UC Berkeley Social Sciences and other Cal alumni offer students helpful tips on navigating the job market and advice on breaking into a diverse array of fields.
As part of the Social Sciences Career Readiness Internship Program (SSCRIP) program, Social Sciences students receive valuable career advice from alumni in sectors such as nonprofit, finance, AI, tech, higher education and law, among others. The program provides Berkeley Social Sciences students with a professional development course, workshops on topics like resume building and cover letter writing, individual coaching sessions and placement in a paid summer internship.
A recent alumni panel featured Cognitive Science alumnus Phillip Hyun, Business alumnus Kevin Chou and Psychology alumna Britt Sellin, who spoke to SSCRIP students about their journeys to success in each of their fields. Chou and Hyun are chairman and vice chairman of Gen.G Esports, a leading professional esports organization with several headquarters in the U.S. and Asia. Sellin — who has had a long career in tech as an HR leader — is a professional coach and mentor, as well as an advisor at SproutsAI, an AI agent platform that automates business processes.
Alumni Panel
The panel touched on a variety of topics that are relevant to college students and young professionals, including networking, finding a mentor and how to be a successful intern. They also shared stories about the ups and downs of their own career journeys, as well as what they look for now when hiring candidates.
Chou — who along with Gen.G Esports has co-founded several successful gaming businesses including Kabam and Forte — spoke about what he looks for when a student or young professional reaches out to him through online networking platforms like LinkedIn. Personalized messages, rather than ones from pre-made templates or generated by AI, are much more likely to influence him to respond, he said.
“The messages I want to see when somebody reaches out to me are ones that show that person spent 15 minutes looking at my bio and my company,” Chou said. “They know what [the company] is, and in the first two or three sentences they make it clear why they’re reaching out to me.”
Mentors and Internships
The panel also spoke about the importance of finding a mentor, and how students can leverage their unique perspectives as college students when attempting to build mentor relationships.
“You’ll be amazed at how helpful you can be just by being young and a student,” said Hyun, who has had a long career in the tech industry, including being the President of Lakana. “A lot of times you’re looking to gain something, but in a lot of ways you also have a lot to give. Don’t ever underestimate yourself in terms of what you can offer.”
After speaking about how students can successfully network and find mentors, the panel gave students advice for making the most of their summer internships.
Sellin, who is co-chair of the UC Berkeley Women in Leadership Circle, encouraged students to “do the whole job” rather than limiting themselves to only doing one type of task in their roles.
“There is all kinds of work associated with every job, and not all of it is glamorous, but you will learn something,” she said. “And the more you learn the better off you are, because you then take it to your next experience.”
The alumni’s insight was incredibly valuable for students like Haider Ijaz, an economics major aspiring to a career in finance as a consultant or venture capitalist. This made the panel’s extensive backgrounds in business and investment particularly beneficial, he said. He looks forward to using their insights in his networking efforts when composing messages on LinkedIn.
“Many of the cold emails students send often go ghosted because they’re just a template,” he said. “So it was really nice to get some insider tips on how you can make yourself stand out in a competition with hundreds of students.”
More alumni will continue to speak to SSCRIP students throughout the semester and provide strategies for students to stand out to potential employers and guidance on navigating the job market.
