Career Spotlight

Are you:

1. Confused about y0ur credit score?
2. Wondering how to get a loan?
3. Want to know better ways to save?

Attend our “Maximize Your Money” presentation on Thursday, November 19th at 5:00PM at the Warhawk Involvement Center in the University Center.  Denise Kaminski from the University Credit Union will have answers and suggestions for you and it’s free!

By: Ellen Hatfield 

This year there has been a lot of focus on-campus and on the national level about the importance of a liberal arts education. Are you asking yourself “What exactly is a liberal arts education?” A liberal arts education requires you take classes for your undergraduate degree in a variety of areas (ie: social sciences, natural sciences, humanities, etc.). This liberal arts education provides a great foundation of skills that can be used in a variety of work settings. For the rest of the 09-10 school year, we are going to be periodically highlighting various liberal arts majors (such as history, philosophy, art, language, women’s studies, etc.) and what career options are available for those majors. First up, is the English major.

What can you do with a Bachelor’s degree in English?

Did you answer “teaching”? While teaching is an honorable and awesome profession, it is NOT the only thing you could do with a degree in English. A great explanation of what can be done with an English degree comes from the skills that are gained through completing courses for the major and related experiences outside the classroom. These skills can be transferred to several different career areas.

- Skills gained:

• Influencing and persuading others
• Adapting/clarifying ideas
• Problem solving
• Critical thinking/thinking independently
• Oral and written communication skills
• Expressing alternative view points
• Editing
• Giving presentations

There are several areas that someone with an English major can pursue. Some of those areas include:

• Writing/editing (Newspapers, magazines, large corporations, universities, freelance­)  
• Education (Public/Private schools, universities, libraries, museums)
• Publishing (Publishers in a variety of areas such as magazines, books, and other media)
• Advertising (advertising agencies, non-profits, large corporations)
• Public Relations (PR firms, trade associations, government agencies, non-profits)
• Business (Management, sales, human resources, insurance, marketing)
• Law (Law firms, government agencies, corporations, private practice)

The University of Tennessee-Knoxville has a breakdown of content areas, employers, and strategies for English majors that are worth checking out. The following strategies are key for being successful with an English major:

• Gain as much experience as possible! This includes volunteering, part-time work, internships, student organization involvement, and a wide variety of knowledge represented in your coursework.
• Create a portfolio of writing samples that show your skill, creativity, and originality.
• Develop strong skills in research, public speaking, social interaction, and leadership.
• Be prepared to be proactive, assertive, and confident to secure work opportunities.
• Obtain knowledge in various areas such as: journalism, broadcasting, politics, and other areas that will be helpful for specialized opportunities.

Check out the following resources for more information and ideas about what you can do with an English major.

• University of North Carolina-Wilmington – career titles and links to several online resources
• UWW Internship Resources – opportunities in publishing and journalism
• BookJobs – job and internship listings
• Writer’s Write blog – resources on books, writing, and publishing
• Occupational Outlook Handbook – writers and editors

By Kathy Craney

Thank you again to all our veterans for the sacrifices they and their families have made. 

This week I’d like to talk about some of the unique skills a veteran may have and how they might incorporate them in a resume. 

All resumes have things in common.  When deciding what to include in your resume, the first questions should be who is my audience and what do they need to know about me (what is relevant) to help them make the decision to invite me in for an interview?  Keep in mind this is NOT your autobiography, but about what is important to your audience (not you).  To help you look at what to include, make a list of skills and qualifications the audience (IE. A potential employer) needs and wants in an employee.  Look at your list and decide which skills you have and where you use these skills.  Learn to think in terms of what you have accomplished and how you accomplished it.

Start your resume with a “Resume Profile” or “Summary Statements”.  The days of “Objectives” are gone.  The good news (in my opinion) is greater flexibility and they can be used to include skills and accomplishments you weren’t able to include before.  I recommend using bullet points vs. paragraph format.  Bullet points and phrases are much easier to scan and the reader is able to pick up more information about you in a quicker way (an advantage for you as you have about 15 seconds to capture your reader’s attention.)  Use 3 to 5 phrases covering items such as position keywords (career titles, industry skills, general skills, etc.), experience that targets the position for which you are applying, professional skills that transfer to the position, and what you can do for the employer that no one else can provide.  Do not use personal pronouns (I, me, my, etc.) in your resume. 

