The Career Development Center Blog

To view this job/internship listing, you must be a currently registered OSU student or alum and have an existing Beaver JobNet account. If you are eligible and do not have an account, register now.

Beaver JobNet is a great way to get your job or internship search started. Meet employers from a variety of organizations as well as from locations around the country and around the world. This program serves students and alumni alike. Employers are seeking applicants for positions including full-time, co-ops and internships, summer camps, national parks employment, and volunteer organizations such as the Peace Corps. Students can access Beaver JobNet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Check out the Career Services website for more information about finding a job.

Job/Internship of the Week

Communications/Race Intern
Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Komen Oregon is currently seeking an enthusiastic individual who is proficient in Spanish for an exciting internship opportunity that will support the Affiliate’s communications and outreach efforts for the 2011 Race for the Cure.

This person will work under the guidance of the Affiliate Communications Coordinator to assist projects related to promoting the Race for the Cure.

This intern will work in a fast-paced, collaborative team atmosphere and have the opportunity to learn about a wide range of areas in a non-profit organization and major event planning.

Time Commitment:
Summer term – 3 X week for approximately 15 hours total

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
• Implementation of the Affiliate Race for the Cure Distribution Plan (distribution of event collateral to local businesses, individuals and events throughout the summer)
• Provide outreach to targeted communities – mostly concentrating on the local Hispanic community
• Offer support to Spanish-speaking event registrants
• Work at occasional pre-race fundraising/special events
• Serve as primary support for booking media interviews/appearances
• Administrative support, including extensive phone work, email correspondence and some mailings
• Some translation materials from English to Spanish
• Interest in marketing/communications and non-profit experience
• Other marketing/outreach projects as assigned

Division

Oregon/SW Washington Affiliate

Location

Portland, OR

Position Type

Internship – Unpaid

Desired Major(s)

All Majors

Job Function

Administrative / Support Services, Communication, Community Service, Customer Service, Event Planning / Coordination, Health Services / Healthcare, Marketing, Public Relations, Volunteer

Duration

Summer term through Sept. 18, 2012

Contact Information

Employer:	Susan G. Komen for the Cure
Name:	Ms. Lori H. Kresse
Title:	Volunteer Program Manager
E-mail:	Lkresse@komenoregon.org
Website:	http://www.komenoregon.org
Phone:	503-553-3676
Fax:	503-552-9161
Address:	1400 SW 5th Ave. Suite 530 Portland, OR 97201 United States

Tell us about your company and why you recruit OSU students.
We are the world’s second largest food company with annual revenues of $48 billion. Millions of times a day, in more than 160 countries, consumers reach for their favorite Kraft Foods brands. We make a delicious difference by fighting hunger and supporting healthy lifestyles. Over the past 25 years, we’ve donated nearly a billion dollars in cash and food. Our company is a member of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Standard & Poor’s 500, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and Ethibel Sustainability Index.

OSU offers premier Engineering and Food Science programs. We’ve seen many double and triple majors, including a coupling of IE and ME which is valuable in a manufacturing environment. Students tell us that OSU makes it very feasible to obtain a dual focus. Many students also elect a concentration or minor option to enhance their studies. OSU students partake in a multitude of developmental opportunities that prepare them for a smooth transition into the workplace. These include internships and co-ops such as MECOP, involvement in student groups, community programs, etc.

What is your favorite part of your job?
Talent Planning. One of the most important contributions of the HR business partner is gauging long-term needs and then planning appropriately to ensure the company’s competitiveness and sustainability. This entails attracting and retaining candidates with the knowledge, skills and abilities required to meet strategic goals.

How do you find people you want to hire and what makes them stand out from others?
We often find the people we want to hire through a number of our on-campus activities, referrals, and at many diversity and pre-professional conferences. Ideally, we hire into our experiential learning programs (internships, co-ops, etc) to evaluate performance and fit, before converting students into fulltime employees upon graduation.

What do you recommend students do in college so that they are ready when it comes time to find a job?
1) Academic achievement. 2) Involvement in Clubs & Activities. 3) Demonstrate Leadership. 4) Gain as much experience you can relative to your area of study: internship, labs, volunteering, job shadows, etc. 5) Build a network: professionals, faculty, alumni, professional organizations, peers, mentors. 6) Write a great resume. 7) Master the art of the interview & follow-up. 8) Learn about companies in your field. 9) Meet representatives from the companies you are most interested in.

