Career Advice College Students Actually Need: Make ThisMake Sense ep2 with Nicki Joiner

Former Fortune 100 recruiter turned career strategist NikkiJoiner pulls back the curtain on how hiring really works, sharing practical advice that helps students and early-career professionals stand out in an increasingly AI-driven job market. The conversation explores recruiting myths, networking, LinkedIn, interview strategies, and why treating your career like a long-term relationship—not a one-time job search—is the key to getting hired faster.

Topics:

💼 Recruiting Secrets 🤖 AI & Job Searching 🔗 LinkedIn Strategy 🎯 Interview Tips 🌱 Career Growth 🚀 Personal Branding 🎓 Helping Students Get Hired 💬 Networking That Works 📈 Standing Out in a Competitive Market

About Nicki Joiner:

Nicki’s mission in the world is to help people navigatetheir future careers with confidence and clarity. And she does that by providing relevant and tangible career advice to thousands of students and administrators every year.

With over a decade of experience in higher education andcorporate recruiting, she is able to effectively empower students to align their skills and passions with fulfilling career paths. She’s partnered with dozens of colleges/universities, non-profits, and youth organizations to guide students as they explore career opportunities and prepare for the professional world. Whether it’s landing that first internship or negotiating a job offer, she’s here to help students step into the future with clarity and confidence.

🔗 Connect with Nicki Joiner on Instagram: @howtheyhire https://www.instagram.com/howtheyhire/

Connect with Nicki Joiner on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickijoiner/

Nicki’s site: https://nickijoiner.com/ 

💬 Memorable Quotes

"Candidates don't have an agent—I wanted to become theperson who advocates for them."

"Recruiters aren't just reviewing applications—they'reactively searching for the right people."

"Your career isn't built by sending out hundreds ofapplications. It's built by positioning yourself to be found."

"Students don't need more motivation—they need someoneto show them how the hiring process actually works."

"The job search isn't just about getting your firstoffer. It's about building a career that grows with you."

🎧 Who Should Listen?

This episode is perfect for:

🎓 College students preparing for internships, their first job, or graduation.

💼 Recent graduates struggling to land interviews or navigate today's competitive job market.

🤝 Parents, professors, and career advisors who want practical insights to help students succeed.

📈 Anyone who's ever wondered, "Why am I not getting interviews?" and wants advice directly from someone who's been on the recruiting side of the table.

🔗 Connect with Make This Make Sense

If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe for moreepisodes where we break down the systems, trends, and ideas that shape our everyday lives with experts who make them make sense.

NOTE: The views expressed on Make This Make Sense are those of the hosts and guests and do not represent Florida Gulf Coast University or any other institution with which they are affiliated.

Copyright © 2026, Make This Make Sense Team. All RightsReserved. Reuse/remix allowed with attribution.

Chapters:

00:00:00 Welcome to Make This Make Sense 🎙️

00:02:00 Meet Nicki Joiner: From Fortune 1 Recruiter toCareer Coach 💼

00:02:31 Nicki's Career Journey & Breaking Into Recruiting 🚀

00:07:05 Why "Just Follow Your Passion" Is Bad Career Advice 🎯

00:10:29 Entrepreneurship vs. Traditional Careers 💡

00:18:50 Understanding Gen Z's View of Work 🌱

00:22:50 Salary Expectations & What Students Get Wrong 💰

00:26:01 Is College Still Worth It? And why internships areimportant 🎓

00:32:15 What Recruiters Actually Look For 🔍

00:42:48 Getting in touch with Nicki ⭐

00:46:04 Creating Your Own Opportunities 🚪

00:51:49 Final Thoughts 🎤

The Research behind Mansplaining: Make This Make Senseep1 with Dr. Chelsie Smith

In the debut episode of Make This Make Sense, hostsDr. Colleen Robb, Annie Stout, and Kelly Werder sit down with Dr. Chelsea Smith to unpack the research behind mansplaining, workplace incivility, and why seemingly small interactions can have lasting effects on employees. Throughresearch findings, personal stories, and practical advice, they explore how bias shows up at work, what organizations can do differently, and how anyone can become more aware of the everyday behaviors that shape workplace culture.

