Live Your Brand

By: Teri Grimes

Alright… I’ve spent all semester blogging about the steps you can take in your professional life to build a brand and put together pieces that really represent you as a person. We’re getting even closer to the end of the year and for us December grads it’s come time to finally showcase what we’ve learned and dip our feet in to the waters of our chosen field. The most important thing to remember when showing recruiters your portfolio is to live the brand that you’ve created for yourself and be authentic while doing it. Nothing kills your credibility more than trying to be someone you’re not when talking to someone who could potentially be a future employer. The following is a list of tips to use when showcasing your print portfolio to an audience:

-       Be yourself. Live your brand, but make sure the brand you’ve created is true to who you are both personally and professionally.

-       Know every document that’s in your portfolio, and how to find it without stumbling around and flipping through a ton of pages

-       Introduce what you’re going to be taking about first, then ask if the recruiter would like to see an example of this, and then pull it out of your portfolio. This keeps the recruiter from just flipping through the rest of your pages while you’re talking and not really listening to what you have to say.

-       Explain why each piece is relevant to the talents you have to showcase. It’s great if you have an impressive work in the binder, but it’s better if you can explain its creation in a C-A-R story that applies back to the position you’re up for.

-       Be confident in what you’re presenting! You chose to put it in the portfolio for a reason, so make sure you let them know that this is a collection of work you’re proud of.

Print portfolios are greatly underutilized in interview situations, and can really give you a leg up on the competition if you build it correctly. Continue your professional branding on to the pieces you’ve created, and arrange everything in the binder with a specific order in mind that you can explain to anyone viewing it. Once you have developed a print portfolio you’re proud of, show it off! It could really help you land that first job.

Personal Branding (Part 1)

By Sarah-Jean Murray

In the past few years social media has become more important in the career world and so has personal branding. Personal branding is crucial for companies looking to hire you. You want something about yourself to stick out and be remembered. We are in the day and age when our opinions and activity online are very visible so why don't we use that to get hired? There are several steps to begin the personal branding process as well as many resources that can help you be more visible online and more attractive to recruiters and companies.

The first step of course is to discover who you are. These seems like a huge task right off the bat. Many people make the mistake of branding themselves simply because they have to or for the sake of doing it. You need to take the time to decide who you are and what your brand should be. What are the most important aspects of your personality? What is your passion in life? This is the time to set goals for yourself and plan out what you want for the future. What drives you in life? You need to make your self impression equal how others perceive you. Your brand is going to represent who you are so make it a good one.

The next step is to create your personal brand. You will be creating a personal branding tool kit. These are the tools to help you build your brand, network and establish how you want others to perceive you.

• Business cards - This is a very important tool. As college students and soon to be graduates this will be on the most effective ways to network and gain those connections. This should contain your preferred contact information, including an online portfolio (if you have one). Keep it simple. This is just a way to keep your information handy. There's not need to cram a lot of stuff onto such a small space.
• Resume/cover letter - Both of these are very important to have on hand. How else are you going to apply to jobs? Your resume and cover letter should reflect your personal style (but don't get too crazy) and should involve your most pertinent information such as education, job history and skills. Employers want to see what you've done and what you can do. Remember to customize your cover letter to each job you are applying to. 
• Portfolio/website - Having a portfolio is a great way to showcase what you've done. Show projects you've worked on in the past as this is an effective way to convince potential employers that you can do the same in the future. Having your own domain name for your website is a good way to keep your personal brand in plain view.

Always remember to keep your personal branding the same between the different sections of your tool kit the same. Develop a logo or a theme and keep it the same on your business card, resume and website. This makes you look organized and more professional.

Next week I'll be talking a little more about social media and how you can involve different social media sites in your personal branding.

Source: http://mashable.com/2009/02/05/personal-branding-101/

Professional Job Seekers

By: Samantha Werry

What does it really take to get a job? According to J.T. O’Donnell, he states that 58% of job seekers are taking advice from the wrong person.

