Senior Struggles: still looking for an internship? Try these helpful sites

March 28, 2012

The internet can be your friend when it comes to internship searching.

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

With the job market still recovering, some of us almost-college graduates are opting to spend this summer interning, rather than jumping right into a full-time career. While the Winter Career Expo has already passed, it is by no means too late to find a summer internship. However, many application due-dates are fast approaching, so check out this list of helpful websites to discover postings and research organizations to determine a great fit:
1. InternMatch

  • Free internship matching.
  • Free Resume and cover letter templates as well as interview advice.
  • An internship-related blog with lots of interesting articles and links.

2. InternQueen.com

  • A site started by Lauren Berger who had a whopping 15 internships while in college.
  • Especially helpful for people pursuing a career in a marketing/public relations/entertainment type career.
  • The site breaks down the internship postings into simple, easy to read pages.

3. Glassdoor.com

  • This site is great for researching possible internship positions and getting the details on the company’s interview/hiring process and company culture. As with any user-created content, take each individual review with a grain of salt.
  • The site features millions of companies so chances are, you’ll find the company you’re looking for.

4. Bright.com

  • This site locates your connections at different companies by skimming your pre-existing social network contacts.
  • It will highlight job openings that might interest you at companies where you have connections.

5. Internshipratings.com

  • This site provides internship reviews written by former interns. The same caveats mentioned above about user reviews apply here.
  • Highlights the most important aspects of thousands of different internships: salary, networking, fairness etc.

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Posted by Nell Gable

Senior Struggles: 5 email mistakes to avoid in your job search

February 2, 2012

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

1. Punctuation and grammar mistakes: writing skills are essential for just about every career so make sure you know the difference between your/you’re, to/too/two, their/they’re/there BEFORE you send that friendly networking email. These small mistakes can be glaring and it would be to bad if you had you’re chances at a dream job ruined.

2. Forgotten attachments: Make sure you attach all the files you’ve promised. There’s nothing more embarassing than following a perfectly polished email with, “oops forgot the attachment” so always double-check.

3. Overly conversational tone: keep your audience in mind and always write appropriately and respectfully when asking for a job, or for advice. You need their help, not the other way around. Avoid excessive exclamation points and smiley faces. Some people (especially those from older generations…) may not get the implied light-heartedness of the extra punctuation and could just think you’re yelling at them.

4. Overly dry tone: In our post on advice from publicist Kelly Cutrone, we emphasized the benefits of creativity in reaching out to people during the job search. Use your own unique voice and speak passionately to ensure that you stand out, but make sure you avoid the above mistakes.

5. Failing to follow up: don’t take a lack of response as rejection. Chances are, the person you’ve contacted is busy and has important people and responsibilities to deal with, so a friendly follow-up email is nothing to worry about. Simply start with something like, “Dear___, I just wanted to follow up on my previous email, please let me know when you have a chance to talk…” While the rule still stands–be respectful and “politely persistent,” if you want your voice to be heard, then you might have to speak up.

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Posted by Nell Gable

Senior Struggles: Kelly Cutrone on building your personal brand

January 25, 2012

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

It’s Senior year, and by now you should have had sufficient time to do some soul searching, find yourself, and attempt to uncover just who it is you really are. OK maybe you’re still working on it, but chances are, you’re much more confident and ready to take on the real-world than you were 3 years ago.

As graduation approaches, many recent college grads seek jobs that involve marketing and maintaining a company brand. Part of that includes having a clear understanding of what that brand represents, and ensuring that it never strays from that ideal. But how often do we consider our own “personal brand”? Kelly Cutrone is a fashion publicist and owner of People’s Revolution. You may have seen her on reality shows like The Hills and The City. She is known for being brutally honest and wildly successful at what she does, so her advice is golden for those seeking a career in publicity, fashion, marketing — as well as anyone trying to figure out their life in general.

Kelly emphasizes the idea that “normal gets you nowhere,” and that “personal branding is about figuring out who you are and what turns you on and then monetizing it.” Her book If you Have to Cry, Go Outside is certainly worth a read (and perhaps several re-reads), but here are some of her highlights on building and promoting a personal brand as a means to obtaining a dream career.

