Fighting For It

By Corinne Feight

My favorite author once wrote, “You’re supposed to fail sometimes. It’s a required part of the human existence.” I cannot even begin to explain how true that really is. I feel like the more I apply to jobs, the louder the silence gets. We just throw it out there, right? Send it out into cyberspace, hoping that someone, somewhere, will take the time to see the passion behind every word.

Yet, the worst part isn’t even the waiting. The worst part about the job search is the fact that first impressions are everything. Many times, we are unable to really prove ourselves in the forty-five minute time slot we are given, if we even make it to that point. And it’s really a near impossible task if you think about it. I salute those who can walk in with ease and confidence. It’s really like being asked to take the last 21 years of my class and crush them into concise, coherent sentences that matter. That’s the hitch right there: that matter. Isn’t that relative?

Most of the time we are unable to even speak for ourselves, having to let our written words and résumé stand in for the entirety of our character. For me? I think it’s extremely unfair when people make assumptions about others when they are unable to even experience their full potential. But I guess that’s the hardest part of the professional world. I think we all believe that if given the chance, we could prove ourselves. Still, the hardest part is getting our foot in the door.

I believe that our skills, aptitudes and countenances should be the only considerations. It’s difficult when someone tells you you can’t handle a task or a job. I applied for a reason. I know my own limits and capabilities. Don’t try to tell what I can and cannot take on. That’s what bothers me. So many of us are qualified and able candidates, but unfair assumptions taint these opportunities. And there’s the catch twenty-two. If you don’t have experience you can’t get a job, but if you don’t have a job you can never gain the experience.

And nobody said it was easy, cause it’s not—not even close. I guess that should only make us try harder. Push more. Fight. Keep applying. Because one day we’ll finally get the chance we deserve and we’ll be made that much stronger because of it.

You are not just your major.

By Yameng Zhang

“Hi, I am Yameng, a communication major senior.”

Do I only have the skills my major suggests? I don’t want to say yes.

One of my classmates told me that he got an interview a sales position in an electricity company. I asked "why did you go for a sales position? You are a PR major."

“Because I can be a salesman as well."

Your major won't decide your specialty, neither YOUR job market; don't take this the wrong way, because what I am saying is a positive thing.

-          Don't be limited by your major.

Nobody says people who study engineering can only be engineers.

You are the one who knows what you can do.

How specialized you are depends on the way you market for your professional brand.

Explore your specialties based on your experiences, not your major.

-          Don't eliminate all the non-major options.

Narrow down your job searching scope by your experiences, not you major.

Look at the job descriptions instead of the title of the positions.

There are always more options than you think.

-          Don't let your major say things about you.

Market yourself on the direction you are looking for.

Emphasize what you are proud of, not the specialties your major labeled.

What you learned in school is not the only things you learned.

You can do more than you think you could.

-          Don't be shy to take on new things

Enthusiasm matters and that can be something that you are actually good at.

Go with your instincts, not let your past experience lead.

Every class you took in school was new at the beginning; you nailed it, which means something.

If you are looking for a job, you know you want a transformation to your life, why not try something new?

I have to say no, I can deal with math, I studied culture differences with my eyes, I know how to make a movie, I have an unique sense for antique, I can use Adobe Illustrator to make name tags, I can write blogs, I learned how to make career suggestions from my boss......

You have to admit you are more than your major, start exploring your other "majors". And don't forget to give the recruiters a preview of your potentials, marketing may not be your major, but marketing yourself should be something you nailed before job searching. 

LACD Events

I completely understand if everyone was too busy attending Advance Yourself, our graduate fair today, to read this blog. LACD events are such a blast! Today was my first time attending a fair as an intern. We’ve been working on planning this even since school started, and this week was crazier than ever trying to sort out all of the final details. But today was the big day!

If you haven’t already attended a fair at Purdue, I highly recommend that you take time out of your day to meet these recruiters who have traveled across the country just to talk to students like you! Our day started out extra early setting up tables, snacks, and welcome folders for each of the recruiters. They (mostly) arrived right on time, and began to set out all of their cool pamphlets and swag for students. My favorite was a highlighter shaped like a syringe from American University of the Caribbean Medical School.

