Make the most of your summer internship!

June 18, 2012
Sign reading: "Hello, I am a new intern"

Hello, intern!

It seems like the last day of classes is long gone, and you may have already started work at a summer internship. Here’s a list of three great ways you can make the most out of this experience, so that you come away with more than just money (or college credit) and a few more lines on your resume:

Take Initiative. Some companies have well-established internship programs that are packed full of responsibilities and activities for their interns, but many internships aren’t quite as laid-out. If your role as an intern doesn’t define how to spend all of your time while you’re at work, use that opportunity to go above-and-beyond what your supervisor has planned for you. This doesn’t mean simply asking “what else can I do?” but actually identifying an area in which you can contribute, and running a plan past your supervisor. This is a sure-fire way to get yourself noticed, and it shows that you’re not just there to meet expectations.

Network. The value of networking doesn’t just go away now that you have your internship. Remember, this could be an audition for a full-time position, and the more people you have in your corner, the better your chances of snagging that offer will be. One of our former peer advisors, Dhruv, really took advantage of this strategy, and made sure to have lunch with different people from his office as often as possible. He was able to ask questions about the organization, questions about each person’s role within the company, and to discuss some of the projects he was working on. He ended up with a full-time offer after his internship, in part because in addition to doing an excellent job, many people beyond his immediate supervisor were able to see what an excellent job he was doing. He definitely stood out among all the other interns.

Evaluate the Company/Industry. I mentioned that internships are like auditions for full-time jobs, but this is also the organization’s time to show you what they’re all about. Make sure you use this summer to figure out what you like (and dislike!) about the organization, so that you can make a better decision about full-time offers later on. For instance, if you find that it’s frustrating working in a huge, hierarchical organization as an intern, that will help you focus your full-time search on smaller companies, with a more flat organizational structure.

If you need some career coaching this summer, don’t fret — The Career Center is open 8-5p every weekday, and you can make an appointment to stop and see us.

Photo credit: adpowers on Flickr.

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

March MEDness at the Career Center!

March 5, 2012

Brace yourself for a month chock-full of informative activities brought to you by the Career Center. Pull out your schedule now and start marking these dates and times. Whether you are considering medical school or are gearing up to apply or reapply, there is something here for you!

“Gearing Up To Apply” Sessions
The Career Center will offer the following programs to help you make an inventory of what you need to have in place prior to launching your AMCAS/AACOMAS application this summer.  All Gearing Up to Apply Sessions will be held in the Career Center Program Room at 3200 Student Activities Building, 515 E. Jefferson:

Applying to Medical School:  What To Do, How & When (same session, repeated)

  • Tuesday, March 6, 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
  • Wednesday, March 7, 2:00 PM-3:00 PM
  • Friday, March 9, 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
  • Monday, March 19, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM
  • Tuesday, March 20, 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
  • Wednesday, March 21, 2:00 PM-3:00 PM

Planning For Your Written Presentation:  Personal Statement and Activities Descriptions (same session, repeated)

  • Tuesday, March 6, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM
  • Wednesday, March 7, 3:00 PM-4:00 PM
  • Friday, March 9, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM
  • Monday, March 19, 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
  • Wednesday, March 21, 1:00 PM-2:00 PM
  • Thursday, March 22, 3:00 PM-4:00

Preparing for Your Medical School Interviews (offered once)

  • Friday, March 9, 2:00 PM-3:00 PM

Understanding Interview Formats & Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) (offered once)

  • Wednesday, March 21, 3:00 PM-4:00 PM

One-on-One Pre-Med Consultations @ The Career Center
Wednesday, March 14, varying times

An opportunity to learn about specific programs and discuss current or future application efforts with medical school representatives. Pre-registration required.

Instructions:  Make an Appointment—>Special Services—>Pre-med Consultations—>School of Choice among the following:

NOTE:  When registering, if one or more of the schools listed above do not appear in the menu or if you get one of the following messages:

·      Sorry, this staff member is not available, please try another staff member

·      Online appointments for The Career Center are unavailable at this time

it means that the schedule for that particular school representative is now full.

Medical School Information Fair
Thursday, March 15, 3-6 PM, Michigan Union Second Floor

An opportunity to visit with 35+ schools and programs (MD, DO, MD/PHD, foreign, postbaccs, test prep organizations, etc.)  Closer to the date, see list of participating schools.