Posted by Sarah Scaruto, Associate HR Manager from Kraft Foods

Job/Internship of the Week

Business Analyst Consultant
Cross Current, Inc.

•Provide support for all aspects of client engagements from scope definition to delivery
•Conduct quantitative and qualitative analysis of client data using reports, spreadsheets and databases
•Observe, understand and document client’s revenue cycle process flows. Develop and implement creative solutions to address process inefficiencies.
•Interpret, evaluate, and interrelate clinic operational and financial data for inclusion into client briefings and reports
•Conduct interviews and meetings with clinic office staff, clinic administration and physicians. Participate in training of clinic office staff in the use of company software, tools and process improvement activities
•Contribute to written and verbal engagement progress updates and other communications with the client

Location

Portland, OR

Position Type

Permanent Full-Time

Salary Level

Competitive salary plus bonus potential

Qualifications

•Willingness to travel. Out of town travel will make up as much as 75% of job duties.
•Strong academic background. Minimum GPA of 3.0.
•Solid economic, financial, and quantitative problem-solving skills
•Knowledge and appreciation of business concepts
•Strong knowledge of spreadsheet and presentation software
•Ability to create and edit high quality written materials.
•Ability to work on and complete projects with demanding deadlines
•Ability to work effectively in a team environment
•Aptitude to learn quickly and to adapt to different difficult and complex environments
•Strong time management skills, ability to multi-task
•Demonstrated self-starter
•Effective communication skills with an ability to share and synthesize knowledge
•Ability to get along with a wide range of people and to work effectively with difficult people
•BA/BS required

Analyst Consultant Job Description.docx

Contact Information

Employer:	CrossCurrent, Inc.
Name:	Mr. David Smith
Title:	Chief Operating Officer
E-mail:	dsmith@crosscurrentinc.com
Website:	http://www.crosscurrentinc.com
Phone:	(503) 542-8207
Address:	5331 SW Macadam Ave Suite 216 Portland, OR 97239 United States

Jessica's Theatre Headshot

The last time we talked, it was 2001, and I mentioned that I had a job as a receptionist in New York City; I went to Texas to do a film for the summer, thinking that I would just slide right back into my receptionist job when I returned. But as I was returning, while I was driving through Nashville toward home, a couple of planes crashed into the World Trade Center in my city.

New York City in the aftermath of 9/11 was, as you can imagine, a chaotic place. For several days, no one was allowed into the city unless they were emergency personnel. I stayed with my parents in New Jersey, watching the unbelievable footage on television over and over. When they finally opened the bridges and tunnels, I went to my old job headquarters on 6^th Avenue and asked when I could begin working again. I needed to work. I had spent most of my savings doing an unpaid, low-budget film. My previous boss, a nice young woman from Staten Island, said they didn’t need me, and in light of the recent events, they needed to downsize and cut costs.

Many events converged to put me out of a job in September of 2001, but half of the city was out of a job. Lots of people were volunteering at Ground Zero or around the city to help families find their loved ones. I decided this was the perfect moment for unemployment insurance.

So, this stuff is insurance, and our employers pay it on our behalf. Sometimes we need to use those systems that are set up as safety nets. Sometimes we fall, and a program like unemployment insurance is designed to catch us. I used the few months after 9/11 on unemployment insurance to audition vigorously for any and all performance opportunities. I worked a day here and there as an extra on several television shows. I spent time with actor friends, working on audition material and perfecting my acting resume. And this work actually did pay off.

In early December of 2001, I found out I got a really good tour gig. This 6 month tour would be a children’s theatre production in schools and venues across the country. We would get in a van, drive to St. Louis or Montauk or Ithaca or Cleveland, check into a cheap hotel, put up our set, perform our 60 minute musical, and drive on. Sounds like hard work, right? It was. But we were paid fairly well; we got to join the actor’s union, and we got health insurance because of the union. In all, it was an amazing break for me.

Next time, I’ll talk about what happened on the road. Hope your semester is going great and that you’re enjoying “Confessions of a Career Changer”.

