You want money. And, barring any sudden winning lottery tickets in your life, you probably are going to need a job to get that money. Whether it’s a summer job, something “just for nowâ€Â or the first job in your new career, there are several things you can do in order to get that job.
One thing you can do is take advantage of the Career Expo, on Feb. 28 from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. There are going to be 170 employers from a wide variety of industries there. But in order to make the best of the Expo, you̢۪re going to have to prepare.
Before the Expo
The career services Web site has a list of employers attending the expo, along with descriptions of the positions they are looking to fill.
Build a list of the employers that you want to talk to. Rank them if you think you might not have enough time to visit them all. Bring copies of your resumé.
Don’t have a resumé? The career services Web site also has a resumé writing program, called Optimal Resumé. It has a variety of resumé formats that you can customize in any way you want.
Once you have a resumé written, you might want to get feedback on it. On Feb. 21, seven days before the Expo, career services is offering a Resumé Doctor workshop from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the downstairs area of the student union between the bookstore and the food court.
If you want more advice on how to prepare for the Expo, there are two workshops to help make the most of the expo. One is Feb. 20 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. in USU 311, and the other is Feb. 21 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in USU 308.
During the Expo
It’s not just a matter of showing up and dropping off some resumés. Work on those people skills. It’s important to market yourself and present the best image possible, said Rita Bocchinfuso-Cohen, director of career services.
“The job fair puts the person first,â€Â Bocchinfuso-Cohen said. “Their resumé might not have been up to par, but [employers will] give them the benefit of the doubt.â€Â
Part of presenting yourself well means dressing professionally. I know you’re busy, and you only have half an hour between classes that day, and you just want to run in and hand your resumé to a couple of people and call it a day. But you will be at a disadvantage compared to the students who do dress up.
“Those students who are dressed in business attire actually stand out,â€Â Bocchinfuso-Cohen said. “It gives a really great impression because they look like they’re prepared, and they knew about it, and they took some effort to plan out their day before they showed up at the event.â€Â
After the Expo
Just because you̢۪ve gone to the Expo, doesn̢۪t mean you̢۪re done yet. Follow up is the most important part.
“The Expo is just a place to meet employers. It’s not really where you’ll be offered a full-time job,â€Â said Kristin Layous, a Career Services counselor.
Get business cards, get names and call people back. If you land an interview, congratulations. But it̢۪s not over yet.
There are plenty of common mistakes that students make during an interview that can be avoided.
You need to research the companies you have interviews for. Explain why you want that position. And no, “I just want a jobâ€Â is not an OK answer.
You also need to sell yourself, and there’s a strategy to it. According to Layous, you don’t want to just give “an alphabet soup of adjectivesâ€Â like “I’m hardworking, I’m dedicated, I’m punctual.â€Â You want to give examples that illustrate these qualities.
You can also improve your interview skills with the Mock Interviews workshops on March 7 and 11. Local employers will be there, and you can have a staged interview with them, and get feedback from them afterwards.
There is also an Interview Savvy Panel on March 26, where you can ask a panel of seven to nine employers for interview advice.
You can also schedule mock interviews with the counselors at the career services center, if you can̢۪t make the interview workshops.
Charles W. Frank • Feb 22, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Welcome, Ben.
Originally I wasn’t attempting to infer anything more than my distaste for being told what I want. And, made note, that I do know people who aren’t about money. And, as noted, I understand the reasoning behind the line of print, however distasteful I felt it.
Generally speaking, yes, students think they’re going to make more by going to college and getting a “higher education.” You addressed that fallacy in articles over the last two semesters … too bad most people can’t see the forest from the trees and smell their own ???? on their knees. There’s a saying I like in this context, but it never fully awakens the enlightened side (self realization) of things in people: Ignorance is bliss until your pissed on.
I’ll make this my last for this article.
Charles W. Frank • Feb 22, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Welcome, Ben.
Originally I wasn’t attempting to infer anything more than my distaste for being told what I want. And, made note, that I do know people who aren’t about money. And, as noted, I understand the reasoning behind the line of print, however distasteful I felt it.
Generally speaking, yes, students think they’re going to make more by going to college and getting a “higher education.” You addressed that fallacy in articles over the last two semesters … too bad most people can’t see the forest from the trees and smell their own ???? on their knees. There’s a saying I like in this context, but it never fully awakens the enlightened side (self realization) of things in people: Ignorance is bliss until your pissed on.
I’ll make this my last for this article.
Benjamin Baxter • Feb 22, 2008 at 1:14 pm
The Collegian Staff Comment
Future Squirrel Stuffer
It doesn’t say that college kids are in it for the money as you seem to infer, even though that’s generally true.
In general, students — our audience and our readers — want money, even if a capitalist economy makes them sick to their stomachs and even if they fight the power by only paying a portion of their taxes.
Students want money not because they’re greedy, as I infer is your interpretation, but because they need to pay the bills.
It’s a pragmatic decision.
True point, now unshrouded: The lede is fine.
