Job/Internship of the Week
Career Services

In the small town of Creede, the arts are very important. So important, in fact, that in addition to the Creede Repertory Theatre, there is a local nonprofit arts organization that sponsors gallery shows, arts education, art in public spaces, and other arts related events. The Creede Arts Council’s director was leaving after many years of building a set of programs that added value to the community, events that people had come to expect and count on to sustain them year after year. The Council needed a new Director.

With my background in writing and theatre and because I had completed an internship in nonprofit development while in graduate school, I was chosen to direct this organization of very dedicated volunteers as they worked hard to provide arts programming for their community. This opportunity may not have happened in a big city, but the available candidate pool was small, so I got lucky! Because it was part time, I continued working in the real estate office while taking on grant writing, volunteer organizing, event planning, and marketing.

Some of these tasks were brand new to me. Some of these tasks were new facets of skills I was already comfortable with. All of these tasks were a challenge, so I learned as I went, asked the board and the previous director lots of questions, and tried things out to see if they would work. I learned so many useful skills in this job that there isn’t the space to list them all. Looking back on it, I’m so glad I took a chance in applying, and they took a chance by hiring me!

The most valuable skills I cultivated regarded working on a team while leading that team. A volunteer board hired me to manage them but also to serve their needs. I needed to balance my leadership style with the goals and purpose of my position, supporting everyone’s ideas and acting as a facilitator for conversations to decide the direction of the organization. So, many of the skills I cultivated in that job are skills I use today and skills I will continue to use in the future. However, I still knew I wanted to work in higher education. In Week 9, I will tell you about my next steps in achieving that goal. Have a great week!

Jessica Baron is currently a Graduate Assistant in Career Services at OSU and a full time student in the College Student Services Administration Program. Before making her way to Oregon State, Jessica worked as an actor, waiter, online tutor, receptionist, college composition instructor, creative writer, gas station attendant, nonprofit program director, writing workshop leader, high school drama coach, Hallmark card straightener, substitute teacher, real estate office manager, and SAT tutor, not necessarily in that order. Her “Confessions of a Career Changer” will focus on her wavy career path and the challenges and joys of wanting to do everything.

Finding time to fit in a good workout with all the stresses of life can be extremely difficult at times. Some people workout at 5 in the morning, others ride their bikes to work, while some do not do anything at all. We at Oregon State University are pretty lucky because we have Dixon Rec Center, McAlexander Fieldhouse, the Covered Bridge loop, Bald Hill and so many outdoor recreational areas surrounding Corvallis. Unfortunately, someday (hopefully) we are going to graduate, and possibly (hopefully again) get real jobs, maybe even in an office. If you think finding time to workout now is difficult, just imagine how it will be when you have a job and a life to workout around.

Working out is good for your body, reducing stress, your looks, reducing the chance of certain diseases and helping you age well. It can even boost your mood, improve your sleep and give you more energy, which could possibly help you with your work.

Before you even leave the house you can start your workout. Try waking up just 30 minutes earlier to go for a walk, or perform chores at a faster pace to increase your heart rate. Instead of sitting while you watch TV be active on a stationary bike or try using weights. Every little effort you take will make a difference.

Now instead of driving to work try riding your bike, but if that is not for you park your car further away from the door, to make you walk further, then take the stairs. Already you have started your day off right. Here is a list of exercises you can do walking around the office, waiting for the printer or sitting at your desk:

• Calf raises
• Walking around
• Chair dips
• Desk or wall pushups
• Knee lifts/leg lifts
• Stretching
• Sitting on an exercise ball
• Muscle clenches
• Good posture
• Weights
• Deep breathing
• Elastic band/hand gripper

You can even try talking to your employer about how they can help you stay active while at work, because a happy employee is a more productive employee. Finding a workout buddy at work can help by keeping each other moving, and maybe then you can start a lunch walking group, or even find time together after work to be active.

Job/Internship of the Week
Graphic Design Internship
Career Services

Graphic Design Intern – Career Services
Career Services seeks a graphic design intern for the 2012/2013 school year, starting in summer 2012. The student will work as a member of a marketing team for Career Services and carry out the team’s vision through design work. This student will design all marketing material for student, faculty, and employer audiences, to include posters, flyers, promotional items, website images, brochures, and more.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Meet regularly with Career Services staff
• Provide design expertise
• Implement design concepts
• Utilize design software to create camera ready art and web images

Hours vary, but average 10 – 15/week. The pay is $10/hour.

