The Career Development Center Blog

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Job/Internship of the Week
Career Assistant
Career Services

Description:

Career Services is seeking energetic students to join the Career Assistant team in the 2013-2014 academic year! Career Assistants support the mission and services of Career Services by providing advisement to peers, assisting in the coordination of campus programs and events, and working collaboratively with staff, alumni and employers.
This position also provides students with an opportunity to:
• Develop leadership, teamwork and presentation skills
• Obtain networking opportunities with employers
• Engage in personal career exploration and development
• Work as a member of a diverse and fun team!
RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Provide peer advisement to students on resume and cover letter writing, interviewing skills and career development and assist students in utilizing career resources in Career Services
• Facilitate engaging presentations to Oregon State University students about Career Services’ programs and services
• Design, develop and implement special projects intended to enhance and encourage student use of Career Services
• Partner with Career Services staff in coordination and marketing of, and participation in services and events including career fairs, networking events, and more
• Actively participate in regular trainings and evaluations, and reserve 1 hour per week for Career Assistant staff meetings
• Front desk responsibilities including answering phones and meeting and greeting customers

For more information on how to apply, check out the posting in Beaver JobNet.

Ever wonder how you can gain experience while you’re attending school? I know it can seem tough when having a busy schedule with classes, but it’s totally doable! Often times students become frustrated when thinking about what to put on their resume because they haven’t done anything besides take classes in college. Take my advice and get involved! Check out the list below for how to gain more experience while you’re in college.

1. Start in the office of your college or university’s career services office. Use your career services office resources to help you step foot in the right direction to finding an on campus job or internship.

2. Partake in one or more internships. By participating in internships you gain valuable experience and ultimately they help you to decide whether you want to stay on that career path or possibly switch if you aren’t enjoying it. OSU’s Spring Career Fair takes place on Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013 and it is a great place to find out about internship opportunities!

3. Find a job on campus. Several places hire students on campus such as the dining centers, residence halls, the recreation center, advising offices, etc. Check out “On Campus Jobs” section of the Career Services website for strategies to finding one at OSU.

4. Volunteer. This will help you to gain valuable experience, make a difference in the community, and to gain new network contacts. Check out the Center for Civic Engagement at OSU for volunteer opportunities.

5. Join student organizations. Every college has multiple organizations, so find one or two that interest you. They often help students gain management and leadership skills while collaborating with peers to organize various projects.

6. Capitalize on class projects. Students often downplay the importance of class projects to prospective employers. The end product can often be used in a portfolio to show at an interview and large, term length projects show dedication and organization skills to the employer as well. Check out this example of how to demonstrate class projects on your resume.

7. Undergraduate research. Try to participate in research in your academic department to learn more about what it is they study. This is extremely beneficial to students looking into applying/attending graduate school.

References:

http://www.career.vt.edu/Experience.html

http://www.quintcareers.com/15_college-work-experience_tips.html

Posted by Carly Larson, Career Services Assistant

Job/Internship of the Week
Assistant to Grower/Farm Manager

Description:

Unique opportunity to learn all aspects of farm operation and production as Assistant Grower/Farm Manager at large scale mushroom farm in operation for 30 years. We are currently the largest fresh mushroom producer in the state of Oregon at over 5 million pounds of mushrooms annually, organic and non-organic. Our goal is sustainable growth for another 30 years.

The Assistant Grower/Farm Manager would be responsible for:

Consistently delivering high quality mushroom crops
Production Forecasting
Monitor quality and inventory of raw materials
Monitor and maintain cost efficiencies
Insure compliance with company safety policies, GMP’s, Food Safety, and sanitation policies

The ideal candidate would possess:

Demonstrated leadership qualities; must be a team player
Good interpersonal skills for effective communications with management, peers and subordinates
Bi-lingual and bi-literate (English/Spanish)
B.S. in a biological science preferred

For more information on how to apply, check out the posting in Beaver JobNet.

Often, the most common reasons a resume gets thrown out are also the easiest mistakes to avoid. Here are a few things to watch out for when you’re writing your resume to maximize your chances of getting called in for an interview:

1. You’re not actually a fit for the job

The first thing to do when you’re hunting for jobs is to make sure you would actually be a fit for that position. Do you meet all of the minimum qualifications? And have you made it clear that you do? Make sure that you’re being explicit about having the skills and qualifications that they’re asking for, because making the information hard to decipher is only doing you a disservice.