Before the recruiters were even done setting up, students began to file in to the Union and gawk at all of the fancy displays and professionally dressed people around them. Luckily, you didn’t have to know much about Advance Yourself before attending. Students meandered through the maze of tables, shaking hands and giving out their emails for more information.

But what I noticed while there were lulls in students coming in was how disappointed the recruiters looked in between talking to people. All they really wanted was to be talking to students, and I think that’s the most important thing to remember. Don’t be scared to just walk up to a recruiter’s table and ask them questions about the programs that they offer, that’s what they’re there for and that’s what they enjoy. Leave all of your anxiety behind and take this chance to really learn some information that could end up shaping your future. Luckily for you, there’s a whole week of events like these coming up in the spring: Career Week! Us interns work extra hard trying to figure out what students like you would want to hear about, so show up to the things that sound interesting and let us know! I promise you won’t leave feeling disappointed.

Is Grad School for You?

With our Advance Yourself fair quickly approaching (it's tomorrow!), I've been forced to really think about my plans after college. I always assumed that I would go the usual route, graduate and then find a job. However, many students are choosing to attend grad schools after graduation instead. I have considered grad school and what it can offer me, but I honestly think it wouldn't be the right fit for me. There are four questions we should be asking ourselves in evaluating whether grad school would be a good option or not.

• Do I have the motivation for another two to seven years in school? This is a HUGE question that should be asked before any other questions are asked. Are you motivated to stay in school after completing your undergrad? Many students have that drive and want to continue their education. That's awesome but a lot of students are just ready to graduate and get straight into their careers. Maybe you're motivated right now but do you think you could stay motivated? For me, I doubt I could. I've been an undergrad for five years and I'm ready to graduate. For my best friend, she is completely motivated. She's also been in undergrad for five years but she is still set on attending grad school.
• Can I afford it? Unfortunately this is a realistic question that has to be asked. Money is a big issue in many student's lives and many can't afford to continue. In this day and age, some people may decide not to go to grad school right away but instead return when they are more financially stable. This is a great option if going to grad school right away isn't feasible.
• Do I want to go to grad school for the right reasons? Are you choosing grad school because your parents are expecting you to or you don't know what you want to do in life? Not such a great reason. Do you have intellectual curiosity and are seeking professional advancement? Then grad school is the place for you. Graduate school requires an intense amount of time and money (as previously stated) and if you're not sure about your reasons for going, you should wait.
• What are my career goals and will graduate school assist me in meeting those goals? Obviously there are career paths such as medicine, dentistry and law that require education beyond a bachelor's degree. This requires you to attend grad school. If you are passionate about a career path related to a degree that requires higher education then you will be expected to attend grad school. Other career paths such as college professor, researcher or psychologist also require further education. Take a good, hard look at what you want to be doing in life and where you want to be in the next couple of years.

These are just four basic questions you can ask yourself to see if grad school is the place for you. There are many resources available online that can help you decide further. Still not sure? Attend the grad school fair! You can get the chance to talk to recruiters and see what they have to offer in your field of study. It's always a good idea to look at your options and seek out more information.

Taken and edited from http://gradschool.about.com/cs/shouldyougo/a/should.htm

The use of LinkedIn

As we are starting our 6^th week of school here at Purdue, classes have begun to pick up for everyone. Before we know it, midterms will be rolling around the corner making things even tougher. Lets face it; we wouldn’t be college students if we were not procrastinating. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and more all can distract you from accomplishing your tasks. And we all know people have at least one or all of the social media. One social media people forget about is LinkedIn.

LinkedIn is a mix of social and professional media people use to stay connected- especially to old coworkers, bosses, and much more. It is a tool people can use to find job information, stay in touch with people to get a different job and much more. It is basically the Facebook of professional connections. Here are a few tips on getting the most out of your LinkedIn account.

