...some of our resources! 

CSO, the company that powers JOB CENTER, is excited to announce a new partnership with Indeed.com! Indeed is the #1 job site worldwide, with over 40 million unique visitors and 1 billion job searches per month. Indeed is available in more than 50 countries and 24 languages, covering 94% of global GDP. This partnership enables a brand new job stream to come to LVC students directly through the Jobs & Internships tab in JOB CENTER.

Get started using Indeed today by logging in to your JOB CENTER account (select Jobs & Internships tab).  If you have not already done so, sign on while in your account to access two additional new partnerships – Internships.com and CareerRookie.com. – made available in December 2010. And, as always, don’t forget to check out the more “local” postings we receive for jobs and internships.

Other sources to which Career Services subscribes that may help you uncover job leads include:

• Current Jobs for Graduates
• Environmental Job Opportunities
• Bridge – Worldwide Music Connection
• Internships-USA
• Career Insider

• Cover Letters and Other Types of Correspondence and Resume Writing. Did you know you can find templates and examples of resumes and cover letters to help you create one of your own?
• Conducting Your Job Search.  Here you will find help for marketing yourself in the best possible way.  There are tips on the best attire for making a good impression, suggestions on e-mail etiquette, best practices for navigating career fairs and the on-line application process. You will find a special section on marketing your liberal arts skills (there is also a liberal arts skills folder in the Resource Library), as well as your co-curricular experiences.  Check out some information about your rights and responsibilities as a job seeker while you are in this folder.
• Internships / Research. In addition to the internship postings found in the Jobs & Internships tab, there are many other opportunities for obtaining valuable career experience. Would you like to discover, for example, what’s available at The Kennedy Center or The Metropolitan Museum of Art?  Or, perhaps you are more interested in opportunities with The Center for Reproductive Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic or with Dow AgroSciences?  The International Radio and Television Foundation Society or Pennsylvania Office of International Business Development?
• Unique Opportunities.  Would you be interested in backpacking with a purpose?  If so, Operation Groundswell summer programs around the world may be just what you are seeking.  Or, are you looking to combine service and community living with your full-time job?  Take a look at what Sycamore House offers.
• Salary Information. The NACE Salary Calculator Center is an easy-to-use compensation data resource. Access data for more than 1,000 occupations in 560 regions of the United States. Salary survey data sets are updated monthly.

• Scroll back through previous posts of our BLOG for career advice and to access all past editions of the Career Corner newsletter
• Watch our ~10 minute WEBSHOPS on topics such as Creating a Resume, Job Fair Prep, Job Center Tutorial, Getting Connected, or Interviewing Basics
• Browse through the many resources on the Career Services website and watch our new Career Bytes or Career Spot videos for quick tips on career topics
• Explore your JOB CENTER account (accessible through the Academic Resources section of MyLVC) for opportunities to network with alumni, apply for jobs, or access an extensive resource library

• Practice Tests for the GRE, LSAT, MCAT, DAT
• CPEC Job & Internship Fair or Teacher Recruitment Day Fair, including Job Fair Prep sessions
• Webinars:  Graduate School Admission & Application Strategies; Scholarships & Service Program Opportunities
• Financial Literacy Programs
• Fourth Tuesday Series

I’m sure the main concerns of LVC students right now are final exams and figuring out how to stay warm, right?  We wish you luck on both!

I thought I’d do a follow up to the post on working for the Federal Government that I wrote a few weeks ago (November 10^th entry).  The Washington Post released an article this past Sunday, titled 5 Myths about Federal Workers.  It contained interesting insight, addressing the myths that:

• Federal employees are overpaid compared with private-sector workers.
• The Federal workforce is bigger than ever.
• You can’t fire a federal worker.
• Most federal workers are paper-pushing clerks.
• Pay or hiring freezes would help slash the federal budget.

Whether you are interested in pursuing a career in the Federal Government, or are just looking for more information on the topics above, I’d encourage you to read the full article by clicking HERE.  Have a productive week!

Think about it.  You’ve applied for a job or internship and your stellar resume touting your communication abilities catches the attention of hiring personnel. They are eager to schedule an interview and call you to make arrangements. What’s the first thing you want them to hear if they call you when you are unavailable?

“Hey, dude, leave a message.” (Lengthy music intro) “Not here.  Your loss.”“I’m out having a blast.  Catch me later.”

Likely you realize the unprofessional nature of such a greeting, yet recruiters and human resource professionals frequently cite the occurrence of unprofessional greetings. Don’t be one of them!

When leaving a voice mail greeting for an incoming caller when you are unavailable, consider the following: 

• Offer a pleasant greeting. 
• State your name clearly. 
• Repeat your telephone number.
• Request the caller leave a message.
• Indicate when the caller can expect a return call.
• Thank the individual for contacting you. 