Another part of making it clear that you’re a good fit for a position is tailoring your resume. Read the job description carefully and write your resume using important words and phrases from it. For example, if a job description lists teamwork as an important skill to have in a candidate, write an accomplishment statement detailing working on a team to achieve a specific outcome. Hiring managers often will only look at each resume for a few seconds, so don’t be afraid of being extra-obvious.

2. Your resume is unprofessional

There’s a fine line to walk between making your resume unique and having it become unprofessional. Definitely avoid pictures and art, unless you’re in a field like graphic design and you know for a fact that an artistic resume is expected. Even then, look up examples of resumes for your field and see what kind of design is expected. Also avoid funky fonts and colors, as they can make your resume harder to read and annoy a hiring manager.

If you’re wondering how to spice up your resume, definitely focus on the formatting. Feel free to use bold and italics, different font sizes (within reason), and play with the actual layout of your resume. You may be tempted to use a resume template, but it is strongly recommended that you don’t because you won’t have as much freedom with how it looks and they often turn out bland.

3. You didn’t spend enough time on it – and it shows

A huge turn-off to hiring managers is a lack of attention to detail. Spelling and grammar errors are especially bad, and many recruiters will toss your resume at the first error they encounter. Don’t rely on spell check to catch everything (it definitely doesn’t), instead actually read through your whole resume and have other people read through it as well. It’s always good to have multiple sets of eyes on your resume to catch mistakes that you might have unwittingly missed.

Another sign that you didn’t spend enough time on your resume is if you’ve used a lot of clichés and vague statements. So many people say things like “hard worker”, “team player”, or “innovative thinker” – but don’t offer any proof. Use your accomplishment statements to prove that you have these qualities. Instead of just saying “team player”, detail a time when you worked with a team of people to achieve something. Be as quantitative as possible, because hiring managers are much more likely to be impressed with numbers and concrete facts about what you’ve accomplished. Quantitative accomplishment statements do take some time and may seem overwhelming, but they’ll be well worth it in terms of making you stand out from the crowd.

Be patient with the process of building your resume. Good resumes take time to make, but the time spent will benefit you in the end when you get called in for an interview.

References:

http://www.engineerexcairo.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/trash-300×200.jpg

http://www.thedailymuse.com/job-search/3-things-that-will-get-your-resume-thrown-in-the-trash/

http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/resume-mistakes-pet-peeves/article.aspx

Posted by Deirdre Newton, Career Services Assistant

Job/Internship of the Week
Ticket office intern
OSU Athletics

Description:

The Beaver Athletics Ticket Office will provide students with an invaluable experience that will benefit the pursuit of a career in virtually any field. We are currently seeking qualified applicants for the 2013-2014 school year. If you are an OSU student with initiative, dedication, a strong work ethic, and a sincere interest in Oregon State Athletics, then you are encouraged to submit an application.

A small book stipend is provided to first year interns as they are in training and not expected to carry the full responsibilities of a full-fledged intern. Second-year interns and older receive an hourly wage.

Please note that the football season begins on August 31, which is several weeks before school begins. Hired interns are required to attend all football games that take place prior to the beginning of school.

Previous members of the OSU Athletic Department Interns are now employed at many different major companies and universities, including: University of California, Chicago Bulls, Pacific University, Georgia Tech, University of Pittsburgh, University of Illinois, Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Padres, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Nike, Adidas, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Jose State University, and many other sports related agencies.

For more information on how to apply, check out the posting in Beaver JobNet.

Monday was April Fools’ Day and normally when one hears the word “April Fools’ Day” it’s normal to automatically think of April Fools’ Day as a day full of pranks and jokes, but it is advised to think twice before you celebrate this day of pranks at work.

Most work places suggest leaving the pranks and jokes at home because supervisors often aren’t amused by April Fools’ Day. According to a 2010 national survey study by The Creative Group, 68% of marketing and advising directors consider April Fools’ pranks to be unsuitable and unnecessary for the office. Many directors find that April Fools’ is counteractive to the professionalism that companies strive for and instill in their workers.

Depending on where you work and who you work for April Fools’ pranks may be appropriate based on the environment and position you hold within in a company. Knowing when to pull a joke is something important, for instance, you shouldn’t pull a prank during a major meeting with corporates, or pulling a mean prank on co-workers such as telling them an important meeting was cancelled when it wasn’t wouldn’t be wise. Unless your prank is work appropriate, can make someone laugh and have a good feeling at the end of the day then that’s tolerable amongst company directors.

