iSchool Career Services Newsletter: 5/29/2012

Career News and Tips

Using Linkedin

There’s plenty of information on using LinkedIn out there, but my biggest pitch is to create a page if you don’t have one already! I encourage everyone to be using this great resource as a personal branding tool, a way to research employers and contacts, and for professional networking. Here are some helpful tips on creating your profile:

1. Photo:  Include one! No profile photo makes your profile look unprofessional and anonymous, especially when you show up in a search result next to other LinkedIn users who do have profile photos. Photos put a face to a name and make you seem like a real professional person, and not just an unknown user. It should be a professional-looking shot that conveys you in a positive light. If you decide to a take a photo specifically for LinkedIn, this blog post provides good tips on your photo set-up.

2. Headline: Customize this! Keep it brief but make it a powerful demonstration of how you add value. “Skilled web developer and UW student” or “Library Science student specializing in Knowledge Organization” are both much more powerful than just “student at University of Washington”, or the LinkedIn default choice. Consider writing your summary first and then from that, pull the most powerful few words to use in your headline. Note: you can (and should) also customize your linkedin URL, and you can include this on business cards or in email signatures.

3. Summary: This can be your elevator pitch in written form. See earlier newsletters on the student services blog for more information on how to construct this, or email me for a link to the “Don’t Be Awkward” networking workshop that contained great info on how to create a good summary introduction of yourself. If you need help with language, gather some job descriptions you’re interested in and look for common keywords or skills that are often mentioned, and highlight those in your summary.

4. Everywhere: Talk about your benefit. Point our your value-added, the benefits of your skills and work, and the outcomes of your projects. How is something, someone, or somewhere better because of your work?

5. Refresh and update periodically. Each time you update your profile, you get a little call-out in the newsfeed of LinkedIn, drawing attention to your profile. This is good! It’s okay to let your profile develop further over time. Post updates when you have them, these show that you know and love the work that you do, and can brand you as a competent (even expert) professional in the field. Research other great LinkedIn help guides and tips online, and note that LinkedIn also has a great blog, and is a source of job postings!

iSchool Career Services Newsletter 4/23/2012

News and Tips

I spend a lot of time talking with hiring managers, recruiters, and people who are looking for great qualified applicants for really good jobs. Here are some general lessons I’ve learned this week in talking with people who want to hire iSchool grads:

1. You need a portfolio. A good portfolio. Ask professionals in the field to review it for you as a good way to make a connection with someone and get tips that will help improve it. Look for or ask for examples of portfolios of people who have jobs that you want.
2. Build/show a breadth of skills. Learn a few programming languages, demonstrate project management ability, business acumen, IT systems, database systems, and more at a basic level to be able to talk to your diverse skill set when you meet with potential employers.
3. Build/show depth in a skill in your interest area to set yourself apart. One thing I heard this week from a recruiter is that they need someone with experience in complex application design, rather than just basic web development, for example.  Pick one or two skills or topics that you like and are good at to focus extra energy on. If you can take a few skills to the next level above your peers, you just might be the perfect fit for someone with a need in that area.
4. Meet the basic qualifications. Read the description carefully if there is one, customize your resume to demonstrate that you have the elements they are looking for, and show them through your resume and cover letter and in conversation that you understand what their fundamental needs are (and if you don’t know, ask!). You don’t always need to meet all of the elements listed in a job description (it’s rare that someone will), but know the position and how your skills match up with what the identified and most basic needs are.

Confused about how you’re ever going to do all of this? It might be as simple as changing how you talk about your skills and experiences and how you list these in your materials. Come see me (mattaj@uw.edu)  to talk about your specific questions!

2 Unique Career Fairs

Are you interested in devoting your career to serving your community, your country, or the world beyond our borders? You won’t want to miss these two unique career fairs, offering you a chance to connect with employers in local, state and federal government; national security; the military; and more.

