I’ve asked a few people I’ve helped to submit testimonials, so that future clients can get an idea what I am like to work with.
David Schweitzer
David Schweitzer
My experiences with Sean Cook as my career coach have been nothing short of remarkable. As a college senior being coached by Sean, I felt like I embarked on my journey of finding a job and/or graduate school with a stronger advantage over others vying for the same opportunities I was hoping to obtain. Throughout the entire 6+ months that I was coached by Sean, he was there to guide and advise me every step of the way, always offering helpful tips on how to best articulate my goals, experiences, and qualifications to a potential employer, whether it be through an interview, resume, cover letter, or even a simple email message.
I became aware of my desire to pursue a career in college student affairs in my third year as an undergraduate at Penn State University. Most of the knowledge I had about the field was derived from my experiences as a student leader, but being coached by Sean helped me get a much broader and in-depth idea of what the field was really about. As our coaching sessions became more frequent, I knew that college student affairs was the right career path for me.
The biggest professional endeavor that Sean aided me in pursuing was attending the Mid- Atlantic Placement Conference in February of 2010 in Lancaster, PA. The conference is designed by ACUHO-I for individuals looking for full-time and graduate level positions in college and university Residence Life departments throughout the region. Sean spent hours preparing me for the conference by setting up 2 mock-interviews between the two of us via Skype prior to the conference, in addition to answering my numerous questions, addressing my concerns, helping me update my resume, and giving me tips
on how to contact and approach employers at the conference. Considering Sean had attended the conference on behalf of Penn State University for many years interviewing countless candidates, I knew there was no one better for preparing me for this event.
At first, I was hesitant to even attend the conference and doubted how realistic it would be for me to expect to walk away with a potential opportunity. However, Sean couldn’t have been more optimistic and encouraging. Not only did he help instill the confidence in myself to attend the conference, but he also had the confidence in his own ability to adequately prepare me for it. Throughout the 2-day conference, I had 7 interviews, and four of those interviews lead to campus interview invitations.
Thanks to the coaching I received from Sean Cook, I was offered and accepted a graduate level residence hall director position at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania. This new opportunity and next step of my professional career would not have been possible without the help I received from Sean as my career coach. I would strongly recommend Sean to anyone who is serious about having a competitive edge over other candidates pursuing the same opportunities that you are. I could think of no better way to differentiate oneself from a sea of competitors than to enlist his help as your career coach.
You will undoubtedly find Sean to be your “secret weapon” throughout your journey to advance yourself professionally and/or academically.
–-David Schweitzer
Misericordia University
Office of Residence Life
.
Zach Hamman
Zach Hamman
Sean Cook is someone that I know I can trust to talk with me about a variety of subjects. He is one person I look to for career advice or to challenge me intellectually. I worked for Sean when I was a Resident Assistant at Penn State. I was always welcome in his office to chat or to present any issues I was having at the time. Sean was a careful listener and gave feedback that helped me see more than just my narrow view. He also supported me through personal issues that I was dealing with in my final semesters at Penn State. The feeling of trust I had when talking to Sean was so influential that it helped me pursue a career in higher education particularly residence life.
During my last semester, Sean would routinely ask me what my thoughts were post graduation. He had mentioned on several occasions that he thought I was well suited for student affairs particularly residence life. He routinely mentored me in building a resume or working on a cover letter for technical fields as well as residence life. Having Sean as a resource that I could go made me more confident as graduation approached.
Sean was such a great professional example to me that I have started my career as a Resident Director at a small liberal arts college. I would not be where I am without his assistance and guidance. I know I can count on Sean for advice in my future career choices.
–Zachary R Hamman
Resident Director, Marian Hall
Master’s Student in Computer Science
Marist College
Benito Stallings
Benito Stallings
Sean has a naturally outgoing personality and was a pleasure to work with. When I went to him for career advice and resume adjusting, he always listened well to my goals and made sure to offer his thoughts along with them. I even took a copy of a resume, Sean and I worked on to the Career Center for their critique and the career counselor was stunned that he couldn’t find a single mistake. He’s better than the Career Center!
Sean made sure to go the extra mile. I still remember my senior year when Sean was willing to take time out of his schedule do a mock interview and a full debriefing with another one of his staff. It was as if Sean was personally invested in my career success. He wanted to make sure that I was ready for several interviews that I had to do the following week.
It was like looking into a crystal ball! Everything that Sean said would happen in an interview happened and I was prepared.
–Benito Stallings
Campus Outreach/Ministry, DiscipleMakers
Katie Greenleaf
Katie Greenleaf
I was fortunate to have Sean Cook as a supervisor in my first job in Residence Life. I was in a temporary (time-limited) position, and was deciding whether to keep working full-time or go back to graduate school. Sean helped me edit my resume, think about how to phrase cover letters, and most of all, asked me some really good questions that helped me process my job and school search. I ended up going back to get my Master’s and have continued to interact with Sean when I have career questions or need feedback about transitions. He’s a wonderful resource!
–Katie GreenleafComplex Director for the Graduate Life Center,Miles, Johnson, Thomas and Monteith Halls
Virginia Tech
