Category Archives: Uncategorized

Looking for an on campus job?

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It is no secret that many students at Oregon State University have on campus jobs. The jobs available range from service oriented jobs (dining halls, coffee shops, or help desks) to clerical jobs (many departments have students workers working at the front desk) to support staff (maintenance and event supervision) and much further. There are jobs I never even knew existed. But the real question is … how did all of these students get these jobs and how can you get a job as well?

To start, figure out what types of jobs are available, what type of job you want, and what type of job matches your skill sets. The best place to look for jobs is through the Oregon State University Human Resources department. They have created a database where many on campus jobs for students are posted and the job postings are updated daily. To access this database:

  1. Go to the Oregon State University website
  2. Search “Student Jobs @ OSU”
  3. Click the top link, “Student Employment Program”, which will take you to the Office of Human Resources website
  4. Under the “Tools for Students” column click the green box, “OSU Jobs (Search/Apply for Student Jobs)
  5. On the next screen, click the orange “Student Employee” box to access the student job database
    There are a variety of jobs available (currently 61 jobs are posted) and the database includes job descriptions, locations, as well as position dates. Additionally, you will find information on how to apply. This information is extremely important as many departments have different application and hiring processes. Some departments ask you to apply through the database while others may ask you to contact specific people in the department. This information is generally found in the “Special Instructions to Applicants” section of the job posting.

Now that you have accessed the database, I recommend thinking about what type of job you want. Are you interested in working in an office? Do you have experience working in the food industry? In reality, many student jobs have similar pay grades, so really, deciding on which jobs you want to apply for depends on your preferences.

Many student jobs (along with real life jobs as well) ask for resumes and cover letters as part of the application process. For resources when writing your resume and cover letter, visit the Career Development Center website at http://career.oregonstate.edu/students/handouts. Also, visit the Career Development Center office Monday through Thursday, 1-4 for in person assistance during drop-in hours – no appointment is necessary!

There are many jobs on campus (and spring is a popular time to hire for positions starting in the fall – the Career Development Center included!); finding the time to search for the jobs is the hardest part – hopefully this will help you get started!

DISCLAIMER: Not all jobs are posted on “Student Jobs @ OSU” (for example, Dixon Rec Center carries out their own hiring process) so if you have a question about hiring for a specific department, contact them directly.

Good luck with the job search!

Posted by, Kirby Erdman, Career Assistant

How Do I Career Fair?: Approaching Recruiters

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Congratulations! You have your resume in order, and the Career Fair is around the corner, you’re practically home free. But there is one more hurdle to overcome before you can land that killer internship or career that you are there to snag! You have to actually talk to the recruiter! Many students have some sort of stigma about approaching a recruiter— they are like a god, wielding the power over your future with a heavy hand based on first impressions and snap judgments. Is there a way to guarantee they will like you? No. But you can give yourself the best chance of impressing them possible.Two students speaking with a recruiter at a career fair

Let’s divide this endeavor into two main categories: preparation and execution.

Part I— Preparation:

How do you prepare for talking to a recruiter at a career fair? Well the first step is going to be having all of your materials in order. Resume printed out, edited, crafted to fit their company as best as it can. Of course you already got help with this at career services, so you have that point crossed off your list. Next, you need to work on your presentation— if you show up in a sweatshirt and your favorite pair of worn jeans then nobody will take you seriously. Wear a shirt and tie or nice skirt/pants and jacket, which are reliable business casual outfits. If you want more information on what might be acceptable professional dress, there are plenty of blog posts on that if you need to read more. Or if you want to know what not to wear.

You need somethingImage of students talking with recruiters at various booths during Career Fair   to carry your papers in! Don’t use a backpack, use a portfolio: a nice notebook that you can neatly tuck your resume into, along with any papers the recruiter hands you. Finally, if your resume is on two pages, or if you are coming in with a cover letter too: don’t staple them together, instead use a paper clip.