 Personalize your connections. If you are going to add someone you found that you worked for 2 years ago, always add a personal tag to show interest in the person. It will always make them feel great you remembered the person. They are more likely to remember you as well.

Complete your profile. Remember, LinkedIn is a professional site where one can get jobs! So always, always, always have an updated resume and profile. It if is unfinished, people will assume you are lazy and “don’t have the time to put the effort in.”

Professional Photo. Facebook is for the fun, laid back photos. Stay professional by using a nice, clean photo of yourself where you are not with your friends, drinking and partying. It looks really bad to employers looking at your site. It screams unprofessional.

Re-post or post professional thoughts. The more active you use your profile, the better and more professional it looks. Follow some of your favorite professional people and see what they have to say. It can never hurt to know more about the professional world since we are all going to graduate one day!

The Kick Off

By Corinne Feight

More or less for the last few weeks, everything for the upcoming Liberal Arts Career Week has been in the conceptual stage. What do we want to do for the overall theme? How do we want to categorize the days? How does the theme relate to the order of events? I have been doing a lot of thinking, trying to figure out how to top the last career weeks, how to make this one the best yet. It is still a little difficult for me to conceptualize as I stare at these huge binders, containing every scrap of paper from the years in the past. And it’s great, don’t get me wrong. They are an amazing resource, probably even one that to an extent I haven’t comprehended yet. They have every team meeting, schedule, spreadsheet, and letter I could ever want. But maybe, it’s the fact that it’s so much. Where’s my starting place? How can I make this vision a reality?

This week we really started hitting it hard. Career Week is months away, but it is very much present in my every day thoughts. I cannot believe the tenacity of the students who ran the Industrial Round Table and SMEF, having only four weeks to figure out schedules, arrange volunteers, and put together all of the logistics for each company’s arrival. That, to me, is borderline impossible (and equally impressive), yet as far as I knew, those fairs went off without a hitch.

It’s my senior year, which is unbelievable to me. I haven’t really grasped the fact that by this time next year I should be living on my own and in a full-time position. I am beyond excited, but also nervous. I think that planning this career week will keep me grounded,  help me make connections, and provide valuable opportunities for me to network. I am excited to see how I grow during this process and what new skills I'll have developed when I'm standing at the end. In the weeks ahead, I expect to dive further in, as I begin to pull the far-reaching pieces closer and closer together.

Graduate School?

By Yameng Zhang

Graduate school is an option that every college student would better make before the senior year. Like I said, it is an option, not a backup plan. Although this is that kind of option that has too many strings attached. Money, time, publications, competitions, grades, moreover, the worth of that master degree, those seem like the things that is nagging us in college, however, they will become more serious in graduate school, believe it or not, they might push you to new stress level before you know it.

There are things we’d better clarify for ourselves about graduate school.

1.       A master degree sounds better.

It is understandable that higher education is a mean to a better self. However, what we need to clarify here is that the degree may make you look better, but that should not be the reason you go for it.

2.       It is not a job pass.

We may have been told that it is easier to get a job with a master degree and employees with master degrees would be paid more than those who don’t have one. Well, that is not the case for all the companies. What we should keep in mind is that we may be giving up the 2 or more years of work experience over a master degree, and that work experience may worth more than the years in graduate schools.

3.       You are still in school.

This is crucial, especially for girls. There is a possibility that when you are still working late for your exams, your former classmates are making money, getting married and having kids. If that does not scare you, what about the fact that you will be mostly expending while they are earning like adults to build for their futures. Keep that in mind so that when people ask what you are doing, you can answer that you are in school proudly.

4.       You are happy or they are happy?

Don’t be too altruistic at this. Think legitimately and rational. If you are choosing graduate school to please someone, you will regret because it can be much harder than you thought. Having your loved ones at the first place is sweet and may make you a better person, however, keep in mind the commitment you will be giving, it is a state of life for the coming 2 or more years we are talking about.

5.       Do you do like studying as a student?

If your answer is yes and you are doing great in college, then I think you don’t need to read through this to get another view of graduate schools. If you need to think about the question, then you may need to think thoroughly by considering your expectation of a graduate school.

