Tag: RamblerLink

To Job or Not To Job

To Job or Not To Job

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Career_Fair

 

Loyola can sometimes seem to have a reputation as being a posh private university, and while it’s true, we are a private university, not all of us have super “posh” backgrounds. Finances are a real issue that most Loyola students deal with everyday whether they talk about it or not. So when is the right time to get a job? Where do you get a job? And most importantly, how do you get a job?

The perfect job is different for everyone. Some students can cope with a part time retail job downtown in addition to class, other’s find it easier to snag an on campus job. Your first stop no matter what should be Ramblerlink, this Loyola run online job source is a great way to connect with jobs and internships that work for you. All you have to do is log in with your Loyola ID, answer a few questions, upload a resume and you have access! On campus jobs are all on Ramblerlink and are a great way to stay close to home, meet other ramblers, and make a few extra bucks. Jobs on campus include, working as a desk receptionist, working at the IC desk, or the desk in Halas, and much much more. You can also visit Loyola job fairs, check out the events calendar and find out when the next one is too start your journey!

So maybe you’re a freshman and you haven’t got a great resume (or any resume at all) yet. Don’t worry, we have resources for that too! If you don’t know exactly where to begin when it comes to resume writing, stop by the career center, click here to find out more!

“But I don’t want an on campus job or an internship, I want to work at Topshop or Victoria Secret!” Don’t worry, I have advice for you too! There are tons of students at Loyola who have off campus jobs in retail or as hosts/hostesses or waiters around the city! When it comes to finding these jobs you’re going to have to do a little more work on your own. Take a trip to the career center to get your resume in order and then hit the web. Your one stop shop for jobs is going to be online. Check out the website of a store or restaurant you want to work at and scroll down to the bottom of the homepage, there’s usually a link titled ‘careers’ that will take you to their hiring site. In my experience, you don’t hear back from a lot of the places you apply, but sometimes you get lucky. Applying to stores in particular is a waiting game, so make sure your resume is killer, even if you don’t have any experience.

Juggling school and work is hard, finding someone older who has experience with it is a great way to decide if you can do it too! Make sure you don’t overbook yourself, even if it seems doable in theory sometimes work and school can be too much to handle. Keep an open mind and an open schedule and see where things go! Happy job searching!

September’s Business Career Fair

September’s Business Career Fair

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Only a week ago during work did I realize that I never wrote a blog about the Business Career Fair that I attended back at the end of September. Even though it was almost a month ago, I still think it is important that I write about it to emphasize the importance of going to these fairs.

I can truly say that this Career Fair was worth going to because whether it opens doors to job or internship opportunities or not, it is a necessary experience to get a small glance into what is to come in your near future. I met many different employers dealing with a range of different business occupations, collected a lot of pamphlets of information and passed out over half of my resumes. For several companies that grabbed my attention, I also managed to speak with a representative, which in a way felt like a miniature interview. I treated it as my first impression with the company and used it as practice for what I would say in a real interview.

Because I am an Information Systems major, the companies that had Information Systems in their target majors on RamblerLink were the ones I focused on approaching. These included WMS Gaming, Discover, Reyes Holdings, and Robert Bosch Tool Corporation. These four were some of my favorite companies that I spoke with and they caught my attention most. I got most in depth with these companies and they will be some of my top choices to research and apply to in the next month or so.

I was at the Career Fair for at least an hour and a half, which is about the perfect amount of time to attend and really get the most out of your visit. It should give you plenty of time to speak with several people, take a look at all the companies you want check out and hand out your resume to some of those companies.

As a side note, before going to the Career Fair, I made a note of all the companies that were related to my major so that I wasn’t walking around aimlessly; this helped incredibly when I was there because I knew exactly who I needed to talk to so I didn’t waste time talking to companies that had nothing to do with my major.

Overall, I really enjoyed going to the Career Fair because it gave me a good starting base for job-hunting, which I began a few days ago. I went onto RamblerLink and knew exactly who I wanted to look up first, something that wouldn’t have happened had I not attended the fair. I am now slowly beginning to apply to more and more places every day, and I’m glad the Career Fair gave me my kick-start.

Looking for a Job or Internship?

Looking for a Job or Internship?

