Tag Archives: Job Search
Doâs and Donâts: How to Make the Best of Career Fairs
August is slowly creeping around the corner.
Instead of being bummed out about school starting, get excited for what lies ahead! For students, this is prime-time career fair season. During the fall months as you prepare to head back to campus and get situated, itâs important to iron your blazers and dust off your networking skills.
When I was in school at Indiana University, whether I was a freshman or senior, I took advantage of career fairs every semester. I learned about job opportunities that were offered in my community and made valuable connections. A few even landed me a part-time job on campus.
Whatever you are looking for, career fairs are a great place to start. Here is a rundown of some doâs and donâts to keep in mind:
DO:
Your research! Look at what companies are attending the career fair first and narrow your options down to maximize …
Alumni Relations & University Career Services: The Perfect Match
âSo, what are your plans after graduation?â
This is easily one of the most dreaded questions college graduates try to avoid answering once they walk across that stage and finally receive their diploma. After four (perhaps more) years of grueling hard work, packed extracurricular schedules, exams and a few parties here and there, graduates are expected to jump into the job market and pursue their passions they developed on campus. But finding an answer to that question doesnât have to be worrisome. It can be quite exciting and fulfilling! Take it from me.
The best resource I found that helped me answer this question was right there under my nose. Thanks to the IU Career Development Center on campus, they served as a supportive portal for students of every major. Their recourses stretch across numerous services including career advising, facilitating internship and job fairs, tips on cover letter and …
The Transition from College to Career
As a recent college graduate from a Big 10 university, I know how stressful and exciting those last few months of campus life can be. Itâs a whirlwind of emotions.
In the middle of trying to take in all the sights and scenes before I left a place I called home for the last four years, I had to stop and consider what the next step was. Once I received my diploma, I was faced with the decision of whether to immediately start my career, attend grad school or take time to travel the world. But transitioning from a free-spirited undergrad to a professional with a bachelorâs degree was tougher than I thought!
My senior semester was dedicated to a lot of job applications and cover letters, but I didnât have a full-time job waiting for me once I left Bloomington. I learned quickly that I didnât have enough …
March Madness: Internship Style
March is here! Flowers are blooming, students are relaxing during their spring breaks and the NCAA basketball tournament is in full swing. If you arenât a basketball fanatic, March Madness may not be important to you. We will take a different approach to March Madness by relating it to searching for internships.
Selection Sunday
In basketball, this is the day the NCAA Division I Menâs Basketball Committee reveals which teams have been selected to compete. In searching for internships, this is when you select the industry youâre interested in. If youâre searching for a marketing internship, determine if youâd rather intern at a marketing agency, non-profit organization, etc. There are many options out there, so do your research!
Sweet 16
This is the round of 16 basketball teams that have made it this far in the tournament. Once you have selected the industry, you can search for organizations. …
Make the Most of Spring Break
Spring breaks are this month for many high schools, colleges and universities. You may be planning to kick back and relax for a week, but hereâs a list of productive activities you could do instead.
1 . Catch up on homework
This may sound boring, but the end of the semester brings deadlines for projects youâve been putting off. You donât have to spend every day at the library studying for those final exams coming up in May. Use this time to catch up, so you donât fall behind later. Dedicate a few hours throughout the week to work on assignments.
2 . Get organized
Students have busy lives, which can leave little time for organization. Use this free time to clean out your backpack and organize your notes. If you have the momentum, clean and organize your room/apartment/house. Spring is almost here, you can get a head start …
Thank you very much!
The importance of a simple thank you â it may seem nominal, but the more I read about job interview follow ups, the more I understand why it is essential.
There are a lot of people that take time out of their schedules for interviewing purposes: the person that has to filter through the resumes, the person that conducts the phone interviews and the people that conduct the actual interview, and donât forget the individual that you may have networked with to learn of the open position. The least we can do is say thanks.
Thanking the interview team
The general rule of thumb is to send a thank you note within 24 hours after your interview. The thank you note could be a simple thank you, but it could also be used to reiterate your interest in the company and position, remind the interviewer who you are or mention …
Time for some spring cleaning
Spring has sprung. Finally!
After my battle with the winter weather, I couldnât be more excited about spring. Besides enjoying the warmth, we all know that spring is a busy time with cleaning and making way for new things by getting rid of the old.
Itâs also the time of the season where some college students will be graduating soon or closing in on the last day of their internship. If youâre like me, you are going through both of these. So, thereâs no better time than now to start sprucing things up a bit for the job search. You know, spring clean it.
Where to start? What needs to be done? Here are some things we all can do.
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Tidy up the résumé
Remove all of the unnecessary items. Make sure your rĂ©sumĂ© fits the position that you are applying for. And remember, …
Mind The Employment Gap
From âwhat are you going to do when you grow upâ to âwhat are you going to do after graduationâ to even âwhatâs next for you,â life seems to be one never ending string of career questions. These questions assume that one is continually equipping oneâs self with the tools needed to proceed onto the next career milestone. Up until my graduation from college in May 2011, I thought I was ready to take on âthe real worldâ â to do whatever I was going to do when I grew up. However, like many of my generation, I faced a reality that I was not expecting: the student employment gap.
