Career Chat

TechRepublic’s Career Blog has a rather interesting item “Techie seeks non-profit job: How to be a big, misunderstood fish in a small pond” about potential difficulties posed in switching from a for-profit corporate IT position to a non-profit. In her blog, Toni Bowers notes:

Trends in social entrepreneurship and skills-based volunteering, inspired by boomers who want more from work than wages and worry, are motivating greater numbers of corporate employees – even techies – to consider careers in the non-profit sector.

If you’re a techie who has bravely tuned into your wild inner longing for social change, no longer satisfied in hunting down bugs for dollars, you may be tempted to follow the scent to freedom. But making the transition from corporate to charity can be a rough one – akin to stepping back in time 20 years.

While this blog is aimed at people in IT switching from the corporate world to the world of non-profits, I’m sure others in different careers face some of the same types of issues and would benefit from Toni’s tips.
Take a look: http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/career/?p=2666&tag=content;leftCol

Career Development Center Director Darby Scism was quoted in the 12/19/10 Redeye article “How to Find Your Dream Job — and Keep it!”

Check out her advice at http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/redeye/2010/12/for-hire-2011-job-forecastoptimistic.html

Just received an e-mail from CareerBuilder linked to their blog titled “How Not to Job Hunt” about how some candidates shoot themselves in the foot with phone interviews. Apparently, some candidates fail to consider external noises that are transmitted along with their carefully thought-out answers to questions.

http://www.theworkbuzz.com/interviews/how-not-to-job-hunt/

The blog started a flurry of comments and discussions about phone interviews and interviews in general, which make reading the blog even more interesting. I particularly like the comment by Annie on December 1 regarding courtesy to the front desk “gate keeper.” Check it out!

Ever wonder exactly what employers are looking for in the current tight job market? The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) polled employers and found that verbal communication skills topped the list of “soft” skills they are seeking in new college grads. Other “soft” skills rated highly by employers were strong work ethic, teamwork skills, analytical skills and initiative.

Interestingly, when asked how satisfied they were that new college graduates could deliver on key skills, employer response was mixed. They reported being “very satisfied” with the teamwork and analytical skills of new college graduates, but verbal communication skills, initiative, and a strong work ethic all fell below that level, with ratings hovering between “somewhat” and “very satisfied.”

In addition to these skills, surveyed employers also rated nine other skills/qualities as
“very important” to “extremely important”, with GPA requirements and internship or other work experience topping the list.

Other skills included strong work ethic, teeamwork skills, analytical skills and initiative.

Commercials are bombarding us with advertising, television with heart-warming specials, and there’s joyful music in the air. You know what that means, don’t you? A GREAT time of the year for your job search! Yes, indeed, think of all of those holiday parties, family gatherings, reconnection with old friends, New Year’s Eve, exchange of resolutions …it’s the super-networking time of the year!

Face it: you know that everyone is going to ask what you’ve been up to or what you plan to do after graduation. So why not get them interested… helpful… searching their mental contact lists for great connectors?

Throw away your old sheepish “I’m still looking for a job” reply and come up with something more upbeat, exciting, and specific:

“I’m looking for an entry-level position in a public relations firm that specializes in sustainability endeavors. I had a couple of really exciting internships that gave me really solid experience, and I want to continue working in that field. Did I ever tell you about the sustainable garden project I developed on last summer that showed…. ?”

Get them excited! Get them to see you as someone who has so much to offer a potential employer. Then ask them for suggestions and if they know of anyone who could help you.

Here’s hoping you have a wonderful holiday and a happy and successful 2011.

Adrian Ackerman of Briefcases Direct, LLC e-mailed us with information about “Dress For The Job You Want“, a 50 page book that is totally free to download. It’s full of tips on how to dress professionally, as well as the importance of interview attire for the type of position you seeking.

Sorry ladies – this book is directed at the guys.

Interested in a possible green career involving sustainability?

I guess I’ve tended to think of sustainable farming as something new. I just read an interesting article about Planter’s long history of sustainable farming, and their project to share their knowledge with cashew farmers in Africa. Take a look at SmartPlanet’s article “Mr. Peanut Goes to Africa.”

We just had an information session from the Student Conservation Association (SCA) who has amazing expense-paid internships in a wide variety of fields.

As a history nut, I was particularly drawn to their “Cultural Interpreter” and “Historical Educator” internships, as those at archeological sites. Oh, and then there were ones for GIS and GPS…..and so on. Interns work with agencies such as the National Park Service, National Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, and other state or local agencies.

And not only are the internships expense paid opportunities, they also offer a lot of other benefits. Check them out at thesca.org.

Avoid the automatic “REJECT” pile by paying attention to these 10 common resume mistakes.

The Don’ts

1. Don’t forget your name and contact information at the top of your resume! Make sure that this extremely important information is easy to read.
2. Don’t state that your MS Word skills are excellent and then go on to clearly demonstrate your LACK of skills by using the space bar to indent, dates that don’t line up, or use a “resume builder” product.
3. Don’t state that you have excellent business correspondence skills on your resume and then send it with a cover letter that is not in any acceptable business letter format.
4. Don’t rely on spellcheck! Have someone proofread your resume to make sure you are using correct grammar, consistent punctuation and no typos. If you aren’t certain of an adjective, look it up! An employer delighted to learn you have proficient MS Word skills might raise an eyebrow if you declare you have efficient MS Word skills.
5. Don’t use narrative paragraphs to describe your experience. Use bullet points on your resume to describe your work experience.
6. Don’t include your “responsibilities” or what you learned as work experience. Use action words to tell the employer what you did, how you did it, and what the results were.
7. Don’t overlook your valuable volunteer experience! Include it, along with any other meaningful experiences that demonstrate your experience and skills.
8. Don’t just guess what a resume looks like or includes. Download or pickup a copy of the Career Development Center’s Resume Guide.
9. Don’t forget that the career advisors in the Career Development Center would love to help you with your resume and cover letter! Drop by during our WalkIn hours for a resume or cover letter critique. WalkIn hours this semester are Mondays-Fridays, 1:30-3:30 at the Sullivan Center Room 295, LSC and Mondays & Thursdays, 1:30-3:30 in Room 705, Corboy Law Center (25 E. Pearson), WTC.

Did you ever try to search a jobsite with the phrase “any job”? Anything pop up?

How many of you feel that if you are willing to take any job, it will make your job search easier? Quite a few, I’m sure. It’s a very common misunderstanding of the job search process.

That’s because what employers REALLY want is someone interested in THEIR specific and THEIR specific company. In this economy, why would they want to settle for just ANY candidate?

It’s really important to know the type of career or jobs you are interested in. Now more than ever, you want to customize your cover letter to let an employer know how much you want to work at their organization and how you are a perfect match for their advertised job.

My daughter recently almost didn’t get a dream career-starting internship, because in the interview, didn’t state that she saw herself with the XYZ company 5 years from then. Luckily they were really interested in her and gave her a second chance to explain. Companies like to think that THEY are your future.

If you aren’t certain about your career or job choices, if you don’t know how to write a good customized cover letter, if you don’t feel confident you can “sell” yourself to an employer in an interview, contact your Career Development Center for an appointment to get some help with this.