It is important to understand the culture and philosophy before pulling a prank. Instead of pulling pranks at work on April Fools’ Day you can create other suggestions to bring some fun and laughter to your work environment without it being over the top and inappropriate. Here are some examples of ways to make everyday a fun day at work and not just on April Fools’ Day:

Create awards for co-workers: Honor your fellow workers in a fun way by creating certificates with nicknames that describe the person. An example would be someone who helps the most customers a day; you could honor them by saying “highest number of customer service daily”. Recognizing someone builds confidence and highlights their positive contributions to the company. Creating a positive work place builds stronger connections with your co-workers and bosses.
Don’t limit celebrations to once a year: Don’t just have that one big ‘end of the year party’, instead opt for celebrating more of the little holidays that don’t get much recognition. Have celebrations for other things that you think are important, for example you can have a celebration for the sequel of The Hobbit. That is a fun way to keep the office entertaining, amusing and engaging. Who doesn’t love The Hobbit?!
Celebrate outside the work place: Who said work is only till 5 pm? Take your co-workers and have fun outside of work. This is where you can pull pranks and jokes. Whatever is done out of the office should be kept separate from the office. Knowing when to keep things professional is essential. Having fun with co-workers outside of the office is a way to get to know each other while maintaining the standards of your superiors while in the office.

There are many ways to celebrate pranks and jokes not just on April Fools’ Day; the internet provides many fun ways to celebrate as an office in a professional manner. Take the time to look some of them up, apply it and have a blast. Don’t make your boss mad by pulling a horrible joke at work on him/her, instead be a good worker, work and know when to have fun. In the long run you will be thankful you didn’t pull a nasty prank during that corporate meeting, you just saved yourself your job.

Did any of you pull an April Fool’s prank in the office? Or have one pulled on you? Please comment if appropriate!

References:

http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/morning_call/2013/04/april-fools-day-is-no-joke-in-the.html

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/31/april-fools-prank-workplace/2039969/

Posted by Lali Kaapana, Career Services Assistant

Job/Internship of the Week
Marketing and Client Service Associate
Maxim Global Wealth Advisors

Description:

We are an independent investment and financial planning firm serving globally oriented families from our offices south of Portland, Oregon. We are now searching for a talented and motivated individual to join our team in an entry-level position.

We build globally oriented investment portfolios and offer personalized retirement planning, primarily for cross-border families – both international families living in the U.S. and anyone abroad with assets in the U.S. Because of this unique specialty, we are exposed to a diverse set of financial issues which can make our work especially interesting and rewarding.

We are a small fast-growing company serving an interesting niche of families, who are generally located along the West Coast and internationally. Many of our clients are originally from Europe, India or Australia, so it is important that our staff be comfortable communicating with a multicultural client base. Candidates with international backgrounds or experience are strongly encouraged.

For more information on how to apply check out the posting in Beaver JobNet.

Ready to get inspired for your job, internship, or career search? Each month we 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: Kellie Trafton
Major: Human Development and Family Sciences
Minor: Business & Entrepreneurship
Year in School: 4th year, Senior
Company: Target

1. How did you find out about the internship?
I found out about the possibility of an internship with Target through the Fall 2012 Career Fair that was held at the CH2M Hill Alumni Center. I talked with several companies but seemed to have an instant connect with Target. I passed along my resume with an expressed interest in their internship program.

2. What will you be doing in your position?
I will be job shadowing a Group Leader at the Albany Distribution Center. I will be identifying and coordinating daily activities of 20-40 team members, collaborating across departments to drive optimal productivity, and foster an environment in which diverse backgrounds are respected and valued. Finally, I will ensure personal plans are set, maintained and continuously improved.

3. What advice do you have for others interested in finding an internship?
Utilize the career fairs! They are set up for your benefit! Companies are actively looking for students in all different majors so do not limit yourself to specific companies. Be willing to shake a lot of hands and put yourself out there. It is important to know your resume by heart and be able to expand on certain points if employers have any further questions. If you are asked to do an interview, over the phone or in person, do some background research on the company. Know their business philosophy, goals, objectives, mission and values (if available) and be able to add those concepts into your answers. This will show the interviewers that you did your homework and are interested in the company.

4. Did Career Services assist you anyway? If so, how?
It is because of the Fall 2012 Career Fair that I made the connection with Target and got my foot in the door! I was able to shake hands with one of the people who ended up being on the interviewing team for my internship. Having that initial face-to-face interaction was extremely beneficial and gave me a step up that the other intern candidates may not have had.