The other part of preparation isn’t based on appearances, it’s what you have to know before you can go in, so go find out which companies are sending recruiters to OSU, go to their websites, and do some research on them. You should be able to talk with a recruiter about the company— about their goals, their projects, and their values. This is how you’re going to really impress them, because even if you’re wrapped up nicely, they won’t like somebody who can’t put in the work.

Part 2— Execution:

Now it is officially time to go to the Career Fair and get your name out there. I’ve gotten a lot of questions from students about how it is best to approach a recruiter. They feel awkward walking up and just asking about jobs and recruiting; it’s time for your research to come into play. One approach is to open up with a question or comment about a recent project their company has gone into:

“Hello, my name is Richard; I was really excited to see NVIDIA’s recent expansion into grid GPU for manufacturing and construction corporations.”

Another is to ask them about what their job is at the company, and how that job function might interact with the job you are looking to fill for them. Spring Career Fair 2014 photos 260Regardless of which approach you take, there is one key part to remember: recruiters and representatives are not some alien species that we need to observe from afar. Go up to them and express just as much interest in them as you hope they will express in you, and you will leave a good impression.

 

Good luck and see you there!

 

posted by Richard Thomas, Career Assistant

 

6 “Right Now” Steps Toward an Epic Career

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It’s easier than you think. And you can do all of these in the first two weeks of the term.

OSU Fall Image with Bicyclist and Yellow Tree
Welcome Back for Fall Term, Beavs!

1. Show up to all your classes. On time.

Showing up is the first step to success. It sounds simple, but sometimes getting past all of the basics of negotiating life every day can make it tricky to fully “show up”, and especially to be there on time and prepared. Showing up on time and fully engaging in the activity in front of you speaks volumes about your ability to manage a schedule, assess other people’s expectations and contribute meaningfully to growth and learning. All of those things are essential to growing successfully in your own career!

2. Talk to a professor.

Epic career development, like the epic responsibility of becoming a successful human, is not a project meant to be done in isolation. Translation: make friends and connect now. Professors are typically more experienced versions of people, who have not only had to build their own careers, but have also been instrumental in providing guidance and learning for countless others’ careers. Most hold office hours and are available for networking and learning from NOW, not just during the term before you graduate.

3. Check out clubs and activities on campus.

How will you know where you’re going unless you know where you’re coming from? Getting to know yourself is an unending process and is supported by getting involved and learning more about how you operate in different environments. And there are SO MANY options. Did you know that there is a club for people who like water? And one for zombie apocalypse survivalists? And a place that provides access to a TON of opportunities to volunteer?

4. Update your resume. Or start a new one!

Now is a fantastic time to put your professional YOU down on paper. Why? Because it’s waaaaaaay easier to stay updated in real time, rather than try to catch up after the fact. Do an awesome project in class? Write it down! Finish up that summer job? Write it down! Learn the basics of a new computer program? Write it down! If you want some help or advice on how to put a resume together, check in with our fantastic Career Assistants during drop-in resume/cover letter hours, which are Monday through Thursday, 1-4pm!

5. Schedule an appointment with a Career Consultant.

Planning a career can be overwhelming and confusing. Just choosing how to start is sometimes difficult! The good news is, you’ve already started. The better new is, you don’t have to do all of this alone! You have friends, family, classmates, professors, advisors, coaches and more who are available to help. If you’d like to talk to someone who isn’t in one of those categories, schedule an appointment with one of our Career Consultants, through your Beaver Careers account. They are friendly and knowledgeable coaches and counselors who can help you sort through all sorts of questions: What major do I want? How do I find a summer job? How do I work on my grades? Where can I get involved? What is the difference between a resume and CV? Who am I, anyway?? And more!

6. Build a LinkedIn account! And then clean up your Facebook account. And Twitter. And Instagram. And blog. And Vine. And . . .

This is, like all the other steps, an ongoing process. Social media, in some form, is here to stay. And there are more options for engagement every day! If you want to use social media for professional purposes, creating a LinkedIn account is a great way to start now. It’s free and easy to use, and provides a lot of help and information for getting started and building your profile. Once you’re on, you can connect with other professionals, search jobs and companies, participate in discussions, join groups and write and receive recommendations from others.