O’Donnell states “58% of job seekers said they are using their own experience to map out and execute their job search. Meaning, they aren’t getting help from proven experts on the subject because they feel they are skilled enough to find work on their own.” Throughout his article, he has made it recognized that people are tying to find jobs on their own instead of using professional help. The professional help he is talking about isn’t just getting a resume edited, but hiring certain skilled people to look for relatable jobs for the person in need of help. He makes it known that people don’t pull their own teeth or cast their own arm, so why not get help finding a job when it’s not your area of expertise?

I would be one of the 58% who have been searching for a job all by myself. I never really thought about getting an expert to help me find what I am looking for. After reading his article, it opened my eyes to the possibilities out there. I also have learned quite a deal about what these professionals would do for me from understanding what it takes to build and execute a proper job search strategy. I was unaware of such professional help for this type of ordeal. I have only thought about Careerbuilder, InDeed, Monster and other job posting websites available to everyone for help. I have realized the benefits and drawbacks of using those websites. Those sites go through thousands upon thousands of resumes just to find the right person for the job. That gives my chances of actually getting an interview to be even smaller.

O’Donnell also mentioned the poor hiring practices are a problem. He believes it is not just the employers looking for a new worker being the problem, but you are the problem. Be believes that people tend to think that the employers could do a better job of seeing a candidate’s potential, but in fact, people need to do a better job at proving themselves to the people in need of help. Recruiters are the ones in need of a person to work there, but they are also going to be looking through multiple candidates, they have the money to spend on you, and they are the consumers to buy your services. They deserve to be a little bit picky because they know what they want. He and I believe that people need to learn how to prove to them we are what they need for their company to work better.

The message from this post is to get out there and get help from professionals who know exactly what to do. Lets face it, it is hard and scary looking to find a job that will fit you and you fit them. I know I have been nervous looking for certain jobs, but now realize there is help out their for me So for me, I am defiantly going to keep my options open to using someone of expertise to help me with finding a job.



Source: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20121102124443-7668018-58-job-seekers-shooting-themselves-in-the-foot

How to be a Leader

Every organization or group of people needs a leader; Someone who holds a superior position to their coworkers that allows them to oversee a process of events and make decision that will benefit the goals of the group. Leaders come in many forms, and the majority of college students have held at least one leadership position throughout their life. Whether this means organizing other students for a group project or running a large campus or professional organization, a leader's role is to influence a group of people in order to reach their goals.

In order to be an effective leader, one must understand the difference between leadership and management. While they sound like similar terms, there is actually a large distinction between the two. Leaders run the risk of being ineffective if they  manage and dominate others they are working with too closely. In order to avoid this, there are several things a leader must first understand. For one thing, a leader must recognize that they are a part of a team. While they might hold superiority over others that they work with, each member of a team is needed in order for group goals to be completed. An effective leader has to understand that they are just a small piece is a large machine, and that taking other team members for granted can have some potential negative consequences.

Another key element that leaders must understand is that all of their team members want the group to succeed. Whether success is determined by receiving an 'A' on a class paper or making a sales profit out in the corporate world, the majority of people are highly motivated by growth and development. They want to perform their job to the best of their abilities in order to complete the assignment and achieve the group's goals. Leaders who understand this must stray away from simply managing those subordinate to them. It is not enough to simply dictate every move of your team members/coworkers. Instead, leaders need to allow group members to complete assignments in their own way using their own resources. By doing so, they are providing room for growth and improvement that might never have been possible if every team member's was micro-managed.

Good quality leaders are honest and nurturing. They create environments where everyone can succeed and group goals are achieved. So whether the next time you are a leader is when you are motivating classmates to complete a group project or leading a team in your next job, remember that successful leaders don't just manage others, they influence them.

5 things to do while waiting (No phone attached)

By Yameng Zhang

Waiting can be annoying, but if you think about it, waiting is a way of giving you the precious time to do whatever you have in mind.