Serve & Protect Career Fair 
Wednesday, February 16^th
2:30-5:30, Mary Gates Hall Commons
The Serve & Protect Career Fair, a brand-new event, offers you the chance to learn about career or internship opportunities in law enforcement, military, security and other defense and service-related fields.

Government Career Fair 
Thursday, February 17^th  
2:30-5:30, Mary Gates Hall Commons
At the Government Career Fair, you’ll have the opportunity to meet with recruiters in local, state and federal government departments, who are looking to hire for job and internship opportunities.

Become a Summer Orientation Leader!

Orientation Leader (OL) applications are due Monday, January 31st.   

Join UW’s 2011 Orientation Leader Staff!

 *  Want to help new students?
 *  Want to get involved?
 *  Want an on-campus job this summer?
 *  Want to earn good money?
 *  Want free food?

2-Day Public Service and Nonprofit Opportunities Career Fair

Meet those professionals responsible for hiring for full-time, part-time, internship and volunteer positions with their nonprofit organization or government agency.

•Nonprofit Opportunities
Including more than 50 local and national nonprofit and charitable organizations looking for full and part-time job-seekers, interns and volunteers.
Wednesday, Feb. 17 – 2:30-5:30 [Mary Gates Hall]

•Government Opportunities
Featuring more than 40 local, state and federal government agencies, this day focuses on those opportunities for jobs and internships.
Thursday, Feb. 18 – 2:30-5:30 [Mary Gates Hall]

This 2-day career fair is produced by The Career Center, together with the Carlson Leadership and Public Service Center, the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs, the Jackson School of International Studies and the Program on the Environment, with support from the School of Social Work.

For more information about the event, including an up-to-date list of the organizations and agencies exhibiting, visit our web site: http://careers.washington.edu/Events/PS-NPO-Fair

Become a Summer Orientation Leader

Join UW’s 2010 Orientation Leader Staff!

 *  Want to help new students?
 *  Want to get involved?
 *  Want an on-campus job this summer?
 *  Want to earn good money?
 *  Want free food?

Congratulations—you have found to the right place!

First Year Programs seeks talented UW undergraduates for the 2010-2011 Orientation Leader staff! Students from all class standings, majors, and backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Successful candidates will have a genuine interest in helping other students and their families through their transitions to the UW. Applicants should have strong organizational skills, a desire to get involved with and give back to the University, and an enthusiasm for sharing their UW experiences with new students.

To learn more about this job opportunity and download an application, please visit: http://depts.washington.edu/fyp/work/orientationleaders.

The application deadline is Wednesday, January 27, 2010.  
Applications should be submitted to 191 Mary Gates Hall.

For more details, please attend one of our information sessions:
January 13th, 3:30-4:30pm in McMahon Hall
January 19th, 1:30-2:30pm in MGH 224
January 21st, 1:30-2:30pm in HUB 309
January 22nd, 2:30-3:30pm in MGH 191A

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office at uwao@u… or 206-543-4905.

READY, SET, GO: Your Career Search Starts NOW…

Let me guess what you are thinking: “It’s the first week of the quarter! I’m still trying to figure out where my classes are and someone one is telling me to start my job/internship search.” And, you’d be right—sort of. I am telling you to not lose sight of the career opportunities that are happening now, even in the midst of all the start of the year activity.

The truth about finding your next fulltime job or internship position is that the process is ongoing. Opportunities don’t necessarily happen when you’re ready to look; they happen every day. Some occur through formal settings such as a Career Fair of job announcement. Others occur through informal settings like meeting someone at an event, a campus lecture or even on the bus. The key for you is to be prepared to take advantage of those opportunities when you stumble upon them.

Getting Prepared for Career Opportunities

Continuing Students: Your summer internship or directed field work is over, now what? Ideally your experience was a positive one and you learned a lot about your chosen career field and made professional contacts—but that is only the start. In the article What To Do When the Internship Ends, Michelle Tullier offers these suggestions:

• Take stock of what you learned about your career options during your internship
• Take stock of what your learned about yourself during this internship
• Update your resume
• Request letters of recommendations and send thank-you notes
• Build on the experience

New Students (and Continuing Students): You are pursuing an iSchool degree because you are looking to establish yourself in the information field. So how do go about doing that?

