Every week, the Office of Career Services sends out a “This Week at Career Services” email to notify students of upcoming programs, workshops, and deadlines, along with offering a brief spotlight on one of our resources.  Also included is a list of a few of the jobs and internships that were posted in JobCenter the week prior.  The email serves as a constantly updated snapshot of the services available to students; if it were to include everything new and beneficial, it would be much too large for the average inbox!

This week’s blog is meant to call your attention to a section of JobCenter that offers oodles of information on companies, internship, research, or job opportunities, and graduate schools or unique opportunities.  This is only naming a few of the 30+ folders in your Resource Library – a constantly updated electronic filing system of countless resources that should be added to your career planning tool box.

Did you know….

• The Employer folder offers over 35 sub-folders about industries and/or companies?  There is information ranging from Accounting firms to GREEN jobs to state and federal government opportunities and resources for candidates.
• There is an Internships / Research / Shadowing folder that includes links to current and annual programs and opportunities at places such as Pfizer, Disney, The Kennedy Center, etc.  I stopped counting at 50 sub-folders, all of which offer students great resources and ideas on identifying potential opportunities of interest.
• A Unique Opportunities folder includes information on…you guessed it, opportunities that are unique.  AmeriCorps/Vista, Peace Corps, and Teach for America;  English Nanny & Governess School; a Leadership Pennsylvania Summer Institute, and more can be found here.
  

These are just three of the folders found in the Resource Library, accessible through the left hand navigation column in your JobCenter account.  Take some time today to turn on your computer, settle in, and browse!

A snapshot of current folders: 

Spring often means that many students are engaged in an active search for jobs or internships.  Identifying companies of interest is certainly the first step, but what comes next?  Your resume, along with your cover letter or presence/conversation at a career fair, is your opportunity to illustrate how you would be a good fit for a position or organization.  That means that you should be purposefully highlighting skills, abilities, and attributes that are relevant to the employer.

Figuring out what is relevant is the behind-the-scenes preparation before your resume is created, your cover letter is drafted, and your interview responses are practiced.  By researching the organization and industry of interest, you will be able to tailor your job search materials and create a strong personal brand that advocates for why you should be considered as a candidate.

According to the Digital Job Choices Magazine, available through the Career Services website, “Researching employers is perhaps the single-most important activity you will undertake in your job search.  The information you uncover can help you:

• Discover organizations that are a good match for you,
• Identify the organization’s goals and needs,
• Tailor your resume and cover letters to highlight your skills and experiences that match the employer’s needs,
• Know what questions to ask employers,
• Demonstrate your interest in and enthusiasm for the organization,
• Answer interview questions with confidence, and
• Make an informed employment decision."

With so much technology at our fingertips, it can be too easy to slip into a casual communication style in the workplace.  Abbreviations, one line responses, and replying from a cell phone are second nature.  However, employers indicate that professional business communication is still a requirement for many organizations!  Take a look at these tips for using E-mail at work and think twice before hitting that ‘send’ button!

1. 1. Do not use your employer’s e-mail address for anything other than work-related correspondence.
2. 2. Read e-mail carefully so that you can respond appropriately.
3. 3. Don’t send confidential material by e-mail.
4. 4. Use a subject line that reflects what your message is about.
5. 5. Don’t use abbreviations or text-message jargon (BTW, LOL, or smiley faces, and so forth) in your e-mail.
6. 6. Use a brief greeting as you might in a letter (Dear John, Good morning Mrs. Smith). Include a closing (Sincerely, Yours, Thanks).
7. 7. Use spell check and reread your message before sending.
8. 8. Respond to e-mail promptly.
9. 9. Use typefaces and colors that are appropriate to your workplace. Ask if your office has a style that you should follow.
10. 10. If you find you are e-mailing back and forth several times, pick up the phone to settle the issue.
11. 11. If you forward a message, remove the FW from the subject line.
12. 12. Change the subject line if the topic of the e-mail changes.
13. 13. Do not share other people’s e-mail addresses.
14. 14. Be careful using “reply all.” Consider whether it is necessary that everyone sees your reply.
15. 15. Do not forward other people’s messages without permission.
16. 16. Watch the tone of your e-mail. Remember, the person receiving the e-mail can’t see your body language.

Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, copyright holder

It can easily seem as though the most difficult stage of being an intern takes place before you ever clock in for your first day – as you search for, apply to, interview for, and ultimately are selected for a position!  However, landing the position is only a fraction of what it takes to create a quality experience.

According to the CareerSpots video – Make the Most of Internships – there are three main things that interns should do to achieve maximum benefit during their experience.

• Start building your network immediately
• Understand your value to the organization by making connections between what you’re doing and how it impacts the department/company
• Execute your work (and do it well)

A few words of warning are also offered: be careful with how involved you are in extra-curricular activities during your internship time-frame.  You need to be able to devote your attention fully to your internship (and your studies, of course!), something that can be difficult when you’re also stretched thin between multiple activities and organizations.

Additional actions for making the most of your internship are laid out in our Career TIP Sheet: Best Practices for Student Interns.  For example, set goals as part of your pre-internship planning to help you identify opportunities that match your interests and needs.  Thoughtful goal setting also helps you to articulate what you are hoping to learn during your internship to your site supervisor.  During your internship, maintain communication with your supervisor to be sure you understand expectations and assignments.  Ask for feedback regularly and keep a journal to track and reflect upon your activities.  At the end of your internship, make a plan for maintaining your new networking connections and practice articulating your experience.