In our generation, phones, laptops and those palmtops are always at hands, while they made our life easier, they can be quite a distraction. Let’s put them down for a second, try to utilize the waiting time as cavemen and see what may happen.

-      Think things through
While you lose your devices to check the emails, you got yourselves the chance to hear what’s on your mind. Don’t panic, you can get through this, by thinking. The good thing about thinking is that nobody would notice and you can be the only one who is aware of the little activity.

-       Bring back the handwriting
When was the last time you wrote? Try to write whatever you may type. If nothing comes to your mind, you always have options- record a short diary each time you wait, you know how interesting and entertaining to read a diary, even just a word.

-       Take a look around
Here comes the best part of waiting, it gives you the time to appreciate what’s around us. The hand-holding couple, the playing kids, the ads about weird stuffs, the faces of other waiting people… There are always something that worth looking at, you can catch up with a lot of them while waiting.

-       Talk to strangers
If you are waiting where other people are waiting as well, please take down your headphones and mingle a little bit. It is always a good thing to meet new people, especially when you need time to fly faster. Be nature. People can be really talkative when it comes to themselves, so you may hear some really interesting stories and learn something new afterwards.

-       Be empty for a while
You have to admit the fact that there are so much going on and it can be really hard to even clear your mind. Waiting gives you the chance to relax your brain. Get everything out of your head and concentrate on the emptiness. Yep, just like what you do in yoga. Let every waiting time becomes your time for practicing, practicing your control over your own mind.

Next time if you are brave enough, you should put down whatever you have and try to wait without them. There are a big portion of our time spend on waiting, waiting for planes, classes, orders…… Your phone may never leave you, but you can always leave them for a new state of mind.

Intern Selection

By Corinne Feight

I really cannot believe that this semester is coming to a close. In just a week, Thanksgiving break will commence and then once we return we only have two weeks until finals start. My senior year is almost halfway over! Still, I am so excited for spring semester already. The last two weeks we have been collecting résumés for our spring internship program. We had over 30 applicants so it was hard to our selection committee to bring it down to 9 applicants to interview. As I am heading our largest event next semester, I am taking part in the selection process, which has been super exciting and challenging for me.

This week, after we had selected our 9 interviewees, we took time interviewing each of them. I was present for 8 of the 9 total interviews, which was a really fun and enlightening process. I got to know many of our applicants very well in terms of their professional life. I also got plenty of practice in conducting interviews and just interviewing in general. As a graduating senior, I am preparing myself to interview for each position I apply to and this week was really good practice for me.

After two full nights of interviews and many good impressions later, we selected the 5 candidates we wanted to see for the group interview. Thursday night we brought them all in to work on a project with each other, collaborating to figure out their strengths and veins of interest. In the end, they had to present to us their final decision and design. As an observer, this was a unique experience to see how a team starts, after just being introduced, and ends by producing a final outcome. It was really interesting to watch and really revealing about the strengths and weaknesses of our candidates. My favorite part was how many good ideas they had! I am super excited to put some of their thoughts into action for our own career week. At the end of the group interview, we finally all sat down and selected our top candidates!

I am very excited to welcome aboard three new candidates for next semester. I just hope they are ready to jump start career week in the spring because they will not get a second to take a break. In January, it’s time to get down to business!

