Hello! My name is Juliette Kniola, and I’m one of the new Career Consultants at the O’Neill Career Hub. I’m excited to be in career services, partly because my path has been vast and varied. I was a flight attendant for many years out of Milwaukee; then I stepped into the business world and did B2B sales and marketing for radio and print in southern Indiana; next, I transitioned into the corporate world as a Sales Manager for Macy’s. And then seven years ago, I joined Indiana University as Assistant Director at Student Central.
Because of my previous roles, I knew I could assure students that it’s okay to not have everything figured out by the time you graduate. You need to have some things figured out, but it’s okay if your vision only covers the next few years. You grow and your vision changes. You want different things when you’re 35 as compared to when you were in your 20s. The good thing about my varied professional roles is that I learned new skills every step of the way, which only served to make me stronger and more prepared to work with students in career services.
I learned about this industry several years ago while I was in my graduate program. One of our assignments was to interview a classmate and find out what their role was in student services. As my classmate shared information with me about her daily responsibilities as a career coach, something clicked. Bells and fire alarms went off inside my head. I quickly recognized that not only would my academic background in English Education fit well with this profession, but also my skills and aptitudes would help me to assist students in a myriad of ways.
As I mentioned, I gained something from every professional role I’ve had. Being a flight attendant taught me to be professional and collaborative as a team player. With sales and marketing, I learned how to cultivate and nurture relationships, and how to follow through on whatever I had promised. I learned how to coach people and be a stronger leader through my Macy’s experience. And in my position at Student Central, I honed my conflict resolution skills, along with my communication and presentation skills.
My master’s program concluded in May of 2022, and I’m now serving the Graduate Student community at The O’Neill School. I look forward to meeting you and being able to hear what lights you up inside and where you dream of going after graduation. I intend to assist you with your resumes, cover letters, and interviewing skills, and I look forward to celebrating your Wins with you. Please stop by the Career Hub and introduce yourselves when you have time. I’m really looking forward to meeting you.
