What are the top skills employers are seeking?

This is a great question! According to NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) the top 10 skills/qualities employers across all industries are looking for:

Question: I have six months remaining before I earn my Bachelors of Science degree in Merchandising Management. How do I begin my job search?

Before you actually apply for a job, you need to have a plan, network and all of your application materials ready to submit. Below is a list of some activities that can help you expedite your job search.

Begin your search early.  Don’t wait until you’ve completed your degree to look for job opportunities. Many employers start their recruitment efforts early and you don’t want to miss out on great opportunities.

Have an updated resume. Tailor your resume for the job.  You don’t need lots of details about every job you’ve ever done.  Elaborate on the ones that are most relevant to the job you’re applying for.

Explore opportunities outside of your major. Many majors don’t have clearly identified job titles. Be open to researching occupations, career fields and organizations that relates to your area of interest and/or major.

Stay focused. Keep your search targeted. Conduct company research and identify the type of jobs and organizations that would best fit your interests, talents and skills. Prioritize your search according to preferences such as location, company size, career mobility and any other necessary qualities that you look for in an employer.

Broaden your search.  Use multiple job search methods to maximize your efforts. Solely looking at online job posts can limit your options.  Networking is one of the most effective job search methods. Use  social media to enhance your chances of being a top-notch job candidate.

Be patient.  Looking for a job takes time and involves many steps.  It’s a process and don’t be discouraged. Proper planning is your best ally.

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.

This is a great question! Being a student-athlete does make it difficult to get involved in other experiences due to training, travel, and keeping up with your schoolwork. You also develop and grow professionally as an athlete and gain skills that many employers are looking for in their employees…time management, discipline, teamwork, communication, hard-work ethic, and the list goes on! You definitely want to include your athletic experience on your resume and display it as you would any other professional experience. Here’s an example:

OSU Women’s Rowing Team Corvallis, Oregon
Full-Time Student Athlete Fall 2009 – Present

• Attend two practices daily with team while maintaining a full class schedule

• Travel throughout the northwest during season with the team for regattas representing the university

• Member of first varsity eight boat which placed 7th at Pac-12 Championships

• Participate in weekly academic counselor meetings and study tables to maintain degree progress

Here is the full resume of the example above.

So just like any other experience you would include on your resume, be sure to give the details and make yourself stand out. And always tailor your resume for each job!

Any other questions when it comes to resume writing? What other experiences do you find difficult to include on a resume?

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.

Question: When do employers hire/recruit for summer interns?

Employers have told us they hire most of their summer interns by the end of December. So, if you want a 2013 summer internship, most employers will hire those interns by the end of 2012. That means you need to be prepared to apply for internships by the fall. Check out more information about internships on the OSU Career Services website and if you need help preparing your resume, cover letter, networking, and interviewing…we can help with that too! And remember Fall Career Fair is on October 24th and the Engineering Career Fair is on October 25th…great place to meet a lot of employers recruiting OSU students and possibly land an internship!

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.

What are common interview questions?
These days more and more employers are asking behavioral interview questions. These are the kinds of questions that ask you to tell about a specific experience. For example, “Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult person and how did you handle the situation.” Behavioral questions are popular because past behavior is a strong indicator of future behavior and employers want to make sure they are hiring someone who is  a good fit for the organization.The top interviewing question themes are:

Strengths and weaknesses
Communication
Teamwork
Ethics
Problem solving
Leadership Abilities
Conflict

For a list of common questions, check out “Sample Interview Questions Asked By Employers.”

How long should I talk for when answering a question?
About 3 minutes. Usually in three minutes you can answer the question fully, much more than 3 minutes you have probably gone off on a tangent and are no longer answering the question or maybe you are but the interviewers are ready to move on.

Should I ask questions at the end of the interview?
YES! Ask at least two questions (but not more than 5)…it shows that you are interested in the position, have done your research, have critical thinking skills, and some employers won’t hire you if you don’t have questions. It is true, I know someone who didn’t hire someone because of that reason! Check out some Sample Questions to Ask Employers to get you brainstorming!

What should I wear?
You want to look professional but also fit in with the culture of the company. It is better to dress on the conservative side and if you are ever questioning what to wear you pretty much can’t go wrong with a nice pair of slacks, button up collar shirt, and suit jacket (and a tie for a guy). Make sure to wear close-toed shoes and minimal jewelry and perfume/cologne. If it is the summer, then usually you can go without the jacket and women can bring a light sweater. I always layer and then once I see what everyone else is wearing I can decide whether or not I keep wearing the jacket. Need more advice on what to wear? Then check out “Dressing for the Interview.”