The next section is about your education, related training, appropriate certifications, and so on.  Again, keep in mind this is about the audience needs, not yours, so while you may be proud of the fact that you are a certified SCUBA instructor, if it has no benefit to the employer, don’t include it.  Also don’t include high school.  In most cases that’s irrelevant also.  Do include the name of your school, the city and state in which the school is located (not the mailing address), the type of degree you are receiving or have received, your major and minor (if you have one), your GPA if over 3.0, the month and year of your graduation (not “from-to”). You may also include any Professional Training, Overseas Training, certifications and licenses that are related to the position.  If you attended a school and transferred out before you received a degree, you don’t need to include that particular school.

Following the “Education” section is usually an “Employment” section.  Hopefully you have some experience related to the job for which you are applying.  (Note:  I recommend an internship or other related experience.  These are becoming a necessity whether required as part of your degree completion or not.  Employers want and often expect you to have experience.  You’re spending a lot of time and money to obtain your education.  Don’t minimize it by not obtaining the required experience.)  List (in reverse chronological order) the company/organization name, city and state (not mailing address), Time worked (month, year), and your job title.  Under this information, again using bullet points and phrases, list related accomplishment/skills the employer can use (remember this is about the employers needs/wants, not your ego).

Finally you may have a section on items such as “Honors and Awards”, “Community Service”, “Organizations”, and so forth.

Check, Check, and Re-Check your resume for improper grammar, spelling, punctuation and so forth.  Just one misspelled word can eliminate you from the running.  Show it to other people for clarity, grammar, spelling, etc.

Of Special Interest to Veterans:

• Don’t use military acronyms, phrases, and so forth.  Most of us who are civilians don’t understand them.  Use the language an employer will understand.
• Be targeted and specific.  Don’t force the employer to interpret what you mean – s/he will probably get it wrong and you’ll both lose.
• List only information an employer needs to make a decision to interview you.  Remember, it’s about what information the employer needs, not about your pride.
• Don’t forget volunteer information especially if it’s relevant.  Many of you in the military have had some very impressive volunteer experiences helping others.  Don’t diminish that.  Experiences such as that can show good communication skills, diversity, problem solving, leadership, etc.  Just because it wasn’t in your “job” description, doesn’t mean it’s not an accomplishment!
• Don’t forget other military advantages.  Things such as, giving and following directions, working as team leaders (management experience) and members (teamwork is a highly valuable skill in the workplace these days), working with diversity, and the ability to work under pressure.
• Other advantages may include your military security clearance, attention to safety, working with expensive equipment, advanced technology and so forth.
• Helpful phrases:
  • Train and evaluate a staff of 20, providing appropriate feedback regarding performance and training requirements
  • Identify corporate objectives
  • Organize needed resources including….
  • Direct operation efforts to achieve desired results
  • Gather and disseminate information for status reports for presentation to management staff
  • Troubleshoot operational functions to insure productivity and optimize quality
  • Solid experience in the development and administration of annual budgets, cost containment, purchasing and inventory control
  • Develop and execute prepared and unprepared speeches for various community organizations
  • Coordinate daily with personnel to insure timely application processing
  • Instate strong networking capabilities to recruit and retain personnel
  • Met or exceeded goals four years consecutively (Any quantification you can include is useful.)
  • Received numerous monthly and quarterly awards
  • Received excellent rating on Inspector General Inspection

In closing, remember to talk about your accomplishments in terms of what they can do for an employer.  How did you increase performance, decrease costs, improve reliability, identify and solve problems, and so forth.  Let the employers know what you’ve done for others and what you will do for them.

Also remember Career & Leadership Development is here for you.  Send or bring us your resumes, talk to us about internships, see us for a mock interview.  Ask us for what you need and we’ll work with you.  Thanks again!

Check out the addition to our office website: Job Search Strategies!

You can find out information and resources about: Knowing the brand of you, Researching, Networking, Creating a plan of action, and Following up.

 Please leave a comment if you have any feedback about the new content.

