Common Resume Mistakes Made by Students

Maggie LaMar

There are many questions students ask when looking for a job or an internship. “Where should I look for one?” “What companies will help me grow?” “How will I get references?” Far too often, we forget to ask important questions regarding our resumes, because there seems to be so much information on the internet for us to use. But is it all applicable to your resume? Here are some common resume mistakes students make.

1) Using a resume template

This might seem like an easy solution if you need to start a resume, but using a resume templet may do you more harm than good. A resume templet limits you on how you can organize your resume the way that is best for you and the position that you are applying for. You can get inspiration from looking at templets, but you’ll have more luck formatting your resume on your own.

2) Using the same resume for every application

Do you use the same resume for every job application? That is one of the most common resume mistakes that students make. It’s important to cater your resume towards the individual position you’re applying for. Read the job description and pick out the skills and experiences needed that are applicable to you. Also, you can adjust the design and layout of your resume to the organization you’re applying to. A resume with a pop of color can be used for creative organizations but more conservative organizations should be given more tradition resumes.

3) Mistakes in your resume will overlooked

We all make mistakes. However, it is crucial to edit your resume and have at least one other person edit it before submitting it. Spellcheck can only pick up on misspelled words; it won’t point out mistaken words (words you didn’t mean to write when you meant another one) and most grammatical mistakes. Your skills and experiences will be overshadowed by any mistakes so be sure to triple check your resume!

Do you need help with your resume? Drop in Beering Hall Room 1114 to schedule an appointment with Lisa Lambert Snodgrass. For more common resume tips and how to fix them, check out http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4759-resume-myths-busted.html

Three Common But Tricky Interview Questions

Maggie LaMar

            The recruitment cycle is wrapping up for internships and fulltime positions. Therefore, the interview process has begun. It is extremely important to prepare well for an interview. You want to be prepared for questions so you look ready and interested, but you don’t want to seem rehearsed. Here are three common interview questions and how you should answer them naturally.

1      Tell me about yourself

This statement seems vague but it’s one of the best times to sell yourself. What you want to avoid is going on about things that may be important to your life but irrelevant to the position: your pets, relationships, favorite TV show, etc. Instead, take the time to describe your hobbies, experiences and skills that can be directly applied to the position. These experiences don’t always have to be directly career related. For example, if you’re a passionate member of Girl Scouts, you can mention that! Many organizations and clubs can be attributed to a professional setting. You can talk about how long you have been involved (commitment, loyalty), positions you have held (leadership, self-motivation) and details of what you have done that have increased your skill set.

2     What is your biggest weakness?

There are two common mistakes that I often hear people make with this question when helping them prepare for an interview. One is that they use a positive as a negative. For example, they’ll say that their biggest weakness is that they “they always volunteer to help with projects”. Another one is that they say too honest of a negative, like that they are always late to work. Instead of making this mistake, reflect on your professional self and find a constructive weakness. What I say is that I often find it hard to ask for help at work and then I explain how I have worked at this. Explaining your weakness by giving an example and supporting it by telling how you have improved is a good way to answer this question.

3      Why do you want to work here?

Researching the company well before your interview is important. This is also something you don’t want to fake because you want to enjoy where you work. Don’t just quote a timeline of facts. Instead, look at their values, mission statement and goals and apply them to what you want in a company and a career. Searching the latest news stories about them is also a good thing. If it’s been your lifelong dream to work for this company, mention that and explain why.

        Preparing for your interview is very important. Not only will you be able to answer the questions well, but it shows your sincere interest in working for the organization. This goes for jobs, internships or extracurricular organizations. No matter what, stay confident and true to yourself in all of your answers. Good luck on your interviews!

Email Etiquette

Maggie LaMar
        

            Email has become such a significant part of our lives. It is the most common form of professional communication now and it’s essential we know how to properly send an email. We send multiple emails every day, but are we writing them properly? Here are a few tips on how to write a professional email.

 

1. Greeting

Whether it’s your boss, client or professor, it’s important to have a formal greeting. I like to use “Hello (recipient’s name)” as my introduction. It’s formal and lets the recipient know immediately that they’re the intended reader of the message. Say “hi” or many other jargon introductions isn’t good email etiquette and can make you look careless.

1. Intro

It’s good email etiquette to have an introduction to your email. First, add personal appeal to your email. Examples of this include “I hope that this email finds you well” or “I hope that you had a good weekend”. Also, lead in to the intent of the email. Don’t make the recipient search for the reason for the email.

1. Body

Include all of the information necessary for the email. Try to keep this as concise as possible. If there is information that isn’t necessary for the understanding of the message, leave it out. You don’t want information dismissed because the email is too long. Everyone is busy and have many emails to read; you don’t want yours passed over!

