Visit to NY Aquarium - STEM Majors!!

Are you a Bio major?  Are you interested in one of the STEM fields?  Then join us for a Real World Visit to the NY Aquarium on November 17th!  See the flyer below for more details.

How to Rock the Job & Internship Fair

Before:

·        Start off a good and prepared morning with Breakfast. It is essential that you don’t skip the most important meal of the day as it would help you stay energized and focused for all the job and internship opportunities you will encounter at the fair.

·        Set out a Business Casual outfit the night before. There should be no rush when getting dressed in the morning. You want to make sure that you have time to try on a pair of pants and iron them properly for the next day. Also, pay close attention to the dress code. If it's business casual, the clothing choice may consist of light or dark neutral colored shirts, slacks, skirts, ties and closed shoes.

·        Research who will be attending the fair. This is a strategic way to prepare yourself by finding out what types of companies/organizations will be attending, especially those in your field of interest.

·        Print out Resumes. Approximately 10 to 15 copies of your resume would help set you to that about amount of companies/organizations you will get to know at the
fair. Make sure to proofread your resume before printing them out. It should be
simple and clear to understand but don’t be afraid to showcase your qualities
and strengths gained from your work experiences in your resume. An alternative
to resumes is business cards. They are convenient for the recruiters and you
can simply add your name, email, phone number, and title-major.

During:

·        Introduce yourself with a firm handshake. It is important to make a good first impression. I have learned some tips on how to introduce myself without awkwardness by watching others introduce themselves awkwardly. It happens, but it’s good to practice.  First thing to keep in mind when introducing yourself is to stand up. You don’t want to be slouching or appear unsure of anything, make sure that
when you walk up to meet someone you appear confident and whilst talking to the
recruiter stand with good posture. Second, remember to smile as it helps put you and the recruiter at ease when introducing each other. Third, make sure to say your name loudly and clearly and practice this one in order to avoid mumbling or saying your name too loud. Finally, remember to give a firm handshake. I was told that a firm handshake can tell the person that you are hardworking, caring and attentive. So keep in mind these tips as you practice to becoming a pro at introducing yourself.

·        Make sure to visit everyone. You should try to meet every company/organization that focuses on your field of interest. I would set a goal to meet up to 10 recruiters and if any time remains, I would strive to visit the others that I wanted to meet as
well.

·        Make personal connections. During the fair, you will be networking with many recruiters so it important that you keep note of every important piece of information that was shared by you and the recruiter. Also, if you have done research of the
company/organization prior to the fair then use what you took from the research
to ask questions on the background of the programs offered or of the recruiter
in terms of how they got the job and/or ask for their tips to take in mind as
you develop your career goals. This way of building rapport with the recruiter
can show that you are really interested in working for that company/organization and it may open an opportunity to be interviewed for a potential position.

After:

·      Organize all information collected at the fair. Make sure that you take a moment to keep all brochures, business cards, or any noted details in order so that it is easier to track down the contact information of a recruiter from a company/organization that may have an internship opportunity that you want to follow up on.

·        Send out thank you emails. It is preferable to do this 24 hours after the fair. Make sure to mention who you are and thank the recruiters on taking their time to speak with
you. Also, point out details from your conversation and any questions you wanted to ask them further on your field of interest.

·         Time to move up the ranks. If during the fair you noted or was told that to be a potential candidate for a job that you are interested in, you must have a specific type of skill or knowledge on, let’s say computer software. Then start preparing to accomplish that requirement so that you are prepared for that job and many other job opportunities.

·         Consider this fair as a trial run for the next one. It is very good to use these
types of events to help prepare yourself on the next event because staying
proactive with your job search will get you closer to a successful career path.

Job & Internship fairs are important, professional, but a great and exciting opportunity to building a successful career and future. Do the best you can!  

Allison De La Rosa, Career Peer’ 16

Get Involved on Campus!

Visit us in C-102 to sign up!!

Improve Your Interview Skills

Are you extremely nervous when you have a job interview?

Do you know how to answer typical interview questions?

Are you aware of your body language and how it affects you in the interview?

If you'd like to improve your interview skills, participate in the How to Ace the Interview workshop on Wednesday, October 26th at 11:30am.

 

For more information, visit us in C-102!

Be a Teacher for a Day!

Interested in making a difference?  Check this opportunity out!

Resume: Do's and Do not's

What is a Resume? Why is it so important? Well, a resume, for one, is your ticket in the professional world. It's a document which highlights your skills, achievements, and abilities. A resume speaks for you without you having to do so. It's a reflection of you during your career.