An Orientation to MSU CHM Admissions by Dean Joel Maurer
Tuesday, March 20, 8:00 PM-9:00 PM
Forum Hall, Palmer Commons
This particular program is co-sponsored with AED.

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

What you need to know about Facebook Timeline

February 2, 2012

It’s Coming…

We’ve all heard the rumors, and this time they’re true: ready or not, the new Facebook Timeline is coming, and there’s nothing any of us can do about it. Most college students these days have had a Facebook account since they’ve had a cell phone. And many of us have trusted the wildly popular social networking site way too much in the past few years—posting everything about our lives from party pictures, to birth date information, to addresses, to our deepest worries and joys. With the new, more public and revealing timeline, Facebook has more power than ever to betray that misplaced trust.

Thankfully, there are tech-wizards and brazen bloggers on our team, ready to demystify the new Facebook layout and equip us with the knowledge to keep at least some of our online lives private. There is nothing we can do to stop this change, for Facebook owns a little part of all of our souls—let’s just be honest. The best we can do is learn to manage the new layout and save what we can of our dignity and future career prospects.

Here’s how to prepare:

  • Once you switch to Timeline, Facebook notifies you that your profile will be switched, and you have 7 days to hide all of the embarrassing photos and posts you thought were buried away in cyberspace. So prepare to reacquaint yourself with the always changing privacy settings and start screening your timeline for things you’d like to hide.

  • There are some cool features on the new timeline. For example you get to choose a cover photo that appears large on top of your page. However, this will be viewable to the public, so make sure it’s appropriate for anyone to see.

  • Beware, many of your new posts will automatically appear as public. Keep in mind that if there are only a few public posts on your profile, they will be highly emphasized. So, if people can only see the picture of a beer you uploaded from your mobile device, then they will probably think that’s what you’re all about.

  • The new timeline allows you to share your life story from the beginning, by adding things like birth date information. Remember that if you post information like your mother’s maiden name, your place of birth, etc. people could potentially use this for perverse purposes like identity theft.

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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

Advice from Alumni: Hillary Frazier on breaking into tough industries

January 26, 2012

Hillary Frazier is a 2010 graduate of LSA with a major in English. She is currently a social media moderator and content creator for a social media firm in New York City, working with global pharmaceutical brands on Twitter and Facebook. Today, Hillary shares her experience and advice on breaking into the social media/marketing industry.

Hillary Frazier

Hillary Frazier (English '10)

I was a drifter at the University of Michigan. I didn’t declare my major until my junior year, and took classes on topics ranging from WWII history, to costume design at the Theater school. I held 5 internships while in school, and it still took me 8 months to find a full time job after graduation. I’m no expert, but if I had to step back into your shoes, these are a few things I wish someone had told me during my job search:

Set Goals
You may not know what you want to do, but by now, you probably know what you don’t want to do. Research types of jobs in fields you are interested in. For me, I always wanted to work in fashion, but I couldn’t design. I began interning with photographers and a stylist, and discovered there were many other positions in the field where I could apply my talents. I set a timeline for myself. The summer before my junior year, I had 2 internships around my hometown. By the next summer, I wanted to be in New York City interning, hoping that by mid-January I would be ready to apply for jobs and secure a spot for an established company. In the end, I didn’t find a job by then, even by graduation, but I did keep my eyes on my goals, and eventually (6 months later), I got there.

Apply. Apply. Apply.
Many of you have begun your internship or job search, and know there are hundreds, if not thousands of resources online to look for jobs. Career Center Connector, Career Builder, Monster, LinkedIn, Indeed, MediaBistro, even corporate websites list their openings online. The more jobs you can apply for, the better (as long as they fit your interests and goals!). A job isn’t going to find you, you have to find it. Ask anyone and everyone you know, ask UofM alumni you may not know, try everything you can to get connected to companies, send out your applications (as many as you possibly can!), and hope for the best.

