Experiencing Experience

Carla Certeza

This was a summer of firsts: my first time living in a house on my own [with roommates], and my first time getting experience closer to the kind of work that I want to be doing for my career. I’ve had summer jobs in the past—clerical worker, camp counselor—but I’ve never had work experience in my college major, graphic design, until now.

This summer, I’ve kept busy with two Purdue graphic design internships—one with Liberal Arts Career Development and one with Housing and Food Services Marketing. Because the two internships were structured differently, I was able to experience different aspects of the business world.

With Liberal Arts Career Development, there were only two interns over the summer, so my job included more general office tasks and management, along with design projects. Because I was the design “expert,” I felt that it was my responsibility to take initiative to improve designs that I thought could be further developed. I had more authority and independence, but less guidance since I didn’t work under an art director. I also had to complete a large portion of my work on my own time because we were only in the office five hours a week.

With Housing and Food Services Marketing, there is a team of graphic design interns who work year round. It has a graphic design and marketing focus, along with a more creative and social environment. Over the summer, we work thirty hours a week. This internship has more of an "employee" feel since we clock in and out and work under an art director. It is closer to what I want to be doing in the future.

Throughout the school year, I will be continuing my internship with Housing and Food Services Marketing, but unfortunately, I will not be continuing my internship with Liberal Arts Career Development. I am grateful for each of these experiences because I gained valuable knowledge from both, such as insight on work etiquette, time management, and design. I will be able to add more work to my design portfolio as well.

I am glad that I could contribute to Liberal Arts Career Development to help other students prepare for their future. This will be my last blog, but be sure to check your email for the interactive ‘welcome back’ PDF when school starts!

Good luck with all your future endeavors.

Get LinkedIn to the Business World

Carla Certeza

LinkedIn is a professional networking site. It is the business version of Facebook. At the top of your profile, it should display a professional photograph of you, along with your current position, location, experience, and education. It also displays the number of ‘connections’ you have. This is where the networking aspect of the site comes in. LinkedIn provides suggestions on who to make connections with based on similarities in the information you have on your profiles. Once you start to make connections, LinkedIn suggests more connections based on mutual connections, (2^nd degree connections, 3^rd degree connections, etc.). The more connections you have, the better it is to expand your network.

While its main purpose is to grow your network, LinkedIn also acts as an online supplement to your resume. When on the job hunt, people do research to find out more about companies. But the people who are looking for work are not the only ones doing research. Hiring managers also research potential employees, and one of the first things that they look for is a LinkedIn account. Having a LinkedIn account provides you with another opportunity to impress employers without actually meeting with them. [See post, “Letters Leave an Impression.”] You are able to see who views your profile and the number of views you have as well. The site is free, but there are also upgrades available to improve your profile and have access to more visibility, reach, and search options.

Many people make the mistake of having the same information on your LinkedIn profile as your actual resume, which defeats the purpose of having a LinkedIn account as a supplement. Be sure to utilize the summary and description boxes to provide specific details that would not be found on your resume. LinkedIn even provides recommendations on how to improve your profile and gives a percentage of how complete your profile is. Like with your resume, don’t forget to update your LinkedIn profile as you gain more experience. Your connections are also notified with changes you make to your profile.

Turning the Tables: Informational Interviews

Carla Certeza

Conducting an informational interview is all about gaining knowledge. You are able to ask professionals for advice on your career. An informational interview is your time to ask questions that are as general or as detailed as you want. Don’t hesitate to ask, even if you don’t think that whoever you are asking knows the answer.

The purpose of an informational interview is not to get a job interview, but to help you gain useful information in preparation for your future career. There is more of a relaxed setting during an informational interview because you are the one asking the questions. You become the interviewer, so there is no need to be nervous.

Informational interviews can play an important role before you go in for a job interview as well. Especially if you are interested in a specific company, you can gain inside information in addition to your previous research.