However, you have to be very careful with what you write in a resume and what you don't. A resume should speak for you, but it shouldn't be your autobiography. The document is not your life story, but rather an advertisement tool to bring you into the business world.

Writing a resume for the first time is always difficult, as we don't understand the pros and cons, but we all have to start somewhere. Hence, this short post on the do's and do not's of a resume.

Your resume should include the following:

• Contact information (Name, email, address, phone number)
• Objective
• Education
• Experience
• Skills

What your resume should NOT include:

• Personal details
• Your age
• References
• Irrelevant work experience
• Unprofessional email
• Salary information
• Fancy fonts

~Momina Shabbir

A brief look into interviews.

                                                         Interviewing

What are some typical interview questions and good responses?

Typical Interview questions vary depending on the type of job you are getting, but some of the most common questions are:

• Why do you want to work for us? (Talk about it's mission, environment, and even why you like the company.)
• Tell me about yourself. (DO NOT: Talk about personal things. DO: Talk about your skills and accomplishments.)
• Why should we hire you? (Sell yourself by trying to impress them for example talk about your experience, accomplishments, and skills.)
• How did you hear about us? ( Always do research beforehand about the company. If you have heard of the company it should be easy, but if its your first time hearing about the company just be honest and show that you've done your research.)
• What do you like about our company?( Once again talk about the environment, working conditions, as well as good things you've heard.
• What are you strengths/weaknesses? (Tell them your strengths, but a good hint is to make your weaknesses into strengths for example: "I'm very competitive"/ "I'm a perfectionist" if not you could tell them a weakness but always tell them how you are trying to overcome that weakness/

What are the different types of interviews? 

1) Traditional one on one job interview:

The traditional one on one interview is where you are interviewed by one representative of the company, most likely the manager of the position you are applying for. Because you will be working with this person directly if you get the job, he/she will want to get a feel for who you are and if your skills match those of the job requirements.

2) Panel interview:

In a panel interview, you will be interviewed by a panel of interviewers. The panel may consist of different representatives of the company such as human resources, management, and employees. The reason why some companies conduct panel interviews is to save time or to get the collective opinion of panel regarding the candidate. Each member of the panel may be responsible for asking you questions that represent relevancy from their position.

3) Behavioral interview:

In a behavioral interview, the interviewer will ask you questions based on common situations of the job you are applying for. The logic behind the behavioral interview is that your future performance will be based on a past performance of a similar situation. You should expect questions that inquire about what you did when you were in XXX situation and how did you dealt with it. In a behavioral interview, the interviewer wants to see how you deal with certain problems and what you do to solve them.

4) Group interview:

Many times companies will conduct a group interview to quickly prescreen candidates for the job opening as well as give the candidates the chance to quickly learn about the company to see if they want to work there. Many times, a group interview will begin with a short presentation about the company. After that, they may speak to each candidate individually and ask them a few questions.

5) Phone interview:

A phone interview may be for a position where the candidate is not local or for an initial prescreening call to see if they want to invite you in for an in-person interview. You may be asked typical questions or behavioral questions.

6) Lunch interview:

Many times lunch interviews are conducted as a second interview. The company will invite you to lunch with additional members of the team to further get to know you and see how you fit in. This is a great time to ask any questions you may have about the company or position as well, so make sure you prepare your questions in advance.

What are some interview "Dos" and "Don'ts"?

Do:

• Be respectful
• Groom yourself
• Speak in a optimistic manner
• Dress to Impress
• Smile
• Keep eye contact

Don't:

• Wear strong perfume/cologne.
• Chew gum
• Speak out of turn
• Come dressed inappropriately 

~Andy Yan-Bai

The Ins and Outs of Networking

What is networking?
Networking is socializing and creating relationships with other people. The relationships you form can help benefit you and your career as well as benefit the person you formed the relationship with. 



Networking Events
There are many different ways that people network. There are:

• Job Fairs
• College Fairs
• LinkedIn Groups
• Chamber of Commerce Events
• Happy Hour (if you are of age of course)
• College Alumni Programs

How to network

• Don't be afraid of making conversation. 
• Look pleasant and friendly. Greet people warmly and preferably with a firm handshake.
• Have business cards on hand. If you meet someone you really connect with you can just hand them over a business card with all of your information on it. It's simple and faster than writing down all of your info on a piece of paper continuously the whole night.
• Strike up some conversation before asking for a favor. If you just straight up ask for favors it can come off as rude and it makes it seem like you only want to use them instead of having a genuine relationship.
• After leaving with someone's information, be sure to follow up with them! Contact them every once in a while to keep things flowing.

-Naomi Ricketts