Accept Rejection
Admitting defeat isn’t bad, you just have to find a way to make it work for you. Think of failed applications as practice runs. Revisit your applications to see where you may have not presented yourself as the best possible candidate. It’s important to remember that you are going to hear no, because you can’t be perfect for every job out there. Sometimes, you may have been perfect, but you weren’t playing up your assets in the correct way. Other times, it isn’t your fault at all. I’ve actually been told before, in interviews, that many employers don’t read all of the applications, because they get so many. Of course this isn’t always true, but sometimes, applicants are chosen completely at random and screened. In the end, these “practice runs” will ensure you are an expert at finding a job, and selling yourself as not only the best, but the only candidate these employers should want to hire.

Work for Free
Working for free isn’t always fun, or easy to convince your parents to support, but in some industries, it’s the best way to get your foot in the door. Securing internships is by far easier than securing a full-time job, because almost everyone is willing to accept free help. Unpaid doesn’t always have to mean underappreciated, and there are many companies that value their interns as if they are full-time employees. Of course, use your judgment to make sure your employer isn’t taking you advantage of your talents, and always ask if there is a prospect to be hired afterwards. It was after my 7th internship that I realized…almost all of the companies I had worked for were entirely run by unpaid interns! There are thousands of people out there willing to work for free, and the only way I could separate myself from them from that point on was refusing to give companies my expertise and experience for free.

Your First Job Won’t Always Work Out
Once you’ve heard those amazing words, “we’d like to offer you a position at our company,” you may think all of your hard work is done. You have your job, and you never need to look for another one. That isn’t the case! You may have secured the job of your dreams, but sometimes, what we think we want changes. It’s okay to always be looking for the next thing! Of course, you should be respectful and dedicated to the position you have, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep your eyes and ears open for something different. If you hate your job, don’t be afraid to leave! Nothing has to be permanent, and now that you’re an expert at looking for a job, you’ll have an easier time finding the next one. My first job didn’t work out as well as I had hoped, and I chose to leave after 8 months of work. However, with a lot of patience, I was able to receive another job offer, at a better company, with a better salary, and guess what…it was because I not only had close to 4 years of experience, but also because I am a Michigan grad!

Hopefully my story has helped you understand a few things about job/internship searching that you may have not realized before, and I wish you all the best of luck with your search! You can see more information about my college and professional life on my alumni profile, and I can be reached by email at hillaryfrazier@gmail.com if you ever have questions or are looking to network.

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Posted by Scott Tsuchiyama

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: Keep track of your accomplishments…before it’s too late!

December 15, 2011

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

As college students, most of us are fortunate enough to be able to focus all of our time, thought, energy and passion on just one person: OURSELVES. So, you would think it would be easy to keep track of everything we do, accomplish, try to do, fail at doing, learn from etc. After all, this is the time in our lives when we will spend hours writing cover letters, personal statements, getting interviewed for jobs we desperately need and trying to figure out our futures in general. Why then, is it so hard to think of good, concrete examples of proud accomplishments, learning experiences or meaningful failures when the time comes to actually answer those questions, and write those personal statements or cover letters?

The answer is that there is just too much going on in our lives right now. Personally, I often find myself thinking, “This would be a great thing to mention in an interview!” after completing a group project, then that thought flies away as soon as walk into my house and start chatting with my housemates.

The solution to this? Write it down silly! Of course we all want to be more organized and that never seems to really happen, but there is a website designed to do just that. iDoneThis is an interesting website (not just because there is a lowercase ‘”i” in front of the name) designed to help you keep  track of your daily accomplishments from the most mundane: “I didn’t snooze my alarm clock this morning!” to the most important: “I persuaded my class group to move in a different direction with our project, and got some excellent feedback on my leadership skills from my professor!”

While the former can serve as a record of your daily discipline and habit making process, the latter is prime material for interviews and personal statements. I remember one interviewer asking me, “Describe a time you persuaded a group to do something; how were you able to do that?” I’m sure there are plenty of times in my time at Michigan that I persuade people to do things, I just couldn’t think of a single example at the time of the interview.

If iDoneThis isn’t for you, find a tool that works. That may be another online tool or even just a plane old paper journal. Perhaps, like me, you’ll find it easier to record everything in the notepad app on your iPhone. The point is, we all forget the things we think we’ll remember and we’re only getting older, so it’s best to start keeping track of the things that matter most to our future right now….so write that down, before you forget.