To apply, email a resume and an electronic design sample to Jen Busick Stewart, Jennifer.busick@oregonstate.edu, by May 21, 2012.

By: Casey Anderson

Many students hear the phrase “Happy May Day” and it triggers nothing more in their minds then “one more month and I’ll be free,” meaning summer is almost here.  May Day however, also called Labor Day, Loyalty Day, or International Worker’s Day, is a mark of the strength and spirit of trade and labor organizations and is celebrated in more than 80 countries.

The Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions brought forth the proposal for a Labor Day celebration and worker’s rights exhibition in April of 1886.  May 1^st of that year was to be the first demonstration with strikes and marches, but American business owners refused to comply and police were called to break up the demonstration.  Later named the Haymarket Massacre, it began while a peaceful rally was taking place in support of workers striking for an eight-hour day.  An unknown individual threw a bomb at police as they were acting to disperse the public meeting.  The police opened fire and at least 12 individuals were killed, with many others wounded.  For many years, May Day has commemorated the individuals who lost their lives at this horrifying event.

Although the majority of the world still celebrates International Worker’s Day on May 1^st, President Cleveland moved the day to September because he feared it would be associated with the craziness of the anarchists who were leading many of the strikes.  Oregon was actually the first state to make it a holiday in 1887.  Go Oregon!

The history of the significant holidays and important days in the history of the American workforce are common small-talk topics at holiday parties, networking events, and during office tours when you begin your new job.  It is a good idea to research these events so you can impress your future employees and maybe even discover some additional reasons to celebrate.

Job/Internship of the Week
Dairy Plant Summer Internship
Umpqua

DIVISION	N/A	POSITION TYPE	Internship – Paid
DESIRED CLASS LEVEL(S)	Sophomore	SALARY LEVEL	10.35
JOB FUNCTION	Production	DESIRED START DATE	June 18, 2012
APPROXIMATE HOURS PER WEEK	40

Working in real estate helped me to improve skills and abilities in different areas!

Welcome to week five!!! The Career Fair last week was a huge success, and we’re inching closer and closer to the end of this academic year.  As we do, I’m inching closer to the end of my story of a Career Changer. Or maybe not the end, but I’m definitely inching closer to my present moment, where my career path is right now; though it’s always a living and breathing thing that can morph and change.

Last time we talked, I had just graduated from my MFA program and realized that I didn’t want to teach; I wanted to advise. Because of this switch late in the game, I decided to take the summer “off” from thinking about the future by working as an actor at the Creede Repertory Theatre again. It was great fun to perform again, be with friends, and regroup.

As the fall and the end of the season neared, my time was taken up by wedding planning for a September date. After the wedding (A great party, you should’ve been there!), I started to ask around town for possible winter jobs. If I could find something, we could just hang tight, work in Creede for the year, and I would job search for my advising dream job from there. In a small town like Creede, it didn’t take long. A couple of people approached me about work they needed done. I got my substitute teacher’s license so that I could work at the school. I was asked to work part time as the high school drama club coach for a small stipend. Then, rumor had it that one of the local real estate offices was looking for an office manager.

Now, I’d worked in offices before, but not in a long time and never for real estate. But my skills in writing were unusual, as was my facility with different software programs. I brought a resume into Broken Arrow Ranch and Land Company and spoke with Anne, the owner and main broker. The following Monday, I started at an hourly wage.

One thing I want to stress was that I was able to sell my skills to Anne, letting her know that I would be comfortable with taking on marketing, writing up advertising, filing, phones, etc., and also that I would be comfortable learning everything I didn’t know about her business. She trusted that my previous experience as an instructor would translate to managing her office well. And although it took me some time to learn the procedures of real estate, I jumped in to learning about a brand new field with both feet. As you move into a new industry, it is important to acknowledge what you don’t know and what you need to know in order to do the job well. I spent much of my first week studying the file folders on the computer network, learning how to use Microsoft Publisher, and asking a lot of questions. Soon, I started offering small suggestions for streamlining some of her processes and improving her advertising. I was in a totally new field, and it was really fun!

So, all this is to say, be flexible, be open, be a learner, and you never know what doors will open. Although my job at Broken Arrow Ranch and Land Company was not in the industry I hoped to be in, I was learning skills and honing abilities that would help me get that dream job someday.

Have a great midterm season, and I’ll be back Week Seven with the next chapter in my Career Changer life!

