This document summarizes an interview with M.S., a 22-year-old psychology graduate student, about her experience transitioning from school to work. Some key points: - M.S. felt her university focused too much on clinical psychology and did not adequately prepare her for different career paths or the realities of the workplace. - She struggled with aspects of the job search like writing her resume and felt unprepared for interviews. Companies also often did not provide feedback. - Her internship experiences varied, and she felt one internship in particular helped her learn while others did not relate to her studies. - The interview revealed a need for universities to better guide students' career development, expose

1. School-to-work Transition
Empathy Map &
Problem Statement Assignment
Gabriel R. Lucas
Design Thinking Action Lab
August 2013

2. Empathy Map:
Interview preparation
• The interview lasted about 1 hour covering questions on the topics listed below.
Career options and work expectations
Context: Pre-university, course choice
Looking for a job, preparing and being interviewed
Hiring process feedback
Role of universities in the school-to-work transition, what should be better?
Legend - Topics covered in the interview

3. STAKEHOLDER – Who was interviewed?
M.S., 22 years-old, is a psychology graduate student, is in the
penultimate year.
She’s a person full of energy, curiosity to learn and has facility to
build relationships.
So far, had 3 internships experiences during college, and only one
of them met their professional expectations.

4. One of the things that
influenced my university
course was Law & Order.
Other was what my
mother talked about it!
I’m a relational person!
I’ve always had curiosity
about human behavior!
Until high school, I
thought about doing
another courses, but
they were always related
to people
Philosophy classes
helped me to choose
psycology course!
If I hadn’t chosen
psychology, I would have
done physiotherapy!
My school had no work
on career guidance!
Sometimes, a doubt hits
me if I have all the skills
to pursue that
profession!
Insecurity during this
selection process hits
everyone, isn’t it?
Maybe I should have
done vocational
guidance, but it wouldn’t
change my choice!
I believe I know very well
my career options. There
are many!
The disciplines of the
college undergo these
career options. But
some areas are elective,
so those who do not
want, does not get to
know these options
very well.
I talk about career options with my teachers, intern
colleagues and other known people. I always looked
for them spontaneously, I’m curious, that happened
naturally.
I chose an work area that in addition to being
interesting, is one that has better payments. Money
weighs in choice. I do not want a profession that
does not have financial security. Is not decisive, but
it weighs.
There are specific areas
within organizational
psychology that would
like to know more, such
as coaching.
Everyone I know feel
that my course in
college are lacking
knowledge about how
the psychology happens
the organization. The
focus of the colleges,
my included, is still
clinical psychology.
In college, in no area
you come out ready to
work in the area. You go
out with general
notions of how to think.
I ended up learning
much of it on the
internships.
There is a gap between
what college teaches
and what happens in
business. Different
situations happens in
the real world!
The internship I am
now doesn’t motivate
me. There is nothing to
do with anything what I
learned. I hope I get
another opportunity
soon that has more to
do with what I want.
I hope to contribute with my experiences at work and
that I learn through new experiences. Most of my
colleagues expects it too - some of them just want to
make money and period.
One of my internships
was very worthwhile. I
was amazed! It was
passionate. I knew I
wanted to do that for
the rest of my life!
Empathy Map:
SAY / DO Optional (Quotes & Observations)
I had no great difficulty
in integrating in the
workplace during my
internships, because
I’m very relational. But
it happened that I did
not adapt to the culture
of the company!