By Kathy Craney

Did you know that our university is a Military Friendly school?  Every year G.I. Jobs honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities, and trade school which are doing the most to embrace America’s veterans as students.  According to Dr. Dorothy Bassesett, dean of Duquesne University’s School of Leadership and Professional Advancement, “Military students bring a high degree of maturity, life experiences, diversity, leadership and worldliness to the classroom.  Other students and faculty benefit from the different perspectives that service members and veterans bring.”  Think about your classes.  Do you have any veterans as classmates?  What do they contribute to the class?  Have they helped you look at life in a new way, one you have not thought about before?

With Veteran’s Day approaching, I thought it might be appropriate to mention some of the upcoming events happening from October 30^th through the 11^th to recognize and thank our veteran’s.  Be sure to check out some of the services we offer to veterans on campus listed at the end of this blog.  Do any of you who are veterans have suggestions or comments?  We welcome them!

Services of Interest to Veterans

Career & Leadership Development- http://www.uww.edu/career/  - Kathy Craney, Career Counselor in Career and Leadership Development, is available to assist veterans with resumes and job searches.  Students should contact Kathy at craneyk@uww.edu for assistance or call 262-472-1471 to schedule an appointment.

Links for Veterans (http://www.uww.edu/career/students/veterans.php)

• Career OneStop
• Community of Veterans
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• Fleet and Family Support Center
• Great Lakes Naval Base
• Hire Veterans
• Military Career Guide Online
• Troops to Teachers Program
• Transitioning from Military to Civilian Work
• USAJOBS/Veteran’s Employment Resource Center
• Veterans Employment Information
• Welcome to the GI Bill Website

Registrar’s Office – http://www.uww.edu/registrar/vets/index.html – Veteran Information – Lots of information and useful links.

Admission’s Office:  http://www.uww.edu/apply/ – Talk to an admissions counselor about enrollment

Academic Advising:  http://www.uww.edu/advising/index.php – Get help planning your course load.

Everyone needs help sometimes, check out these resources:

Center for Students with Disabilities – http://www.uww.edu/csd/ – CSD serves UW-Whitewater students with physical, learning, sensory, psychological or other disabilities substantially affecting a major life activity (e.g. walking, hearing, seeing, breathing, and learning). CSD recognizes that many clients have hidden disabilities which can also require accommodations.

University Health and Counseling Services – http://www.uww.edu/uhcs/ – for a list of services go to: http://www.uww.edu/uhcs/health/index.html or http://www.uww.edu/uhcs/counseling/services.html .

Get involved:

http://www.uww.edu/involve/  - find out the many ways to get involved on campus.

Visit the Warhawk Involvement Center in the University Center – Houses the Adult Resource Center, The Women’s Center, The Multicultural Center, and The Pride Center – any of our Leadership Assistants can help you find what you’re looking for!

Of special interest to Veterans:

Veterans Club, UW-W

The purpose of the organization will be to conduct social, academic, informational and community services. The organization shall assist military and veteran students to adjust to campus and academic life, provide information on benefits, build moral, promote fellowship, and all other activities as deemed necessary by the organization.  Affiliated with Student Veterans of America

For information on meeting times and place, contact Ryan Kuhn at kuhnrl30@uww.edu

If you know any other information, please contact me and THANKS for doing what you do!

By Kathy Craney

Last week I talked about Personal Branding.  This week I’d like to share the information presented by Angela Kundert from Enterprise Rent-A-Car.  It was an excellent presentation on Business Etiquette.  Most of the time we feel nervous about approaching new people because we’re not sure how to behave or what to do.  We’re afraid of looking foolish or making a mistake and that’s very stressful!  We’ve all been there!  With these hints and some practice, you may be surprised just how much stress you can eliminate.

