The Importance of Internships

On a recent visit to California, I had the opportunity to meet with representatives from several companies including Google, Quiksilver, The Broad Residency, and DreamWorks Animation. While these companies represent a wide-array of fields, their message was consistent.

When asked, “What advice would you give college/graduate students?” two common themes emerged from each company - complete an internship and build a professional network. Both of these are components that can be accomplished at the Internship Fair scheduled for this Thursday from 1:00pm to 3:30pm in Fletcher Lounge. The Internship Fair has over 50 organizations registered! Don’t miss out on this opportunity to network and learn about internship opportunities.

Did you know?

Internship Facts:

• 88% of employers use experiential education programs to recruit for their own work forces;
• 50% of interns accept full-time positions with internship employer;
• Over 80% of college students complete one internship;
• 69% of college students complete two internships;
• Starting salaries are $1,000 – $2,000 more than students without internship experience;
• 16% more job offers to student who had completed internships.

Before you go:

• Check HIRE-UT to review the list of companies who are registered for the Internship Fair. Research the companies you are most interested in.
• Bring copies of your resume! Resume critiques are available in the Office of Career Services during walk-in hours (Monday through Thursday from 2:00pm to 4:00pm).
• Prepare to network with employers and your peers.
• Dress for success! Review our blogs posts on professional dress.

Best of luck!

Data retrieved from: National Association of Colleges and Employers, Job Outlook 2010 Internship Bible, and VaultReports.com

Email Tips for Your Job or Internship

In today’s increasingly technological world, effective communication both electronically and verbally, is essential to being a successful employee.   The National Association of Colleges and Employers recently shared a 16 tip guide for successfully managing your email communication while on the job.  Following these tips will establish yourself as a s competent communicator and go a long way to establishing yourself in the company culture.   Check them out and let us know what you think!!

16 Tips for Using E-mail at Your New Job

1. Do not use your employer’s e-mail address for anything other than work-related correspondence.
2. Read e-mail carefully so that you can respond appropriately.
3. Don’t send confidential material by e-mail.
4. Use a subject line that reflects what your message is about.
5. Don’t use abbreviations or text-message jargon (BTW, LOL, or smiley faces, and so forth) in your e-mail.
6. Use a brief greeting as you might in a letter (Dear John, Good morning Mrs. Smith). Include a closing (Sincerely, Yours, Thanks).
7. Use spell check and reread your message before sending.
8. Respond to e-mail promptly.
9. Use typefaces and colors that are appropriate to your workplace. Ask if your office has a style that you should follow.
10. If you find you are e-mailing back and forth several times, pick up the phone to settle the issue.
11. If you forward a message, remove the FW from the subject line.
12. Change the subject line if the topic of the e-mail changes.
13. Do not share other people’s e-mail addresses.
14. Be careful using “reply all.” Consider whether it is necessary that everyone sees your reply.
15. Do not forward other people’s messages without permission.
16. Watch the tone of your e-mail. Remember, the person receiving the e-mail can’t see your body language. 

Suit Up!

Saturday’s Gasparilla dress code: Eye patch is a must, grab a few beads from last year to get ahead of the game, throw on that shirt you strategically cut up weeks in advance, and maybe use that bandanna you would never wear any other day of the year.

Now that we've hopefully taken off the eye patch or most likely lost it in Saturday’s chaos and proudly mounted our beads on the wall to document a day we scarcely remember, it is time to start putting just as much time and effort into planning what we wear for an interview in a business setting.

First impressions are everything. That line has been drilled into our minds since we started making friends on the playground. Don’t push Jessica off the swing or she won’t invite you to her birthday party, and you could kiss that goodie bag goodbye. In college, the best thing we can do to make a strong first impression is to present ourselves professionally or we can say goodbye to that job offer too.

Ladies and gentlemen, always suit up for an interview. 

It not only tells the world you mean business, but I am a firm believer in if you look good, you’ll feel good. It gives you that extra boost of confidence and that little pep in your step. Trust me, just the positive comments from friends on campus are enough to feel like a boss.

Ideally, invest in a suit that is 100% wool; it’s breathable fabric means you’ll sweat less and be more comfortable, even in the hot seat. The worst is when you can literally feel sweat dripping somewhere on your body. Gross, yes. True, you bet.  A suit with fancy Nikes or high tops will send mixed signals. You’re not going for the ‘I’m classy, but I’m here to party club vibe’, until the weekend of course. Put your best foot forward. Aim for a solid, basic, and recently polished shoe and closed toed for you ladies.

Make it your own. Feel free to add some stylish accessories, depending on how conservative the environment may be. Always match your belt with your shoes. Cuff links and jewelry can help you stand out and add a little sophistication to your overall look. Guys, shoot for a power tie: a bold red or gold will be your best bet.

Final reminders:

Wear high dress socks so your legs aren't exposed when you cross them.

Wear a watch. I can barely tell time on a regular watch, but it’s pretty fashionable.

