they embark on their job search?
For many fields, particularly those in the humanities and qualitative social sciences, who you know can be as important as what you know. Academic work often is isolating and does not prepare you to pursue diverse career pathways. Making an effort to build (or, in some cases, retain) wide, diverse social networks will better position you to explore different career types as you prepare for graduation.