Business Etiquette – Angela Kundert/Enterprise Rent-A-Car

First impressions counts

• What does your body language say?
• Wear professional attire
• Be professional with your cell phones (turn them off or better yet, leave them at home or in the car) and email
• During an interview:
  • Arrive early (10 – 15 minutes)
  • Do a 30 second appearance check
  • Be polite to the receptionist
  • Make good eye contact
  • Stand up to greet people
  • Carry and distribute business cards
  • Introduce yourself
  • Offer your hand for a handshake (firm, not too weak or too strong)
  • If you wear a name tag, it goes on the upper, right-hand side
  • Signs of confidence:
    • Uncross you legs
    • Move to the end of your chair
    • Lean toward the interviewer
    • Nod your head
    • Gesture moderately
    • Initiate and maintain good eye contact
    • Use an appropriately loud and clear voice
    • Vary your positions (don’t fidget in the chair, however)
• Signs of nervousness
  • Covering you mouth
  • Tugging at your clothes, jewelry, pen, etc
  • Slumping in the chair
  • Looking away or avoiding eye contact
  • Making unpleasant or inappropriate facial expressions
  • Verbal pauses (Um, ah, etc)

Professional attire

• What does your clothing say about you?
• How does senior management dress?
• Know what style jewelry and accessories compliment a professional appearance
• Know the difference between professional dress and business casual
  • Professional dress – think conservative
  • Business casual – think relaxed, yet conservative

Cell phones

• Ask permission to use your phone in the presence of others
• Turn off or silence your phone during meetings (not vibrate)
• Silence two-way texting
• Don’t text people at work
• Don’t make personal calls at work
• Don’t use a cell phone when driving the company car

Email

• Make sure information in the email is accurate
• Use spell check before sending a message (don’t rely on spell check – it doesn’t catch everything)
• Do not send an email if you are angry or emotional
• Do not forward jokes
• Limit personal use of company email

Voice mail

• Smile when recording the message
• Think – who, what, when, where, why when leaving a message
• Speak slowly and clearly
• Do not listen to messages on speaker phone
• Always leave your phone number when leaving a message
• Be aware of background noise

Networking while eating

• Don’t overload your plate
• Don’t eat and drink at the same time
• Put your beverage in your left hand (keep the right hand free for shaking hands)
• Spend only 5-10 minutes per person

By Kathy Craney

On Wednesday, September 30^th I had the opportunity to attend the Career Expo which took place during the Hawk Career Fair.  You didn’t have to attend the Career Fair to attend the Career Expo and there was a lot of information that was useful to all students – all majors – freshman through graduate school.  If you missed it this year, I highly recommend you take advantage of it in the future.

We’ll be talking about information from the different sessions in our blog, so if you did miss it, you’ll be able to get the “condensed version” of the presentations.

Ms. Amy Tews and Ms. Elaine Schultz from M&I did a very nice presentation on “Developing Your Personal Brand”.

What is a personal brand?

• How to distinguish yourself from other smart people
• What makes you different?
• What it takes for you to stand out
• Personal brands are like any other brands
• They show:
  • Good quality product
  • Uniqueness
  • Deliver results

You are the CEO of your own company (you)

• Create a message and strategy to promote “What makes me different?”
  • Quality/Characteristics
  • What am I proud of?
  • What am I known/famous for?

Visibility is the key (ways to distinguish yourself!)

• You don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle!
• Volunteer for extra projects at work and/or school
• Teach or coach in the community
• Submit a column to the University Paper
• Attend conferences/activities
• Join student groups and become a leader

Your elevator speech

• Challenge – 15 words or less
• If it doesn’t “grab” you, you’ve got a problem
• Things to consider
  • What have you done lately to stand out?
  • What would your peers say is your biggest strength?
  •  What is your most noteworthy personal trait?
  • Forget the job description – what do you really do?

Consistency is Important

• You must demonstrate your values consistently

What do others think of you? 

• Everyone may see something a little different, but what is the over-all message?
• Everything you do – or choose not to do – communicates the value/characteristics of your brand
  • Email responses
    • Make sure your emails are professional
  • How you answer the phone
  • Being punctual
  • Small things count!
  • First impressions count!
  • Dress for success
  • What does your work area look like?
  • What are your personal habits?
    • Are you on time?
  • What does your body language say when speaking with others?
  • Google yourself to see what comes up
  • Make sure your Facebook (MySpace, etc.) profile projects the image you want

Think about your “Brand”.  What does it say about you?  Do people associate you with quality work or something less?  Do you need to update your brand from the “College” you to the “Professional” you?  No time like the present!