Topics:
🎙️New podcast launch 🚀  Workplace research 💼Mansplaining 🗣️  Gender bias ⚖️ Workplace incivility 🧠Psychology of communication 💭  Practical strategies 🤝Better workplace culture 🎓 Research made relatable✨

About Dr. Chelsie Smith:

Dr. Chelsie Smith is a Postdoctoral Research at theUniversity of Guelph in Ontario Canada. Her research interests include career sustainability; workplace mistreatment; speaking up or staying silent about negative workplace events; psychological safety and perceptions of injustice;organizational and leadership development; gender issues, including equity and access; and the transition to a hybrid workplace.

🔗 Dr. Chelsie Smith on Google Scholar:

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=VBHVujkAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

🔗 Connect with Dr. Smith on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsie-smith-4a6b7563/

🔗 Research and resources discussed during the interview:

Dr. Smith and colleagues’ paper: ‘Well,actually’: investigating mansplaining in the modern workplace: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-management-and-organization/article/well-actually-investigating-mansplaining-in-the-modern-workplace/19B44D34153E37F0C49A26BE8DDD2525    Let me mansplain: studies reveal impact of condescension, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/03/let-me-mansplain-studies-reveal-negative-impacts-of-behaviour (about Dr. Smith’s research with commentary from Rebecca Solnit). 

      Compentence-Questioning Communication and Gender: Exploring Mansplaining, Ignoring, and Interruption Behaviors: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10869-022-09871-7(research referenced by The Guardian)

Mansplaining is rude,belittling and not going away. Here’s how to shut it down, The Globe and Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-mansplaining-is-rude-belittling-and-not-going-away-heres-how-to-shut/

💬 Memorable Quotes from this episode:

"Intent is not part of the definition. People aren't necessarily intending to speak down to others—but the impact is still real."

"Never attribute malice to the person. The vast majority of times people are doing this accidentally and with the best intentions."

"It all comes down to setting the culture. Do people feel psychologically safe enough to speak up when something doesn't feel right?"

🔗 Connect with Make This Make Sense

If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe for moreepisodes where we break down the systems, trends, and ideas with experts who make them make sense.

NOTE: The views expressed on Make This Make Sense are those of the hosts and guests and do not represent Florida Gulf Coast University or any other institution with which they are affiliated.

Copyright © 2026, Make This Make Sense Team. All RightsReserved. Reuse/remix allowed with attribution.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro 🎙️

00:00:43 Meet the Hosts ☕

00:03:15 Dr. Chelsea Smith & Her Research Journey 🎓

00:07:30 What Is Mansplaining? (And What the Research Says) 📊

00:16:30 The Real Impact of Workplace Incivility 💼

00:29:00 Why These Behaviors Matter for Employees & Organizations ⚖️

00:39:42 What Leaders Can Do Better 👥

00:47:58 Advice for Students & Early Career Professionals 🚀

00:53:06 Final Takeaways 💡

Make This Make Sense brings together three Entrepreneurship professors unpack the systems, trends, and social dynamics everyone is confused about — with the women who actually understand them. Guests include academics and entrepreneurs covering various industries diving into the latest research and sharing their experiences.

Introducing your cohosts:

Dr Colleen Robb: Since Colleen started teaching entrepreneurship and business in 2004, she's never looked back. She's been involved in startups in the athletic, cosmetic, manufacturing, nonprofit, retail, and technology sectors, but loves teaching more than anything. She's been blessed to work with thousands of entrepreneurs, be they students, veterans, or community members to grow their businesses beyond what they thought is possible. Check out her blog which is loaded with years of lessons on entrepreneurship and teaching: www.colleenrobb.com

Annie Stout: For over a decade, Annie has developed entrepreneurship education at every level at Florida Gulf Coast University, starting from a single first-year course to establishing a Living-Learning Community and creating a faculty development program that integrates entrepreneurship across various disciplines, including Engineering, Math, Education, Health, Hospitality, Legal Studies, and Music.

Kelly Werder: Entrepreneurship Instructor turned crypto podcaster, Kelly Werder created the first Blockchain course for Entrepreneurs in a university Entrepreneurship program, leading to a first of its kind minor/concentration in Blockchain at Florida Gulf Coast University. Kelly left her full-time position in 2024 to focus on her livestream/podcast  @GMFarcaster  with her cofounder/cohost Adrienne, still streaming live 2x per week. Kelly is the production arm of this crazy MTMS experiment.

NOTE: The views expressed on Make This Make Sense are those of the hosts and guests and do not represent Florida Gulf Coast University or any other institution with which they are affiliated.

Learn more about the cohost and how we got her in this Make This Make Sense trailer and look for new episodes dropping each Wednesday starting July 1, 2026.