Category Archives: Workplace Success

Life After College

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Below is an interview with a recent OSU alum, Maarja Simila, about life after college. She is now a Bilingual Family Educator at Community Action Head Start.

What does a typical day consist of for you?
A week after graduating I was offered a job as a Bilingual Family Educator with Community Action Head Start. I have a caseload of 40 families so most days I’m at my site in Woodburn working on making sure that all our Head Start kids and families have the resources they need. This might be helping parents schedule yearly physical and dental exams for their child or helping them work on their family goals. I’m not stuck at my desk all day, although some days I am out doing home visits or in the classroom helping with snack or mealtimes.

How is it like now working instead of going to school?
My first couple weeks of work felt overwhelming as I was learning the job and all my responsibilities and I missed having the flexibility of making my own class schedule. After a few weeks though, I began to settle in to the job and got to know my co-workers and then I really started to appreciate being able to come home from work and just relax and not having to worry about having homework to finish. Also, I really like having my weekends free; not having to schedule my plans around finishing homework or projects.

What has been the most difficult part of the transition?
The hardest part has probably been adjusting to waking up a lot earlier, usually around 5:30am, mostly because of the 45 minute to an hour commute that I now have. It’s not like the 15 minute walk to class I used to have. It’s also been hard getting home from work and not really having energy for anything else besides eating, relaxing and then going to bed.

What has been the most enjoyable part?

By far the most enjoyable part has been knowing that I’m making a difference, even if it’s just one child or family at a time. It is also definitely nice being paid for my hard work and not having to pay for it.

Posted by Silver Trujillo, Career Services Assistant

Make the Most of Your Summer Internship

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Posted by Anne Lapour, Career Counselor

So, you landed a summer internship (or a summer job).  Good for you!  Gaining these outside experiences is going to benefit you in your eventual job search.  Many internships morph into job offers–in fact, “entry level jobs” often begin as internships.  So, how do you enhance your chances of that full-time offer at the end of your internship?  You need to view this internship experience as an extended job interview.  This is your opportunity to show what you can do for the team.  The following are a couple of articles with some great suggestions for how to make the most of your internship:

Make the Most of Your Internship

Making the Most of Your Internship(s)

And don’t forget…you’re checking them out too.  Take note of the company culture, the people you work with, and any other factors that might be important as you clarify your career goals.  Internships are one of the most enlightening and productive steps you can take on your career journey–make the most of it!

You Want Me to Sit in a Cube? No Thanks.

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cubicle

Posted by Ali Casqueiro, Career Services Intern

For some of us, the prospect of spending 40 hours a week in one of many cubicles at an office doesn’t seem ideal. While many individuals enjoy the fact that an office job means no throbbing feet at the end of the day and little need to battle brutal weather throughout the changing seasons, others in the market for employment can’t stand to imagine five days a week in a muted-color cubical. So, for those of you whose ideal workspace doesn’t include spending 2,400 minutes sitting in a cubical all week, have you considered what jobs are out there that are cubical-free?

According to Anthony Balderrama of CareerBuilder.com, many people know their ideal work environment is one that’s not confined to an office or, “the prospect of sitting at a desk (probably in front of a computer), with only a thin partition separating you from a sea of colleagues.” If you’re one of those people, there are plenty of non-cubical careers to explore. Check out this article to read CareerBuilders.com top ten cubicle-free jobs!

Last Call!

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angelo cammarata

Posted by Ali Casqueiro, Career Services Intern

Angelo Cammarata is about to have his last call at the West View, Pennsylvania bar, Cammarata’s Café. That’s because at 95 years old, Cammarata is finally retiring. Tending bar from the end of prohibition in 1933, Cammarata is calling it quits after 70 years of doing a job that he loves. As a member of Jim Beam’s Bartender Hall of Fame and Guinness World Records longest-serving bartender, Cammarata’s career has been one filled with friendship, family, and fun. Cammarata states, “”This is a good bar. All my customers here are family. We call them our family, our friends. We know them all. And they’re all good.”

Wouldn’t it be great to work for 70 years loving everything about your job? Waking up in the morning and being nothing but excited to work? How neat would it be to feel that your job isn’t a job, but a way of life? For Cammarata and others, careers like this do exist. The thrill of loving what you do and doing what you love is all part of the job search process. Inspiring stories like Angelo Cammarata’s puts into perspective how critical the job search process it. Yes, it might be long and sometimes discouraging, but finding that needle in the haystack, the diamond in the rough, and hitting the jackpot on the ultimate job—well then, it’s all worth it.

Let Career Services support you in your pursuit for your ideal career. Come check out all we have to offer you, and together, let’s help you one day become Guinness World Records happiest employee!

How to Lose a Job in 10 Days

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How to Lose a Job in 10 DaysWhen it comes to applying for a job, we often mull over the do’s and don’ts of a job interview. Most of us are familiar with thing like DO show up to the interview on time and DO come prepared having done your research about the company or organization. Similarly, when it comes to a job interview, we also know a lot of don’ts such as DON’T wear inappropriate clothing to your interview and DON’T badmouth past employers.

Sometimes it’s easy to think that once we have secured employment, the days of worrying about Do’s and Don’ts are over. Many of us forget to recognize that once we are in our new position, there are still many Don’ts that we rarely pay attention to, which could lead to harsh consequences and ultimately losing a job.

So, what are those ultimate Don’ts? What is it that people do that makes them lose their job? How, really, do you lose a job in 10 days?

  • Constantly arriving late, leaving early or taking long lunches without approval
  • Sending personal E-mails, Facebook-ing/Tweeting (for non work-related reasons), or surfing the web (again, non work-related)
  • Updating your online statuses while at work with complaints about your job and/or colleagues
  • Making excessive personal calls and sending and receiving lots of text messages
  • Engaging in office gossip and tattling on co-workers
  • Constantly sharing about your crazy weekends or the reasons you feel tired, lazy, or unproductive
  • Dress code violations
  • Talking about the new job you’re applying for or the job you really wanted instead of your current one

If you would like to learn more about the Do’s and Don’ts of interviewing and employment, come meet with one of our career counselors @ Career Services!