Post-Grad Plans « The Career Development Center Blog

Summer seems to be a million light years away, especially when everyone has just returned winter break. Six months from now may seem to be a long time, but that’s barely enough time for you to do a quick search for summer internship opportunities.

Here are some approaches that you can follow to help you secure a summer internship:

1. Networking: It is never too early or too late to network; so put on a smile and network-away. There are many benefits to networking:

Make connections – be actively aware of possible opportunities
Gain a network of support who speak in your favor
Recommendations are often made by people you know through networking

2. Social Media Sites: If you’re thinking Facebook, you’re absolutely right! Companies do use Facebook to look for future employees. If you’re lucky, you might be hired for an internship or even a potential job! LinkedIn is also another site that can be helpful for you in finding the right internship.

3. Research: Online resources such as those that offered by OSU Career Services may be the quickest place to look. Beaver JobNet, for instance, allows you to search internships in and out of state and even overseas. Companies love to see that you’ve done previous research and have an understanding of their organization. This shows that you’re interested in working and thinking about future career development with them.

4. Informational Interview: Set up an informational interview with a potential employer that you’re interested in working with. Keep in mind that informational interviewing is not where you ask the employer for a position in the company, but rather an opportunity for you to discuss what the company has to offer.

5. Career Fair: Allows you to meet many employers from all around the country, hence broadening your possibilities of meeting the company that you possibly want to work with. Upcoming Career Fair is on February 23^rd and 24^th at the CH2M Alumni Center.

6. Be Prepared: Having a Cover Letter or Resume at hand when you’re ready to apply for an internship/job is very crucial. Keep in mind that the average time to make a solid resume is at least 20hours.

Words of Advice:

o When you form a relationship, maintain that relationship

o Always follow up with the person you spoke with at a particular company/organization in order to maintain that contact

o Be professional, attentive and always be on time

o Don’t procrastinate, you’re putting your career at risk

o Always ask for help…the most successful people are those that get help from others. You can’t succeed totally on your own!

Opportunities are endless! Be the first bird that catches the worms, all the worms. The power is in your hands, use it!

Posted by Phi Vu, Career Services Assistant

Posted by Tim Chen, Career Services Career Assistant

With the school year coming to a close, it’s now a good time to look back and see what you have learned in the year. Depending on your class, you might have gained a wide variety of experience. These might include technical skills from application specific courses, communication skills from public speaking, management from working in club organizations, or leadership from group projects you were involved in.

After you have brainstormed and figured out what you’ve learned and the skills you’ve gained, take the time to apply it towards your resume. Depending on how much information you generated, this could create an addition to your activities section, your education section, or stand out as its own section in the resume. If you feel that you have a strong resume and cannot place the skills in your resume, then write them down somewhere (while your ideas are fresh in your mind) so that you can reference them. This comes in handy when you want to talk about skills and experiences outside of your resume for documents such as Cover Letters or answering questions in interviews.

Overall, reflecting on your experiences and skills gained within the year allows you to not only remember all of the things you might have done the previous year, but also to figure out how you might handle your pursuit in the future.

Posted by: Tim Chen, OSU Student and Career Services Career Assistant

Are you interested in finding a job that gives you a chance to explore the world? If so, consider looking into job opportunities with various cruise lines. The top cruise lines in the United States are based in Miami, Florida. With various routes used all year long, Cruise ship companies are always looking for people to employ. There are many different job opportunities available on board each cruise ship depending on the skills and/or abilities you would like to bring with you.

I had a chance to attend an Alaskan Cruise last summer. During their last trip, the cruise director of the Serenade of the Seas had talked about the employment process for working on a cruise ship. Although not all companies follow this process, this particular company seeks interested applicants and will place them in a short seasonal contract (3 months), to try out the position. If the employee enjoys their job, then they are generally offered a contract that lasts for about 8-10 months.

The advantage for working as a crew member on a cruise ship is the ability to travel to many attractive destinations. Although most of the time is spent on the cruise ship, crew members often have a chance to visit and shop the various destinations. Also, because the crew members live on the cruise ship, they don’t have to worry about paying rent for a place to live, and they also have access to free meals, free laundry, free medical insurance (required by maritime law), and a free shared room on the ship. All in all, this can save the crew member expenses when working on board the ship.

The potential disadvantage is the amount of hours worked in a week. Although each position has specific details, most crew members work roughly 12-14 hours 7 days a week. Crew members are guaranteed breaks throughout the day to compensate for the long hours. Another fact is that crew members generally share a bunked bed in the lower cabins of the ship, which do not contain any windows. The living areas may not be appealing for those who are picky about where they sleep at night. Finally, this position is NOT recommended for those with sea sickness.