With other social media, just make sure you clean it up. Over half of hiring managers and employers out there are using social media searches as “informal background checks”. Be sure that what you put out there is what you want your future boss to see!

 

What else do you do to keep moving towards an epic career? Tips? Questions? Let us know!

 

 

Social Media and Face-to-Face Interaction Seals the Deal

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As much as none of us want to think about it, the truth is that summer is rapidly coming to an end and the academic year looms like a (hopefully) friendly giant. Wherever you have been for the summer, there are ways of maximizing use of virtual resources like social media, and good ol’ traditional strategies like having a cup of coffee, to keep learning and developing in your career and academic life. through any season or transition. This is one view of how using both your in-person charms and your social media savvy may help you move forward and grow:identify on linkedin infographic August 2014

What do you think? How do you build professional relationships online and in person?

GPA- Is it Worth the Struggle?

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Recently, I attended an award ceremony for seniors graduating from the language department with honors. The opening speech was delivered by the very charismatic German professor Sebastian Heiduschke discussing an article he had read enumerating the reasons why GPA doesn’t really matter to employers. You can imagine that this was a little bit of a controversial topic, since every student receiving an award had at least a 3.8 GPA, and had worked hard to make it that way. But as Heiduschke took us on a journey through the facts, it became clear that GPA truly does matter.richard post July 2014

Let’s start off where he did, taking a look at the things that employers might look at rather than GPA:

 

  1. Knowing how you learn— understanding how you learn is an integral factor in success in education and work environments
  2. Applying theory to real-life situations— we have spent a lot of time getting a degree, we need to know how to use it too
  3. Time management— balancing a work schedule with a healthy social life, as well as all the individual parts of your work life
  4. Relevant Professional Experience— internships you have held, volunteer work in the field, and jobs that can relate to your professional life
  5. Portfolio Work— don’t tell me that all of the work you have done in school is for nothing, you can take all those big projects that you were so proud of and put them into a portfolio
  6. The ability to give and receive feedback— a lot of times employers will want to know that you can give input into a situation just as well as you can receive input and reform your projects
  7. Presentation Skills— not all jobs require this, but being able to present yourself well as well as present in front of others will help you in the interview process at the very least
  8. Writing Skills— and just general communications skills are important if you are going to be working with/for anybody
  9. Your Network— the people that will really get you the job are the people that can attest to your qualities as a worker and person, building healthy relationships with people will come in handy
  10. GPA— finally the employers will look at your GPA as a factor in your prospects as an employee

Heiduschke went on to point out that all of these skills are taught through language classes at OSU, whether they are taken to be a Baccalaureate Core requirement, a minor, or if you are a fully-fledged language major, you will pick up all of these skills in language classes. It just goes to show that language can be a key in our education even if it is not the focal point of our studies.

But, if employers are so interested in all of these before our GPA, why should we even care? Well, the fact of the matter is that all of these points will reflect on your GPA and so if you have a good one, you should flaunt it. But that doesn’t mean that you are out of luck if your grade point is sub-par, you will just have to work hard to get that foot in the door. Remember that it is your job to make yourself look good on your resume, so if you are lacking in one of these ten categories, it’s not the end of the world— just highlight the other categories and be confident in portraying what will make you unique to employers.

We spend a lot of time trying to develop skills that we lack in, but at the end of the day: “If you’ve got it, flaunt it.” We don’t get jobs by telling an employer which skills and attributes we don’t have, or what we are working on. We get the job by showing them just how good we are at what we do best.

