Connection to the Real World--Employment, Graduate School--Start Networking!

Throughout my time at B-W I have realized how extremely important it is to network and establish connections for future endeavors. Whether you are searching and applying for jobs, internships or graduate school, it is important for you to begin establishing a connection to the real world early in your college career. This will allow you to be better prepared for life after graduation. Let me explain how you can begin this process:

•Test drive career choices with internships to see if you like the environment or career path.

•Evaluate your best fit career choice based on your interests and strengths.

•If you’re unsure about attending graduate school, then research graduate school programs, requirements, and talk to professionals in the field.

•In addition, begin to network with employers you meet, attend networking events on campus, connect with alumni career mentors, and keep close contact with past employers & contacts for future references.

Compile a list of people who can serve as potential references by developing relationships with faculty and supervisors. Come to Career Services and utilize the mentoring program, Career Connections. This program allows you to connect with B-W’s alumni professional who have volunteered to provide you with real world advice and tips on how they reached their goals, the process of adjusting to life after college, and much more. You can also consider informational interviewing that will allow you to identify what employers in your field seek and begin to prepare by tailoring your experiences or developing necessary skills. Baldwin-Wallace College and Career Services can provide you with many resources to prepare you for the real world. Begin taking advantage of all the resources that will help you down the path to a successful career.

Reasons to Consider a Job with the Federal Government

When students start looking for jobs, a lot of them don’t consider the possibility of working for the government. They may think that they aren’t qualified, there aren’t any jobs that would fit with their major, or that the government doesn’t hire students who haven’t graduated or who are fresh out of college. However, this is not the case. According to a new report — Where the Jobs Are: Mission Critical Opportunities for America, released in July by the Partnership for Public Service, government-wide projected hiring needs based on a survey of 34 federal agencies and representing nearly 99 percent of the federal workforce , finds nearly 193,000 mission critical jobs need to be filled in the next two years!

There are also some benefits included with a job in public service, including loan repayment! The Federal student loan repayment program permits agencies to repay federally insured student loans as a recruitment or retention incentive for candidates or current employees of the agency. The program implements 5 U.S.C. 5379, which authorizes agencies to set up their own student loan repayment programs to attract or retain highly qualified employees.

So where do you look if you’re interested in working for the government? Here are some sites to get you started:

• http://www.studentjobs.gov
• http://www.students.gov.
• http://www.usajobs.gov
• www.makingthedifference.org/index.shtml
• www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/employ/govtjob/fedjob.pdf
• www.pmf.opm.gov/

Finally, here are some tips on finding a job with the federal government: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWcJWyHEn9Q

The Career Services Office also has many resources available in our resource library and online. Stop by Bonds 104 or call 440-826-2101 if you have any questions!

References

References are essential elements to a resume that can further solidify your hiring at a company. Companies look to references to gain further insight on: who you are as a person, what type of work ethic you possess, and what type of skills you bring to the table. Furthermore, references can either make or break you. Be sure to ask before adding someone to your resume as a reference; this can backfire and become a very messy situation if the reference does not know of you adding them as a reference. In addition, make sure that you have a well-developed relationship with the person you chose as a reference.

Next, after choosing the appropriate reference, it’s time to prepare them to be able to speak informatively about you in the letter; this should involve giving them a copy of your resume, talking with them about your goals and aspirations, as well as, informing them of the position you are applying for and the job requirements; this will allow them to tailor your skills to the position and speak strongly about you as a candidate.

Lastly, follow-up and thank them for taking the time out to write the reference letter and be sure to keep them updated on the outcome of the whole process.

All You Need to Know about Internships

Internships are a great opportunity to get experience in a field that is interesting to you! Whether you're interested in a specific career path, major, or simply curious about what a job requires, internships offer real life experience for academic credit.

Benefits of internships include:

• Test potential career paths without a permanent, full-time commitment.
  
• Develop competencies and gain knowledge that employers seek when hiring college graduates.


• Explore and clarify your major and career goals with professionals in your field.


• Establish a network of professional contacts and mentors who may serve as references and assist you with your professional, full-time search.
  
• Increase your marketability for your full-time employment and admission to graduate school.
  
• Take responsibility for your own learning and create a more rewarding college experience.
  

Career Services is offering an Exploring Internship Workshop a few times throughout the semester. Anyone curious about internships will benefit from this workshop, so come find out anything you would want to know about how to get an internship.

To begin the process of interning, you will need to attend an Internship Registration Workshop, offered every Tuesday at noon in Career Services, Bonds room 104. Pre-registration isn't necessary.

The following resources can help you locate an internship:

• Office of Career Services
  
• B-W Career Network
  
• ClevelandIntern.Net
  
• Annual Career & Internship Expo
  
• Family, friends, faculty, and staff contacts
  

Remember that you must have at least Sophomore status, carry at least a 2.0 GPA, and meet the criteria established by the specific department/division and the Office of Career Services.

