Video Interviewing

As you begin your job or internship search, especially if you are seeking positions in another city or even country, you may be faced with a video interview rather than the traditional in person interview, especially for the initial phase of the process. With the popularity of Skype, Facetime, and other methods of video communication, chances are that you will have an occasion to conduct a video interview in the future, and the National Association of Colleges and Employers published the following hints tips for video interviews in their December 5, 2012 Spotlight:

 
1.      Know the technology and be comfortable with it.  Students shouldn't sign up for a video interview until they’re comfortable with the process.  They should know what they can and can’t do with the audio and video controls, what their image looks like, and where to look once the interview begins.  Being adept with the technology gives students credibility as professionals.
2.      Consider image and the interview environment.  Students should dress professionally as a video interview is an interview.  Is the background of the interview area consistent with the image the student wants to portray to recruiters?  The student should remove or silence all distractions, such as cell phone ringers, e-mail alerts, and music.
3.      Test all settings and connections beforehand.  Students should make sure the settings are optimized and all connections are working prior to the interview to avoid any issues during the interview.
4.      Be prepared for a system hiccup.  Students should have a Plan B ready in case the technology fails during a video interview.  For example, a student participating in a video interview should have his or her cell phone available in case the connection is unacceptable or drops.  Being prepared in such a manner and making a smooth transition to another method in light of unexpected problems can impress an employer.

Career Fair Feedback

Feedback, or “constructive criticism” as it is sometimes called, is always a good way to check in and make sure what you’re doing works and to see how it can be improved.  I thought this would be a good time to share some employer feedback from the Professional Job Fair last week.  It seems that the requirement for professional business attire was definitely a step in the right direction; many employers commented on the improvement over past fairs, and we’ll continue to require it in the future.  Employers said that many students were well-prepared, especially in the area of research on employers.  In general students were able to articulate their interests well, and some of the “elevator speeches” were very good.  Students were engaging and proactive, and resumes were “strong” for the most part. 

Now for the “constructive” part—watch for workshops, blogs, and handouts from Career Services as we try to address these concerns. We still need to reach more students with preparation suggestions and focusing on a few key employers based on interests, rather than just “walking the floor.”  While some students were quite outgoing, some were very hesitant and had to be drawn into conversation by the employer; elevator speeches and quick introductions needed polish for the majority of students.  (See “elevator speeches” above!)

All in all employers were pleased with our students and compared us very favorably to our bigger neighbor to the north.  Keep up the good work, and practice those quick elevator speeches to introduce yourselves! A great place to do that is at our Speed Networking event on November 13^th at 5:30 p.m. in the Crescent Club in the Vaughn Center! 

LinkedIn Guide for Interns

For those of you who have had summer internships and are looking for ways to maximize the connections that you have built over the summer, Lindsey Pollack, who is an official Ambassador for LinkedIn, has put together “The Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Interns,” available on LinkedIn.   Whether you are finishing up a summer internship or are thinking about preparing for a future internship, the information is invaluable.  And if you are looking for a full time professional job after graduation, check out the tips for following companies and making connections using LinkedIn!  

Summer is Halfway Over!

For those of you who are returning to UT in the fall, this week marks just about the halfway point of the summer.  As you look at what remains of your summer break, think back to elementary school and that essay you had to write about “what I did on my summer vacation.”  What have you done career-wise this summer?  

Hopefully you've had a summer job or internship; if not, it’s not too late to land a job or take the opportunity to volunteer.  It will fill up some space on your resume and, better yet, give you some related experience or at least some transferable skills. Have you taken the opportunity to do an informational interview with someone whose job looks like something you would like to do? Most people love to talk about themselves and their jobs, so take a chance and ask some questions!  If you’re wondering what to ask, we have some informational interview questions on our website to get you started. 

Enjoy the rest of the summer and we look forward to hearing all about what you did, career-wise, on your summer vacation.