1. Conclusion

Thank the recipient for taking the time to read the message. If necessary, leave contact information and the best times to reach you. If there are any important dates or deadlines, summarize them in a sentence at the end.

1. Signature

Before your signature, close with “Sincerely” or a phrase like “All the best”. Then include your full name, position and any other relevant information necessary for the recipient.

Four Things You May Not Know About Career Week and Career Expo

Maggie LaMar

The 2015 College of Liberal Arts Career Week and Career Expo is next week and we’re excited to present you with so many career development opportunities. We hope that you’re as excited as we are for these great events! Here are four things that you might not know about Career Week and Career Expo.

1)      The Theme is the Modern Professional

Today, a professional career is a little different than it was a few decades ago. Technology and dress have changed a little bit but other things have stayed the same. Events throughout the week are centered on what it takes to be a modern professional.

2)      There will be Graduate Programs at the Career Expo.

Are you undecided on whether you want to go to Graduate School or straight into a career after graduation? Along with companies hiring full-time positions and interns, there will be schools with Graduate School Programs recruiting students.

3)      You Can Win Prizes for Attending Events

Starting Monday, you can pick up a Career Week stamp card. Make sure you bring that card to each event you attend to receive a stamp. If you turn in your card with five stamps, you’ll be eligible to win an iPad, a gift card to JC Penney for professional attire or a portfolio. Attending any number of events also makes you eligible to win other great prizes from our sponsors.

4)      Many of the speakers have ties to Purdue

Many of the Career Week speakers are alumni of Purdue University or currently are employed at the university. They were once in your shoes and have valuable knowledge from their experience to pass on to you!

Career Reads

By Maggie LaMar

Winter break is a great time to relax but also to do things you enjoy that you don’t always have time to do during the school year. One thing that I love to do is read but when I finally have free time to read, I often don’t know what to read. As a senior graduating in May, I wanted to find a book that would keep me motivated through my last semester at Purdue and also prepare me for my career. I did some research and I found three interesting reads that are career related. In order to make my selections, I used the site www.goodreads.com

1.   Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink

This book received an average rating 3.92 on Good Reads. Pink spent nearly forty years performing research on this book that exposes the source of human motivation. This is a great book for anyone looking to find some extra motivation for the New Year and new semester!

http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Surprising-Truth-About-Motivates/dp/1594484805/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418310019&sr=1-1&keywords=drive+the+surprising+truth+about+what+motivates+us

2.      Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

This book received an average rating of 4.02 out of 5.0 on Good Reads. Take a look at how many leaders and influencers in our world have become so successful and inspirational. The answer is that they all asked the question “why?” Their stories are told in this book that will influence you to make changes and work towards your goals.

http://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591846447/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418322905&sr=1-1&keywords=Start+with+Why%3A+How+Great+Leaders+Inspire+Everyone+to+Take+Action

3.      Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by James C. Collins.

Collins’s book received an average Good Reads score of 3.99 out of 5. While this book is directed towards companies, it’s very easy to apply the lessons to your life as a student and a young professional.

http://www.amazon.com/Good-To-Great-James-Collins/dp/185686863X

Career Development Checklist for Winter Break

By Maggie LaMar

       Winter break is among us. Only three weeks of classes, exams, projects and papers stand between us and a fun, relaxing and stress free break. The thought of being productive in any sort of way almost seems laughable. However, this break away from class work is the perfect opportunity to get ahead in our career development. What can you do over the break to better your career?

1.       Create or Update Your Resume

A good, professional resume that properly reflects your skills takes time. Take the time to create a resume if you don’t have one, or update your current one with skills and experiences you have gained over the past semester. When you return to campus, you can always make an appointment with Lisa Lambert Snodgrass to critique your resume.

2.       Practice Your Interview Skills

The majority of you will be home or somewhere else with family and friends. Use this opportunity to practice an interview. Print off several common and potential interview questions for someone to ask you. Try to make this practice as professional and realistic as possible. Here is a good source for interview questions: http://career-advice.monster.com/job-interview/interview-questions/100-potential-interview-questions/article.aspx

3.       Knock On Doors

If you’re home, visit places that you want to work and inquire about job opportunities. Face-to-face interaction will help you learn more about the organization and also express sincere interest. If you don't live in the city you wish to work but live nearby, take a day trip to knock on doors. You'll also be able to learn your way around the city a bit better. 

4.       Apply for jobs

A break from schoolwork offers the opportunity to search for jobs and apply for them. It is important to not rush the process. You will have more time to research the company and the position to decide if you’re a best fit. Create a cover letter personalized for the position and answer all questions to your fullest potential.

5.       Rest

If you’re stressed and tired, you won’t perform as well at an interview. Remember to rest, eat well and prepare for your future career!

Good luck on the end of the semester!