Examples of places B-W students have interned in the past include:

• The Cleveland Museum of Art
  
• The FBI
  
• The Cleveland Clinic
  
• The Cleveland Indians
  
• The Cleveland Cavaliers
  
• The Cleveland Browns
  
• The Cleveland Orchestra
  
• The Great Lakes Theater Festival
  
• FirstEnergy
  
• Earth Day Coalition
  

Further information and guidelines about internships can be found on the B-W Career Network, the Career Services website, and by calling or stopping by the office of Career Services, located in Bonds room 104. Start planning for this terrific opportunity!

IMPORTANT INTERVIEWING TIPS!!!

Dear Fellow B-W Students,

Have you ever wondered how to prepare for an interview? How to answer questions. How not to answer questions. What to ask. What not to ask. Have you thought about how you act during an interview? Perhaps you fidget or close your eyes or make funny faces.

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, I would encourage you to drop by Career Services and take advantage of a great technology tool. Wouldn’t it be great to see yourself in an interview situation and be able to evaluate yourself? With Perfect Interview, you can hear your "ums", "uhs" and "okays", listen to your responses and observe your behavior. Perfect Interview is a software program that simulates an interview situation. A web cam actually tapes your practice interview. The software includes features to coach and guide you in answering questions appropriately. How great is that? I have used Perfect Interview and it was helpful to see my reactions. Now I know what I need to practice to improve my interviewing skills. So stop by Career Services and schedule a time to use the Perfect Interview software. Practice is key to acing an interview.

Here are some interviewing tips that I have found helpful:

· Research the company you are interviewing, jot down notes to take with you to your interview.
· Prepare a list of question to ask the interviewer(s).
· Prepare any documents, writing samples, extra copies of your resume ahead of time. Avoid doing this the day of your interview.
· Get enough sleep the night before
· If the location of the interview is at an unfamiliar place, drive by the day before to avoid getting lost and being late the day of your interview.
· Make sure you are comfortable in business attire. It is always best to err on the conservative side than to not be professionally dressed.
· Arrival early to have time to catch your breath and observe the work environment.
· Ask for a business card to follow-up with a thank you note.

Here are some questions that are common for an interviewer to ask:

1. Tell me about yourself?
2. Describe a difficult work situation/project and how you overcame it.
3. What do you find are the most difficult decisions to make?
4. How do you handle stress and pressure?
5. What do people most often criticize about you?
6. Why should we hire you?
7. What challenges are you looking for in a position?
8. What did you like or dislike about your previous job?
9. Who was your best boss and who was the worst?
10. If you can have your ideal position, what would it be and what would you be doing?
11. What do/did you like most about your job? (As listed in your resume)
12. What is your salary requirement? Make sure to research and respond with a broad range. (Don't ask for too much or too little).

First-Year Open House

Calling all freshmen, Baldwin-Wallace College Career Services is hosting their annual First-Year Open House; this is a great opportunity to learn the inner-workings of Career Services and what they have to offer; when I attended last year I felt it was very helpful and allowed me to become acquainted with the advisors and the different programs that are offered. There will be stations pertaining to different areas of interest, a peer internship panel, complimentary pizza, and a raffle. All of the above are very beneficial; what better way to spend the lunch hour than to learn about Career Services, internships, and eating pizza, so come out and mingle with Career Services and I even heard that B-W’s very own Stinger will be in attendance!!

The Benefits of Studying Abroad

So...why should you consider studying off-campus? This is a loaded question with many different answers depending on personal aspirations, needs, and your unique point-of-view. Maybe you are interested in learning another language. Perhaps you view studying abroad as a positive career move. Or maybe this is an opportunity to explore the world and experience life from a different perspective. Regardless of your reasons, studying abroad offers numerous educational and personal outcomes.

Here are just a few:

Study abroad can be an enriching and eye-opening adventure, where learning extends to the world beyond the classroom walls. There is no substitute for living and studying in a foreign country if you want to gain in-depth knowledge of another culture's customs, people, and language. In addition, you will find that living and studying or working in another country can develop important transnational competencies that can be of interest to future employers.

Study abroad can broaden your intellectual horizons and deepen your knowledge and understanding of international, political, and economic issues. It is almost certain that you will return from your sojourn abroad with a more informed and accurate perspective on world affairs. You will also have first-hand knowledge of how another culture approaches the tasks and challenges of everyday life, a sense of how 'global' the international culture has become, and an appreciation of the importance of international cooperation.

Study abroad does more than promote academic enrichment and personal growth. It also can enhance your employment prospects, especially in the fields of business, international affairs, and government service. Employers increasingly seek graduates who have studied abroad. They know that students who have successfully completed a study abroad program are likely to possess international knowledge and often second-language skills. Such students are also likely to have other transnational competencies that graduate and professional schools and employers value just as highly: cross-cultural communication skills, analytical skills, an understanding of and familiarity with local customs and cultural contexts, flexibility, resilience, and the ability to adapt to new circumstances and deal constructively with differences. (See From Toward Transnational Competence, IIE 1997.)

So you're thinking about studying abroad. Maybe you know where you'd like to go, or maybe you'd like to know more about the programs and which ones are best suited to your major. What's the next step?

Visit the B-W Study Abroad Office website at http://www.bw.edu/academics/study-abroad/ or call/email the office at:

explore@bw.edu
(440) 826-2231