• Update your resume—be sure to include that you are a student and your target graduation date
• Get active in student organizations
• Attend conferences or meetings for professional organizations
• Use social media sites, such as Linked-in, Facebook and MySpace, as professional tools. (This may mean restricting the public access to what you have already posted. Your potential employers may screen candidates by searching for your social network sites.)
• Use the career resources available to you. Visit the UW Career Center web site at least once a week to see what workshops they are offering, which companies are on campus, and identify new job postings
• Order Business Cards through ASIS&T (details to come). This is a great way to introduce yourself to other professionals.

Job/Internship Opportunities available NOW

Many companies are actively recruiting now for internships and fulltime job positions that will start next summer. For example, consulting companies tend to hire all their employees in fall for jobs that start in the summer or following fall. In addition, companies such as Boeing or Microsoft will post summer internship opportunities with deadlines in November and December.

Here are a few great ways to find out about these opportunities:

Workshops

• Career Search 101 – Fri, Oct. 2 OR Mon, Oct. 5 10:30-11:30am, MGH 420, Seattle Campus
  Get a jump start on preparing for your internship or job search! Employers are headed into recruitment season, so students need to get prepped to impress. We’ll give an overview of navigating a career fair, networking, resume-writing, and interviewing. The workshop is scheduled twice to accommodate students’ varying schedules.

iSchool Meet-The-Firms

• Ernst & Young Information Session – Thurs, Oct. 1, 11:00am-1:00pm, Balmer Hall (the Commons), Seattle Campus
  E&Y are recruiting for summer internships and full-time positions as Information Systems Auditor within their Information Technology Risk and Assurance group. Winford Dixon and Kim Lucy are two recent MSIM alums who’re currently working at Ernst & Young, and Winford will be present at the recruiting event.
• KPMG Information Session – Mon, Oct. 5, 11:30am-1:00pm, Balmer Hall (the Commons), Seattle Campus
  KPMG is holding an information fair about job/internship opportunities in their audit, tax, and advisory (which includes IT) units. The positions will be posted soon on HuskyJobs.
• Boeing Information Session – Wed, Oct. 28, 12:00-2:00pm, MGH 420, Seattle Campus
  Representatives from Boeing will talk about their organization and internship opportunities. They are currently accepting applications for their internship positions for 2010 start, and will conduct interviews onsite with iSchool students. Position announcements will be forthcoming.
• DIMG (Disney Interactive Media Group) – Thurs, Nov. 19, 12-2pm, MGH 420

Career Center Company Visits (check the Career Services calendar for opportunities beyond next week.)

• Moss Adams – Mon, 10/5, 5:30-6:30, Career Center lobby
• Deloitte – Tues, 10/6, 11:00am-1:00pm, Balmer Hall Commons
• Pricewaterhouse Coopers – Wed, 10/7, 12:30-2:30, HUB 108

Career Fairs

• Business Career Fair – Tue, Oct. 13, 2:00-6:00pm, HUB Ballrooms, Seattle Campus  
• UW Bothell Career Fair – Wed, Oct. 21, 10:30am-6:30pm, Bothell Campus – North Creek Center
• Science & Engineering Career Fair—Thurs, Oct. 29, 12:00-5:00pm, HUB East and West Ballrooms, Seattle Campus

Overwhelmed?

The job/internship can be overwhelming—especially if you are still exploring your career options. If you are looking for places to get started, pick one or two things I’ve talked about in this blog post and work on them. I also suggest attending the Career 101 workshop which is an overview of what you need to do to jumpstart your career search. Finally, please be sure to use the iSchool and UW resources available to you. A conversation with your academic program adviser is a great place to start.

Submitted by Wendie Phillips, Director of Student Services