Jessica Baron is currently a Graduate Assistant in Career Services at OSU and a full time student in the College Student Services Administration Program. Before making her way to Oregon State, Jessica worked as an actor, waiter, online tutor, receptionist, college composition instructor, creative writer, gas station attendant, nonprofit program director, writing workshop leader, high school drama coach, Hallmark card straightener, substitute teacher, real estate office manager, and SAT tutor, not necessarily in that order. Her “Confessions of a Career Changer” will focus on her wavy career path and the challenges and joys of wanting to do everything.

I’ll keep this short and simple. Humor surrounds our everyday lives, some love it and others not so much, but the question is when is it okay and is it okay to use it in a professional setting. Some people are born natural comedians and others well, some may lack humor but when is it okay to make things funny.

Humor can have much positive effect on your work place such as:

• Boosting morale, motivating and engaging employees
• Reducing stress and conflict
• Increasing sales or customer reaction and numbers
• Strengthening teamwork
• Building trust and communication
• Keeping people AWAKE during meetings
• Improving chances of personal success

The negatives of humor is:

• If it is a personal joke it could hurt others
• It can cause tension between employees
• It can be too sexual, making the work environment awkward
• It could not be funny at all (yikes)

According to Chris Robert, assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia’s, Robert J. Trulaske Sr. College of Business “humor: it’s not just clowning around and having fun; it has meaningful impact on cohesiveness in the workplace and communication quality among workers. The ability to appreciate humor, the ability to laugh and make other people laugh actually has physiological effects on the body that cause people to become more bonded”.

With that being said, have a few laughs at work, make it an enjoyable place to work, but know when to play and when to work. Never lose your companies mission. Smile and enjoy life.

HAPPY HUMOR MONTH!

PS: Here is a great website to check out about more “humor” at your workplace

http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/nov2007/sb2007115_185030.htm

Lucky for you I have taken it upon myself to clear the air. There are several things you can do to help your resume stand out from your competition. I’ll start with the most basic of techniques: the line. Adding a few divisionary lines between the sections of your resume makes it visually easier to approach. Subconsciously, readers will think the resume will actually take less time to look over –since you’ve already divided the information into concise sections. At the very least –put one under your heading. It will automatically make your name and contact information stand out tenfold.

While this example does utilize color –something that would not be appropriate for those more conservative jobs- it also displays the line division I was talking about. Everything looks clear and concise. I would have recommended to Andre that he use bullet points to further organize his information –but hey, there is always room for improvement.

Another thing I wish more people would do –is create a personal logo. No one does this anymore (probably out of lack of know-how) –but it really is much less complicated than it seems. The key is simplicity. You want it to compliment your resume, not overpower it.

As you can see in this example, Carol simply played with a font she liked and the first letter of her last name. Simple and effective. Yes, the purple was probably a step too far –I think black ink would have been a better choice (since it is always a safer bet to err on the conservative side with colors). However I think her design is fantastic, aka not a snooze fest. She could also easily use the logo on business cards as well. If you haven’t already, check out VistaPrint.com to take advantage of their free business card offer. Nothing looks better than a snazzy business card attached to a polished resume.

Another easy change to make is the paper you are printing these bad-boys on. Anyone can use the standard printer paper –not everyone takes the time to use the higher quality (aka better looking) resume paper. One reason for this is that this stuff is pricey. I’ve seen it as high as $15 for 50 sheets (yikes!). But don’t despair –several colleges on campus are secretly giving away these gems to students who ask for it. Also keep in mind that one box of resume paper can last you as long as a couple years. Looking at it as a long-term investment can help take the sting out of spending so much on paper.

Obviously this is not your run-of-the-mill resume paper. This would definitely not be appropriate for those conservative office jobs I’ve been mentioning –but if you’re entering a more creative field, this could be a fun way to help your resume catch your interviewer’s eye.

The moral of the story is get creative! Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. With the hiring process getting more and more competitive –standing out is the name of the game. If nothing else –please don’t use Times New Roman. For my sake. J

“May the Force be with you.”

Only ONE day until the Spring Career Fair!  You’ve worked hard to prepare for this great opportunity; now it’s your time to shine!  Oh, and don’t forget to follow up with those employers who piqued your interest…

• Grab their business card at the career fair so you have their contact information
• Send an e‐mail or hand‐written letter thanking them for their time and including a copy of your resume
• We hear from employers that many students do not do this, so it’s a great way to stand out.