A labor shortage is a stark realization as the Baby Boomer workforce retires, heating up the competition for emerging talent. However, a striking contrast exists bewteen what employers require and what college students bring to the table. As reported …
Quiet but Mighty, Part IV
Finding the right role in the theater of business
This is a guest post by Kaleb Lantrip, a student at IUPUI and a self-proclaimed introvert. This is Part IV in the five-part Quiet but Mighty blog series exploring ways introverts can remain true to themselves and still experience a satisfying professional life.
If all the world is a stage, and all the men and women merely agents, then how does one who likes performing background and scenery work to be noticed?
I have met individuals who possess better qualifications and instincts for the stage of business, but I have my own skills and values to offer. I am a shameless introvert. I am not ambitious, but I am willing to provide a hard day’s work for a noble production. The trick is getting myself behind the curtain. Establishing myself as a trustworthy and able worker is key.
There is a narrow window of …
Quiet but Mighty, Part II
Modesty and Marketability: Can they co-exist?
This is Part II in the five-part Quiet but Mighty blog series exploring ways introverts can remain true to themselves and still experience a satisfying professional life.
Ever find yourself thinking: âI want a good job, but how can I showcase my abilities when Iâm not comfortable tooting my own horn?â
Youâre not alone. Modesty is a hallmark characteristic of the introvert population and one that is much-admired; however, it is often considered counterproductive in the competitive job market.
One piece of career advice that I struggle with is âselling yourself.â This concept tends to invoke fear in those of us who try to avoid the spotlight.
The simple truth is people donât like solicitors. Solicitors sensationalize and feign enthusiasm in order to sell a product for the sole purpose of advancing their own self interests. People do, however, like teammates â those …
Quiet but Mighty, Part I
NetWORK: âdoingâ rather than âtalkingâ
This is Part I in the five-part Quiet but Mighty blog series exploring ways introverts can remain true to themselves and still experience a satisfying professional life.
May I be frank? I hate the word ânetworking.â
Especially as an introvert, and especially as someone who is easily frustrated by the formalities of corporate America. Not to mention, Iâm flat-out bad at what most people consider ânetworking.â
There are a lot of great tips from career counselors you should employ. But have you ever noticed that career advice is often geared toward the extroverted population â networking advice in particular? So, this post (and this entire series) is designed to serve as an alternative voice for those quiet, task-oriented worker bees thirsting for customized and workable career-building ideas. As we go through the week, I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments section.
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Look Beyond Résumé to Predict Hiring Success
This article is from the Indiana Business Journal titled, âLook Beyond RĂ©sumĂ© to Predict Hiring Successâ by Jenny Vance, President of LeadJen.
Here is some insight into the mind of an employer. It is important to remember that although your rĂ©sumĂ© may not have a lot of relevant experience to a job you are applying for, companies still look for transferable skills and qualities. Donât get discouraged when applying for jobs or internships because your background doesnât necessarily reflect the description. Instead, try to highlight other qualifications that might show the company why you would make a great fit. See Indiana INTERNnetâs blog where other Indiana employers provide intern tidbits: Take it from the internship supervisors.
I hate resumes. Okay, “hate” may be a little strong, but I do think resumes are overrated. They tend to put prospective hires into a box and possibly limit companies from hiring outstanding employees. …
Intern InsightâWeek One on the Internship
As I begin my new journey into my internship with Indiana INTERNnet, I am most excited about creating content that will be useful to other interns and employers. I must reflect and admit that this wasnât where I thought I would be six months ago, but I am so thankful that this is where I am today. After finally graduating in August 2012, I was ready to embark on my journey of âlife after college.â I landed a job with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security after I had interned with them. I was funded by a grant, and found out that I would be losing my job at the end of the year, so I decided to explore other career opportunities. I actually created a profile through the Indiana INTERNnet website and began searching for internships. Â I was very excited about applying for the Marketing/Special Events coordinator position and …
The Forty-Year-Old Intern
This is a story by Felicia Edlin that ran in the Little Pink Book newsletter on Nov. 7, 2012.
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” – Dolly Parton
Not so long ago, internships were reserved for college students. That’s changing.
With high unemployment rates, many women are switching careers with the help of internships to learn fresh skills and widen their network.
These days, mid-career internships are viewed as an investment to a new career, not as a regression. Ideally, an internship could lead to a full-time position.
If not, it’s a way to keep up skills in between jobs.
Career expert J.T. O’Donnell says in-depth discussions with mentors and career advisors are essential to discovering what you are interested in.
O’Donnell suggests digging deeper into why you want to make the transition. Mid-career internships are most successful for those who plan a way …
Discovering your career path, Part IV
This is the final installment of the series discussing methods to narrow down what jobs youâd like to pursue post-graduation. For previous entries, see personality, exploratory coursework and career aptitude tests.
You wouldnât buy a car without taking it for a test drive. You wouldnât marry someone without getting to know them.
Why would you jump into a career without first completing an internship or a similar form of experiential learning?
Experiential learning is a key step in your career development and is becoming less of an option and more of a necessity (see this USA Today College story). Not only can you âtest driveâ a career, but you acquire skills and complete real-world work in addition to what you learn in the classroom.
With that said, the goal is not to land just any internship. As you begin your search, there are several factors you want to keep in …