Building a Digital Portfolio

By: Teri Grimes

The most effective way to prove to a future employer that you produce quality work is to show them. Although you can tell them about your previous work success all you want, never underestimate the power of a good visual. This is the reason why portfolios are so important. They are a visual representation of everything that you’ve completed in the past that has turned out really well. If you aren’t getting many interviews to show off your portfolio in person, it may be a good idea to build a portfolio online for recruiters to look through. Here are some tips for building an effective digital portfolio:

• Digital portfolios can be less extensive than print portfolios. Since you want the portfolio to be public so people can find it, you also have to worry about the amount of information that you’re putting online. You don’t want to post something just to have your information or works stolen.
• Have a friendly welcome page! It’s the first thing that a recruiter is going to see, so make sure it’s consistent with your brand and easy to navigate.
• Write an ‘About Me’ section, but keep it less than 500 words. Recruiters don’t need to know what the weather was like on the day you were born… just stick to anything that relates to your professional brand or the works present in your digital portfolio. The general rule for web writing is to keep pages like this to about a paragraph long.
• Upload your resume as a PDF document. This makes it both harder for someone to steal and copy, and it’s more likely that the formatting will remain consistent when opened on another computer.
• Have about 2-5 examples of your writing. It doesn’t necessarily have to be related to the industry, but can be something from your classes that you spent a lot of time on. Recruiters want to know that you sound competent on paper.
• Include a page with your references, but only put as much of their information online as each reference is comfortable with. You can always just leave it with their name and position title, and then include a line that says ‘contact me for more information’ at the bottom of the page.
• Have a section where you list your abilities, purely for search engine optimization reasons. If you have a lot of searchable key words on your page, it’s more likely that your page will show up in a search.
• Use websites like visualcv.com, weebly.com, or wix.com to build your own website. Some of these are easier to use than others, so it really just depends on how comfortable you are with web page development.

Now what are you waiting for? Get your work online and get noticed!

One Day, One Opportunity for Success

By Sarah-Jean Murray

Since I'm graduating this upcoming May, I've been focused on graduation and looking for jobs and my blog entries have reflected that. However, today I also want to focus on looking for internships. Working on the LACD newsletter has led to my introduction to the website One Day, One Internship. How did I not know of this resource before?! This is one of the best internship websites I've come across. The concept is simple, every day there is a new posting for an internship. These internships range through different careers and majors and there is a description accompanying each entry. This website was started by Willy Franzen who wanted to make the internship search process less tedious for college students. I encourage you to visit this website and take a look at some of the entries. You may find a company posting that interests you.

I could drone on and on about how internships are important to us no matter where we are in our college careers, and I will. I never want to stop encouraging my peers and classmates to seek out internships and opportunities. These experiences will separate you from the rest of the crowd and look good on your resume. I am shocked by how many students coast through college, doing the bare minimum and never seek further opportunities. How will you market yourself towards a future employer if you have no skills and you've had no experience? The process of getting a job will be considerably harder if your resume isn't dressed to impress. Internships are a simple way of achieving this.

And to those looking for jobs? This website can still help you. Some of the companies listed are also looking for more permanent positions to be filled. One Day, One Job can give you a good breakdown of the most recent postings as well as helping your job search by breaking down into categories such as location, career fields, and popular companies. Also don't forget that interning at companies often leads to a permanent job offer!

I encourage everyone to utilize these resources and actively apply to these job and internship opportunities. This is one more website that can help make the process of job and internship hunting much easier.

Think before you Post

By: Samantha Werry

If you are like every typical college student, you know what to think when I say social media. From what I have seen, everyone either has a Facebook, twitter or some other form of communication via the Internet. When people say they do not have Facebook or twitter, you look at them like they are a little green person from Mars because it is against our age’s social norm. But for the people who do have those social media sites, they are constantly reading, posting updates and posting photos. One thing people tend to forget about posting on social media sites is those posts can last forever, even if you try to delete it. The Internet will never fully delete anything. This is true because some people like to re-activate certain cites after a period of time.

I bet everyone here has a friend that always posts something depressing or something crazy that has happened in their life. I know when I see these things, I get tired of looking at their crazy, sloppy, drunken nights. If I am noticing these things and typically do not even care about seeing them, don’t you think people who want to look at your page like business recruiters will see them and think the same thing as myself? Think before you post. It will stay their forever. It is the absolute worst if those people leave their sites public for everyone to see.

