Interviewing

"Where do they get those questions and why do they ask them?" are questions you may have asked yourself the last time you had a job interview.

Why do employers ask the questions they do in interviews? I had opportunity to listen to engineering managers speak about interviewing yesterday. A favorite question of one of the gentleman is "Why are manhole covers round?" He asks this question, which on first thought may have little relationship to the job he is considering the interviewee for. Why? He wants to see the candidate's thought process.

Other questions he asks are to determine if the interviewee has experience working in and/or leading groups. And if he will "play nicely with others"; or, in otherwords, does the candidate have good interpersonal skills. "Tell me about a time you worked in a group and what your role was" and/or "Tell me about the most difficult person you've worked with" are questions you can expect to be asked the next time you have a job interview.

Interviewing is a skill. Pick up a copy of our "Ace the Interview Kit". Look it over and schedule a mock interview with our office. You will be glad you did!

Spring Job Fair

One of our big spring events is next week--the job fair. As a former recruiter, I am always excited about job fairs. In my recruiting days, any event that offered prime opportunities to get “face to face” with potential employees was a good event. I made notes about the most impressive students and went back to work the next day and talked with my managers about them. Sometimes we had opportunities to hire that semester. Sometimes we didn’t. If we didn’t have an appropriate opening for a promising student, I occasionally suggested the student contact a colleague of mine at a different company.

We hired for talent. Sometimes we didn’t have a job posted but met a student who gave all indications of being so talented that we decided to create a new position.

Job fairs are all about expectations. Don’t go expecting employers to be handing out jobs. Rather, attend grateful for the chance to talk with representatives of companies. If you submit your resume online, you are an electronic record. If you shake hands at a job fair, you become a real person.

So, get your suit cleaned. Iron your shirt. Shine your shoes. Print off several copies of your resume on bond resume paper. Make up business cards to offer employers who can’t accept resumes. And, come to Koch Arena Thursday, Feb. 28 between 4:00 and 6:30pm. Be ready to shake a few hands!

 

Making the World a Better Place

As a career counselor at WSU, I am privileged to work with a diverse population of students. Not only diverse in terms of race, socioeconomic status, gender. But, diverse in terms of who they are as individuals. Students juggling demanding class schedules, part time jobs and leadership in student organizations. Parents working full time, going to school part time, struggling to find time for their families. Single moms – or dads -- working while carrying a full load of classes, determined to give their kids every opportunity they can. Returning adults frustrated by limitations in their careers – or, who have just decided they want to give themselves the gift of a college education. International students studying in the U.S. hoping doing so will give them career advantages when they return home. All types of people wanting to make the world a better place. . .

Hats off to you. You are amazing. And, courageous. When you leave my office, you leave me with a sense that the world will be a better place because of you. "You are the people who are shaping a better world." ~ Dalai Lama

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.