Time Is Always Passing

Maggie LaMar

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” –Earl Nightingale

I was sent this quote two weeks ago by a friend and have been thinking about it ever since. This quote by Earl Nightingale can be applied to our lives as students preparing for our careers. Becoming the best candidate for a job doesn't just happen overnight.

It is important to develop skills to enhance your resume that you can use in your new job. However, it takes time to make these skills useful and desirable. For example, I have found that a common skill in the descriptions of the jobs that I have been applying for is Adobe Creative Suite. To begin, Adobe Creative Suite consists of several programs. Just spending a day practicing won’t actually make me skillful but spending more time on learning it will.

There are several other things that take time to complete but will better you for a successful career. Internships may seem intimidating and time consuming, but they will give you the experience you need in a particular field. Having an internship will also let you develop valuable skills such as time management and organization.  Also, crafting a professional resume that isn't mundane will take time but will be worth it when applying for jobs. It’s important to also take the time to get your resume checked so you know that it’s ready.

Next time you think about a goal that you want to achieve, don’t be discouraged by how long it will take before you achieve it or start to see results. Instead, utilize that time to make your progress efficient and meaningful. Time will always be passing; it’s up to you to decide if you’ll do something meaningful with it. 

Why I Use Glassdoor

By Maggie LaMar

                I am in the middle of searching for a full-time job for after graduation in May. This process is much more than looking for a job posting and applying for it. I need to research the companies I apply for in order to see if I would fit in working with them. However, not all of the information is so easily located on some company’s website. To get a better look inside working for a particular organization, I turn to Glassdoor.

                Glassdoor was launched in 2008 and has been a reliable resource to job seekers, and anyone else wanting reviews and information on an organization, ever since. The biggest part of Glassdoor is the honest company reviews posted by current or past employees. These reviews are checked for accuracy by their moderators. Glassdoor report that almost 20% of reviews aren’t posted because they violate the site’s standard of excellence. A trustworthy review is important to job seekers in deciding if certain attributes of an organization they’re applying to are right for them.

                What I love about Glassdoor goes beyond pages of textual reviews. Glassdoor offers so much more information about an organization that is helpful when searching for a job. My favorite part of Glassdoor is the interview reviews. People who have been interviewed by the organization tell how the process went for them and how long it took. Usually, there are sample questions or types of questions that were asked of them. Last, reviewers post whether they received an offer or not and then rank the experience and the difficulty of the interview. Preparing for all interviews is essential and this is one way to do that.  

                Larger organizations have more information on their Glassdoor pages due to a larger number of contributors available. The more reviews posted, the more reliable the information and rankings will be. Now, more organizations have information such as average salaries per position, health insurance plans, and vacation time available. This is resourceful especially for comparing organizations if you have multiple offers.

                The Internet and other technology innovations have changed the way job searches are performed. Glassdoor helps job seekers understand an organization more and give them a small glance into what they could expect from working there. It also helps potential employees prepare for their interviews. Glassdoor is free to sign up and more information about organizations is available to members. There are many resources that will aid your job search and I highly recommend that you choose Glassdoor for one of them.  

Choosing Classes for Career Development

  By Maggie LaMar

             

           It’s at the point in the semester when students begin to plan out their schedule for the next semester and register for classes. I am graduating in May so this is the last time that I’ll be doing this. I, like many of my friends, have only one or two required classes left, but need a full semester of credits to graduate. It’s very tempting to seek out 100 level electives to fill this space. However, I’m about to leave Purdue and start a career; I want to be as prepared for this as possible.

The best thing to do with available space for an additional class is to take one that you can learn better tuned skills for your career. For example, I am a public relations and advertising major, so I am going to enroll in additional media classes. Classes that concentrate on your future career will make you a more qualified candidate and also make you more comfortable while transitioning into your new job.

Another option is to enroll in a course that assists in your career development. Seniors can sign up for GS 415: Senior Job Search Seminar taught by Lisa Lambert Snodgrass. This intensive course prepares seniors for the job search. Some assignments include resumes, cover letters, reference lists and mock interviews. Additionally, professional speakers allow students to network.

Still have space to fill? Find a class that interests you that you believe you will benefit from it. Use what you learn from the class to stand out against other applicants! Whether you’re interested in arranging flowers or beekeeping, an interesting elective can be beneficial to your career development as well. 

Interview a Professional

By Maggie LaMar
      

               As the project manager of the LACD social media pages, I come across many articles and blog posts about career development. I have received some great advice over the past few months that I have applied to my job search and passed along to all of you. One piece of advice that I never really thought about before this internship is informational interviews. After reading about what they are, how to do them, and why they’re successful, I have become an advocate for informational interviews.

                Informational interviews allow someone to meet with an employee of a company they want to want to work for or a professional in the field in which the interviewer wishes to enter. One important thing to remember is that the purpose of these interviews is to learn from the interviewee. Don’t focus on selling yourself for a position. By building a relationship with a professional through an informational interview, you will receive insight on how to develop your career and also be placed on their radar if a position does become available.

