Posted by Linsey Stripling, Career Services Assistant

Overview

If utilized, informational interviewing is one of the most valuable sources of occupational information. An Informational Interview is an informal conversation with someone working in your area of interest who will give you information and advice based on the questions you ask.

Benefits

  • Get first hand, relevant information about the realities of working within a particular field, industry or position.
  • Find out about career paths that you might not have know existed
  • Get tips about how to prepare for and enter a given career
  • Improve your communication skills and confidence when it comes to speaking with professionals
  • Initiate a professional relationship and expand your network of contacts in your career field of interest
  • Learn how professionals have balanced work and their other life priorities

Six Steps for Informational Interviewing

1) Research Career Fields

  • Do initial research on the career field or specific employer you are interested in

2) Identify people to interview

  • Pursue your own contacts then branch out to organizations within your interest area

3) Prepare for the interview

  • Develop as short (15-30 second) overview of yourself, including your reasons for contacting this person, as a way to introduce yourself and define the context of the meeting

4) Initiate contact

  • Contact the person by phone, mention how you got their name and what it is exactly that you are looking for from them

5) Conduct the informational interview

  • Be prepared, dress appropriately, arrive on time and be ready to direct the interview

6) Follow up

  • Send a thank you not within 1-2 days to express your appreciations for the time and information they provided you.

Posted by Fernando Ramirez

Beaver JobNet is an online job database that allows OSU students to search for jobs and internships, upload a resume for employers to see, search for employers recruiting on campus, and learn about on-campus events such as Career Fairs.

The easiest way to access Beaver JobNet is via the Career Services website. On the right-hand side you will see the Beaver JobNet login section. Click “Student Login” and login using your ONID username and password. If it’s your first time logging in, you will be asked to complete a short profile. Once you’ve completed that, you’ll have full access to Beaver JobNet.

The homepage on Beaver JobNet has a list of shortcuts on the right-hand side to make navigating through the site easier and faster. You’ll also see tabs across the top of the page. To search for jobs and internships, click the “Search Jobs and Internships” tab. This will bring up the job postings page. Here, you can view all the jobs posted on Beaver JobNet or apply filters to see only the ones you are interested in. Once you find a job you are interested in, click on it to bring up more information about the position. On the right you will see instructions on how to apply for the job as well as important dates, such the date posted and the deadline for applying.

One other thing you should know is how to upload your resume onto Beaver JobNet. On the top, click on the “Your Documents” tab. You will see a message that says “No records found.” Below it, click on “Add New.” Now fill out the required information. You’ll need to give the document a label (for example, “Resume”), and select the document type. Then click “Choose File,” select your resume, and click “submit”. Your resume should now appear on the Resumes page. Once you’ve uploaded a resume, you may want to add it to the resume book for other employers to see. If an employer finds your resume in the resume book and is interested, they may contact you about internship or job opportunities. To add your resume to the resume book, click on the “Your Documents” tab to bring up the Resumes page. Below the word “resumes,” click on the tab that says “Opt-In Resume Book.” You will see your resume under the list of documents. Click on the “Select Resume Books” button. On the new page, give your document a label, then click “select” next to “Target Opt-In Resume Book.” Select the resume book where you’d like to place your resume (you can select more than one) and click “Submit.”

These are only the basics of Beaver JobNet. Look through the tabs across the top of the page to explore other features of Beaver JobNet, and use the Shortcuts on the homepage to access important pages more quickly. Hopefully this information will be enough to get you started. Happy job hunting!

Posted by Hulali Kaapana, Career Services Career Assistant

The Career fair is right around the corner, happening on October 12, 2010.  Being prepared, organized and making sure to use time management wisely are key factors to success at the Career Fair. There are 3 areas of a Career fair; 1) Preparation 2) The actual fair 3) After the fair; follow-up.

1)     Preparation

  • Make sure you understand how the Career Fair is beneficial to you
  • Do research! Be educated about the companies you are interested in
  • Bring your resume. [Don’t forget drop in hours; Monday-Thursday 1-4pm]
  • Prepare a 1-minute introduction about yourself for employers
  • Questions, questions, questions. Don’t be afraid to ask!

2)     Day of the Career Fair

  • Dress the part, look PROFESSIONAL!
  • Eye contact, clear speaking and firm handshakes are good things to keep in mind
  • Be Confident in yourself and your resume
  • Try to refrain from large group greetings, be independent
  • Ask for a business card
  • Smile =)

3)     After the Career Fair

  • Send a “thank you” card

All these steps go hand in hand in preparing for a Career fair.  By preparing the steps shared above you will feel more comfortable and less nervous when the time comes to talk to the employers.  Don’t forget to have fun while talking to employers.  More detailed information can be found at Career Services website.