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Posted by Nell Gable

Senior Struggles: Revamp your job search over the holidays

November 16, 2011

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

Many companies take a break from hiring from Thanksgiving until after New Years, so this time can be ideal for regrouping and preparing for the next phase of the job search. In between holiday parties this winter, take some time to evaluate each aspect of your job search approach. It’s easy to get tired of the daunting process, so take a break from applying to jobs to reflect, rejuvenate and refresh. Here are some things to consider:

Resume and Cover letter(s): have you done anything worth adding to your list of credentials/experience this semester? While you’re home, try asking some family members or family friends to take a look at your resume and give you some feedback. This could be a great opportunity to do some networking as well as gain career advice.

What is your focus?: Have your career interests changed in the past semester? If you’ve been taking advantage of the career fairs and networking events then chances are you’ve become aware of some new opportunities. Perhaps you don’t want to go into finance after all! Again, use holiday parties and family gatherings to seek career insight.

Informational interviewing: Before you go home for the holidays, try reaching out to someone in your hometown area for an informational interview in a field you might be interested in. This can be advantageous for two reasons. First, you will learn about the field. Ask why they chose their career, how they got to where they are and what the job involves. The other benefit is the chance to build your network. By asking for advice, not just a job, you open the door to building a relationship with that person. Once you’ve gotten to know them and their work, you can eventually shift the conversation to helping you find a job.

Practice your elevator pitch: make sure you can tell someone who you are and where you want to go in 30 seconds or less. This doesn’t have to be the exact position you want, but at least the type of work you’re interested in and why. You never know who you’ll be standing behind at the grocery store.

Read, Read, Read: It’s easy to get stuck in the college bubble and forget that there is a whole world outside of Ann Arbor. Yet, any career person will tell you that up-to-date knowledge of the field you’re interested in entering is essential to success. So, take some time to catch up on news about your dream job or industry.

Update your Social Networking Profiles: Flesh out your LinkedIn profile, delete those scandalous pics, and start tweeting about things that are relevant to your chosen career field. Social networking is hugely important to hiring managers and should not be ignored.

Catch up on sleep: somehow the future always seems brighter after a solid 8 hours of sleep.

There’s nothing like some turkey, sleep and free-time to remind you that all will work out. Take plenty of time to relax over the holidays, but use the breaks wisely. By revamping your approach to the job hunt, you can return to it in January ready to search for a job like it’s your job (pun intended).

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Posted by Nell Gable

Words of Advice from Alumni in the Entertainment Industry

November 15, 2011

microphoneOn Friday, November 4th, the Department of Communication studies and the Michigan Association of Communication Studies (MACS) hosted the Entertainment Media Career Forum. At the event, a panel of Michigan alumni shared stories about the paths that led them to work in the entertainment industry. They also provided tips and advice on how to be successful in their industry.  The common theme throughout the event was “work hard and be persistent”. All of the panelists said they’ve struggled due to the unpredictability of their field, but judging from the exciting stories they shared (Allie Foster recently bumped into Julia Roberts on the set of the Today Show), the struggle was well worth the career.

Sad you missed the event? Here is some of their best advice:

“In the entertainment industry, it’s about making any connection that you can, you never know who might be able to help you land a job one day”

“People with the ‘never say no’ attitude are the ones who get ahead. It’s all about working harder than the other guy.”

“If you want to work in the entertainment industry, it’s ok to have no idea what you want to do as a senior. My best advice to you: don’t freak out.”

“Be prepared to move far from home if you’re passionate about something.”

“Don’t be above any entry level job, everyone has to work their way up in this industry.”

“They key to success is being ‘politely persistent’, that’s how I got my job at NBC.”

“It’s a little bit of luck and a lot of time, persistence and hard work.”

“When you don’t know, say you don’t know. You don’t want to learn that lesson the hard way.”

“Read, read, read. It’s important to know what’s going on in the industry you want to work in.”

“Make sure you have an opinion. Your opinion is never wrong, because it’s an opinion!”

“The best idea in the world won’t work unless you do.”

Events such as this one are a great reminder that the University of Michigan Alumni network is an invaluable resource, composed of fellow Wolverines who want to see you succeed — never be afraid to utilize your alumni connections!

Photo credit: hiddedevries/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

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