Always leave the bottom button of your coat unbuttoned and unbutton your coat completely whenever you sit down.

Have the outfit pressed and ready to go the night before.

This is the first blog in a series of three titled “Nailing the Interview.”

Video found here

Spring Semester 2013

Welcome back to campus!  The Office of Career Services hopes you had a great break, and are ready for the semester.  While you were gone, we have been planning another exciting Wonderful Wednesday schedule, jammed packed with information you will want to know.  Start planning your semester now, so you are able to attend the majority of our events.  Some of the highlights of this semester include....

February 7 Internship Fair Fletcher, 1-3:30 pm

February 13 Speed Networking VC Crescent Club

February 20 Majors Fair VC 9th Floor, 12:30-2:30 pm

March 1 Elevator Speech Competition (First Round) RIVC 116, 9 am-4:30 pm

March 27 Life After UT:  Where will you be in 2,013 hours? Grand Salon/Music Room

April 4 CCFCC Career Expo Fletcher, 11 am-3 pm

For a full schedule see HIRE-UT and the Workshop Schedule.

Jobipedia

Spam, spam, spam.  We all get it.  One advertisement after another….  But, every once in a while, there’s something good (and free!) that comes into my inbox.  This week I received an email from someone representing JOBipedia.org, a new website launched in October by a public policy organization of Chief Human Resource Officers from some of America’s top companies.  It was created specifically for entry-level job seekers to ask questions ranging from the hiring process to interviewing to questions that arise during the first few months of employment.  There are already hundreds of answers to questions about finding and landing your first job, and each question is answered by several HR officers.  The questions are broken down into categories, Internships, Networking, Resumes and Cover Letters, Salaries & Benefits, Workplace Relations, etc.  Check it out to see how the employers answer these “Most Popular” questions-

• Would it look bad if I asked an interviewer not to contact my current employer?
• What is a normal amount of summer work experience or internships to have coming out of college?
• What kind of activities outside of classroom work are employers looking for?

Working in a Winter Wonderland

Your last final ends. You've already packed up your belongings and can’t wait to get home. Your friend drops you off at the airport. The crying baby behind you and the deodorant-less man to your right on the plane do not even faze you. You’re going home for the holidays! Winter break. Movies, cookies, friends you haven’t seen in awhile, extended family gatherings, and no schoolwork. Nothing to do but relax.

Fast-forward three weeks. You've caught up on every TV show you managed to miss out on during the semester, you successfully creeped on all 859 of your Facebook friends, and posted some funny tweets that got a favorite or two; you are now 15 pounds heavier and you’re sitting on your coach ‘relaxing.’ This relaxation turns into a WTH moment as you realize there are still two weeks left of break and you have nothing to do. Your friends start to head back to school, your family goes back to work, and you sit on that dang couch you've sunken into at this point, watching reruns of Friends to pass the time, wiping off the cookie crumbs on your chest. There aren't even any more cookies.

Don’t let this be you. Relax, yes. Give up all priorities and motivation, along with basic hygiene practices in an effort to relax, no. At least have a backup plan to help pass some inevitable downtime. Maybe a household project? A work out plan? Better yet, how about some preparation for the next year? Last resort it may be, but it could really set a solid foundation for the next semester. 

• Update your resume. 
• Create a LinkedIn profile. 
• Order some business cards.
•  Look up some possible job offers or internship opportunities that interest you.

Try and hit the ground running when you come back to UT! I hope everyone has an incredible Holiday break, and good luck on finals! I’ll be bothering you with more blog posts in 2013!

Make the Most of Your Semester Break

You have finished with your finals and all you want to do is to go home for the holidays, sleep in and enjoy being with your family.  Pretty soon it is January 2, 2013, and now what?  You have 20 days until classes resume.  Here are a few suggestions for you to make this your most productive semester break ever!

Job Shadow – Make some calls to see if you can arrange a job shadowing experience.  Job shadowing is a great way to gain knowledge and insight into a specific career field.

Informational Interview – Conducting an informational interview has proven to be very successful in gathering information about a particular career field and also expands your network.  Check out our sample questions and how to go about finding opportunities.

Network – When you attend family gatherings and parties, prepare a two minute summary about yourself so that if someone asks you if you are looking for an internship or what you plan to do with your life after graduation, you can give a summary of your career goals and interests.  There are many possible networking connections through family and friends.

Internship/Job Search -Take some time to look at HIRE-UT to check out possible internships and jobs for next semester.  Look at the dates for career and internship fairs and make a note of them in your calendar.  Now is the time to plan some effective networking strategy.

Resume/Cover Letter – If you don’t have a resume prepared, create one!  The Office of Career Services has some excellent resources available on the Job Search Toolbox portion of our website.  Spend some time writing your resume and once you return to campus in January, you can come to our office for a resume review.  We have walk-in hours Monday through Thursday from 3-5 pm beginning the first week of classes.

So give yourself the best gift possible – and invest some time in your career planning!

Enjoy the winter break!