A tough grilling in an interviewer’s office can be a stressful experience no matter how well-prepared you are – and few questions cause more interview-morning heartburn than the dreaded “What’s your greatest weakness?” inquiry. Answering this question is no cakewalk for any professional, but the right approach and attitude can give you a solid advantage over the competition. Here are some expert tips to get you planning ahead and thinking positive.

Understand what employers want to know
A question about your greatest weakness might seem like an attempt to trip you up or test your reaction speed, but it actually contains a few different shades of meaning. On one hand, “an interviewer asks this question to determine if you are forthright and honest about your flaws,” says Heather McNab, author of What Top Professionals Need to Know About Answering Job Interview Questions – so your response should be clear and upfront. At the same time, says Alison Doyle, job search expert for About.com, “they’re also looking for insight into what you think are the skills you may need to improve.” That means they’ll be looking for cues about your self-assessment abilities – and how you handle your own shortcomings – so it may be helpful to focus on a weakness you’re already acknowledging and trying to improve. In the end, though, “they’re trying to find out if you’re capable of doing the job,” says Dan Schawbel, founder of Millennial Branding and author of Promote Yourself (St. Martin’s Press, fall 2013). Thus, it’s better to describe a general weakness than one directly related to the job’s core functions.

Understand what’ll turn them off
As mentioned above, no employer will hire a candidate who claims a main weakness in an area crucial for the performance of the job. But that doesn’t mean you should err too far on the side of vagueness – or worse, dishonesty. Your interviewer will likely be well-trained to sniff out avoidant answers. “Many professionals try to take a strength and turn it into a weakness – ‘I just work too hard’ – but the interviewer won’t buy it,” McNab says. Instead, what’s most important is to give the interviewer proof that you’re human, aware of your flaws, and committed to self-improvement. Even more importantly – though this might seem to go without saying – no employer will be happy to hear you claim that you don’t have any weaknesses. “This could indicate that you aren’t flexible, or are unwilling to improve when improvement is needed,” Doyle explains – or worse, it could imply that you’ve got something to hide. In short, you’ve got to pick a weakness, admit it openly, and spin it as a net positive.

Understand what kinds of stories they like
Putting your weakness in proper context means walking a delicate line. The goal is to describe the weakness as a motivation for positive self-change without sounding too defensive about the problem. In other words, “saying you lack the right skills but are a quick learner won’t help your candidacy,” Doyle says. A far better approach is to think of an area in which you’re currently working hard on improving, and frame that as a weakness. “Explain that although you’ve had difficulty in a given situation, you recovered from it, learned something and have performed better as a result,” Schawbel says. An alternate route is to talk about a weakness that has little or nothing to do with the job for which you’re interviewing. If you take this path, though, it’s important to focus on a weakness that conveys a genuine struggle – otherwise your answer may sound like a cop-out. If you tell a personal story well, though, your answer may satisfy the interviewer and cast you as a fully developed “character” at the same time.

Keep these tips in mind as you rehearse your answers, and you may wind up surprising yourself – and your potential employer – with a unique and thought-provoking answer.

Guest Blogger – Ben Thomas, a member of the Riley Guide writing team, is an expert on a variety of topics related to the job search.

Job/Internship of the Week
OSU Career Services
Employer Relations Assistant

Description:

Career Services seeks a Graduate Assistant or student to support a variety of employer related initiatives, including:

Career Fair planning and marketing and Event Coordination
GA will assist in coordinating and marketing quarterly Career Fairs to both students and employers
He/She will also help plan and attend other employer related events, such as Employer Advisory Committee Meetings

Communication and Marketing
GA will assist with communication efforts, such as an online employer newsletter, employer section of the Career Services website, social media efforts, and marketing for employer related events.
Duties will also include correspondence with employers regarding on campus recruiting and getting involved with OSU students and alumni

Program Improvement
GA will assist in evaluating company recruitment and programs, including Beaver JobNet (online career management system) and outreach to campus departments
Other duties as assigned, including participating in weekly staff and departmental meetings

For more information on how to apply check out the posting in Beaver JobNet.

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Explore. Educate. Empower. Engage.

Job/Internship of the Week-Career Assistant

7 Quick Tips on How to Gain Experience While in College

Job/Internship of the Week-Yamhill County Mushrooms Inc.

Why Your Resume Got Tossed

Job/Internship of the Week-OSU Athletics

April Fools’ Day in Your Work Place

Job/Internship of the Week-Maxim Global Wealth Advisors

Student/Alum Spotlight – Kellie Trafton

How to Bare Your Greatest Weakness at a Job Interview

Job/Internship of the Week-Employer Relations Assistant

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