Be sure to play back your greeting after you record it and listen carefully to the message you’ve created.  Do you sound pleasant?  Have you enunciated your words/numbers clearly? Are you speaking too quickly so that your message sounds like one long run-on sentence? Re-record as needed until you hear a message you’d like to receive.

Here are a few examples…

Hello. You have reached the voicemail box of Nita Job at 717-000-0000.  I am sorry to miss your call. Will you please leave a brief message so that I may contact you later today?  Thank you!

Thank you for calling Nita Job at 717-000-0000.  I am unavailable to speak with you right now, but will call you back promptly if you will leave a brief message with your name and telephone number. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Oh, and one last thing – no ringback tones, please!

Did you know that you can make money by utilizing resources from Career Services??  Ok…so maybe it’s not as easy as walking through our office doors…but you can have the chance to win $500 if you read Job Choices and then fill out the 20 question satisfaction survey found within its pages.  Job Choices is a yearly magazine that our office provides, published through the National Association of Colleges and Employers.  Many college campuses are members of NACE and receive this helpful career publication.   

Hopefully you didn’t stop reading at ‘satisfaction survey.’  I’m sure you see them everywhere – they’re even attached to the bottom of some store receipts!  If you’re like me, you might think about filling them out and then forget before you can find a pen or get to a computer.  However, it might make you rethink passing over those surveys when you learn that Ashley Collins, an LVC student, filled out last year’s Job Choices survey AND WON! 

As the academic year comes to a close, our office is looking forward to getting ready for 2010-2011.  It always seems as though the spring semester goes by incredibly fast and I can’t believe it’s already mid-May.  While I’d like to offer a sincere ‘congratulations’ to all those graduating seniors out there, I also want to applaud the achievement of finishing out the year to ALL students.  Regardless of how far away you are from commencement day, every year is a milestone to celebrate.

Graduates: 
Whether you are off to graduate school, have accepted a job offer, or are still pursuing job leads, remember that your days of learning are not over just because you have your diploma in hand.  You are off to new places and beginning a new chapter in your life, equipped with what you have gained during your time at LVC.  Always know that our office is here to assist you anytime help is needed, and that we offer resources for alumni, and/or new professionals.  On behalf of our office, I wish you good luck!  We hope you will keep us updated on how/what you are doing!   

Students:
While you are enjoying your summer vacation, be sure and catch up on past blog postings, as well as our Career Corner newsletters - April’s edition offers some excellent summer tips to keep your career planning on track.  Also, please know that the Career Services office will be open throughout the summer, with office hours of 8:00am-4:00pm. 

Lastly, I will be taking a break from the blog this summer, but plan to resume postings closer to the Fall semester.  Our office has been pleased with the readership thus far and we’re hopeful that students and alumni are finding it beneficial.  As always, feel free to send me topic ideas or articles to be used in future posts.  Until next time, enjoy your summer! 

After looking back at past blog postings, I realize that I don’t mention one of our best resources nearly as often as I should – the Career Services website! 

Many of the emails sent out by Career Services constantly refer students or employers to their JOB CENTER accounts, but there is much more on our office web page that could also be very beneficial.

Below is a picture representation of what students would see if they went to our website and clicked on the Resources for Students option in the left column.  I would certainly encourage any population of readers to check out the page that might be most beneficial to them, or to browse through all of our resources.  However, in this post I’d like to focus on a one of the resources in particular, ‘What Can I Do?’

The ‘What Can I Do’ resource is an excellent link for any student looking to learn more about career fields that correspond with their major.  Not only is it a starting point for undecided (or undeclared) students who are exploring what to study, it is also a great site to learn of potential areas and employers to pursue when looking to enter the professional world of work.   It might give insight into areas that correspond with a particular field of study which you may not have thought of before, as well as strategies to keep in mind during college years to help you get there.  Another excellent feature of the ‘What Can I Do’ resource is that under each major there is a Links button that takes you to a listing of Professional Associations and Career Information that’s relevant to that field.  This is a MUST if you’re interested in exploring careers and majors!

Welcome back, students!  I hope you enjoyed your holiday break and are ready to begin the semester at full speed.  Career Services has been busy putting together a semester of programs to help you get ready for life after LVC, details of which you can find through your JOB CENTER Career Events tab, by reading our weekly “This Week in Career Services” emails, or by continually looking out for our posters, emails, and other advertisements.  Of course we’re always happy to meet with you individually, but keep in mind that the spring semester can get very busy and go by very fast-so schedule an appointment early!

In encouraging news, NACE, the national organization that we are a member of, has recently published results of a poll regarding predictions of the college job market.  
“While the college Class of 2010 is facing a tough job market, there has been improvement in the hiring index for three consecutive months indicating that college hiring may have stopped receding and is slowly starting to rebuild”  Read on! ->