An internship is meant to be a vital part of your college experience to build career-related skills, work habits, and attitudes.  It’s entirely for your benefit that you make the most of it!

Internships are a vital part of the collegiate experience. In today's competitive culture students are wise to bring career-related experiences to the attention of potential employers and graduate schools. Hiring and admissions personnel are looking for candidates with maturity and confidence, good writing and speaking skills, honesty and integrity, leadership, interpersonal strengths, initiative, creativity, and flexibility. Many of these strengths are honed through the real world experience of an internship.

Internships will help you develop the work habits, attitudes, and skills to begin your career. They will enable you to build your network of professional contacts, explore career options, apply classroom theory and concepts, become acquainted with company culture, and make a contribution to the organization that mentors you. Experience counts. Get your career in motion today!

How do you go about conducting an internship search?  Start by watching the CareerSpots video – Finding a Co-Op/Internship - and begin browsing the Experience Counts website through Career Services.  Here you will be linked to great resources and helpful information on internships for academic credit or for experience only (non-credit).  Make yourself aware of opportunities available through JobCenter, both in the Jobs & Internships section and the Resource Library (available on the left hand navigation column).  You are encouraged to talk with faculty, your personal networking connections, and alumni through the Career Connections mentor database (also accessed through JobCenter) to discuss your interests and learn of leads.  Career Services is glad to work with you as well through the entire process of your internship – before, during, and following the experience.

There are many avenues in which to seek out internship opportunities; give yourself ample time to conduct a thorough search in hopes of landing an internship that will be most beneficial to your future career goals!

I’m sure you have many things to do over the holiday break, including taking time to relax!  However, if you find yourself with some time on your hands that you would like to dedicate to your career development, start by catching up on our Career Corner newsletters.  Below is a list of editions with a short summary of their included topics that might be the most beneficial for you to catch up on.

• November 2011 – Professional Associations: what they are, how to find ones that are relevant to your career interests, and faculty advice on why you should consider joining them!
• October 2011 – Experience Counts: all about internships
• April 2011 – How to set up and make the most of a Job Shadowing experience
• March 2011 – a recap of Tabor Community Service’s Financial Literacy Series, written by Amanda Slusaw ‘11
• November 2010 – Social Media and your Job Search (don’t forget to also read advice from Bill Glose '81 in a recent blog posting!)

An archive of all past editions of Career Corner can be found on the left hand column of this blog or in the Resource Library of your JOB CENTER account.  Between our blog, our newsletters, and our Webshops, you have access to your own personal career coach, 24/7!   

I understand that many students are still focusing on final exams and papers, so perhaps it's not time to slow down just yet...but when it is, I hope you take the time to catch up!  Good luck on your finals next week!!!

• Opportunity to work at or slightly above your skill level
• Formalized acculturation program (Socialization activities)
• Established program, committed resources, an assigned supervisor/mentor
• Exposure to various departments and/or functions
• A defining project, and if at all possible, a resulting product (e.g. report, plan)
• An established channel of consideration for permanent hire

Summer is just around the corner.  Yes!  While the idea of fun and relaxing days at the beach or community pool is attractive, the majority of your summer days will likely be spent working. As you look for and secure career-related employment and/or internships to test out your classroom knowledge and put your skills to work, we want you to keep these things in mind: 

1.      Not all “internships” are created equal.  Make sure the one you accept offers meaningful assignments.  In one of the webinars we showed on campus this year, Internships - From Accounting to Zoology, speaker Donald Asher offered the following features of a great internship: 

·         Opportunity to work at or slightly above your skill level
·         Formalized acculturation program (Socialization activities)
·         Established program, committed resources, an assigned supervisor/mentor
·         Exposure to various departments and/or functions
·         A defining project, and if at all possible, a resulting product (e.g. report, plan)
·         An established channel of consideration for permanent hire 

2.      Even less than ideal jobs may have “hidden” opportunities. If you deem your job boring or unrelated to your career goals, is there anything you can do to turn that situation around? Take some initiative. Propose a project; show how your idea can bring added value to the organization. Ask for more responsibility. 

3.      Keep a journal. Yes, do so even if you are not required.  You will want to keep track of your work activities, your professional development, and what you have been learning. It's easy to quickly forget even things that you are positive you will remember forever. Journal notes will provide you with information you can use to update your resume or recall a story you want to share to demonstrate your strengths and experience in a future job interview 

4.      Build your network. Take some extra time to conduct several informational interviews beyond your specific work assignment and meet people in other areas of the organization. Do the same thing with people working in other organizations.  Summer is a great time to get to know the organizations in the geographic area where you are located.  

5.      Ask for a letter of recommendation that spells out your specific contribution to the organization, as well as referrals to other professionals they may recommend. Still looking for opportunities? We don’t know about every summer opportunity out there, but what we do learn of we post to JOB CENTER, so be sure to check it regularly for updates.  And, by the way, employers are rarely on vacation.  They will continue to post internships and other opportunities during the summer months!