For more information on the job interview, check out the OSU Career Services website section on interviewing.

Any other questions about interviewing? Any suggestions?

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.

YES! What you list under “Experience” doesn’t necessarily have to be paid. It can include clubs and organizations you have been involved in, internships, volunteer work, research, in-depth projects from school, etc. Employers like to see that you got involved while attending college. If you can, try to get involved in activities that relate somewhat to your major but we also encourage you to try new things because you never know where that may lead.

For example, if you are interested in sustainability, then you could join the Student Sustainability Initiative (SSI) by either being an intern, volunteer, or member on their board. They are actually currently looking for board members….here are the details:

The SSI (Student Sustainability Initiative) is now accepting applications for two openings on the SSI Fee Board. These are volunteer positions and Fee Board members are collectively responsible for the advancement, effectiveness, health, and longevity of the SSI. Applications should include a current resume and a cover letter addressing why you are interested in the position and what you envision as a culture of sustainability at OSU. Applications are due by Monday, August 6th at 11:59 PM and should be submitted to ssi.feeboard@oregonstate.edu. A full position description of an SSI Fee Board member can be found on the SSI website.

So go get involved but be careful of getting overly involved where you stress yourself out and can’t focus on school. After all, the main reason you are at OSU is to get a degree.

What ways have you gotten involved in college or how do you plan to get involved in the future?

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.

There are many ways to prepare and practice for an interview. Here are some suggestions:

• Research online! We have an extensive section on our website about preparing for an interview including sample questions.
• If you can’t do a mock interview in person at Career Services, then do one virtually! We have a program called InterviewStream where you can do a practice interview and then watch yourself afterwards. You can also select to have a career counselor view your online interview and give you feedback.
• It may seem silly, but practice answering a few questions in front of a mirror!
• Practice with a family member or friend…particularly one that has been on the hiring committee before.

Please do a few or even all of these suggestions! Anything you want to do well you must prepare and practice…just like anything else in life. What are some ways you have prepared for interviews? Any questions you were asked that were difficult?

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.

When searching for jobs online oftentimes you will mainly find jobs posted that require years of experience. But what about recent graduates? Where do they find jobs? Here is a list of search engines for recent grads or people looking for entry-level work (these can also be found on the OSU Career Services website):

Beaver JobNet – many entry-level jobs and employers are specifically wanting to hire Beavers!

CollegeGrad.com – great site with entry-level job postings and advice on the job search including information about finding employers hiring, application materials, accepting an offer, and more!

College.Recruiter.com – find jobs and internships and find out what companies tend to post on this site.

Experience.com – find jobs and internships and lots of job search advice.

LinkedIn’s Student Job Portal – jobs for students and recent graduates.

Monster College – Monster is a large job search database but they have a special sub category for college students. Learn about jobs and get interview tips from experts, network with other entry-level job seekers, and share job seeker resources, advice, and stories.

Networking - not a website but what you should be spending most of your time doing to find a job.

Any other entry-level job search sites you recommend? Any strategies you suggest to finding an entry-level job?

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.

Question: I am trying to login to the Beaver JobNet site in preparation for my arrival at OSU in the fall.  I have been using my ONID username and password and each time it takes me to a registration page where I fill in my address and graduation information.  Once I hit submit, it just takes me back to the login page again.  I did this several times and still haven’t been able to access the site.  Is there a step I am missing?  And how do I get past the registration page?

This is happening because you currently do not have an account  in Beaver JobNet. We can get you set up with an account, just email cheryl.l.herring@oregonstate.edu and in the email provide your full name (first, middle, last), student ID# and your ONID email address, and she would be happy to create an account for you.

Question: Can I use my OSU GPA instead of the overall GPA on Beaver JobNet?

Beaver JobNet uses the overall GPA as employers want the more complete picture of the applicant.  If there is additional information you want to provide for the employer to consider, you can contact them outside of Beaver JobNet and present it for their consideration.  If the contact information is not visible on the job posting, it is because they have elected not to be contacted directly, only through the application means they have specified. Also, we encourage you to upload a resume and “opt-in” to having it available for approved employers to view. Your resume is a great place to showcase only the GPA you want highlighted, whether that be just your OSU GPA, your major’s GPA (not including Bac. Core), etc.

If you have any other questions regarding Beaver JobNet or other career related topics, please contact us at career.services@oregonstate.edu or come on by Monday-Thursday between 1-4pm and we can answer any questions and help you out. We are located in the basement of the Kerr Administration Building, B008.

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.