 

~Thank you to Sebastian Heiduschke for inspiring this topic, and providing a large amount of input for the post.~

 

by Richard Thomas, Career Assistant

How To Get Better At Wasting Time: Study Breaks 101

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adriana blog pic
Adriana Aguilar, our fantastic Career Assistant

As week 10 draws near (cue melodramatic music), the library gets dangerously close to reaching capacity, our eating habits shift from an occasional veggie to eating taco bell for dinner at 1 AM every night, Dixon becomes nonexistent along with sleep and our stress levels reach heights that parallel Simba’s when the stampede of wildebeests come careening for him. Before the all night cramming commences I thought it would be wise to revisit the idea of taking a study break to de-stress. In no way am I debunking the importance of a study break, because lets be real, you are some sort of superhuman if you have the ability to study for 8 hours straight without taking a breather. What I’m suggesting is that we rethink what is done during this precious time we set aside to reset our psyches.

More often than not study breaks consist of scrolling down our Instagram feed for “five minutes” which translates into going your celeb crush’s Instagram pics while we envision ourselves as their spouse for the next hour. Now, this may be a study break you’re perfectly OK with and every once in a while the occasional imagination of what it would be like to be Mrs. Efron is necessary. That being said, I’ve realized recently is that there are far better ways to spend a study break that may allow us to de- stress while we also take a break from finals studying. For instance, we all have a gazillion things on our weekly to-do lists, in which case very rarely do all of the tasks on our lists all get done. I bet you can guess where this is going. So, if you’re studying at home and can no longer rehearse the circulation of blood through the chambers of the heart, or whatever it may be, instead of giving in to the black hole we call Facebook, or better yet, Pintrest, try knocking out a quick task on your to-do list. Some ideas may include…

  • Putting a load of laundry in, or better yet, folding that already done load of laundry
  • Cleaning out the inside of your car
  • Cooking up those veggies before they go bad
  • Finally taking off that chipped nail polish that’s been lingering for weeks
  • Changing that hallway light that went out months ago
  • Cleaning your room
  • Weeding your front yard as you soak up some vitamin D the natural way
  • Unloading the dishwasher
  • Preparing library snacks and dinners for finals week

These are just a few ideas, but I think you get my drift. In the end doing tasks that require little to no brainpower instead of lifelessly feeding into Facebook is a win-win for you. Your brain gets a break from cramming while you free up some time in the future by doing a task or two you would have had to do later. And honestly, it feels better. It feels better to transform your jungle of a yard overgrown with dandelions (into something that resembles an actual yard) than it does to browse your Facebook timeline to find out that your friends in California are already on summer break… It feels better to know that you have dinners prepped for finals week than it does to tweet “sleep is for the weak.” In addition, when you take a study break in the wee hours of the night, getting up and doing something will most likely have a greater affect in waking you up and recharging your battery than sitting and staring at a computer screen would.

We have a tendency to procrastinate in ways that are essentially dead ends and instead we could be using that same time to procrastinate in ways that are beneficial to other areas of our lives. Imagine that, there is such a thing as positive procrastination, so long as it doesn’t end up fully distracting you from your studying altogether. As a rule of thumb, your study break should take no longer than an hour max. That being said, these things may seem mundane, but one of the biggest struggles college students have is managing their time which is arguably one of, if not, the biggest contributor to stress. There is so much on our plates, one too many things we’re trying to juggle, but if we simply change the way we “waste time” by habitually taking study breaks that incorporate brainless tasks, I think it’s possible to be less stressed and more satisfied people as a result. So here’s to cleaner rooms, shiny cars, library snacks and clean socks (for once)! Let’s show week 10 what we’re made of!

posted by Adriana Aguilar

How to: Ask for a Letter of Recommendation

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whitney pic for blog
Whitney, our fabulous Career Assistant

Step 1: Write a list of possible recommenders – generally those requesting only want 2-3 letters of recommendation. However having a list of at least 5 will provide you with alternatives, especially if you know you are going to need tailored letters of recommendation in the future.

Step 2: Rank your best choices – list the possible recommenders that would be most helpful to not-so-helpful, based on the position you are applying for.

Step 3: Know all the details – write a note-to-self of when the letter of recommendation is due and what you wish to be included. It is important to give the writer at least a month’s in advance notice of when you want the letter to be due. Also, before contacting the recommenders create a portfolio that includes 1) your resume 2) examples of work that you have done 3) a summary of yourself and 4) information on the position you are applying for. The recommender will be appreciative and more willing to write you a letter if you do this!

