Sandrine Suman– Professor and Career Services Officer
By Brenda Ramich
22 April 2021
Sandrine Suman is both a professor and the Career Services Officer at our Webster Leiden Campus. In this interview, she shares her passion and love of learning and working to support students.
Brenda: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
Sandrine: I am Dutch and actually left the Netherlands at 17, where I went to live in Switzerland and studied there to improve my French. I wanted to be a European Court Interpreter, so I really needed to learn more languages. In terms of what I do, my path in career planning is very important. I wanted to go to school in Geneva, which is the best in the world in terms of interpreters.
After Switzerland, I went to the United Kingdom and started on my European Studies and Art History in Italian Degree. The plan was to do French, English, and Italian, then go back to school in Geneva, but I never quite got there because I loved studying Art History, History and languages so much.
After studying in UK, I went to Italy and lived there for 1 ½ years. I abandoned my lifelong dream of Geneva and planned on working in a Museum. I graduated in 1993, started working small jobs in Museums, but then went back home to live with my parents, not knowing what I should I do. More school or just start working? But I decided to start working. I ended up at the Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. This became the beginning of my career plan.
Brenda: What is it that you do and what is your role here at Webster?
Sandrine: Here at Webster, I am a senior faculty member for the Business and Management department. I teach Human Resource Management, Operation Management, Career related courses and Leadership courses for the Undergraduate and Graduate programs. As the Career Services Officer, I am supporting students in finding their way into their career and into the job market.
Brenda: What kinds of people can you help, especially within the Webster Leiden Campus? What kinds of tasks could you help students with so that they might want to come to you for?
Sandrine: I can help with a range of things, including:
Have no clue what you want to do when you grow up?
You are unsure of your degree program
How can I best present myself, internship, interview, prepare for CV’s, Motivation Letter, Assessment Centers, etc.
Mock Interviews
Career/Degree switching
Finding Internships
Any kind of experience and how to make use of it
Brenda: What are things you as a student can start doing now to prepare for your career?
Sandrine: First, make your big CV and put everything you want on it. Then, realize you have done so much more. Just because you do not have a paid job, it is not true that you do not have any experience. For example, perhaps you have experience in clubs, sports, volunteering, delivering newspapers, or dog walking. Everything you learn skills from.
Another thing students can do is to create a Linked-In profile. LinkedIn shows ‘What are you are doing?’ and it is interactive online.
A great way to prepare for your career is to take career development courses. I have had students in these classes from Psychology, IR and minors in Business. There is a mixture of students, just because you are not in business these courses will teach you to find more about yourself and what you want to do in life. And as discussed, working on a CV, interview tips, and building a plan or step for after graduation. I welcome everybody into this course.
Brenda: What do you like about teaching as a professor and working as a career development coach?
Sandrine: I love, love, helping people. If I am here to do anything in this life, then I want to help people find their way. The way I see it, coaching and teaching is not only about seeing both sides and sharing what I have learned, but also about wanting to continue learning. Which is the best because someone could share something and I’ll get amazed and think “Wow, I never thought of that before.” I love to hear other people’s experiences and support them to do well and thrive. It is what gets me out of bed in the morning.
Brenda: From previous classes, I believe your original major was a Bachelor of Arts in European Studies and your career path went in a different area. What would you advise or say to college students that came to you because they were unsure about their major or feel bad that their major is undecided?
Sandrine: There is a lot of insecurity about that and one thing I want to say is that my background also shows:
Your major does not define your life.
Any college education gives you a way of thinking, a certain way of looking at the world or depth of general knowledge about what is going on around us. That is as important as the major that you choose for the rest of your life, but that does not define you. If you end up using it that is wonderful, but if you don’t it is not the end of the world. And I am also very happy when students come to see me if they are unsure about that. My main motto as a career service person is to not be scared or frightened, but to be excited.
Brenda: What Projects are you currently working on outside of Webster University?
Sandrine: I am currently working on Career Easing, which is an interactive magazine online with static content with what does career services do, some links where you can find information. It includes links to book appointments, general information and good websites on where you can find internships and career paths. I am hoping this magazine is ready soon to be on Webster Canal. It is perfect for students to find information when they are unsure what to do.
To reach out to Sandrine, appointments can be made though this email career@webster.nl. For more information, check out WebsterCanal’s FAQ section.