  • What makes you different from the next recent-grad in desperate need of a job? Kelly says: “All celebrated brands have a point of differentiation…it’s time to figure out what you are selling and how you are going to make people want to buy it.”
  • Don’t be cynical, “follow your dreams” is good advice. Kelly says: “If you don’t know exactly what fits in your life and what doesn’t, the best way to figure it out is to follow your inner voice away from what feels wrong and toward what feels right.” However, she encourages you to focus, eventually. “When you find something that feels right, concentrate on refining your skills and educating yourself about your chosen field.”
  • Be consistent and honest with yourself when cultivating your personal brand. Kelly says: “If you sell yourself as a creative wellspring of ideas, well, you’d better believe your boss is going to want to hear them regularly. Good brands are authentic, focused and consistent.”
  • Once you’ve honed in on your brand, align yourself with larger, similar representations of that brand. Kelly says: “Once you have identified the people who do what you want to do at the highest possible level, start contacting them.”
  • And when it comes to reaching out to people in the industry you’d like to become a part of, once again, normal gets you nowhere. We’ve all become accustomed to a certain bland format for resume and cover-letter writing, so why not mix it up and try something different? Kelly says: “Successful candidates in my office speak in their own voices–with excellent grammar, of course.”
  • But most importantly don’t give up. Kelly says: “The people who succeed are often not just the people with the best-articulated brands; they’re the people who respond to rejection by brushing themselves off and moving on, again and again.”

Kelly Cutrone’s book, If you Have to Cry Go Outside is empowering for everyone looking to obtain their dream career, not just people interested in fashion. Check it out!

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Posted by Nell Gable

Senior Struggles: Use a spreadsheet template to organize your job search

December 7, 2011

messy stack of papersFollow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

We all know the feeling: lying awake in bed at night going over your list of worries: “when’s the deadline for that analyst job application?” “Did I remember to send in my referrals??” “I have an interview next week and I can’t even remember what the job description said!” That feeling is terrible, and once again, the best thing you can do to prevent it is to stay organized.

It seems like we’re ALWAYS telling you to stay organized, and now we’re going to show you exactly how to do that. We’ve selected a great Excel spreadsheet, downloaded free from Microsoft’s Office website, which will be extremely helpful for managing your job applications, contacts, and interviews. Use these sheets as a tool to record your job search activity and your quest for employment will seem far more manageable, giving you the confidence to be successful.

Click here to visit the download page for the helpful Job Search Log.

Photo credit: Kate Ter Haar / CC BY 2.0

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Posted by Nell Gable

Senior Struggles: Grooming Your Social Networking Presence

November 9, 2011

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

Social media monitoring website Reppler.com recently conducted a survey which found that 91% of the 300 hiring managers surveyed visit social networking sites to screen candidates—that’s huge! Of the managers that use sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to evaluate job candidates, 69% said they have rejected an applicant and 68% said they have hired an applicant based on what they gathered from the candidate’s social media presence. If you’re searching for a job, take an hour or so to look at your social networking profiles from the perspective of an employer. Do they reflect an image you want employers to see? Are you sharing too much information? Not enough? These days, you don’t just have to worry about your mom getting a Facebook page, future employers are stalking you as well. Don’t stress, just follow these tips to ensure that your social media presence will help, not hurt your job search.

  • 39% of employers who hired people based on their profiles, did so because the candidate gave a positive impression of their personality and organizational fit, according to the survey. Use your social networking profiles to promote yourself and display your achievements, not just your social life.
  • Companies may screen your profile to see how well you communicate, so try to monitor your grammar, spelling and style.
  • Be careful about what you say on the Internet AND be careful of what you let others say to and about you. Employers may see other people’s interactions with your profile as a reflection of your personality.
  • Check your privacy settings frequently as they tend to change, sometimes with out warning. For example, check out the Facebook Blog to stay up to date on any changes with Facebook’s privacy settings. It’s always safest to maximize your security when you’re not sure who might be looking.
  • It may seem obvious but try to limit photos and posts about drinking and partying on Facebook and Twitter — what gets posted on the Internet STAYS on the Internet.
  • When entering personal information into networking sites like LinkedIn, make sure your information is accurate and that you haven’t lied about your qualifications or skills. According to the Reppler poll, employers listed false information as the main reason for rejecting candidates based on their social networking profile.
  • Don’t bad mouth current or past employers on the Internet…EVER. Potential employers do not want to hire someone who is spiteful and untrustworthy.

Social networking isn’t just for fun anymore. Hiring managers screen potential employee’s social networking sites, and what they see can make the difference between putting you over the top, or taking you out of the running. There’s no need to worry as long as you frequently evaluate your presence and ensure that the presentation you set forth over the Internet is the right one.

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Posted by Nell Gable

Senior Struggles: Researching Employers Effectively

November 2, 2011

Follow each week as we present step-by-step suggestions to achieve post-college success with less senior year stress.