Step 4: Contact your top recommenders – politely ask if he/she would be willing to write you a letter of recommendation. If they are unsure or cannot make the commitment, use an alternative recommender.

Step 5: Follow through – send out your portfolio to your references and remind them of the due date. If you know your reference will be mailing your letter for you, make sure you provide them with a pre-addressed and pre-stamped envelope as a polite courtesy.

Step 6: Thank them – thank your reference personally and present them with a small gift for helping you achieve your potential job. Also, keep them updated on your successes, whether that is at your job or outside of the workforce. You will create a good image of yourself and also strengthen your network!

Sample Email Asking for a Letter of Recommendation:

http://www.wikihow.com/Sample/Email-Asking-for-a-Letter-of-Recommendation

Sample Request for Letter of Recommendation for a Job:

http://www.wikihow.com/Sample/Request-for-Letter-of-Rec-for-Job

Sample Request for Letter of Recommendation for Grad School:

http://www.wikihow.com/Sample/Request-for-Letter-of-Rec-for-Grad-School

 

Website used – http://www.wikihow.com/Ask-for-a-Recommendation-Letter

posted by Whitney Cordes, Career Assistant

Student / Alum Spotlight

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Ready to get inspired for your job, internship, or career search? Career Services will spotlight an OSU student that has inspired us when it comes to their career development. Check out their success stories—besides inspiration, they also show that academic major does not have to restrict your goals and that there are many ways to define success.

Want to nominate an OSU student or alum for the Student/Alum Spotlight series? Or do you want to share your own success? Then please fill out this quick form and Career Services will contact the person nominated.

Name: Molly Coffman

Major: Mathematics and Economics, minor in Actuarial Science

Year in School: Senior

While a student at OSU, what have you done so far to gain experience?

I joined the OSU women’s lacrosse team when I was a freshman and volunteered to be an officer my sophomore year. Since then I was elected president and have been so for the last year. This has taught me how to be a team player and leader. I recently just finished my evaluation and assessment internship at KidSpirit. My job was to input progress report data into an Excel database.  I am continuing to work for KidSpirit during my senior year in the field of finance and special projects.

What are your career plans?

Being a math major, I want to get a job in mathematics as soon as I graduate.  I am interested in becoming an actuarialist so I will continue studies in that specific field.

What advice do you have for others who are preparing for their job or internship search?

Start early! Write your first rough draft of your resume as soon as possible but not later than your sophomore year and continue to work on it through your time at college. Meet with career services just to talk through what you want to do doing your time in college and what you are interested in as a career.

Did Career Services and/or anybody else assist you with your career development and preparing you for an internship or job? If so, how?

Yes, very much so. Just simply sitting there and listening to them explain where you want to go in life and giving you options on how to get there was a great help. It is also important for someone to continue to ask you why you want to proceed with one goal because your mind might change throughout each year in college on where you want to be after graduation.  Also, they have resume writing help, mock interviews, job fair information, and general data on prospective employers.

How To Get “THAT” Job

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Harvard Education expert Tony Wagner says that the world no longer cares about what you know; it’s all about what you can do with what you know… Essentially, they (employers, interviewers etc.) want to know one thing: Can You Add Value? What does that mean for you, as an undergraduate or graduate student? Ever wonder why you were rejected? Read on my friend – people get rejected for primarily two reasons: 1) they were not showing the employer how they could help add value to the company’s forward movement and 2) they didn’t know what they wanted – believe it or not, this type of thing shines through for employers because the candidate has clearly not done the research and or learned the necessary skills for the position that they are interviewing for.

So what?? Here I am, telling you that the working world no longer cares  about those many qualifications you may possess – which isn’t entirely true – but the point is that they care about how you present yourself, what you can do with what you know, and how you can better their company in both the short and long term. Simply presenting your bachelor degree or certificate of qualification is not enough.