Jessica Baron is currently a Graduate Assistant in Career Services at OSU and a full time student in the College Student Services Administration Program. Before making her way to Oregon State, Jessica worked as an actor, waiter, online tutor, receptionist, college composition instructor, creative writer, gas station attendant, nonprofit program director, writing workshop leader, high school drama coach, Hallmark card straightener, substitute teacher, real estate office manager, and SAT tutor, not necessarily in that order. Her “Confessions of a Career Changer” will focus on her wavy career path and the challenges and joys of wanting to do everything.

Have you ever been in a job interview where the employer begins a question with the phrase, “Tell me about a time when…?” You may have been asked to describe a time you’ve worked well with a team, a time you’ve implemented a creative solution to a problem, or a time you’ve faced an ethical dilemma. If you have come across these types of questions, you may have found they can seem a bit tricky to answer. These types of questions are referred to as behaviorial interview questions. When asking behavior questions, the employer is hoping to gauge what type of skill set you have in an effort to determine how successful you’ll be in a future job. Employers often feel that past behavior is the best predictor for future behavior. This blog will introduce you to a strategy to help you answer these questions and a few tips on how to best prepare.

The S.T.A.R. interview technique gives you a way to frame the answers to your questions. Utilizing the technique will ensure you are giving enough information in your answer in a way that is well organized. S.T.A.R. stands for:

S – Situation: Describe the logistics of your experience (time, place, position, etc).
T – Task: Share what you were responsible for accomplishing.
A – Action: Share how you accomplished the task.
R – Result: Explain what came as a result of your work.

To further explore that method, I will share an example of a question and answer framed in this way.

Question: Tell me about a time when you implemented a creative solution to a problem.

Answer:

Situation — I was an intern in the advertising department of the Daily News.
Task — Advertising revenue was falling off and large numbers of long term advertisers were not renewing their contracts.
Action — I designed a new promotional packet to go with the rate sheet. I compared the benefits of Daily News circulation with other ad media in this area. I also set up a special training session for the Account Executives with a marketing professor to discuss competitive selling strategies.
Result — We signed contracts with 15 former advertisers for daily ads and 4 for special supplements. We also increased our new advertisers by 20%

When answering behavioral questions, be sure to be specific, use relevant experiences, and place the focus of your answer on your strengths, skills, and accomplishments. To help you prepare for these questions, you can also complete the following exercise to help you brainstorm stories.

Brainstorming Exercise

Take a close look at the job description and pick out four characteristics you believe the employer would find valuable in a new employee. Next, reflect on your experiences and think of two times you demonstrated each of the characteristics. Write out these eight experiences in the S.T.A.R. format and practice telling them to a friend, partner, family member, or pet. The more familiar you get with telling your stories, the more prepared you will feel to tackle any question that is thrown your way.

If you have interest in practicing this interview technique, please make a mock interview appointment with our office by calling 541-737-4085. You can also use the online program InterviewStream through Beaver JobNet. Good luck!

Posted by Bobbi Hutcheson, Career Services Graduate Assistant

Job/Internship of the Week

Media Sales Executive
OregonLive.com

If you are passionate about building business partnerships, producing great sales results, working in a positive team environment, and want a career as an Internet Sales Executive keep reading!

OregonLive.com, the #1 local Internet news and information site in Oregon and SW Washington, is looking for a proven advertising sales professional with a track record of success. If you are results oriented, passionate, energetic, outgoing, and detail-oriented with a desire to build strong business partnerships, you may be the right candidate. The position is an Account Executive focusing on businesses in Oregon.

Join a growing team of Portland’s best and brightest digital advertising sales professionals. As a team member you will develop relationships with businesses, acquire new advertisers and maintain existing accounts in and around metro Portland. You would be responsible for selling a portfolio of digital advertising products. Our company is a great place to work. We are a competitive work group focused on building sales professionals. Hiring interviews are being conducted this week. Our compensation package includes Health, Dental, Vision, Paid Vacation, Sick Days and Holidays as well as 401k. Rewarding compensation plan, which can exceed $75k+ upon meeting sales goals.