Preparation is the key to interview success. And while most preliminary interviews won’t require you to have detailed knowledge of the company, being able to incorporate your understanding of company practices into your answers will demonstrate your initiative and strong interest in the position. Here are some ways to prepare for your interviews thoroughly and efficiently:

  • Start by familiarizing yourself with the company website. Look for interviewing tips in the employment section, then check out the website from the perspective of a customer or client — because that is whom the company is catering to.
  • Conduct your research in a way that allows you to generate questions for the interviewers. Since you’ll want to ask something that is not answered on the company’s webpage,  ask yourself:”what’s missing?” as you do your research.
  • Evaluate different points of view on the company you are researching. Aside from the company’s website, you will want to look at trade journals, consumer reviews, and recent news articles.
  • If you have more time to prepare, try setting up a google alert (www.google.com/alerts)  to email you when news on the company you are interviewing with is posted. This will help you go into the interview with the most up-to-date information available.
  • Don’t ignore the company’s social media presence. Make sure you “like” the company on Facebook, follow it on twitter and monitor their blog if they have one. This will demonstrate a continued interest in the company’s work.
  • Use your University if Michigan alumni network! Create a profile on LinkedIn, and with the U of M Alumni Association’s social networking tool, inCircle. See if you can connect with anyone from the company you’re interviewing with, and conduct an informational interview.

Remember if you don’t have time to adequately prepare for all of your interviews, then you are probably applying to too many jobs and you will need to narrow your search. If you’re feeling unsure of how to prepare, or just want to fine tune your skill, you can always schedule a mock interview at the Career Center; we are always here to help!

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Posted by Nell Gable

Fall Career Expo recap: Words of wisdom to help you on day two

October 4, 2011

An entirely new group of organizations and companies will be here tomorrow for day two of Fall Career Expo. Since day one is over, why not benefit from those who experienced it?

shot of fall expo 2011 from the union ballroom balcony
From the Recruiters: 

“Positive energy and a high level of engagement are important.”

“The more you research, the more you will know and the more productive your job search will be.”

“If you take the time to reach out after the first conversation, we’re much more likely to respond.”

“We want to see people who are well put together and confident, but not too overbearing in their approach.”

“Do your research before you approach the table!”

“It’s not always about who you know. In fact, I’m more impressed by someone who can communicate well and who can apply what they’ve done in college to a real career, than someone who just had their dad send me a resume.”

“…as for follow-up, I’m always impressed by people who take the initiative to ask for my card, send me a thank you email or even just send a hand written note.”

“In a career fair setting, you have to be a self-starter. This isn’t the setting to take a passive approach, no job is going to just fall into your lap.”

“Recruiters know that many students will be nervous but don’t allow it to show; make sure it’s clear that even if you feel intimidated, you came prepared.”

“Go for the ride and enjoy it!”

From the Students:

“Be prepared to ask specific questions of different recruiters based on the research you’ve done on their company.”

“Go in with a game plan because the long lines can be disorienting.”

“Remember people’s names from the companies you are interested in. It will make it easier to follow up with them in the future.”

“Make sure you know the structure of the company you are interested in talking to because that will allow you to ask the right questions.”

“Just smile and be yourself!”

“I would have been less stressed out if I was more organized.”

“Come prepared and knowing what position you are interested in. Most importantly, be able to explain why you’re interested in it.”

“Ask recruiters questions as simple as, ‘what tasks do you do on a daily basis at work?’ They can help you decide if it’s a job you’re interested in.”

“Bring a pen and paper to record important contact information.”

“Take a deep breath and remember that all the students there are in the same position as you.”

Lastly, here are a few more last-minute ways to get the most out of the Fall Career Expo.

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Posted by Nell Gable

Looking Forward to an Interview: Mastering the Mentality

January 18, 2011

After weeks or even months of job-searching, tweaking your resume, and composing cover letters, you’ve finally done it: you have landed an interview. The initial excitement and relief is almost immediately countered by the following realization: you have to go through an interview…

Anxiety and dread, coupled with feelings of uncertainty and anticipation, begin to overwhelm you. What will the interviewer be like? What questions will they ask? Am I really qualified for this? Why am I shaking already?

A man yelling in exasperation

Can I send someone to interview in my place?

Ok, maybe some of you don’t experience anxiety to this extent. Or maybe it doesn’t hit you until the moment before the interview begins. But regardless of your level of confidence when it comes to interviewing, it is always beneficial to conduct a serious analysis of your mentality in this situation.

First of all, you are qualified. Unqualified individuals do not get invited to interviews. Your desire to work for this organization as well as the experience you’ve gained in preparation for it are already evident to the employer. They just want to know more about you – they want to know that you are a good fit for their organization.