Don’t be the one who goes to a graduate school for the fear of the job market, because we have to come out of school someday. “Graduate school or not” is a question that is never too early to think about, because I know I would not like to go for a backup plan. 

Telling Your Story

For me, the most time consuming aspect of applying for jobs is writing the cover letter. I’m really not a fan of them in general, but I understand why they’re so important for a company. Cover letters give you the chance to tell your story in relation to the aspects you can bring to the position you’re applying for. The most common mistake that students make when writing a cover letter is repeating too much of their resume. Although you want to include important positions or objectives that you’ve achieved, you have to remember that your resume is attached. Use this chance to elaborate a little more on your accomplishments that relate most closely to the position and explain how you would bring value to the company.

When addressing a cover letter, always try to find a specific person to send it to. ‘To whom it may concern’ is generic and boring. If it isn’t listed on the job posting, you could always look online or call the company and ask who is responsible for hiring in this position. You can remain anonymous when you make the call, but then at least it shows that you took the time to find out who is in charge. Always use standard business block format for the company’s address and the recruiter’s information.

Starting off the first paragraph can be difficult, but whatever you do, don’t start with ‘my name is…’ It’s unnecessary because your name is already all over your application. Instead, tell them why you’re writing the cover letter. Make sure to use language specific to the industry and the company you’re applying for. The second sentence should be either something you know about the company (like a current event or what you like about their corporate culture) using any name-dropping that you can. Try to use this paragraph to connect with the recruiter on a more personal level.

The second paragraph is where you should start listing your special abilities. Match your skills to the needs listed in the job listing, and give evidence that you have these skills. This section can be bullet pointed if that fits the company culture. Make sure you’re getting to the point and not being too wordy, but still doing it in a way that allows you to tell your story. Most importantly, make sure you’re not just copying and pasting things from your resume in this section.

Lastly, summarize what you want or even just blatantly ask for the job. Again, this has to match not only your personality but the style of the industry as well. If being bold is valued and a quality that you have, then go for it! Don’t forget to include contact information and the best times to reach you as well. Thank them, and let them know you’ll be excited to hear from them soon… but don’t sound like a stalker.

Proof read the whole thing several times, and then send it! Now that wasn’t so bad… right?

Relax and Restart

As the weeks of classes go by and midterms quickly approach, we may feel the need to rush and get things done. Of course we should be meeting our deadlines but we should never forget to take some moments to relax and then restart. I know I have the tendency to stuff too much things into my schedule and try to get them all finished. This may result in me having a burnout or even getting sick from too much stress. I have to constantly remind myself to take maybe even half an hour to relax, read a book, do something not related to school.
Relaxing allows us to recharge our batteries and refresh our minds. After working on a project or assignment for a couple of hours, you should take a break and step away from the project. Then restart. This will help bring a fresh perspective to the situation and it will definitely help with any frustrations that may be building help.
"But there's no time!" you might say. Well make time. Perhaps before bed, take some time to read a book or do a Sudoku puzzle. Wake up half an hour earlier and do some yoga before starting the day. There are many ways to put some relax time into your day. It's something I believe is very important and something we should be incorporating into the hustle and bustle of our daily lives. I know tonight I'll be curling up with a book and a cup of tea after finishing a busy day. Then I'll be ready to take on the world Thursday morning, relaxed and restarted!

Following your Dreams

Parents always tell children they can do what ever they want if they follow their dreams. Yes, it can be hard and there can be struggle, but in the end, I believe you will end up with what you really wanted. Life is too short, do what you really want to do, what you have a passion for, what really makes you, you. Do you really want to look back one day at your life and say, “if only” or “what if?” That question can really hurt someone. Think they didn’t do what they were meant to do. It might be hard or hard for someone else to accept that you want to do something totally different with your life than the social norm, parent’s norm, or even your sibling’s norm. Break free and do what you love. You could regret it one day. No one wants to be in a job where you hate what you are doing.