Have you ever thought about going to graduate school after receiving your bachelor’s degree?  Graduate school is a time to pursue an advanced degree in a topic area that you are passionate about. 

I received some valuable advice when I was starting to think about going to graduate school: don’t go because there is nothing else to do, be deliberate about your decision to go.  Another great piece of advice: seriously consider attending a school different from your undergraduate degree because you will get a different college experience.  However, if your undergraduate school has a rockin’ graduate program that you want to get into, go for it.

Once you have made the decision to look into graduate school, do your research!  There is a lot of information you need before you even start applying for graduate school, such as:

• Does your future career require an advanced degree?
• What program/topic area would you like to study?
• Where are programs available for your topic?  (Do you want to go to a public or private university/college?)
• When are application deadlines?
• What exams are required? (i.e. GRE, GMAT, LSAT, etc.)
• What is the undergraduate GPA requirement?
• What are the particulars about the program?
• Coursework
• Accreditation, if applicable for your field
• Graduate assistantships
• Experiences offered through program (internships, practicum, etc.)
• Cost of tuition and other fees

These are just a few of the questions that you need to answer when thinking about graduate school.  Generally, schools are willing to send you information about the program(s) you are interested in.  Also check out a school’s website, there is a wealth of information available to answer your questions.  Another helpful idea for the graduate school process is to figure out ahead of time who you want to have write references for you.  Visiting the school can also be a key piece in figuring out if the program is right for you.  Try to set up an informational interview with one of the faculty members or a current student in the program.

Helpful websites to get you started:

UWW Career & Leadership

Peterson’s Education Center

Grad Source

Any further questions for me or have advice to share with other students?  Please leave a comment!

Ellen

By: Ellen Hatfield

Being a college student, you don’t always have the “work experience” to go for the job or internship that you want.  What are you suppose to do?

You showcase your skills, that’s what!

Ask yourself, what skills do employers in my industry advertise for?  An easy way to find this answer is to look for skills and qualifications on job advertisements.  If you have those skills, highlight them on your resume.  The skills will show that you have background in your field even if you don’t have the necessary “work experience” yet. 

The following ideas are ways you can show your skills on your resume when looking for an internship or that first job after graduation.

- Volunteering: Not only are you helping the community but you are probably learning skills ranging from working with diverse populations to fundraising.  Check out opportunities in the Whitewater area.

- Student Organizations: What clubs or organizations have you joined?  Holding officer or executive positions can show leadership skills.  Being involved in organizations can offer networking opportunities that would not have otherwise been available to you.  If you haven’t gotten involved yet, check out what student organizations are available on campus. 

- Class Projects: Look at class projects or presentations that you have completed for your major or minor.  What was the goal of the project and what skills did you learn or hone that would be of interest to a potential employer?  An example could be using certain coding while creating a website.

- Work Experience: What skills do you use at your current job?  Most likely, you are using or learning transferable skills.  These skills work with data, people, or things, and can be used in a variety of work settings.  Examples of transferable skills include communicating, motivating, organizing, collaborating, assisting, and so on.

Remember that your resume is a marketing tool for you.  You’ll want to showcase your skills in the best way possible.  Whether you are a new freshman, or looking for an internship for next summer, or graduating in May – use this school year to get involved on campus and build your skill sets.

 By Kathy Craney

In general, break the application process into four parts:

1.       Create a Federal Resume

2.       Answer the online questions

3.       Complete application by deadline

4.       Follow up with the agency contact

Plan to attend

If you attended the first program, “Making the Difference – Jobs in Federal Service”, plan to attend the second program, “Mastering the Federal Application Process – KSA Writing & Federal Resumes”.  We’ll talk about the application overview – how to read the application, completing and finding the appropriate forms, how to build your resume and finally look at application questionnaires and essays.

o   October 7, 2009

o   11:30 – 1:00

o   Involvement Center

o   Free Lunch for the first 25 people to sign up

o   Sign-up sheet will be available at Career & Leadership Development

§  Stop in (University Center)

§  Call – 262-472-1471

Check It Out

·         Handouts on Federal Resumes and KSAs are available in the lobby of Career & Leadership Development

What’s Next?

·         What else would you like to know about jobs with the federal government?