Tricks to get more treats!

This past Wednesday was our Fall Career Fair, where we had over 100 employers connecting with students to talk about available opportunities. If you were at the fair, hopefully you made some great connections with these employers, and maybe got a few leads on positions to which you can apply!

You might be wondering how to keep those connections going, and turn them into links that will last long after the fair concluded. Here are some tricks to get the most treats out of the contacts you made on Wednesday:

• Send an email thank-you! If you haven’t sent a thank-you note to your contact already, today is the perfect time to do so. It doesn’t have to be long; you can simply thank them for taking time out of their day to attend the fair and meet with you, and include something from your conversation to aid them in connecting the email to their time with you. Attach a copy of your resume to the email, too!
• Connect on LinkedIn! This is the best way to keep the connection going throughout your networking process, since you can stay up-to-date on all the professional goings-on of your whole network—and they can see yours! (If you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, don’t worry – come in to see us and we’ll give you all the info to set you up!)
• Follow through! If the employer gave you instructions, like to apply for a position online or email them directly with your resume, make sure you follow those instructions – and send them a follow-up email once you do! 

With these tricks, you’ll be treating yourself to a job or internship in no time. Happy networking, and happy Halloween from your friends at The Career Center!

Amy (Batman) Smith,
Assistant Director

Conducting Phone Interviews

A potential employer may want to do a preliminary interview by phone. If you're prepared for the call, you can impress the interviewer.  Here are some tips, since doing a phone interview is a unique experience!

First, have all your tools in one place, which should include:

• Your resume
• Pen and paper to jot the interviewer(s) name(s) down immediately and to take notes during the interview
• Company research (with relevant information highlighted)
• Questions to ask about the company and position
• A glass of water

 Some additional tips:

• Turn off distractions. Take your phone into in a quiet room.
• Make sure you write down the interviewer’s name and contact information.
• Dress the part for the interview. Experts say if you're dressed in a professional manner, you'll speak that way.
• Make your answers more concise and to the point.  It is harder to keep the interviewer’s attention on the phone, due to the lack of non-verbal communication.

Some final thoughts:

If an employer calls and wants to do the interview right away (instead of setting up an appointment), tell them you are interested but would like to call them back in five minutes. This will give you time to make the psychological switch from whatever you are doing to your professional demeanor and collect some basic materials.

When the employer ends the interview, thank them for their time.  Be sure you have their full name and contact information.  Close the interview by thanking them for their time and reiterating your interest in the position.

Write a thank-you email within 24 hours of the interview.

If you have other questions, don’t hesitate to come see us!

Gary Alan Miller,
Executive Director

Join Today! The Power of Professional Associations

You perfected resume and cover letter writing.  Now, you aim to apply to positions online.  As covered in my last entry, you now understand the difference between the general pile of applications and the “referral” pile.  You must now work to get from point A to point B.  How do you get referred?

In addition to meeting new people at career fairs, you might want to consider meeting people at other types of events and meetings.  For example, professional associations, either at the local, state, regional, or national level, often times host recurring meetings, events, and annual conferences.  Think of professional associations as groups of people who work in specific industries and aim to stay connected with others and continually learn.  Just about every industry will offer a professional association.  Simply Google “______________ professional association” and see what pops up.  You may also want to add location keywords, such as “Long Island,” “New York,” or “Northeast” to get started. 

If you are a current student, take advantage and join a professional association or two that seems interesting and active.  More often than not, professional associations offer discounted student membership rates.  Yes, professional associations may charge membership dues.  However, think about this: if you are not willing to invest in yourself, who will?

Keep in mind that joining a professional association will not guarantee you a job or internship.  However, if you become involved, attend events, and meet people, chances are your likelihood of moving from point A to point B will increase.  Join today! 

Stefano Verdesoto,
External Relations Assistant Director

If You Like Tinder, You’ll Love This…

Have you ever heard of the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words?”  When it comes to your profile pictures, this can very well be the truth! Anyone who is familiar with the popular dating site Tinder, will be familiar with the concept that this new website I’m going to tell you about has to offer.

Now, I don’t use the dating site Tinder because I’m happily married (love you Matthew), but from what I know users make quick judgments about people based on their photo.  I can only imagine the controversy a concept like this might instigate being that we, as people, are much more than one good photo.  However, what is undeniably true is that photos can make a “first impression” online. Do you look confident, fun, friendly? 