If it comes to you hating what you are doing, take a second and evaluate your life. Realize it is not the end of the world if you are doing something you personally think is not right for you. It could be what you parents want, but is it really what you want? Since being in college, I know I wanted to pick something that interests me, that I know I can do it, and that I understand that choice. Before choosing a career path, look farther down the road, see what kind of jobs are out there with that major. See if you are really up to doing those hours, the type of work, where it can take you and more. Once you have decided, it can never ever hurt if you get an internship around that major. The internship can help you realize if the job is really what you want. It can also help you decide if you want to go a certain way with a major or another way. For me, I am a graphic designer. I have had an internship over the summer where I was originally worried I would not like the work I was doing. It turned out, I loved what I was doing and want to stay with that certain path of poster design. I also love website coding, but realized with my internship I am more versatile than I originally thought. So over all, always do what YOU want, not what others expect you to want, take a rise and don’t ask “what if”, and do research on what really excites you.

How to Prepare for an Interview

Interviewing for a job can be one of the most intimidating aspects of searching for a job. Sometimes it feels like all interviews consist of are firm handshakes, fake smiles, and lots of difficult questions. In the past, I have had the opportunity to experience what it is like to hire someone. Last semester, I was able to help interview potential new interns, and I learned a lot from the experience. So here is the behind-the-scenes scoop on what employers are looking for:

1. Your Entrance
This may sound awful, but interviewers really do judge you within the first three seconds of meeting you. So make those moments matter. The best way to enter a room is with confidence and a smile. If you can get your interviewer to like you right away, you are off to an excellent start.

2. Do Your Research
Know what kind of position you are applying for. It looks extremely unprofessional when a person walks into an interview and has no idea what kind of services the company offers. Visit the company's website several times, and make sure you have a basic understanding of what kind of work takes place there. Also, if at all possible try to research the company's "personality." Every office has a specific vibe or feel, so make sure you hone in on that.

3. Be Passionate
If you are enthusiastic about the work, an employer will pick up on that. Companies want to hire people who enjoy coming to work each day, so if you prove that you are interested in the work you will be doing, you are much more likely to land the job.

4. Be Real
When you are asked a question in an interview, try to always give an honest answer. Interviewers can tell when you are just trying to say anything that will get you hired. Acting yourself in an interview is the best way to tell if this particular company is a good fit for you.

5. Stand Out
 Don't be afraid to let yourself shine. Be vocal about the skills you are good at, and explain how this will be beneficial to your employer. Chances are you are not the only person applying for the job, and you want to make yourself their best possible option.

The Follow Up

By Corinne Feight

According to an article written by the Robert Half International firm titled, “6 Tips for Acing the Post-Interview Thank You,” the aftermath of an interview is one of the most important parts for putting your best foot forward after the career fair. Your work is not yet done! According to the article, “91 percent of managers believe it’s helpful for job candidates to show their appreciation after an interview.” Yet, not every candidate will remember to follow these steps, ensuring that you do will get you closer to that end goal.

However, though extending a branch to your interviewer is important, do not bombard them right after the interview. As Lisa Snodgrass aptly informed me, this only shows them that you took five minutes to consider the interview and respond when they may have taken an hour. Try instead to wait 24-48 hours and give them the response and thank you they deserve.

Here are the six tips:

1.     Choose the right medium. The article states that e-mail is ranked first, then phone call, handwritten note, and social media message.

2.     Act fast. You want your interviewee to remember you. Contact them within one to two days after the interview.

3.     Keep it concise. Remain focused in your message. There is no need to ramble on. Relate to the employer your enthusiasm about the company, position, and your appreciation. Consider hitting your top selling points again as a reminder.

4.     Share the love. Did you come in contact with multiple people during the interview process? Show them all that you remember and appreciate their time. Maybe a phone call to your main contact and a letter to any others. Remember to make these unique to each conversation and interaction.

5.     No grammar mistakes or typos. Proofread, proofread, proofread. Ask someone else to look your work over. Any errors can seriously lessen your chance of getting the job or opportunity.

6.     Practice good penmanship. If using a handwritten note, make sure it is legible and on quality paper that shows you took the extra time. Consider working with personalized stationary.

