Monthly Archives: July 2011

Q & A Monday

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Many people have been asking us about setting up a profile on LinkedIn. We posted information about LinkedIn last November and we thought we would re-post it in order to answer that very familiar question: What is LinkedIn and how do I set up an account?

The job and internship search can be tough at times, especially in a slower economy. The process can feel like a full-time job with so many different areas of focus, including self awareness, what kind of job you want, resumes, cover letters, networking, applications, interviews and more! There are many tools and resources available and one of the most useful resources is LinkedIn, the leading “social networking” site for professionals. LinkedIn is different from Facebook or Twitter in that it is focused on networking yourself as a professional and you can use it to connect with other professionals. It is also easy to use and a great way to begin your job search! Let’s find out more…

Who Uses LinkedIn?

  • Over 60 million professionals
  • Roughly 1 new sign-up per second
  • Over 150 industries
  • Executives from every Fortune 500 firm
  • 2.1 million students
  • 37,000 college and university alumni groups

Why Use LinkedIn?

  • Build a professional online presence – if you fill out your profile 100% and someone tries to Google your name, usually your LinkedIn profile will be at the top of the list. This is a great way to build brand recognition and it’s reassuring to know that the first thing others see is your professional side.
  • Connect in a meaningful way with alumni and other “warm” contacts – there are over 63,000 OSU alums on LinkedIn! They are a great resource in finding a job and/or connecting you with someone else.
  • Research companies and career paths – LinkedIn allows you to research specific companies or find jobs using a keyword search. For example, if you are interested in working in the music industry, you can type the word “music” under keyword and find all the people on LinkedIn that have a job that involves music. You may just find that there are a variety of jobs in this field that you never even heard of before! This is a fantastic tool for those that are exploring career options!
  • Explore opportunities with organizations that don’t recruit on campus – there may be some companies or organizations that you would like to work for but do not recruit at OSU. LinkedIn allows you to find out about companies from all over the world!
  • Learn professional networking etiquette – LinkedIn provides a variety of opportunities to network and gives examples of how to set up a professional profile and how to network using LinkedIn.

How to Get Started?

Hopefully this information has convinced you to set up a LinkedIn profile or if you already have one, to become more active on the site. It is easy to create a profile and get connected to other professionals Check out http://learn.linkedin.com/students/step-1/ for a quick video about getting started and get LinkedIn today!

If you have any questions about using LinkedIn or other ways to use social media and networking to get a job, contact Career Services at 737-4085…we are happy to help!

Resource: http://www.linkedin.com

Posted by Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator

Q & A Monday

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Question: Can I include an internship on my resume even if it is unpaid?

Of course! Do not title a section heading “Work Experience or Paid Experience”, instead, title a section heading as “Experience” or “Relevant Experience.” This way you can include unpaid experiences such as internships, volunteer activities, clubs, study abroad, etc.

Question: Should I include a reference page when applying for a job?

Include references if in the job application it asks for them. References should be on a separate page and list 3-4 in order of relevance. Include the same heading from your resume with your contact information at the top of the page and then include the following information about each reference:

First and Last Name
Title – and how you are connected to this person (supervisor, colleague, etc.)
Address
Phone
Email

Career Services Open During the Summer

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Need a Job, but don’t know how? Applying for an internship, but resume is not updated?! You’re in the right place! We here, at Career Services offer career counseling with our professionally trained counselors who can help you navigate a dream career. We offer drop-in hours for resumes/cover letters help Monday-Thursday from 1-4PM, all year round! That’s right; we’re even open during the summer hours! If you have difficulty with Beaver JobNet when looking for jobs, or have questions related to your job application, you’ve come to the right place!

Our website offers a variety of useful tips and documents that are career related. Whether you are interested in interviewing tips, upcoming career fairs, or guidance on career making, we have it all at www.oregonstate.edu/career/.

We are located in room B008 of Kerr Administration. Come see us, we have more services waiting for you!

Check us out and be a fan of our facebook page for daily updates of job and internship postings.  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oregon-State-University-Career-Services/38909095630

See you soon!

Q & A Monday

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Question: 20 hours on a resume would take multiple weeks, increasing the chances the position will be filled, correct?

Not necessarily! A resume does not take 20 hours to create. 20 hours is the time that it takes to create an original resume, go through multiple revisions, grammar check, format/content correction and selecting relevant information that could be tailored specifically to the intended companies/organizations. If you already have a resume, it should not take you 20 hours to tailor your resumes when adding in or taking out relevant information that are beneficial for the job. In order to prevent positions being filled, give yourself enough time to complete the job/internship application at least one week prior to the deadline date, to give some buffer time, if anything else went wrong. This way you will avoid unnecessary stress.

Question: Do the jobs and internships available through Career Services extend to areas outside of Corvallis?

YES! If you go onto Beaver JobNet, you can find numerous jobs/internships outside of Oregon and across the west/east coasts. It also depends on the time and your search options, but they should all be available.

Question: Is it okay if my resume is more than one page?

Yes, as long as the information included in the resume is relevant to the position. Usually one page is sufficient, but you can do more than a page as long as the information on the resume is relevant to the position. Always tailor your resume to every job you apply for and highlight how your previous experiences make you a good fit for the job. If your resume is longer than a page, just make sure it is two full pages and not 1.5.