Summer Plan

Although summer is often the time for rest and relaxation and a slower pace than during the academic year, it’s still the perfect time to get some major-related work experience or, at the least, work experience that will give you some transferable skills to include on your resume.  If you are staying in Tampa for the summer and are still looking for a job, I just checked HIRE-UT and, using the one-click search for “Part Time Jobs Posted by my Career Center,” I found 105 part time jobs in addition to the 60 internships that are currently listed.  If you are looking elsewhere or would like to cast a wider net, try these popular search engines for part time jobs:  

• Jobs2Careers- many nanny and child care positions 
• Snagajob-can search by zip code, state, and/or industry
• After College
• Intern Match-search by companies, cities, categories 

Most of these also list entry-level jobs, and the search can be refined by industry and location. The outlook for summer jobs is improved over the past few years, but the most sought-after jobs are still highly competitive, so fine tune your resume, polish up your interview skills, and get that job!

Where Will You Be in 2,013 Hours?

Are you about to graduate and worrying about what’s next?  We've partnered with Delta Sigma Pi and the Office of Development and Alumni Relations to plan an afternoon of informative and entertaining workshops and networking to help you in the transition.  All the events are on Wednesday, March 27^th from 2 to 6 p.m. and will be in Plant Hall—either the Music Room, Grand Salon or Veranda, so just come by the table in the Plant Hall Lobby for information and a schedule if you didn't get one in advance either in Career Services or by email. 

As an added benefit—there will be prizes!  If you are one of the first 25 students/alumni at the “Art of Mingling” workshop, you will receive a UT portfolio to use in your job search.  And for each event you attend, you’ll sign up for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card and other UT logo prizes.  The more events you attend, the greater your chances of winning, so come join us!

Elevator Speech Competition

I hear this old circus come-on in my ears, “Come one, come all to the Greatest Show on Earth!”  I don’t think it will be the greatest show on earth, but it’s a great chance for you to show off your networking skills and maybe even win a prize!  

On March 1^st we will have the first round of our third annual Elevator Speech Competition, co-sponsored by the UT Entrepreneurs.  Enterprise Holdings will provide judges for both rounds and the prize for the winner.  It’s a perfect way to practice your introduction to employers for career fairs, job interviews, or just a casual meeting on an airplane or at a networking event. 

Called an elevator speech because it should be given in the time it takes for an elevator to go from the top floor to the bottom—by the time you reach the bottom, the person to whom you were speaking should want to know a little more about you. Generally speaking, your pitch should last between 30 and 60 seconds and highlight the skills, experience and education you bring to the job at hand. 

Short, simple, to the point:  who you are, what you’re majoring in, what you've accomplished in terms of education and experience, and what sort of position you are now looking for.  

Join us for a workshop on Wednesday, February 20^th from 5-5:45 p.m. in Riverside 102 and for the first round of the competition on March 1^st. If you survive that round, it’s on to the finals – and a prize!  Sign up on HIRE UT to reserve your spot!

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?

Job Fair Follow-up

Our fall semester Professional Job Fair was last week, and the question that many students are probably asking themselves is, “Now what?!”  If you’re a few semesters away from graduation and you attended the fair just to get a sense of what to expect, now is the time to prepare for next semester’s Internship Fair and/or Career Expo.  If you are graduating this year, you should doing your company research and preparing for interviews.  Whichever situation is yours, get your professional wardrobe ready—See last week’s blog for tips for success!  The number one complaint we heard from employers after the job fair was that many students weren't professionally dressed.  You only get one chance to make a first impression, so make sure it’s a good one!

Get your “elevator speech” ready for introductions either at a career fair or during the interview where the most common question you may be asked is, “Tell me about yourself.”  Research the companies that you are interested in, either before attending a career fair or in preparation for applying for a job or internship.  The second most popular question an interviewer will ask you (in some form or another), is “What do you know about my company or organization?”  If you can’t shine here, the interview is going downhill fast.  Our website has a whole section devoted to interviewing under the Job Search Toolbox tab.  There is even a link to Optimal Resume where you can practice your interview skills online, use a webcam to capture your responses, view your performance, and share it with others for a critique.

If you met a few people at the job fair that you would like to follow up with, send them an email thanking them for attending the job fair and reiterating your interest in their company or organization.  Include something personal that might make them remember you, something that you talked about at the fair.  Include another copy of your resume or perhaps a revised copy that is more targeted to a specific job, and ask for either an informational interview to learn more about the company or a formal interview for a potential job. 