Interviews provide no guarantee. However, through my (chaotic!) career week process, I have tried to follow the words of Steve Martin, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” Remember that these six tips for after the interview can really help you to continue heading in a positive direction. Good luck to anyone at Purdue who interviewed and is still working to find his/her perfect fit.

Source: http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-3091-Interviewing-6-tips-for-acing-the-post-interview-thank-you/?SiteId=cbmsnhp43091&sc_extcmp=JS_3091_home1

International students, don't you just hate career fairs?

By Yameng Zhang

This is the season of career fairs. All those great companies come and students stand in line waiting to talk to those representatives. Everyone dresses up and hold their leather folders, ready to pitch about the greatness of themselves. I walked across campus, I saw those ambitious young adults striving for their future, which anomaly made me sweat.

As an international student myself, there are obstacles that stand in my way of job seeking. Language, identity, visa, the fear of not getting a job as well as the fear of getting one, they all came up and are prepared to take me down. Imagine you are the HR director of a big company, with all those newly graduate students striving for career opportunities in your company. You don’t need to deal with their visa status, consider about their language fluency, not even mention the culture differences for domestic students; compare to the international students, they need H1B visa to be employed in the US, they have linguistic barrier and acculturation issues, which group of students would you prefer to hire?

The answer is almost obvious. Therefore, for those international students, why even bother to dress up and bear the nerves and talk to those HR representatives about the subtle possibility of choosing them instead of the American students? I know I have my reasons.

It is not an easy decision to make when I determined to leave my family for 4 years, it is also not an easy thing to ace in classes taught in another language, and it is definitely not easy to stand beside English speakers to brag about my competency to compete with them. However, I made it so far and I won’t let all the efforts end up in vain. That’s why I have to have the nuts to go to career fairs.

I have to prove to everyone that I have what it takes to work as competitive as American students. I have to show that I worth more than the cost of hiring an international student, so that I can be chose over the other American students. Confidence comes from the efforts we have put to ace in classes, comes from the fact I came over all barriers, comes from the affluent, professional experiences and the evidences prove that I am graduating with nothing inferior than the others.

This is what it takes to be an international student in the job market. Be confident for all the qualities you have, be brave to confront with the domestic competitors, be strong to attend the next career fair even after you are rejected for your identity, be the one that never gives up on yourself because only you know what it takes to be an international student.

From the Recruiters…

It’s career fair week! If you’re an upperclassman looking for internships or careers, you probably already knew that. But if you have time to read this blog between standing in lines to talk to recruiters and trying not to think about how your heels are causing you to lose circulation in your toes, then you may learn a few helpful tips straight from a recruiter. I’m lucky enough to currently be enrolled in GS 415, a job seeking strategies class that specifically focuses on helping graduating seniors brand themselves in an employer-friendly fashion. Yesterday, we had a guest speaker who was here for recruiting events answer questions for our class on anything you should know before a job fair. Although these aren’t true for every recruiter, it was helpful to hear the opinions of one.

• GPA isn’t as important for some companies. If your GPA is poor, don’t hesitate to put your program GPA on your resume rather than your total GPA if it’s better. This can be calculated by obtaining your major requirements sheet from the guidance office, writing down your grades, and then totaling your GPA from those scores.

• Campus involvement is really important. Recruiters were college students once too, and know that outside of classes you do have free time. What recruiters want to see is that you did something in this time.

• Your resume should be flawless. This is the only sample of writing that they have from you, so it needs to be absolutely perfect if you want them to know that you have good written communication skills. If you’re 22 and still don’t know the difference between “your” and “you’re,” that’s probably not a learning curve that the company is comfortable with.

• Lastly, make sure you’re using the services at your disposal! If you’re reading the LACD careers page, that’s a good start. Make sure you’re having your resume reviewed by reliable sources, practice approaching recruiters by having mock-interviews, and network all you can on campus.

If you follow these tips, you should have a successful career fair! Take advantage of all the opportunities that Purdue offers, you never know which interview could actually lead to a full time job.