Archive for the social media Category
Posted on November 29, 2011 with No Comments
Marshall McLuhan famously wrote that “the medium is the message.” When you list your blog on your resume, the message you send to a potential employer is that you understand the importance of modern media and its role in society. As a medium, a blog is very much an extension of yourself; it allows you to express a fuller version of yourself beyond your resume.
A blog is not just for writers and artists to advertise their portfolios, it’s a tool for all jobseekers to demonstrate their ability to analyze, synthesize and communicate information in their field. By blogging about professional and academic experiences, jobseekers can animate those bullet points on their resume, bringing to life a semester abroad, a service-learning course, or an internship. Here is a good example.
Like anything else you include on your resume, you must carefully consider whether or not your blog promotes you as a candidate. Poorly organized, infrequently updated, incredibly personal or irrelevant blogs can work against you! Also keep in mind that a blog can be a compliment to a resume but it is not a substitute.
Other Advantages of Blogging
-A blog can reveal hard-to-communicate personal qualities: passion, creativity, imagination, etc.
-Blogging allows you to come across as an individual before the interview.
-Know the tools of the trade: more and more companies are using blogs to organize projects
-Your blog will pop up if employers Google you!
Don’t have a blog? Here is a basic guide to getting started as well as strategies for writing good blog posts and maintaining a blog routine.
~Jarrod
Tags: advice, blogging, Career, Experience, how to, online identity, photos, quotes, resume, social media, tips
Category: Helpful Resources, Uncategorized, online identity, resume, social media
Posted on October 27, 2011 with No Comments
Doctor Teacher Lawyer Accountant Firefighter
Those are the easy ones. How many careers can you name?
As you prepare to enter the world of work, take a moment to explore what’s out there. Look before you leap.
You will find some great resources to get started under “Explore Options” on the Senior Checklist for Career Success. Read about different jobs, including the skills and education needed, the typical career path, salary and more. Take a moment to browse through the different Job Families on O*Net and the Occupational Outlook Handbook . Anything strike your fancy? Make a list of any careers that you would like to learn more about.
Want to explore some more unusual career choices? Check out these articles:
35+ Unusual and Easy Jobs that Pay Well
The Most Unusual Jobs and Crazy Careers
Unusual Careers
To learn more about specific industries or companies, explore the Career Field Information page. Also, check out One Day One Job. Everyday they profile opportunities at a different company, with a specific focus on opportunities for college students. They’ve profiled almost 1,500 companies!
Once you’ve got your list of interesting careers/organizations, you’re ready for the next step. Career Services often recommends informational interviewing as one of the best ways to learn more about a particular job, career path or company. Talking to people who are doing the job that you are interested in can help you realistically assess whether that career would be a good fit for you.
You can start right now with these informational interview videos and personal accounts of different jobs:
However, if you are really interested in a particular job, take the extra step and talk to some real live people yourself. Utilize the University of Vermont- Career Connection group on Linked In or the Career Connection database to find and reach out to UVM alumni in career fields of interest.
Ready, set, explore!
~Kala
Tags: advice, Career, career connection, career path, Experience, how to, inspiration, Interviewing, job search, Jobs, Networking, photos, Savvy Seniors, search, social media, tips, your first job
Category: Career Exploration, Helpful Resources, Interviewing, Job Searching, Networking, Uncategorized, social media
Posted on July 21, 2011 with No Comments
Here in Career Services, we’ve been talking a lot about our online presence. Social Media has increasingly become a major force in today’s job market. Employers are using Twitter and Facebook to post open positions. Job seekers and long time professionals are connecting in special interest and industry specific groups on LinkedIn. Interviews are being conducted on Skype and we have yet to see how emerging technologies like Google+ will factor in.
While we’re excited about the ways that we use these platforms in our office, we’re also eager to work with you on how to create and manage your own social media presences. Even though most students are engaged with some type of social media at this point, have you considered how you might use these mediums as tools in your job search and career process?
Career Sherpa developed a 3-part series earlier this summer highlighting some of the strategies that can be most effective when developing your social media profile, including:
There are so many social media outlets in today’s world and these are just sampling of them. Regardless of which you choose to participate in, it’s important to make social media a tool in your career toolbox. By developing your own social media presence, you can make intentional decisions about your image and stay current in the ever-changing world of work.
~Ashley Michelle
Posted on March 2, 2011 with No Comments
Recently our Career Services team hosted our first interviews using Skype for DraftFCB Chicago. The interviews were a great success and allowed employers to meet students and alumni, just like you.
With an ever-increasing cost in travel time and expenses associated with in person interviews many employers have embraced interview methods, like Skype, that are more cost effective while maintaining the benefits of face-to-face interaction. Here are a few hints from our Career Services team to help you prepare!
Career Services Top 10 Tips
1. Dress for Success: This is a professional interview. It is important to be dressed professionally from head to toe just as you would for an in person interview. Though the employers will mostly see you from your chest up if you are sitting, you may need to stand up or get up from your computer.
2. Ready Your Material: Know your application materials well and keep a copy of your resume and cover letter handy so that you may refer to it if needed. Try not to read from your materials and keep as much eye-to-eye contact as possible. Your answers will be weighed and selection decisions will be made based on your answers as well as your online camera presence. It is a good idea to keep a notepad and writing utensil ready.