5. In search for a job, I usually look for
people who are already working and
deliver my CVs. I also register it directly
on the companies' websites.
Writing my CV was a little confusing. I confess I was
insecure. I talked with friends, but never compared to
anyone. My father helped me with that. It would be nice
to know what people who select are looking for!
I think companies that
only selects nominees
does not give a chance
to hire people who can
be very talented!
In my first interview I
tried to go dressed
accordingly, to be
concentrated and be
myself!
The interview setting is bad! You get in the waiting
room with others who are competing for the same
position thinking “would I be the one?". What helps me
is being confident, knowing that I am able to do it!
Many companies never
returned! Most just
don’t. And this is
something that I have
for me, if I work with
hiring it will be return
either by email or by
phone! It is a terrible
thing not to receive
feedback!
I think the company
loses the credibility of
the HR work not to
return! No need to call!
At least send an email
warning! Any type of
communication is valid!
No need to spoil the
candidate, but must
notify!
If change its mind, the
company can call back
the candidate to the
process! It is best to
communicate more
than no communication
at all!
In my opinion, the market lacks transparency! Nobody cares about the other. It's
complicated, you can’t give feedback one by one but the image of the company that
does not give it loses credibility for me!
I've felt treated unfairly
in a hiring process in
the past. Sometimes
you do not receive
direct feedback, but
gets by another person
in the company in a
informal way. It’s
worse!
When I receive an email
from the company with
the feedback of the
process I feel the most
important person in the
universe! Seriously! And
I give credibility to this
company!
You can not give specific
feedback, have
specialized professionals
for it is not the role of
the company for that.
But an email if it was
approved or not! It costs
nothing!
In my course, colleges
should better distribute
the focus among the
future career options! It
still focuses so much on
clinical psychology!
The college could help in skills development such as
self-confidence, how to behave at work, this sort of
thing. Today, I think this learning area is very poor.
College leaves much to be desired in that! There had
to be initiatives to prepare for the market.
Things like relationship with your boss, can only be
learned in practice. Each boss is a different boss. The
basics you have to know: respect, subordination. But
how will be the day-to-day you learn only in practice.
In my opinion, the
college does not see it’s
role in developing
behavioral skills.
The college prepares you
well on the technical
side. But the rest you
have to figure out on
your own!
Empathy Map:
SAY / DO (Optional)
At first, I was seeking
work on the first years of
college and found that
they only hired people
from 3rd year an so on.

6. Empathy Map:
THINK / FEEL (Inferences)
M.S. choice for
psychology was
influenced both by the
culture environment she
was inserted, her family
and interest of human
behavior.
Her way of being
relational also influeced
her potential choices.
She does not have a lot o
doubts, even considering
that she was insecure
sometimes during this
process!
She knows what career
options she has by what
she heard throught
university disciplines
and known people that
work in the field. But
did not have the chance
to try most of its
options in a pratical
way!
Her university does not
helped to know
professionals of different
areas, except for its own
teachers.
Her university does not
value equally the
different fields of
psychology. It’s focus is
on clinical psychology.
To know other fields,
the student has to look
over elective disciplines
or find it another way!
Internships are a good
way to find out what
field the students would
enjoy most. The quality of internship are diverse. Some of them
is very good and really helps students to learn about
the field. Others have no application of the are –
usually these companies are looking for a cheap
workforce to work on administrative positions.
Her univesity program
are not able to cover a
pratical way of whats
happens in the work
environment. It’s
program tend to be
theoretical.
Money is not the first
thing, but weights on the
choice of what to do in
the school-to-work
transition.
What most matter when
thinking about work is
the chance to learn and
have new experiences.
Usually, the professional
market requires
experience. At the same
time, most of
companies only hire
after 3º year of
university.
A lot of students just
don’t know how his first
interview would be.
Don’t know how to
dress, what to speak of.
The same happens
when writing it’s CV. In
general, the university
does not talk about
this.
Interview setting does
not help students /
candidates to be
theirselves.
Interview feedback
process of most
companies is a bad
experience for
students. Most just
does not give any
feedback! This hurts its
reputation with the
students also when
they are being
customers of its brands.
Interview feedback
process is important and
could be easily done by
companies. Candidates
appreciate tee feedback.
Interview process should
have more transparency!
Colleges could have a
skill development
program to help
students perform better
during interviews and
the adaption process.
Colleges could present
better the different
possible career paths.
Colleges should present
what is expected for
new employees.
Universities should have
a closer relation with
companies.
Colleges could
antecipate what kind of
things students will be
dealing in their first job
experinces such as boss
relationships and team
work.
Inferences marked with this red star was used as a direct insight to build the
problem statement presented in the next slide

7. PROBLEM STATEMENT
M.S. needs a way to better understand the work
organization environment, it’s opportunities and it’s
expectations from their prospective employees in
order that she can adapt rapdly in university-to-
work transition
stakeholder need
Insight based on inferences marked with red star previous slide

8. Gabriel R. Lucas
Design Thinking Action Lab
August 2013
Thanks!