Coming back to the title of this blog – “How to Get That Job” – I’m going to let you guys in on a few little tidbits I’ve retained from my personal experience and research.

 

1)       STOP LOOKING FOR A JOB

Surprised? Believe it or not, a common fad for unemployed people is to equate looking for a job with sending out a resume (or a mass of resumes) or simply answering a few ad’s on a job board.. WRONG. The only time you should be sending out a resume (or resumes) is when you’ve established that there is a real job at a company for which you’re being considered, or if a headhunter is trying to fill an open position and requests a resume.

 

Key idea here à Instead of presenting yourself as an out-of-work job seeker, (sending out mass resumes, seemingly desperate, and or lazy) come across as a resource; let people (employers) know that you can solve their problems.  **Note: not personal problems, I’m emphasizing on problem solving skills that you (hopefully) possess and can then transfer into your work for the potential company – thus ‘solving’ their (the company’s) problems.

 

2)       STOP focusing all of your energy on your Resume….

WHAT?? I know, coming from a Career Assistant – but focus on what I’m really saying here… Obviously a clean, clear, concise and updated resume is mandatory, but that’s not all that’s helping you get ‘that job’. More and more companies/employers are relying on LinkedIn (or other various professional social media types) to get to know a candidate better – professionally. A lot of students ask me what happens if they don’t have a LinkedIn profile, and another candidate does… My answer: they automatically have the upper hand (in most cases). That doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll get the job over you, but it does mean that going into the interview, that interviewer will have a better concept of that other candidate. Then, of course, I’m asked if that is a good or bad thing. Answer: Eh, debatable – but I always highly recommend and encourage students and new (or experienced) professionals to not only obtain, but also maintain a LinkedIn profile. At least consider the possibility by listing out the Pro’s and Con’s – do some of your own research regarding the benefits… Figure out if the company that you are applying with and or interviewing with has a LinkedIn Group etc. If so – common sense suggests you invest in a profile.

 

**Note: An ‘adequate’ profile on LinkedIn is worse than none at all – simply put, if you don’t have the motivation to create and maintain a stellar LinkedIn profile, don’t bother.

 

3)       Hold the Speech Pal….

Once 15-20 seconds goes by of spouting off numbers, facts, and stereotypical accomplishments – no one really remembers what you’re saying. Tell a story instead. No, not a personal life story, employers don’t care, not to mention that type of conversation is inappropriate for an interview; but rather translate that 20 second elevator pitch of qualifications and figures into a memorable story. Make it entertaining, humorous etc. Example: if you’re considered to be a connector, talk about how that strength has helped you to find successes within your previous (and, if applicable, current) job(s).

 

4)       DO NOT talk about YOURSELF

Don’t lead your conversation off with the latest news about your personal life – keep it professional. There’s a fine line people tend to walk and cross when it comes to talking about them self during an interview. You’ll want to really focus your energy and conversation on how you can better serve them – them being the overall company and perhaps your division (depending on how the company is set up). However, with that being said, remember to focus on them, the interviewers; be inquisitive – show an interest in their accomplishments and needs. Networking, believe it or not, (sarcasm) is not all about listing off your accomplishments – it can and typically is much more than that.

 

5)       Take Breaks

The job search process can make us pretty crazy and emotional at times – especially when you go into that 5th interview and then are told that the firm has decided to go with someone else for the position… booo… Whatever you do, DO NOT TAKE YOUR FRUSTRATION TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD. If  you’re having a bad day, distract yourself – check emails, do research, OR, if you’ve read my other blog post – go work out!! PUMP YOURSELF UP! The hiring and decision making process is, essentially, out of your hands – learn to let go, and keep moving forward. Easier said than done? That’s your opinion, how you react, how you feel and how you grow is all in your control. Decide who you want to be, define it, and then proceed.

 

**Remember: it’s easy to get into a repetitive cycle where you go on a couple of interviews and then stop… YOU CAN’T STOP. Until you have an offer, you have absolutely nothing**

posted by Sydney Veenker, Career Assistant