Now what?  NOW is the time to follow up!  Good luck!

Grad School- Writing a Personal Statement

It’s that time of the semester when many seniors begin to consider seriously the graduate school application process.  One of the most common elements of the application is the “statement of purpose” or “personal statement.” They can come in many styles and sizes, but the most common is very open-ended and asks the candidate to tell why he or she is interested in this particular degree or program and what its completion will mean to the candidate.  The most crucial word here is “personal.”   Not only must it be a well-crafted essay with no spelling or grammatical errors, but it must also convey to the reader(s) a sense of who you are and what makes you unique.   A quick Google search will give you lots of advice about writing a personal statement, and once you’ve written your first draft, the Saunders Writing Center on campus is a great place for a free critique.  The Office of Career Services offers an “Applying to Graduate or Professional School” workshop each semester—for fall semester, it will be Wednesday, October 10^th at 5 p.m. in Riverside 102.  It’s a 45-minute overview of the application process with hints and websites to help you find the information you need.  One of the handouts, I always use is taken from Perfect Personal Statements by Mark Alan Stewart and gives the “Top 10 Rules to Write By” for your personal statement.

1)            DO strive for depth rather than breadth; narrow your focus to one or two themes, ideas or experiences.

2)            DO tell the reader what no other applicant will honestly be able to say.

3)            DO provide the reader with insight into what drives you—what makes you tick.

4)            DO be yourself rather than pretending to be the ideal applicant.

5)            DO get creative and imaginative, especially in your opening remarks.

6)            DO address the particular school’s unique features that attract you.

7)            DO focus on the affirmative in the personal statement itself; consider an addendum to explain deficiencies or blemishes.

8)            DO evaluate your experiences rather than merely recounting them.

9)            DO enlist others to proofread you essay for grammar, syntax, punctuation, word usage and style.

10)         DO use a highly-readable typeface with conventional spacing and margins.

Is graduate school right for me?

Where should I apply?

When should I apply?

How will I pay for grad school?

What tests do I have to take?

Come to our workshop on October 10th to help you find the answers to these and other questions you may have about applying to graduate or professional school!

                   

With the RNC right in our own back yard (literally and figuratively!), I can imagine that it may have some sparked some additional interest in working for or with a government agency.   This semester we anticipate having the State Department at our Professional Job Fair on October 17th (1-3:30 p.m. in Fletcher Lounge), and the CIA and FBI are conducting a workshop/panel discussion on careers in the US Intelligence Community on Wednesday, November 7th (5-5:45 p.m. in Riverside 102).  It’s always beneficial if you can meet someone face to face, so be sure to check HIRE-UT regularly for other opportunities to interact with these and other employers.

Here’s a list of websites that may get you started—it’s by no means exhaustive but will hopefully provide you with a place to start.  Good luck!  (And, of course, we’ll start with the RNC and DNC websites!)

www.gop.com/jobs

www.democrats.org/contact/about_jobs

http://www.usajobs.gov                        Official website for the federal government

http://www.usajobs.gov/studentjobs     Student and entry-level federal jobs

http://www.makingthedifference.org

http://www.usa.gov     

www.usaid.gov/careers                       US Agency for International Development

www.cia.gov/careers                           Central Intelligence Agency

www.fbijobs.gov                                  Federal Bureau of Investigation

www.dia.mil                                         Defense Intelligence Agency

www.federalreserve.gov                     Federal Reserve System, Board of Governors

www.gao.gov                                      Government Accountability Office

www.jobs.irs.gov                                 Internal Revenue Service

www.nsa.gov                                      National Security Agency

www.tva.gov                                       Tennessee Valley Authority

www.state.gov/careers                       US Department of State

www.house.gov                                  US House of Representatives

www.senate.gov                                 US Senate

www.dcjobs.com                                 Jobs in and around DC

www.hillzoo.com                                 Jobs and internships on Capitol Hill

www.opajobs.com                              Opportunities in Public Affairs (Fee-based)

www.thehill.com           

Picture by Jim Reed