JOB FAIR – WHY SHOULD I ATTEND?

FACULTY

 If you are faculty, attending the job fair offers a way for you to meet representatives of the companies who will be hiring your students. The potential results of those meetings are many, including making contacts that could lead to research endeavors, talking with company representatives you might want to invite into your class for presentations to your students. And, not to be forgotten, often the employer representative who attends a job fair will be a graduate of our institution which of course means, you just might get to talk with former students.

Job fairs are expensive for employers to attend. They keep a close eye on their results to determine which schools they will continue to recruit at. Therefore, we ask you to attend and strongly encourage your students to attend. A small amount of your time could yield large results for your current and future students. 

STUDENTS

If you are a student who is, or ever will be looking for a job, I cannot imagine why you wouldn’t attend the job fair—an event which allows you the rare opportunity to get face to face with a multitude of employers, within a short time period and in one location. If you’re a junior or senior it is crucial that you meet as many prospective employers as possible. Even as a freshman or sophomore, it is important to develop and build relationships with employers to enhance your possibility of getting the job you want when you graduate. Plus, a job fair gives you the chance to learn about the types of employment available within different industries and among various employers. 

 

Common Resume Mistakes

I see lots of resumes. And, lots of resume mistakes. Here are a few to watch out for.


Including personal information. Employers don’t want to see your photo, your date or place of birth, marital status or other information which could be used to discriminate against you.

Unprofessional email address. For example: littlebit1234@gmail.com

Spelling or punctuation errors.

Inconsistent formatting -- simple things such as not leaving the same amount of space between sections; bolding some section headings, but not all; using different font sizes and/or different font styles.

Misuse of capitalization.

Wordy objective. The employer wants to know what you can do to benefit him. He really doesn't care that you want a "challenging position offering you the opportunity to grow and advance".

Weak action words. For example, don't say "Helped design" if what you actually did was "Collaborated with three team members to design". "Helped" doesn't tell me what you did. Nor, does it give you credit for what you did.

Tailor your resume to the job. Point out how the skills and experience you have are "transferrable" (a good fit) for the job you are applying for. Include keywords from the job posting if they fit you. 


Remember -- in our office, we love resumes. Don't hesitate to ask us for a critique!

 

 

Careers

This week is National Career Week. Which might be a very good time to pause. . .think. . .and ask yourself “Why am I here in this world? What is my purpose—my calling? What knowledge and skills do I need to do the best job I can – in my “job”? How do I find out what is a good career field for me”

The good thing is we each have a lifetime to walk this earth and career is developmental. We don’t have to decide today what kind of work we are going to do for the rest of our lives. We will have opportunities in our lives we never even thought of, because of the places we go and the people we meet. We only need to decide what we want to do right now – or upon graduation.

We each need to explore who we are. And what kind of jobs there are “out there” in the world. What jobs would be good matches for who we are? What is needed--maybe we create our job. The people at Career Services are here, in, to help with that exploration. Just call (978-3435). Or come over (203 Grace Wilkie). Make an appointment to meet with one of our Career Counselors.

“To find a career to which you are adapted by nature, and then to work hard at it, is about as near to a formula for success and happiness as the world provides. One of the fortunate aspects of this formula is that, granted the right career has been found, the hard work takes care of itself. Then hard work is not hard work at all.” ~ Mark Sullivan

International Student Resumes

If you are an international student studying at Wichita State University, and are going to be applying for jobs in the United States, you will want to revise your resume. A review of our Starter Kit is a good place to start. In addition, the points below are important to take into consideration.

Resumes in the United States are concise records of your accomplishments educationally and in the work place. One page should be sufficient length for your resume unless you have extensive professional experience. Much of the information you would include on your resume in your home country is not needed--or wanted by U.S. employers. Do not include your photograph, health information, your birth date or age, marital status, race or ethnicity or religion, high school information, or personal interests or hobbies. If you are using an American name, include it in parenthesis following your given name.  If not, information indicating how to pronounce your given name may be helpful to employers. Convert your grade point average to a 4.00 scale and include if it is a 3.00 or above. If you have work experience in a country outside the U.S., it is a good idea to include an explanation of the size and type of organization(s).

If you have questions while working on your resume, stop by during walkin hours from 1:00 to 5:00 on Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon. If you want or need more than 15 minutes, you will want to schedule an appointment. 

Our office is here to help you with your career and job search questions. If you need assistance, stop by or call today to schedule an appointment. We will give you guidance and resources to create a resume you can be proud of.

 

Networking

It happened again! I have talked to three students this week who just landed jobs. Not by going to any (or even a lot) of the many job posting sites. Not by applying on company websites. But, rather through someone they knew. One person got a job with a company that two of his friends worked for – they knew there was an opening so they encouraged him to apply. Another was referred to his organization by a former classmate here at WSU. And, the other got a job lead from a friend of a friend.

I had to tell you this news. Because I keep telling you to network. Now you know why.

Improve Your Performance

Free range

Ways to improve your performance:

• Compete for a prize
• Earn points
• Please a demanding boss
• Make someone else's imminent deadline
• Face sudden death elimination in the playoffs
• Wear a heart monitor and track performance publicly
• Go head-to-head against a determined foe

The thing is, all of these external stimuli are there to raise your game and push you ever harder. They are fences to be leaped, opponents to be defeated.

The alternative is to compete against nothing but yourself. To excel merely because the act of excelling without boundaries or incentives thrills you.

And the good news is that once you find that, you'll always have it.

on behalf of; Seth Godin <sethsblogreply@gmail.com>

Seasonal Jobs

Why would I suggest you work a seasonal-- or any temporary  job? 

Number one on my list of reasons is a temporary job just might lead to a long term opportunity. Work hard, prove yourself and the employer may want to hang on to you longer – maybe much longer – than originally planned.

Working a job for even a short time is a great way to try out companies and jobs.  Working in any number of jobs, or for XYZ Company, may sound appealing. . .until you actually try it. If you take a job, knowing it is only temporary, it doesn’t hurt your resume when “it is only temporary”.  

You know how you hear me say “network” over and over again? Working a temporary job is a great way to make contacts and add people to your professional network.  Do a good job and you’ve also got yourself a reference.

You stand a good shot at learning new skills.

You make money!

I have worked a number of temporary jobs.  All taught me new skills and three turned into jobs I worked at for at least five years.  Another was with an organization I determined I didn’t want to stay with.  Because I took the job as a temporary position, it didn’t hurt my resume, or reference information, that I only stayed there a few months – until, in fact, I found another temporary job -one that I worked at five years.  Those are my experiences.  

So. . .why would I suggest you work a seasonal-- or any temporary  job?  Why wouldn’t I?