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?