Your Quick Guide to Achieving Your Career After UT

Welcome and welcome back to another semester at The Unviersity of Tampa! As you return to campus you may be asking yourself, how do I get through the next 3 + months with rigorous academic coursework and still make progress toward my career?

The answer is simple. Have a plan. “Invest in the future because that is where you are going to spend the rest of your life.” ― Habeeb Akande

1.     Start where you are. You are a student. Utilize the services offered to students.  Did you know that you have an office dedicated to Life after UT in the office of career services? Employers are on-campus many times during the Spring semester. Have you pre-registered on Hire-UT? What other offices on-campus have professionals that can assist you? Do your research!

 

2.     Pace Yourself. Much like any workout or training plan you must pace yourself when making strides toward your career. What will you do this semester that will open doors for your career? Will you begin to network through information interviews, job shadowing or volunteering? Maybe this semester you begin searching for an internship. Whatever you do make a plan. Time goes by fast!

 

3.     Enjoy the ride. Enjoy talking with professionals. Ask professors, employers, career coaches and other professionals questions. What do they suggest you do to make the most of your time while you are in college? Shoot for the stars and make a plan that fits into your semester. One sample goal would be to make contact with a professional twice/month at an event on-campus or off-campus. Be open to life’s possibilities now and you will thank yourself later.

 

All the best for your career!

Best Regards,

Jessie

Jessie Bush, M.A.

Assistant Director, Career Coaching & Professional Development

 

 

 

 

When filling out job applications online is not working!

We have all heard the story that persistence pays off. This statement is true but make sure you are directing your energy in the right direction. A recent CareerXroads survey shows that only 15% of positions were filled through applying to positions online. This is quite staggering when you think that the mindset of MANY college students is to continue applying until something sticks. You may apply to 50+ positions without receiving a single callback depending on the market in which you are applying. In today’s job market you need to be proactive rather than reactive. Even if you are not graduating this semester or next semester or not until next year, you still need to be thinking of your future job search.

Here are 3 tips to become more intentional with your search and start gaining results!

1.       Join LinkedIn! You are a budding professional and this is not Facebook. LinkedIn is a professional networking tool which can assist your job search in many ways, including, actually meeting contacts that work directly in your field of interest. For more information please read: http://spartancareers.blogspot.com/search/label/linkedin’

2.       You need to talk to people. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics 70 percent of all jobs are found through networking. Professionals are just like you. Do not be afraid to reach out to someone who works in your field of interest. Remember, they were a college student at one time as well. Setup an informational interview to ask them questions about their path, the company they work for and their advice for you as a transitioning professional.

3.       Talk to the people you already know! You are the only one who can spread the message that you will be job searching soon. Remember relatives, professors, professionals in your life, family friends, supervisors, etc. can all be great people to assist you in reaching that post-graduation position.

“If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.” – Nora Roberts

Now is the time to take control of your job search!

Best Regards,

Jessie Bush

Assistant Director, Career Coaching & Professional Development

Is your resume getting noticed?

In the Office of Career Services we sometimes hear concerns from students and alumni during the job and internship process. One of these concerns pertains to not hearing back from an employer after applying to a job or internship. An article published earlier this year on the website Career Realism, an online career magazine, discussed reasons why an employer may not be responding to your resume. The author, Jessica Hernandez, reviews some of the main reasons a resume may not be getting a response.

According to Jessica Hernandez, if your resume is not receiving a response it may be due to one of these six considerations:
1. It still has an objective statement
2. It lacks any form of personal branding
3. It's fluffy
4. Accomplishments are not highlighted
5. Duties and responsibilities have taken over
6. Metrics, facts, and figures are nowhere to be found

To learn how to avoid these resume pitfalls,  review the article and visit the Office of Career Services to have your resume reviewed.
http://www.careerealism.com/resume-isnt-getting-response-reasons/

Interview tips from etiquette expert Virginia Edwards

If you’ve attended our Etiquette Dinners in the last few years, Virginia Edwards’ name will be familiar to you since she has been our speaker.  I always enjoy reading her monthly newsletter, and, when I read her February newsletter, I immediately wrote to her and told her that she had just unknowingly written my next blog post.  With her permission, I’ve copied the first half of her article about interviewing below and will use the second half about follow-up after the interview at a later date.  From Virginia…..

“Your resume grabbed the attention of the HR manager.  You aced the telephone interview by having the company information at your fingertips and by remembering to keep background noise to a minimum.  You are at the next step.  The in-person interview.

HR managers tell me time and again how a candidate who has made it to the in-person interview can lose all credibility in an instant.  How does this happen?  Candidates need to remember they are being observed from the moment they arrive on company property until the moment they depart.  This includes driving your car onto the parking lot.  If it looks like you live in your car, clean it up or borrow or rent one for the day.

Do not underestimate the value of a receptionist!  Some receptionists are the first to interview a candidate.  This is not the time to be overly familiar with someone you just met or worse yet rude.  I have been hired on numerous occasions to play the role of receptionist in order to obtain a third party observation of how potential candidates interact with all levels of staff.

Most HR managers are driven to distraction when a candidate arrives with nothing in their hands.  Now I don’t mean you are to come bearing gifts.  You should arrive with a portfolio holding several copies of your resume, a list of your references, and pen and paper to take notes.  Your portfolio should be sturdy enough to lean on for note-taking since it is rude to lean on someone’s desk.  Even technology companies tell me they prefer the candidate to use pen and paper opposed to a smartphone or tablet for note-taking.  If you are unsure, ask in advance of your interview.  If told no technology, leave your phone in the car.  Even in your pocket or briefcase on vibrate; it is a distraction to you and those around you.  You are at the interview for human interaction, not to read your emails and texts, or to take calls.

Prepare a list of questions you would like answered about the company.  One HR manager told me how a sought-after candidate lost his credibility when the interviewer asked if he had any questions regarding the company or the position.  The candidate replied, “No.  I know everything.”  Even if you believe you know all there is to know about the company and the position, prepare some well thought out questions.”

Employer Perceptions on Higher Education and Careers

The Chronicle of Higher Education and American Public Media’s Marketplace

conducted a survey of employers who hire recent college graduates in order to 

understand employer perceptions of the role of colleges and universities in career 

preparation.  Some of the most surprising findings of the report titled “The Role of Higher Education in Career Development: Employer Perceptions” include the following:

• 78% of employers will consider any major. Only 19% of employers look for specific majors and do not consider candidates without them.

• Work experience (particularly internships and other work during school) is more important to employers than GPA and  major.

• An internship is the single most important credential for recent college graduates to have on their resume.

• Most interviewers value extracurricular activities, like professional clubs, athletics and service, more than GPA.