Will Greek Life Help or Hinder Your Job Search?

Greek life is commonly disputed as an experience for students to put on their resumes. Some organizations boast their large alumni networks and the countless resume-boosting activities such as community service, leadership, and communication. On the other hand, the Greek life stereotype still exists and some employers might have a predisposition towards fraternity or sorority members. Including your experience in Greek life on your resume is up to your own discretion, but it is important to weigh the pros and cons.

Pros:

1. There are many great skills fraternity and sorority members develop. If you hold an executive board position, you most likely learned a plethora of leadership, communication, and professional skills that will help you in your future careers.
2. It is a great conversation starter if your interviewer participated in Greek life or if the company has had a history of success with fraternity or sorority alumni. This provides a great opportunity to relate your experience as part of a Greek organization to your eligibility as a candidate for a job or internship.

Cons:

1. Stereotypes undoubtedly exist and employers may associate Greek life with movies like Animal House, House Bunny, and Neighbors as opposed to the close-knit, service-oriented organization you were a part of. Greek life is different everywhere but there can always be a negative connotation for some people.
2. Putting a fraternity or sorority on your resume with no explanation of your role and successes is less likely to help your job search. If you cannot list any skills underneath your involvement that apply to your professional endeavors, it may be a better idea to leave it out.

Overall, Greek life can help your resume and increase your chance of standing out in a pool of candidates if you emphasize professional skills such as leadership, philanthropy, and communication. Being part of a fraternity or sorority has also probably given you experience with public speaking and presenting yourself, so that in itself may be enough to make you stand out to a potential employer. By being professional and making a good first impression, it will be easier for employers to look past any pre-conceived notions and focus on the positive experiences that have helped you develop professionally through your participation in a Greek organization.

Sharlys Leszczuk, Marketing Assistant

Preparing for a Career Fair is Like Planning a Birthday Party…

I know, it doesn’t sound like there are many similarities between getting ready for a career fair and planning a birthday celebration, but if there’s anything I learned from celebrating my birthday this past weekend, there are definitely some overlaps that you can take into consideration:

1. Planning the right outfit is key: Whether you’re looking for a cute dress, matching shoes, and that perfect hint of detail from a statement necklace; it’s important to dress your best, but still professional, when meeting employers. You want to dress to impress, but also remember that you’ll be moving around from table to table—so same for a night out in the city, it’s probably best to ditch those 6-inch heels.
2. Do your research: Similarly to researching and finding a good restaurant everyone will enjoy, it’s important to do the research on employers to learn if it’s the right fit for you. You’ll also dazzle employers by your extensive knowledge and avoid the “deer-caught-in-the-headlights” look when you’re asked a question you don’t know the answer to.
3. Make a plan and prepare beforehand: You generally want to have an action plan of where you’re going and what events you’ll attend beforehand. You may need to call ahead and make reservations or set up a game plan for travelling. Similarly, you want to make a plan of which employers you want to visit before going to the career fair so you can utilize your time wisely and print out an appropriate number of resumes to hand out. Be sure to get your resume critiqued before the day of the event and print out extra in case you come across an employer you weren’t expecting to be interested in!
4. Follow up with people after the event: Whether it’s giving thanks to a guest for being a part of your celebration or sending some love for a birthday present you received, you want to follow up with recruiters with a thank-you letter to express gratitude for taking their time to meet with you. This leaves a positive impression on the employer and makes you more likely to get an interview! 

So, next time you’re planning a birthday celebration or looking to attend an upcoming career fair, be sure to keep these tips in mind so you’ll be prepared and ready to have a great time—or score that interview!

Anne Monique Concepcion,
Graduate Assistant

How to Rock Your Next Skype Interview

Did you see Kaitlyn’s blog yesterday? It has really great tips to prepare you to ace an interview. So if you didn’t, check it out by scrolling down after this post or clicking here! While I was reading it, I started thinking about one of the more recent methods of interviewing that has developed—the Skype interview. Skype interviews have become increasingly common in recent years, and they’re particularly helpful if you’ve applied for a position for which you would have to travel a long distance for the interview. If you’re an out-of-state student looking for a position once you return home, or are looking to relocate after graduation, Skype interviews are a great way to keep the personal feel of an interview! However, Skype interviews do come with their own nuances that you must think about and prepare for; these tips will help you stay cool, calm, and collected!

1. Choose your interview space carefully – and keep it clean!
Once you know when your Skype interview will take place, start thinking about where you’ll be connecting with the employer for the interview. You want a room that is clear and free of distractions: both for you in the room and your interviewers on screen! If you choose to take the interview in your bedroom, either in your residence hall or at home, make sure that the area that will be on screen with you is free and clear of anything that could potentially give a negative perception of you to an employer (especially things like posters, pictures, and decorations).

*Protip: Ask The Career Center! With advance notice, we can try to set aside one of our interview rooms for you to use!

2. Dress (completely) professionally!

Just because you know you’ll only be visible from the torso-up for your interview, don’t think that’s free reign to wear those Spongebob pajama pants! It might be comfy, but you’ll feel much more professional if you’re in full interview attire. Plus, if any technical glitches arise and you do need to stand up while you’re on-screen, you’re prepared!

Don’t be this guy.

3. Don’t let the glitches get you down!

Technical difficulties happen. Just as your internet connection can go down right at the crucial part of the movie you’re watching on Netflix, it can happen during a Skype interview, too. Take precautions before the interview, like making sure that you’re on a computer that has a stable connection and doing a test-run to calibrate your camera and microphone. Also make sure you provide a phone number you can be reached at during the interview time, in case they can’t connect to you or the Skype call gets dropped. Most importantly, how you handle glitches can also potentially show the employer how you can handle pressure; stay calm and have a back-up plan in place!

Best of luck on your next Skype interview! If you want to schedule a mock interview or just have some questions as you prepare, stop on in and see us!

Amy Smith, Assistant Director

Networking During the Holiday Season

If you think people don’t get hired during the holiday season, think again. The start of a new year can bring about many changes in a staff, which could mean open positions and perhaps a spot for you to join a work team.

You can use your downtime during winter break to keep up your career development and job opportunities by doing the following:

• Search for jobs or internships using our suggested websites
• Network - the holidays are a perfect time to connect with network contacts you have not communicated with in a while, either through LinkedIn, social events, etc.
• Update your LinkedIn profile, or sign up for LinkedIn if you have not done so already
• Use Alumni Student Konnection (ASK) to ask career-related questions to Hofstra alumni
• Meet new people by volunteering at a soup kitchen or other type of volunteering event

It's that easy! Happy Holidays, and Happy networking!

Nayelli Perez, Assistant Director