For me, I am graduating at the end of the year and realize people will start to go to my Facebook for information. I do not want embarrassing pictures of myself posted all over my wall. It looks tacky and who would really want to hire me if I was the crazy girl. Overall, think before you post. I am not saying to not have a life and have fun, but I am saying to just stop, analyze if the situation is appropriate, and then post if everything seems ok. Just think if your little old grandma looks at your page and you have profanity everywhere. Do you think she would feel like you are a grown person or a child still? Overall, you can still have a great time, but realize if it is really that important to your life.

How I Got Hired

By: Maureen Corbett As of lately, hiring strategies are a hot topic of discussion. Everyone wants to know the newest tips and strategies as to how they can get into recruiters/employers minds and land their dream job. The secret though does not involve you wearing the perfect suit or having the correct handshake (although those aspects are quite important). Students have to be aware that when a company intends to hire someone for a specific job, the decision is not just based on the individual. It has to do with the overall qualities of a company, and where you might fit into the puzzle.

Before they even look at resumes, and healthy organization assesses where they already stand. Obviously if they are planning on hiring a new employee, they recognize the fact that the company is somewhat lacking in a specific area, and want to bring on an individual who can fill those gaps. They look at the skills and traits they already possess, and then try to define the kind of person who will supplement the people who are already employed.  This not only gives employers a way to specifically critique the resumes they receive, but it helps companies establish a cohesive leadership team that will allow them to make beneficial progress in the future. 

This applies to students in a variety of ways. One, it give you a piece of mind even if you don't land a job you thought would be perfect for you. Maybe you had a fantastic interview and said all the right things, but sometimes this is not related to the kind of person a company intends to hire. Secondly, it assures you that even though interviews are a formal setting, you need to be yourself. You want to make sure you are the right person for the job, and acting differently than you really are may put you at a disadvantage. You never know what kind of individual a company is looking to hire, so being yourself and asking your interviewer questions will help guarantee that you end up at a company that is right for you.

When I first applied for my internship with the Liberal Arts Career Development office, I was extremely nervous. However when I went to my interview, my conception of LACD was slightly altered. The Career Development team is a professional setting with lots of events and activities going on all at once, and I knew that if hired, I would have to be on my A Game at all times. But I also recognized that the people working there were friendly and personable, and it made me come to the realization that I could act that way as well. This knowledge helped me open up in my interview and be myself, which has helped me get to where I am today. 

Ready, Set, Dream Job

By Corinne Feight

What does it really take to sink that dream job? Rebecca Palmer, a writer for The Undercover Recruiter, offers three important tips.

Tip #1

Look to Friends and Family for Guidance

Chances are, the most important people in your life are your friends and your family. These relationships should never be sacrificed for a job, so make sure that what you want to do fits with what you must do for a given profession. You’ll need to find a job with hours that are similar to your partner’s hours, even if it means slightly less pay. Find a job that is flexible for you and what you need. Don’t think that you have to give up what’s most important to get a job that you love.

Valuable advice from loved ones should also be important in your career choices. Your friends might know even better than you do what you’re good at and what you can add to a group setting. You will miss out if you don’t ask for their opinions. Your friends may also plan vacations or extended weekends together, so being in the loop will allow you to spend even more quality time with them.

Tip #2

Define Your Values and Put Them to Work

As a wise man once said, variety is the spice of life. You are different from all other people and over your lifetime, have learned what makes you tick. An important step in finding a life-supporting career is defining your values and then finding money-making opportunities to match. Do you really, really like money? Affluence could be a value. Do you enjoy being part of a group? Belonging could be your personal value.

Other examples of values include creativity, altruism, integrity, helpfulness and justice. For example, a very caring person might find fulfillment in nursing while an adventurous person might love venture capitalism. If you can’t find anything that fits, remember that nothing is stopping you from creating something that does. Make a conscious decision to live your real values and don’t let the desire for quick cash or easy job tasks get in the way.