Career fairs are a great place to conduct informational interviews. Many students don’t use resources such as career week because they don’t believe that they will profit from attending if they are not ready to look for a job or internship. By utilizing informational interviews, you can take advantage of this resource, even as an undecided freshman.

It is also beneficial to conduct informational interviews even if a company is not necessarily hiring. You are still able to gain valuable information pertaining to the area in which you want to pursue a career. An informational interview gives you the opportunity to learn from individuals who are currently in the field.

Letters Leave an Impression

Carla Certeza

It's pretty much common knowledge that a resume gets you an interview, and an interview gets you a job, but these are not the only factors that employers take in to consideration during the hiring process. Give yourself an advantage by utilizing cover letters and thank you letters.

                    

A cover letter is a short, one page introduction that you send with your resume. Cover letters allow you to make a first impression without actually meeting with the employer. A cover letter adds a personal touch to your resume. So many applications are received by companies every day. With a cover letter, you are able to stand out in a sea of resumes.

A thank you letter comes in to play near the end of the hiring process. A thank you letter should be sent within one day of when your interview was conducted. Not only does it thank your interviewer for taking the time to meet with you, but it allows you to reiterate why you would be a good candidate for the position you are applying for. Thank you letters provide you with another chance to leave an impression after your interview. You can even do damage control if you didn’t make the impression that you wanted during your interview. Whether your interview went well, or not so well, thank you letters give you the opportunity to increase your chances of being hired.

Sending cover letters and thank you letters demonstrate to your, hopefully, future employer that you are thorough, you take initiative, and you go the extra mile. They can make the difference of whether or not you are called in for an interview or hired for a job. In many cases there are several qualified candidates for a single position, but by writing a cover letter and thank you letter, you give yourself the upper hand and have a greater chance of being selected.

You have 30 seconds. Go!

Carla Certeza

Let’s say you’re an intern at the company that you want to end up working for. You’re taking the elevator one day and who walks in but none other than the company’s CEO! Now is the time to use that elevator pitch that you’ve been practicing. Wait…you don’t have one? So instead of impressing the person you want to work for with an elevator pitch, you stand there trying to come up with something to say. Before you know it, the CEO walks out of the elevator: opportunity wasted. Don’t let this happen to you. Prepare an elevator pitch.

The objective of an elevator pitch is to pretty much impress someone in about thirty seconds. State who you are and what you do, but don’t flat out ask for a job. Just present yourself as an interested individual with impressive qualifications. You should also tailor your pitch to whoever you are speaking to. This is another reason why doing research on companies you want to work for is important. [Check out last week's post]. Figure out the most important points you want to bring up. Don’t overwhelm the person with so much information.

Once you know what you want to include in your elevator pitch, read it out loud and ask others for feedback. Then rehearse it, but be ready to think on your feet. The person may engage in conversation and ask you questions, so be prepared to stray away from your pitch. Don’t speak too quickly. Make it sound natural and have confidence.

Elevator pitches allow you to take initiative and put yourself out there. You might not want to bother the person, but if you are serious about what you want and believe that speaking to this person can springboard you in the right direction, go for it. At the same time, you shouldn’t overstay your welcome. Sometimes, people respond just to be polite. Keep it short and sweet. You’re on a mission. Get in, get out.

Keep in mind that you probably won’t be a priority, even if you might be the best elevator pitcher ever. Don’t expect a call from them the next day saying that you’re hired. Your goal is to make a lasting impression. Try to make yourself stand out. At the end of the day, you want this person to remember your encounter.

Get on the Right Track: Track Your Progress

Carla Certeza

When sending out your resume, it is important to track your progress. Start by deciding what kind of job you are looking for and figuring out what companies you want to work for. Research companies in the area if you are planning on staying close to home, or companies abroad if you are looking to travel. Also, think about when the job will take place and your availability at that time. Don't just look for companies that are hiring. If a company that you have always wanted to work for isn't hiring, you can at least get your foot in the door by reaching out to them; they might even contact you when they are hiring in the future.