3. Do Your Research: Research the position and the organization before going to the interview and try to obtain a detailed job description. Use the Web ahead of time to research the company and read any printed materials available. Discuss the position with anyone you know who might have insights into the organization. This information will enable you to target your comments to the job and the organization and will demonstrate your interest. Your research will also help you formulate questions to ask the interviewer. Good questions display your thinking skills, your understanding of the position and your enthusiasm.
- What do you know about this organization?
- What contributions do you think you could make to this organization?
- Why did you decide to seek this position with this organization?
4. Prepare Your Interview Space: Choose an area with a neutral background. Adjust the lighting in the room so that you are clearly visible to your employer. Be certain that the area you choose to interview in look professional and orderly.
5. Creating Your Professional Vibe: When you are creating your account come up with a professional screen name separate from the account you use when Skyping with friends. Try something such as your first and last name with some generic numbers instead of babycakes900. By creating a separate account name solely for interviewing you run into the possibility of your friends calling you during your interview.
6. Test Your Equipment: Schedule a time a day of two before the interview make sure your microphone picks up your voice clearly and that your camera has a clear image. Be certain that your internet connection is strong (for wireless users) or that you are plugged into a consistent internet source. Make sure that your battery is fully charged and plugged into an electrical socket to maintain full battery life so that your computer does not shut off during your interview. We recommend doing a test run with a friend to test everything out.
7. Eliminate Distractions: Any outside noise could potentially distract you during the interview. It is best to limit the possibility of these distractions as much as possible. Turn off your cell phone, the television, etc. Close your windows and if you have any pets, make sure they do not come into your interview space. It is also important to close ALL other programs that are unnecessary to your interview this includes IM, chat, Twitter, etc. Running a lot of programs on your computer can slow down processing speed and cause additional lag time during your interview.
8. Sign on Early: Sign onto your Skype interview ahead of time. If the hiring manager is already online, they will be impressed that you have shown up for the virtual interview early. If they sign on after you, they will see that you were ready and waiting.
9. Look into the Camera: Make sure you are familiar with where the camera is on your computer and look into it rather than directly at the screen. This will make it appear as though you are looking directly at the individual who is interviewing you – eye to eye contact – an important element selling point to any interview.
10. Visit Career Services! You can prepare for your interview with our friendly Career Services staff and visit our website at uvm.edu/career. You can come in for Drop in Hours 1:00-4:00 Monday through Thursday or you can schedule an appointment over the phone or in person to get ready for your future!
Helpful Online Resources
Check out this great video from TIME: How to Ace a Job Interview on Skype
Read about what Skype has to say on their blog about doing interviews utilizing their services
–Vanessa
Posted on February 16, 2011 with No Comments
What is social media? Sites we use all the time; Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIN, Twitter, and blogs– these are all social media sites. We call them this because of the way we can create our own “media “ like status updates, sharing of other people content, or posting and sharing articles, pictures and videos, among other things.
How can my Facebook or my Twitter really help me get hired?
First, it might be worthwhile to notice how it can get in the way of getting you hired.
-Are there incriminating photos of you on your Facebook? One word: untag. Untag, untag, untag. Just because Joe-Shmoe in the triple across the hall thinks you are hysterical dancing with a lampshade on your head, doesn’t mean a future employer will be as amused if they do a search for your profile.
-Check your security preferences. If you go to your “Account” button on the upper right hand corner of your Facebook page, you can change your security settings to ensure that only the people you want to view you can actually see your updates and your photos. I strongly encourage all users not to allow “friends of friends” to see you, because if you have 800 friends, it is possible for 640,000 people or MORE to view your profile.
-But wait…who ARE your friends? And what are they saying? This is tricky. If you have friends who repeatedly post to your wall about their various thoughts and events, and they don’t jive with a professional image you are working toward creating, it might be a good idea to send them a private message and let them know. Still not getting the picture? Unfriend. As harsh as it sounds, it sounds even more ridiculous to think you didn’t get an interview for a great internship because the headhunter saw tasteless jokes or comments on your page.
Ok, so you’ve untagged, you’ve scouted your settings, maybe even let a friend or two go to protect your page content. What are some proactive steps you can take to actively use social media to your advantage? I have some ideas.
-Create a webpage. I have a close friend who used his Mac to create a webpage where he posted his resume, embedded his Twitter feed, and periodically he posts interesting articles and his thoughts on them in a blog section to the site. All of his pages include colorful pictures of him at work, doing the types of things he enjoys most (he is a teacher) working with students in labs, on field trips etc. Basically, the site is a way for him to be “googled” and be in control of what comes up on the Google hits.
-Making a webpage seems like a lot to you? Try creating a Google Profile. It’s an easy way to create your own directory tab that comes up whenever your name is searched. You can provide as little or as much info as you want. I have a small professional headshot on mine, a little info about working in at UVM and where I received my education, plus my current industry. I do not include where I work or my contact information. Check out this example of a profile….
-Think about taking control of what comes up when you are Googled. Oh sure, some things cannot be helped, but maybe your Tweets could use some more security than you may have initially thought, maybe it is time to really commit to creating a LinkedIN page for you to upload your resume, maybe you find that a blog from high school you thought had disappeared…hadn’t. Take control; get the good stuff up, and the bad stuff, gone.
Want to know more about how you can Market Yourself to Get Hired? Drop by our weekly sessions on Tuesdays at 4:15pm in L/L E166 during the Spring 2011 semester!
–Leah