Tip #3

Network with Friends and Professional Contacts

Most career advisors preach the importance of networking with professional contacts like school professors, former and potential coworkers, and people in professional associations. Gaining this habit is, in fact, very important in having an effective career. But, you may be missing the boat if you don’t network with friends and family members as well.

Those closest to you know best what you want and what is important to you. Use that as an advantage by asking them about companies near them or acquaintances they may have in your area of interest. Places like church, parent-teacher associations or social justice groups can also be network goldmines.

If you let your career be determined by your values, your family and your friends, you will be happier and have better self-esteem, which leads to creativity and even more acknowledgement of your worth as a human being. In the end, your life story will include all aspects of your life—including those 128 hours per week—so get on a path that will end in a coherent tale.

Source: http://theundercoverrecruiter.com/3-hot-tips-finding-your-dream-job/

New guidelines for your resume

By Yameng Zhang

There has been tons of sources on internet regarding the composition of resume. Experience, education, extracurricular activities and skills, blah blah blah. However, after reviewing several others’ resumes, I found it’s actually not that hard as I thought, it can be really easy to make the resume work for you.

I have to say, some of the resumes are really impressive. Full of experience, high GPA, perfectly polished writing, everything included. However, I am not sure if the one with the perfect resume is the one we are looking for. I guess the problem is I can’t find what I am looking for.

Tailor

Tailor the details to the position -because it not only shows your determination and motivation for the job, but also shows that you care enough to edit your resume.

Focus

Focus on the strengths and keep others concise- because companies not only need to know you are good at things, they also need to know how good you are at those things.

Expand

Expand on the experiences according to the job description- because companies would prefer to find the big portion of your resume is demonstrating what you have done in the area you are applying for, it is just easier to decide when you are showing your knowledge about the audiences.

Resume is basically about audience analysis. Always keep in mind about what the recruiters are looking for, so it can save both you and the recruiters some time. 

Acing the Phone Interview

By: Teri Grimes

Last week, we had a corporate recruiter named Abby Kohut speak to our class on a few tricks she picked up from her 16+ years of experience on the job. One of the topics she covered stuck out most in my mind because of my recent experience with them: phone interviews. She shared with us the recruiter’s perspective on what makes a good phone interview, and how to avoid the pitfalls that made recruiters not call you back.

The purpose of a phone screen is to find out if they want to interview you further. If at the end of the phone call they don’t specifically schedule a date for your next interview, that means that they probably don’t. If the recruiter says something like “I’ll pass your resume to a hiring manager” or “we’re not scheduling right now but we’ll keep in touch,” that usually means that they’re not interested. Why don’t they just come out and say it instead of using language that could keep your hopes up? Because then you might ask why you weren’t fit for the position and after they tell you, you still might argue to defend yourself. This way just keeps the recruiter on schedule by not dealing with unhappy candidates.

The number one rule of phone interviews is to always answer your phone. Recruiters have a certain number of candidates that they have to reach per day, and if you don’t answer your phone they might move on to the next person on the list and skip you entirely. No matter what you’re doing, however, tell them that you’re not in a place where you can talk and ask if they can call you back in half an hour or if you can call them back. Even if you’re at home and ready for an interview, say that you aren’t. This way, you have half an hour to research the company and use your knowledge to impress the recruiter. Know everything you can in that half hour about the company and the job listing.

Be aware of your first impressions on the phone as well. If you see an unlisted number and think that it’s a telemarketer, you might answer in a way that sounds boring and unhappy. This will be the recruiter’s first impression for you. If instead you say something like “Excellent, I have been waiting for your call!” The recruiter will be excited to talk to you as well. Keep in mind that phone calls often make you sound mellow and tired even if you’re an enthusiastic person. Try to keep your energy up by walking around the room, possibly occasionally passing a mirror and smiling at yourself. Recruiters can hear a smile through the phone.

Be sure to be using the C-A-R stories I blogged about earlier, and with these tips you should ace any phone interview!