All in all, working on a cruise line is definitely an experience! It provides an opportunity to gain many skills such as work safety, first aid, and customer service skills. Best of all, you have the ability to meet people from all over the world. Cruise ship lines always hire crew members from various parts of the world, so there is a high level of diversity on board the ship. I remember that my cruise director made the joke saying that if the cruise ship was a country recognized by the United Nations, it would be one of the most peaceful places in the world. That statement reflects the amazing diversity experience people can gain from traveling and working with the crew members in a cruise ship.

Interested in learning about more about a fabulous professional development opportunity? Interested in finding a rewarding and challenging experience when you graduate from OSU? Interested in giving back to students and the community? Interested in learning all this from the comfort of your own home? You’re in luck!

Teach for America is hosting several online events this spring to learn more about different aspects of their program. These are very low-key, and there’s no commitment, but these are great opportunities to become more aware of a way to work towards ending educational inequity in our country. If you’re interested in any of the events below, simply click on the link to RSVP, and you’ll get information to call into a conference line number when the event goes “live.” Please feel free to contact Matea Bozja (matea.bozja@teachforamerica.org) with any questions.

TUESDAY, APRIL 6

» Introduction to Teach For America: Learn about our mission and approach to closing the achievement gap and hear a firsthand account of what it’s like to be a corps member. 8 pm EST

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7

» Pre-Med Webinar Featuring Medical School Deans: Hear a med school dean talk about the value of the Teach For America experience and how it will help you in your medical career. 4 pm EST

THURSDAY, APRIL 8

» Teach For America’s Graduate School Partnerships: You don’t have to choose between Teach For America and grad school! Learn about our 200+ deferral partnerships and hear alumni testimonials. 9 pm EST

Posted by Kelsey Johnson, OSU Senior and Career Services Career Assistant

I know, I know, why are we entering a blog post about Career Services the week before spring break?! I mean, most of us, regardless of our lingering finals, have already checked out, and are dreaming of sun and sandy beaches. Most of us are NOT thinking about jobs after graduation. I mean, why would we? Graduation is a whole 12 weeks from now and based on our experience with procrastination, we should easily be able to land a job in 2 to 3 weeks, right?!

Unfortunately, most organizations have either hired already, or will hire, well before June 11^th. So this is just a friendly reminder to all those seniors, super-seniors and super-super-seniors, to start the job/internship search early. Obviously, the assumption here is that many of us know exactly what we want to do and where we want to go; but I understand this isn’t the case for many of us, myself included. For all you seniors who may need some help with career direction or planning, it’s a good idea to come down to Career Services and schedule yourself a counseling appointment. Not only are these appointments free for students, but they are extremely helpful in reducing anxiety and focusing your career goals. Just be forewarned that appointments fill up fast…so if you call a couple weeks before graduation, you might be left high and dry. (Of course, Career Services is open in the summer too, though.)

One other thing to start looking into as soon as you return from break is the Career Fair coming up on the 21^st of April. Many employers will be attending and looking to fill positions with qualified OSU candidates. But again, the Fair is in week 4. Preparing in advance is key!

Now don’t get all restless, just because I brought up graduation. Definitely have a blast over break and forget thinking about anything serious. But if you’re like me and need to figure out plans for summer or beyond, make sure that you don’t wait until June 10^th to start preparing!

Posted by Anne Lapour, Career Counselor

Are you a liberal arts major? Do you take joy in the beauty of a classic novel, love a good historical drama, or perk up at the thought of your Abnormal Psychology class? If so, you’ve probably heard the following question at least once (if not 100) times…

So what are you going to do with a major in ______? (Insert major)

Now, if you’re anything like many of liberal arts students who make their way to Career Services, you haven’t quite figured out the answer to that question. (And that’s entirely okay, by the way.) There are very legit reasons for this. Perhaps you’re multitalented and can therefore envision yourself in multiple work settings. Perhaps you’re simply not sure what the options are for someone with your degree. Perhaps you’ve been told that all you can do with an English major is teach. Well, I have good news…

A Liberal Arts major is one of the most flexible, adaptable, well-rounded degrees you can earn.

It’s true. Liberal Arts majors are masters of communication, analytical reasoning, identifying patterns and themes, brainstorming ideas, and solving interpersonal problems. These are the skills you gain from completing a group presentation on Shakespearean sonnets. And they also just happen to be useful in the world of business.

Business expert (and former English major) Susan de la Vergne states: “[Businesses] need leaders who understand where people ‘are coming from,’ who can communicate vision and direction, who demonstrate adaptability and political awareness. They want leaders who are willing to slog through difficulty and navigate ethical complexity.” And she says businesses should look no further than a Humanities Department, or a College of Liberal Arts.