The second thing to remember is that an interview is a conversation. You engage in conversations every day. Whether they are with friends or new acquaintances, five minutes or an hour long, friendly or argumentative – communication is something you are experienced in. An interview is an opportunity for you to get to know someone and for them to get to know you. Personally, I love it when people show interest in me and ask me questions about myself. Why should it be different with interviewing? View it as a stretch of time where you get to talk about yourself, share your passion for the related field of work, discuss your future aspirations and learn more about the company.

Finally, the last bit of encouraging advice I have to share is that they want you to perform well. If you are relaxed yet confident during the interview, are able to express your passion for the line of work and your desire to work for the company, and are able to articulate your experiences and qualifications while fully engaging in the conversation, then you are only making the employer’s job easier. They want to meet an obvious hire; it makes the decision easier for them!

So whether you’ve landed an interview, or you are optimistic that an interview will be a part of your near future — congratulations! You can skip past those negative feelings and focus on preparing for that interview with an attitude of confidence and discipline.

Photo credit: Martin Kingsley / CC BY 2.0

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Posted by Paul

What (Skills) Do Employers Want?

November 15, 2010

What do employers want? What do you want? Is there a way you can focus on studying something which sparks your interest while still feeling positive about your post-graduation career options?

In a prior post, we’ve written a bit about how your major does not necessarily have to equal or limit your post-college career. A recent New York Times article hit on just that point, also highlighting the disconnect between what students think employers want and what employers actually want:

According to a survey described in an article in Canadian HR Reporter: “Most employers cite communication skills as the most important skill for a candidate to possess, while generation Y (aged 18 to 35) believe employers are looking for experience, found the survey by Toronto’s George Brown College.”

With that quote in mind, committing to a major may not seem quite as daunting. No matter what your particular focus or major, multiple studies, including NACE’s annual survey of employers, indicate that employers place importance on  transferable skills — such as the ability to communicate and work well in a team.

One important thing to remember — these skills aren’t relegated to just one academic major. Whether you’re studying art history or organizing a fundraiser for your favorite student organization, chances are that you’re already sharpening the skills that potential employers value most.

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Posted by mcherem

10 Days of Expo – Kick Off Your Search

September 20, 2010

The Career Center’s Fall Career Expo is coming up on September 29th, and in order to help you prepare, we’re running a series called “10 Days of Expo.” Each day until 9/29 we’ll discuss helpful tips and information, along with some featured employers that will be in attendance. Today, our Career Events Manager, Sally, talks about how this is a great time to kick off your job or internship search.

I walked around the Union today try to scope out some extra space for The Career Center’s Fall Career Expo…it’s going to be huge!  As the person who plans The Career Center’s events, needing more space is a great problem to have!  I love that our employer attendance is up this year (almost 90 organizations) and I’m excited about all the amazing job/internship opportunities for students!

As a student attending the Expo, I hope you’re excited too.  But I also know you might feel a little overwhelmed.  You’ve only been back on campus a couple of weeks and we’re asking you to get your resume together, prepare to introduce yourself to potential employers, and think about jobs and internships.

And you’re right – the Expo is early and it can be overwhelming.  There’s really no way around it.  However, there are a couple things I’ve learned from chatting with recruiters that might help make it a more exciting and less overwhelming experience for you.

Stryker, Oak Ridge National Lab, MATCH Corp and the other 80+ organizations are coming to see you! Organizations don’t recruit at every university/college.  They are very selective in their recruiting efforts, choosing maybe 5-7 (or less) schools to visit each year.  They come because they believe Michigan students, whether through academics, extracurricular and/or volunteer experiences, have something unique to bring to their organization. And, they’re specifically coming to The Career Center event because they’re open to meeting a variety of majors for a range of positions.

This doesn’t mean that you can walk through Expo on the MGoBlue spirit alone.  You’ll still want to do some preparation (check out the list of attending organizations and their job descriptions), however, you can approach an employer table with confidence knowing that the recruiters are eager to meet you.

When we say “kick off your job/internship search at Expo,” we mean it.  Fall Expo is the real thing and truly a great way to start your job/internship activities. For organizations like Capital One, Target, and about 30 others, it’s their first step in screening resumes/candidates for interviews at The Career Center later in the semester.  And, for about 60% of the Expo employers, this is their first and only visit to campus.  They use the Expo to collect resumes and screen candidates for the next step in their hiring process.  They may “just” refer you to their website to submit an application, but rest assured they’re attending this event because they want to meet candidates.  Believe me — if they only wanted website applications they wouldn’t attend.  While you won’t walk away from Expo with a job or internship offer in hand, it’s your opportunity to kick-off your search by meeting recruiters face-to-face and by making a lasting impression.

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Posted by Sally Schueneman

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