Counselor compiles success in book

Paul Carpino is a columnist, published author and UNLV's employer outreach and internship coordinator. Photo by: Devin Loretz

Since Web sites like Monster.com and Craigslist.org were created to simplify job search efforts, you’d think that an appointment with a career counselor would be as helpful as asking Congress to bail you out of student loans.

Think again.

Paul Carpino isn’t your average career counselor. Carpino is a columnist, published author and UNLV’s employer outreach and internship coordinator. And while he may not be able to authorize a bailout, he can give you career advice that is equally as valuable.

His career began at UNLV, where he graduated in 1974 with a bachelor’s in hospitality. After 10 years of the hospitality industry, he moved on to the telecommunications field. It was there he discovered his knack for giving effective career advice to his colleagues, and after 20 years of work, decided to return to school to study professional career counseling.

After earning his master’s, he worked as the director of career services for Flagler College, re-inventing their career services center. Eventually he returned to his alma mater. Currently he is working on February’s career fair, contacting employers who are looking to recruit students.

No matter which hat he wears, Carpino inspires students everyday with his innovative and truthful guidance, obtained either by appointment or by reading his recently published book, “Now, Launch Your Career.”

“Now, Launch Your Career” is a compilation of letters featuring career advice from some of the world’s top professionals, including Donald Trump, Manolo Blahnik and Cirque du Soleil CEO Daniel Lamarre.

The book originated from Carpino’s graduate studies in professional counseling and while putting together his thesis, Carpino asked himself, “What do people want to know about careers that they can’t look up on the Web?”

When writing letters to some of the most successful people in the world, Carpino made his objective clear. “This isn’t for me, this is for my students.”

In addition to his humility, Carpino credits his timing with the success of the responses.

“I didn’t know I was contacting them at an accessible, prosperous time that allowed them to respond personally,” he said. “If I tried contacting Trump today, there’d be no way of getting through all his people.”

His letter included three questions: What do you like about your career? What don’t you like about your career? How did you decide on or break into your career?

The questions made enough impact to provoke responses from some of the most recognizable businesspeople.

“Could you imagine how it felt to receive a letter from Manolo Blahnik? Or to read a hand-written letter from Dr. Patch Adams?” Carpino said with excitement. “Some of the more low-key professionals couldn’t believe they were featured alongside such names.”

In addition to his book, Carpino writes a monthly column on VegasCommunityOnline.com, a Web site that provides an outlet for Las Vegans to share their entertainment, health and networking tips.

“The editor was impressed with my work and my involvement with Las Vegas, so I decided to take the opportunity to write a column…it’s my way of giving back to the community.”

His column, where he is known as the “Career Curator,” features even more of his innovative career advice, like which words to include in online applications, how to examine a job’s culture before becoming a part of it and different networking methods.

“Paul is like an encyclopedia, he has all the answers and experience to support it,” said co-worker Toni Lee. “And if he doesn’t have an answer, he’ll find it. Students appreciate that…every time a student leaves his office, they have a smile on their face.”

Carpino admits, while studying to become a professional counselor, he first contemplated consulting corporate management.

“I thought I was going to stay in the corporate field and consult CEOs and such, but higher management isn’t very likely to take advice…Whereas in a university setting, students are hungry and are willing to listen.”

So what does Carpino recommend to students to help them find what they’re passionate about?

“The best thing I did for my career was to stop ignoring my colleagues.” Carpino explained that prior to becoming a counselor he worked in the sales/marketing department in telecommunications, and often his colleagues asked him for career advice.

“They were always asking me, ‘How do I get promoted? How do I get transferred?’ So I made a decision to leave the corporate world and go to grad school to prepare myself to become a counselor.”