So, you might be thinking “Great, perhaps I am employable…now how do I convince others?” Here’s the thing: YOU need to believe it, in order to make EMPLOYERS believe it. That’s right—you need to perceive and tout your liberal arts degree for everything it is (challenging, useful, transferable), instead of doubting it for everything it’s not (engineering).

Are you ready to branch out? To look beyond the classroom for ways to use those transferable skills you’ve honed in your European History classes? Here’s how you can a) convince yourself of all those transferable skills, and then b) articulate those skills to potential employers:

1. Visit Career Services: We’ll help you revise and craft your resumes and cover letters to better communicate the ways you can contribute to today’s world of business (or non-profit organizations). Make an appointment with a career counselor by calling 541-737-0529.

2. Gain Experience: If you can build your repertoire of work and/or professional experiences (volunteer opportunities, internships, etc), you’ll begin to see first-hand how you might utilize your liberal arts degree in a work environment.

3. Check out the resources: The following blogs have excellent information for liberal arts students…
The Liberal Arts Advantage—For Business (For example, see this post on crafting your “elevator pitch” to a potential employer.)
For English Majors

4. Know Yourself: Spend some time getting to know your unique strengths. You never know when the professional opportunity you’ve been seeking will arise. Be ready.

Posted by Anne Lapour, Career Counselor

business-school Yes, we’ve heard. The economy is less-than-stellar these days. Maybe you’re struggling a bit with the job search. You wouldn’t be alone if you are. But we promise…there are jobs out there.

However, many students are considering graduate school in light of our economic woes. The decision to attend grad school may be a great option for you, but it’s important to consider whether it’s the right fit–for any program. But let’s take MBA school for starters. An MBA may be a logical and really advantageous step, but it also might not be. Check out this helpful list of considerations when you’re making the decision.

Posted by Anne Lapour, Career Counselor

Unless you’ve been hiding under a mossy Oregonian rock, you’ve probably heard the word “sustainability” any one of a hundred times over the past year. We’re lucky to live in a state where sustainability efforts are cutting edge. Passionate people are out there doing amazing work…do you want to join them?

“Green jobs” are certainly a positive career direction these days, but just because it’s a newer (and growing) field doesn’t mean you don’t have to do your homework. Start by checking out this great website on Green Jobs.

Posted by Bryon Burleigh, Career Services Graduate Assistant

Are you on track to graduate this spring? Do you know what you’ll be doing afterward? It’s not unusual to be in your final year of school, but have no ideas or prospects for life after graduation. Many people simply turn to graduate school as a means of further delaying their foray into the “real world.” This might be a viable strategy for some, but if you’re not sure what you want to do with your life then graduate school might not be the best choice for you. There are many graduate school application guides available out there with differing information and advice, but nearly all of them include the following questions you should ask yourself: graduate_school

Should I go to graduate school? Why or why not?
What are my goals and interests?
What degree do I need for my career path?
Do I have the motivation to stick it out for another 2+ years?

If you think that graduate school might be something you are interested in, it’s time to start asking yourself these questions. Many graduate application deadlines for the 2010 fall entry class are fast approaching, often occurring in early winter, and many applications require you to solicit letters of recommendation, take the GRE/GMAT/etc, as well as write an introspective personal statement. These are not things you want to think about when you’re trying to study for your finals!

For more information on whether you should go to graduate school, check out the following links, or come to Career Services and meet with one of our career counselors.

sponsor-teach_for_america In America, education is supposed to be the great equalizer and the primary vehicle for upward mobility. But, the reality today is that all too often, where children are born determines their educational prospects. In fact, the 13 million children growing up in poverty face tremendous challenges and often don’t have the extra support in school to reach their true potential. This reality disproportionately impacts African-American, Latino, Hispanic, and Native American children, who are three times as likely to live in a low-income area.* You have the power to change this.

Teach For America seeks individuals of all backgrounds, majors, and career interests who possess the leadership skills and experience that will enable them to change the prospects of students growing up today and ultimately to exert broader societal influence in our nation that will make it a place of opportunity for all.

Come join us at an information session to learn more about this opportunity to affect lasting social change after graduation.

Date: Monday, October 26^th

Time: 5:00-6:00 p.m.

Location: MU Room 206

FOOD PROVIDED

*Source: National Center for Children in Poverty, 2007

One day, all children in this nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education.

Visit www.teachforamerica.org

Next Application Deadline: Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The Career Development Center Blog

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Category Archives: Post-Grad Plans

Set up that Summer Internship NOW!

Reflecting on Your Skills, Enhancing your Resume

Like to Travel? Another Career or Job Option…

Teach for America Info Sessions–In your PJs!

Spring Break for the Senior

Your Liberal Arts Degree: An Asset, Not a Liability

Is an MBA right for you?

Easy Being Green

Is Graduate School Right For You?

Teach for America on Campus!

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