Oh, and by the way — thanks for reading and respecting. ‘Preciate it.
Benjamin Baxter • Feb 22, 2008 at 8:14 pm
The Collegian Staff Comment
Future Squirrel Stuffer
It doesn’t say that college kids are in it for the money as you seem to infer, even though that’s generally true.
In general, students — our audience and our readers — want money, even if a capitalist economy makes them sick to their stomachs and even if they fight the power by only paying a portion of their taxes.
Students want money not because they’re greedy, as I infer is your interpretation, but because they need to pay the bills.
It’s a pragmatic decision.
True point, now unshrouded: The lede is fine.
Oh, and by the way — thanks for reading and respecting. ‘Preciate it.
Charles W. Frank • Feb 22, 2008 at 2:52 am
Ben: Meh. Do what you can with what you got. You don’t know the half of it. I’ve done better and reserve that energy for time better spent on things that matter (its a WIP).
As for $$$, Ben, you have 0 (zero, nil, nothing) to say about this, all things considered, some of your publishings on education over the last 2 semesters (which I respect). Otherwise, point number 1 was moot as soon as you wasted time typing it.
Ben, though your true point is shrouded (come clean buddy) … I get it …
Megan,
Apologies. I was being a bit “obtuse” myself in posting some of my thoughts last night (not just yours, but others as well).
Cheers, All.
Charles W. Frank • Feb 22, 2008 at 9:52 am
Ben: Meh. Do what you can with what you got. You don’t know the half of it. I’ve done better and reserve that energy for time better spent on things that matter (its a WIP).
As for $$$, Ben, you have 0 (zero, nil, nothing) to say about this, all things considered, some of your publishings on education over the last 2 semesters (which I respect). Otherwise, point number 1 was moot as soon as you wasted time typing it.
Ben, though your true point is shrouded (come clean buddy) … I get it …
Megan,
Apologies. I was being a bit “obtuse” myself in posting some of my thoughts last night (not just yours, but others as well).
Cheers, All.
Benjamin Baxter • Feb 21, 2008 at 3:23 pm
The Collegian Staff Comment
Future Squirrel Stuffer
Two rules of thumb:
1. Cog. Sci. majors could never be about the money. They also aren’t representative of the college population.
2. Never trust people with garish Web sites.
Benjamin Baxter • Feb 21, 2008 at 10:23 pm
The Collegian Staff Comment
Future Squirrel Stuffer
Two rules of thumb:
1. Cog. Sci. majors could never be about the money. They also aren’t representative of the college population.
2. Never trust people with garish Web sites.
Megan Bakker • Feb 21, 2008 at 3:16 pm
The Collegian Staff Comment
Sorry. I was trying for a more creative approach than the standard “Hey, here’s some events going on.” You’re right, a college paper is to hone skills, and sometimes in trying to experiment with something different, it doesn’t work well. But sometimes I don’t know until I try. Thanks for the feedback, and I’ll pay attention to this in the future.
Megan Bakker • Feb 21, 2008 at 10:16 pm
The Collegian Staff Comment
Sorry. I was trying for a more creative approach than the standard “Hey, here’s some events going on.” You’re right, a college paper is to hone skills, and sometimes in trying to experiment with something different, it doesn’t work well. But sometimes I don’t know until I try. Thanks for the feedback, and I’ll pay attention to this in the future.
Charles W. Frank • Feb 20, 2008 at 10:15 pm
YOU probably need to reconsider your words. Not everybody is about or interested purely in money. Or, YOU, probably need another communications class or two, focusing on the impact and phrasing of words and how they are interpreted. “YOU” to start a sentence, a short sentence, that is not representative of all readers, is a bit TOO pointed.
That’s okay … we all know that the reason behind a College newspaper is to hone skills for the real world. Some have it naturally, and some have to try hard.
Just my $0.02, aside from the fact that this is the first full sentence I read in today’s Collegian – kinda ticked me off.
My first thought:
Could someone in news, professional, or pre-professional really be that obtuse to phrase something that way. Wrong way to start off an article. I’m not about money. I know other people who aren’t about money, but more for substance (though this is a dying breed).
No kudos for you. Try again some other time.
Charles W. Frank • Feb 21, 2008 at 5:15 am
YOU probably need to reconsider your words. Not everybody is about or interested purely in money. Or, YOU, probably need another communications class or two, focusing on the impact and phrasing of words and how they are interpreted. “YOU” to start a sentence, a short sentence, that is not representative of all readers, is a bit TOO pointed.
That’s okay … we all know that the reason behind a College newspaper is to hone skills for the real world. Some have it naturally, and some have to try hard.
Just my $0.02, aside from the fact that this is the first full sentence I read in today’s Collegian – kinda ticked me off.
My first thought:
Could someone in news, professional, or pre-professional really be that obtuse to phrase something that way. Wrong way to start off an article. I’m not about money. I know other people who aren’t about money, but more for substance (though this is a dying breed).
No kudos for you. Try again some other time.