After researching, compile a list of at least 10 companies. Make an excel spreadsheet with the following categories:

1. name of company

2. mailing address

3. phone number

4. email address

5. website

6. name and title of contact person

7. other info specific to company

9. progress

Continue researching to fill out categories 1-8. The box for "progress" is to keep track of the progress you have made with the company. In this box, you can add notes like, "no response," "contacted for interview," "offered position," etc. These notes prompt you to take the next step. For example, if a company contacts you about an interview, you should get back to them with your availability, then write that you responded to them on your spreadsheet. Make sure you keep track of the dates that these events occur and constantly update your notes. You don't want to be following up a month later because you forgot when you initially contacted a company.

Making a spreadsheet is beneficial because all your progress is organized in one place. You can even color code boxes depending on if a company responds to your initial email, or if you get a job offer. That way, you can easily determine the overall progress you have made with a company just by glancing at your spreadsheet.

Don't get down. Follow up!

Carla Certeza

Looking for a job can be difficult, but there is always something that you can do to help the process along. Many people make the mistake of thinking that their work is done after mass-distributing their resume. They become discouraged after not receiving any replies, thinking that the company wasn't interested in hiring them. But don't give up! While this may be true on some occasions, it is not always the case. With so many people on the job hunt, many companies are bombarded with applications every day. There is a possibility that your resume was lost, forgotten about, or still on the waiting list to be looked at.

Applying for jobs is a process that you need to play an active part in. If the company you applied to has not replied within a week, send a follow up. In your follow up, state who you are and when you first contacted them. If they still don’t respond within the next week, send another follow up. This time, you can include a preview of your work, or elaborate on your skills and why you would be a good fit for the company. While a sending second follow up may seem a bit excessive, in my experience, there has been an instance where my emails were not being received for some reason. After sending a follow up, I was contacted by the company to come in for an interview. At the same time, don't be so persistent to the point where you are contacting the company every other day. Keep in mind that while finding a job may be your top priority, companies are busy with their own agenda.

Follow ups don’t just have to be in the form of emails. You can send a letter in the mail, or even make a visit in person. Letters can add a personalized touch, and going to the company in person can demonstrate your drive and motivation. In my opinion, these options can leave a lasting impression, but would be better utilized later on or in certain circumstances. It also depends on what company you are contacting and how many times you have previously contacted them. We live in a very web-based society, and email is the most efficient and convenient form of contact for both parties. Following up keeps you in the loop on what stage of the hiring process the company you are applying for is in, so don’t forget about this important step of the application process.

Defining Experience

Carla Certeza

Experience.  It’s the bulk of your resume, (at least it’s supposed to be), and it’s what employers take time looking at in the ten seconds that they spend on your resume.  No matter how good you are, without experience, it’s going to be hard to land that dream job or internship.  With any job or internship, experience plays an important role.  Many people have seen a paradox when trying to get hired; they think that in order to get a job, they need experience, but to get experience, they need a job.  Don’t think this way.  If that was the case, everyone would be unemployed.  It all goes back to how you define experience.

‘Experience’ doesn’t necessarily mean work experience.  Maybe you took the lead in a group project for class, or you gave a speech at a local event in your town.  Volunteer work can be beneficial to include in this section as well.  Just make sure you choose experiences that showcase your skills and that have occurred relatively recently.

Sometimes, people who have had work experience don’t include it in their resume because it doesn’t directly pertain to the kind of job that they are looking for.  Don’t make this mistake!  While it would be great if you found a job that directly pertained to what you want to have as a career, this isn’t a common occurrence for people who are just starting out.  Having any type of employee experience shows that you know how a professional work environment functions.  Furthermore, employers aren’t just looking at the experience itself, but at the resulting skills you acquired.  Make sure you have bullet points in the experience section of your resume with power verbs to show off your skills.