Dominique Cytryn

Mentorship Commitment Preference: Engage in a long-term mentorship (connect with your mentee throughout the semester, outside of LinkUp events — frequency and format are flexible). Available for online and in-person mentoring.

Industry: Legal

Job Title: Benefits Specialist

Areas Dominique is interested in mentoring: 

• Resume Review
• Internship Guidance
• Work-life Balance
• Career Planning
• Networking Strategies
• Interview Preparation
• Skill Development
• Communication Skills
• Time Management
• Goal Setting and Motivation
• Graduate School Advice 

Bio: Dominique Cytryn, MRHM, BA Psychology '20, is a Benefits Specialist in Washington, DC with a working background in healthcare, non-profits, government contracting, and big law. Dominique’s work in disability advocacy has helped create trainings, resources, and employee resource groups for various corporations in the United States and Canada. Her background knowledge in psychology from her bachelor's earned at George Mason University helps provide insight into various disabilities and Neurodivergence, which she uses to help create equitable and safe work environments. She hopes to utilize her background in Human Resources and life experience as a disabled person to help guide students through the job seeking process, advocate for their access needs, and provide guidance on career goals. In her free time, Dominique is an avid weightlifter, artist, crafter, and book binder. 

If you were starting your career today, what is the one piece of advice you would give yourself? If I were starting my career today, I wish I would have learned how to answer specific questions in the interview process, negotiate my salary and benefits, ask for accommodations, and how to set and follow career goals for myself.

In what ways has your career path been unique or unconventional? I was an undergraduate student for ten years, which delayed my corporate working opportunity. However, I spent tireless nights writing papers and working on group projects, doing my best to keep my GPA up. There were moments where I wanted to give up, but there was always a part of me that said to keep going. By listening to my little voice of resilience, I ended up landing an internship, which inevitably led me to my first career role. I am always proud of being able to push myself through hard circumstances. My best advice is just to keep going; keep trying.

What career paths have you explored or transitioned between? Originally, I wanted to be an art therapist, but learned through classwork that unfortunately my dream role did not meet my salary expectations. From there, I pivoted into HR since research had shown me many psychology majors followed that path. 

What skills or experiences have been most valuable in your career?

• Creativity
• Divergent Thinking
• Collaboration
• Active Listening
• Problem Solving
• Data Analysis
• Mentoring
• Coaching
• Reliability
• Customer Service
• Empathy

Dominique is open to participating in informational interviews