Minimum Job Requirements:
• College Degree
• 3+ years of Internet/Media advertising sales experience
• The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of Internet advertising to include Banner Ads, SEM, SEO, Mobile, Video and Email.

Requirements:
Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
• Track record of Sales Excellence in advertising (preferably Internet sales)
• Strong understanding of the Digital Internet Advertising Industry
• Excellent Presentation Skills
• Must be able to Close Sales
• Proven cold-calling, follow-up and lead generation skills.
• Experience in online advertising to include display, SEM, SEO preferred
• Ability to work independently
• Customer Serviced Oriented
• Must be assertive, goal-oriented and self-motivated
• Strong ability to multi-task, handle pressure and work under deadlines
• Ability to build and maintain excellent interpersonal relationships
• Congenial team work attitude
• Solid problem solving abilities
• Highly proficient in MS Office Suite including Excel, Word, Power Point and Outlook

Location

Portland, OR

Position Type

Permanent Full-Time

Desired Major(s)

All Majors

Salary Level

base salary+commision

Contact Information

Employer:	OregonLive.com
Name:	Ms. Carol Colby
Title:	Office Administrator
E-mail:	ccolby@oregonlive.com
Website:	http://www.oregonlive.com
Phone:	503-972-1030
Address:	620 SW 5th Ave., Suite 300 Portland, OR 97204 United States

A few times during the term we will highlight OSU alum who have been successful in the job search process and share their experience with you! They offer great tips and strategies that maybe you could implement as well.

A year after graduation I left Corvallis and moved back to my home town in Southern Oregon. I graduated with a degree in Public Health Management and Policy with a minor in Business Entrepreneurship. It was my goal to obtain a position where I felt I was helping others while using the knowledge I had acquired in my undergraduate studies.

How did you find out about the position? What does your job entail?

Having heard a statistic stating 80% of jobs are found through networking, I thought it would be best to get the word out that I was looking for employment. I started talking to family and friends about my skills and experience. It was not long before a friend of the family let me know about an opening at the organization she worked for. The opening was for a Health Screener at Early Head Start in Medford. The position involves setting up health screenings at Early Head Starts throughout two counties, conducting the health screenings, completing data entry, contacting head teachers and parents with results, and referring families to various resources in the area.

How did you approach applying for the job?

I was excited to hear about this position and tailored my resume to the position description, wrote a cover letter highlighting my skills and interest, and completed the application. Next I got ready for the interview by researching the organization and preparing success stories from previous experiences that related to the job responsibilities in this position. After completing the interview I also wrote thank you notes to each of my interviewers. Fortunately, I was offered the position within hours of completing the second portion of a two part interview. I happily accepted.

What advice do you have for others about the job search process?

My advice to those in the job search process is to use all available resources at your disposal. While the internet is a great place to search for open positions, be sure to let your family and friends know what experiences and skills you have to offer an employer. Also, use Career Services for help tailoring your resume, creating your cover letter, and helping to prepare for your interview. My last piece of advice is to stay positive. Job searching can be a slow, tedious process but in the end it is worth all the hard work.

Posted by Rachel Erickson, 2010 OSU Alum

This week is Career Fair so instead of having one job/internship of the week, there are many! Check out which employers are attending the fair and come by to find out about opportunities and get ready to network your way to your next job/internship!

When: October 26, 2011 (University Wide – All Majors)
October 27, 2011 (Engineering)
Time: 11am-4pm
Where: CH2M Hill Alumni Center – OSU

Hope to see you there!

Jessica Baron about to sing "Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm".

When we left off last time, I just got a cushy job as a receptionist in a technology firm on 6^th Avenue in New York City, the Avenue of the Americas. (Don’t ask me why they call it that…)The building I worked in was one of those enormous high rises that can make you dizzy if you try to see the top of it standing outside looking up. It curves over your head, the windows getting smaller as they bend over and up and up. I only worked on the 7^th floor, not the 77^th, but I felt a kind of amazement every time I walked in at the sheer size of it.