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Earlier this week, I braved the snowstorm to attend the well-anticipated Career Fair. I wasn’t there for long, so I only spoke with several companies.

The main companies I was looking to speak to were Deloitte and Epic, which I got the chance to do. Both companies were more interested in students that were graduating to hire full time, so my conversations were rather short. I gave them my resume and got a bit of information, and went on.

Since my Career Fair experience wasn’t as productive as I was hoping, this blog will be about general job resources instead of focused on only the Career Fair. So for those of you searching for a job or internship now, or will be looking in the future, here are my top resources:

  1. RamblerLink– I go on the RamblerLink website many times a week, sometimes even multiple times a day to see what updated jobs and internships they have. I search all of the different options, not just those that fit my description. It was through RamblerLink that I applied for The Power Company, and I got the job. Even though the company was listed under summer positions, I got a call back within a week and I got the job within two. It’s not always easy to get a job through RamblerLink, but if you keep applying and practicing and taking every opportunity you find, your chances increase greatly.
  2. Word-of-mouth (and sight)- If you hear that a place is hiring, or see that they are hiring (i.e. signs, advertisements), apply if you are interested. Applying everywhere is a great idea, but chances are higher that you’ll get a job at a place you know is actually hiring- you may save yourself time by applying later if you are still interested when they are hiring.
  3. Online- Searching online, whether on job websites such as Internships.com or Craigslist, or direct company websites such as wholefoods.com, is a great way to apply to places. Some companies have exact open positions listed on their websites, which makes your search easier. Be cautious about job websites though. Websites like Craigslist may be great for jobs, but they could also turn out very negatively. Apply at your own risk, and try to apply only to those that have as much detailed information (at least a company name and job description) as possible. Don’t apply somewhere just because they say “Hiring! $1000 a Week!”. Don’t do it.
  4. In person- This is where the Career Fair comes in. Applying or giving someone your resume in person may give you the opportunity to pick apart their brain and get some useful insight. Whether this gives you a better chance at getting a job depends on each individual interviewer and company, but these can be great opportunities to make connections. Sometimes in these cases, you can even get interviewed on the spot.

Using these techniques is a good idea, but take them a step further by using multiple at once. You don’t have to apply just online, by word of mouth, or just on RamblerLink. Use any combination of these techniques, and use as many as you can and want.

Halloweekend Begins

Halloweekend Begins

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These past few weeks have been busy for me, as they have been for everyone else. Midterms have been coming and going, but they’ve been like that for over a month. My schedule has calmed down now on the school front, and the waters should be relatively calm until Finals.

First order of business I want to cover- Registration for Spring semester is rapidly approaching. For those of you worried about it, like me, I suggest you start stocking up your class shopping cart on Locus now. I have already planned a schedule for myself, and I can only hope that everything goes as planned. I’m going to try to take 21 hours, and right now I’m quite nervous.

Along with seven classes, I hope to find an internship for myself. The seventh class that I want to take is BSAD 351 in the Business department, which requires an internship during the semester. So far, I have found several internships to apply to on RamblerLink and internships.com. Anyone looking for internships should check these two sites out, especially RamblerLink, our school’s job and internship website.

Like I said, my schedule has slowed down now that Midterms are basically over. I have two tests left leading up to finals, and just several more papers before semester’s end. Up until now, I have survived, and in my opinion, successfully. Knock on wood that I keep it up.

In less than one week, it’ll be Halloween, which means that (for me at least) this weekend is Halloween weekend! Though dressing up in a costume isn’t a big concern of mine, I am really looking forward to going to Fright Fest tomorrow. Even though I’m not going with Loyola, a friend of mine told me that the Loyola trip to Fright Fest is also tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to running into some of my friends.

The last time I went to Fright Fest was in high school, junior year, which means that it’s been four years since my last trip. Back then, I only went on several rides and walked around with friends. This year, I want to go to the Haunted House and see the other Halloween-themed events they have set up. I also can’t wait to see the character costumes they’ll have. Here’s a picture of one from “back in the day”:

I doubt they’ve changed much, but I’ll post a new picture of one of the coolest costumes from this year in my next post. Happy Halloween weekend everyone! Stay warm, stay safe, stay fun.