As a career professional I’m not exactly here to support your love life (although a career as a match maker might be cool).  My goals are more in line with supporting your career.  One of the major resources we encourage students to use is LinkedIn.  However, many students either don’t have a profile picture or they have an inappropriate photo up.  Well a new site is here to help: photofeeler! 

I signed up for an account and tested it out.  You can sign up for free and connect it to your LinkedIn or other social networking accounts.  After you vote on a few photos of other users, you get credits that you can use to get others to vote on your photos.  It is all free!  You start to see the results instantaneously as to the “competent, likeable and influential” look of your LinkedIn profile photo.  The feedback is objective and helpful!  The more votes you get, the more reliable your results are.  You can also use it to get feedback on your social and dating accounts – bonus! 

Try it out and let me know what you think in the comments section!

Deanna Rodin, Associate Director

The Traditional Meal for Career Success

I don’t know about you, but every year, a few days before Thanksgiving, my father asks me what I want to eat at our Thanksgiving meal. And more or less, my answer is, “we HAVE to have turkey, ham, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes…” and then the list goes on. I realized that in tradition and as the years go by, I have come up with a list that is the standard minimum of what has to be at the dinner table or else it won’t be our traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

Similarly, there is a standard minimum of what most job and internship opportunities need in order to apply and succeed:

• Resume: Almost every position you apply to will require a resume. Employers want to know what background you have in the industry through your education, work experience, clubs and activities, etc. so make sure that you have an updated document with appropriate experiences on your resume.
• Cover Letter: Most positions will require a cover letter, this is your opportunity to speak more about yourself and give some concrete examples in your past experiences that show why you are the best candidate for the job.
• Interview: This is your opportunity to shine in front of a recruiter. They will ask you a variety of questions to see how you fit into the company or organization. Similarly, this is a chance for you to see if this company or organization is a fit for you! 

Although these are just three examples we hear about often in the professional world, they are very crucial to the career process. Additionally, some other standards are knowledge about the industry, presenting your most professional self, thank you letters--the list goes on.

As always, you know that the Career Center is available if you have any questions about the career process, want a critique of your resume/cover letter, or would like to get some mock interview practice in. Stop by our Quick Questions or give us a call to make an appointment!

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!

Anne Monique Concepcion,
Graduate Assistant

Using Information Interviews and Shadowing to Find Your Career

The best way to explore a potential career choice is by speaking with and/or following someone who works in that career.  So, how do you do that? Informational interviewing and job shadowing are two great options.

Informational interviews help you learn first-hand about your chosen profession by asking questions about tasks, business environment, and educational background.  Shadowing a professional allows you to follow someone in your career choice as they go through a typical day or week on the job and ask questions and observe the work.

Finding a Profession(al)

Finding someone to interview or shadow is not difficult. Ask your parents and your friends’ parents if they know someone you can interview. Ask your professors for recommendations of professionals in the field. Go to your career center: Many maintain lists of alumni and employers who are willing to help in your career exploration.

Next, call or write a letter requesting an information interview or job shadowing. People who like their jobs tend to enjoy talking about them. You compliment the professional by expressing an interest in the career. In your phone call or letter, explain how you found the person you want to interview and request time for an appointment. Emphasize that you want to find out more about the career—you’re not looking for a job. If you’re lucky, the professional you contact may have other colleagues you can interview also.

Asking Questions

Take notes during your time with the professional. Here are some questions you might ask:

• What is your typical workday like?
• What do you like most (and least) about your job?
• What skills/abilities are most important to succeed in this job?
• What is your educational background?
• How did you get started in this field?
• What courses were most helpful to you and which would you recommend?
• What is the best way to get started in this field?
• Do you have any additional advice to help me prepare?

Following Up Your Interview

Review your notes. What was your impression? Did you leave the interview feeling as if you can envision a future in this occupation or were you discouraged—you don’t feel you learned enough about the occupation or the job description doesn’t sound appealing any longer?

Take your thoughts and concerns to the career center staff and get feedback on the next step to take in your career exploration. You may want to do additional information interviews in this career path or you may want to reexamine your goals and find a different path for your interests.

No matter what you decide, send a thank-you note to anyone you interview or shadow. Whether you decide to forge ahead on that career path or find another one, this professional may be a good person to network with when you begin your job search.

Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Gary Alan Miller, Executive Director