                How do you land yourself an informational interview? The most convenient way for me to network with professionals is LinkedIn. Many successful alumni come back to talk to classes and other events on campus and appreciate students reaching out to them. Offer to buy them a cup of coffee for thirty minutes of their time to hear their story and advice. You can mention your career goals and a synopsis of what you have accomplished so far but remember that this interview is about them. You don’t want it to seem like you’re only interested in a job and not in what they have to say.

                I encourage you to take this long weekend to do some research. Make a list of what you want from your career and another list of companies you wish to work for. Then network with a professional that is in the field that you wish to enter or are considering and would like to learn more about. Doing this will give you more direction in your job search. You’ll be able to gain a better understanding of whether or not that career field is something that you can see yourself in afterwards. Informational interviews aren’t restricted to any grade. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students can all conduct these interviews and benefit from them. There are many things that can help you develop a career and informational interviews are one of those things that I highly recommend for everyone!

First Time Career Finder

                I love reality shows about homes. One of my favorites follows first-time home buyers entering the housing market. The first-time buyers describe their dream home in full detail: how many rooms it will have, in which neighborhood it’ll be located in and the exact layout of their backyard. While each person in the show has a different idea of what a dream house is, they all have a detailed vision of what they want. Unfortunately, the host has to tell them that their first house won’t be their dream house.

                The same is to be said about careers. Immediately after college, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to land your dream career. That doesn’t mean that you aren’t qualified or skilled or that your degree will go to waste. More experience and skill development is necessary to obtain higher-end careers.

                Does this mean that you won’t enjoy your first job? Absolutely not!

                Research the companies that you want to work for. Many major corporations offer special programs and entry-level careers for college graduates. They also offer internship programs that can turn into a career with good performance.

                Also, try to network with people who have or had your dream career. Listening to their story will help you understand more what that position requires. You can also find out what you will need to do to land the dream career.

                Above all else, work hard at the job you have. You will be able to learn more from it if you’re working hard at every task you’re assigned. Also, your boss will be your recommendation when you’re later trying for that dream promotion. 

Career Fairs Aren't So Restricted

When I was a freshman, I was confused when September came around and suddenly our campus was filled with sharply dressed students holding portfolios. I was later explained that they were attending one of the many career fairs at Purdue University.

What is a career fair? It’s an organized event where employers come to recruit students for internships or fulltime positions. In some cases, recruiters will be on campus afterwards to perform interviews, which expedites the application process.

A particular college often hosts career fairs. In their advertising for the career fair, the hosts might list the majors each company is looking to hire but that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities for other majors.

For example, the Industrial Roundtable career fair that took place earlier this week lists the types of engineers each company is looking for. After researching the companies I liked, I found that they were in need of communication graduates. The recruiters present at the events will also help out students of other majors. If they’re not in charge of recruiting for your major, they will pass your name and resume on to someone who will.

Career fairs are extremely beneficial for finding a job or internship. Purdue’s Liberal Arts Career Development hosts a career week  and career fair in February, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only career fair we can attend! Don't stop yourself from attending a career fair you want to because it doesn't include your major on the fliers. Follow the LACD newsletter and social media to find out when other career fairs take place so you can research companies that want to hire you.

Put on your professional attire, grab your polished resume, and head out to career fairs!

If you would like someone to look over your resume, make an appointment with Lisa Snodgrass by calling 765-494-3670.

How to Prepare for a Fun Career

If I had a dollar for every time I heard “college is the best four years of your life”, then I would have enough money to make it five years. I completely agree with this statement, but I believe that it creates hesitation to enter the career force. Why can’t working be fun?

College is the best time to figure out what you want to do for a career. Making this decision doesn't mean sitting in a chair, thinking about what to do and then saying you’ll do that. It means experiencing things that relate to a possible career so you get a feel for what industries and work environments you’ll enjoy most after graduation. There are many ways for a student to gain that experience while still making college “the best four years”.

Internships

Interning is the best way to get the feel of an office environment. Internships have informed me on things that I wouldn’t know entering the work force without them: work schedules, dress codes, team expectations, and more.

Volunteering

Is there a cause that means a lot to you? Volunteering looks great on a resume, gives back to the community, and immerses you in an organization that hires graduates. There are many organizations that need volunteers. Whether people, pets or the environment interest you, you’ll be able to find volunteer opportunities that fit your interests.

Hobbies

If your hobby is following the fashion scene or making changes to your own style, you can still get a job in the fashion industry even if you’re not a design major. Several industries hire employees from different degree programs. Having hobbies are a great way to find areas of work that interest you.

A career doesn't have to be something that you won’t enjoy doing. Finding a job working with something you’re passionate about will make your career the best years of your life.