As a receptionist for Radianz, I sat behind a desk in view of two glass plate doors and buzzed folks in when they walked up to them. (The doors wouldn’t open from the outside unless I buzzed. What power!) I also answered a general office phone number and transferred phone calls to their respective parties. Sadly or happily, that’s about all I did. So, when the phone didn’t ring or no one stood behind the glass doors, I did very little. Because of this, the hours went by slowly, and I found myself playing online games or surfing a lot. But then, my supervisor didn’t want anyone who I buzzed in to see a game or an unrelated website on my desktop. They began to assign small tasks to me, data entry and such, but most of those took very little time, and we were back where we started: me sitting, staring into space from 8 am until 2 pm.

That’s right, this was a part-time job! A part-time salaried job, when they offered me a salary and benefits after a couple of months of working through the temp agency. Because they wanted the desk manned from 8 am until 6 pm, there were two of us working, me from 8 am to 2 pm and another woman from 12 pm to 6 pm. This made it possible for each of us to take an hour lunch break in the overlap and pass off projects we were working on. But what it made possible for me was auditions and soon after rehearsals in the afternoons and evenings. I was doing what I came here for! I worked a half day, ran off to audition for a show or rehearse for another, and weekend nights I performed. It worked well for nine months or so.

What happened in nine months? Well, I got an offer to do a film for the summer in Dallas, and I felt it was a good opportunity (whether it was remains to be seen). I left the job at Radianz with the promise that I would be back in September. During the summer while I was gone, the other woman who did my job would be full time, and we would go back to the way things were when I returned. Well, here was lesson number one for me in the working world. Often, leaving a job for an extended period shows a company that they can get on without you. Even if you seemed indispensible before you left. I left in May of 2001, with a plan to return in September. Somewhere around the middle of September. In 2001. You can guess what happened when I did…

Stay turned to hear the rest of the story. Remember the career fairs are this Wednesday and Thursday. We hope to see you there!

It’s less than a week away; are you ready? Whether you’re attending the fair to scope out potential future employers or to truly start the job hunt process, we hope you’re well on your way to getting prepared. Your resume should already be in tip-top shape. Your 30 to 60 second infomercial should be polished and practiced. You should have your goals clear in your mind, the employers you want to talk to mapped out, and your professional attire chosen.

But what should you do after the fair? Sit by the phone, pining for a call? Check your email every 20 minutes to see if they’ve contacted you? Visit the headquarters of the company in person to speak to the president directly, asking why they haven’t called or emailed you since the fair, angry and screaming?

Okay, maybe you can tell that these aren’t quite the right moves for following up with employers. They don’t give a very favorable impression. But following up after an event like a Career Fair in a professional way can be a manageable task if you do a little bit of planning.

First of all, while you are at the fair or very soon after, take notes on the back of employers’ business cards that you undoubtedly collected about the individual you spoke with, the conversation you had, and your initial impressions. (You can also do this in a notebook, but make sure you attach the correct business card to the correct page in your notes so that you don’t lose the contact information!) Next, use this information to write up professional and targeted thank you letters to the employers you have any interest in speaking with further. Use a detail from your conversation with the employer in your note to jog their memory. Something like, “Thank you for speaking with me at the Career Fair at Oregon State University. Our conversation about how a company mission statement can set a tone in a workplace really got me thinking,” will help an employer place you. And get those letters out quickly! Many people don’t send thank you letters, and it can make a huge difference between an employer remembering you and not being able to recall you out of the sea of students and alumni they spoke with. You can also call the employer 2 weeks after sending those letters to confirm that they received your note and to express your continued interest in interviewing with the company.

Finally, patience is a virtue when it comes to the fair. You made connections and increased your network by attending, but those connections may not pay off right away. You never know when that network will help you in the future. If you make a meaningful connection at the Career Fair, by taking notes and following up afterward, those relationships can eventually give you opportunities and open doors. Good luck!!

Posted by Jessica Baron, Career Services Graduate Assistant

Explore. Educate. Empower. Engage.

Job/Internship of the Week – Susan G. Komen For The Cure

Employer Highlight – Kraft Foods

Job/Internship of the Week – Cross Current Inc.

Confessions of a Career Changer: How to get a job when the world is ending…

S.T.A.R. Interview Technique

Job/Internship of the Week – OregonLive.com

Alum Highlight

Job/Internship of the Week – Career Fair!

Confessions of a Career Changer: How May I Direct Your Call?

Career Fair is Coming! What to do when it is over…

Contact Info