Be in the Present

When you're sitting in class or you're at work, what are you thinking? I can tell you that I'm usually either thinking, "What should I eat for lunch?" or "What show should I watch when I get home today?"



We're always thinking about what to do next or about something that's happened already. It's hard for many of us to really be present in the moment and we don't even realize it. When you're thinking, "Wow, I'm really happy my boyfriend texted me this morning" while you're folding shirts at your job at H&M, you're not truly present. You are in the past.



When you're in the past or the future, you're missing out on what's happening right in front of you. If you're at work, the consequence of being in your thoughts or "zoning out" may be missing important instructions from your manager.

There are ways you can stay present in the moment and avoid wandering off mentally. That is through meditation and mindfulness. 

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is the state of being conscious or aware of something.

Here are some mindfulness exercises you can practice to stay present:

• Name five things you hear, see, smell, taste, and feel
• Set an alarm at a specific time to remind yourself to be present
• Look for an object to ground you, such as a bird in the sky. View it as a reminder to be present
• Yoga is a practice in which you must be mindful of your movements

Meditation

Meditation is training the mind to be in a relaxed state. It is a form of mindfulness. 

There are many benefits of meditation:

• Brings us into the present moment
• Relaxes us
• Relieves stress
• Helps us refocus

There are also different ways to meditate:

• With eyes opened or closed, inhale for 5 seconds and exhale for 7 seconds. This is called square breathing.
• Listen to music 
• Take walks
• Aromatherapy; smelling something that is pleasing to the senses such as lavender, which is known to soothe anxiety

If you need any more tips on staying present or relieving stress, visit the Wellness Center at D-102! 

-Amanda Blando

How to Avoid Job & Internship Scams

Have you ever just taken any job or internship opportunity you received without second thought? You might be wondering, "What is there to think about? If you want to make money or gain work experience, you just apply, go to the interview, and take the job."



It sounds simple enough, right? But many don't realize the consequences of jumping on every opportunity they come across. I'm going to give you a couple of things to be mindful about the next time you go job hunting or go looking for internships.

1. Make sure the jobs & internships you take don't seem suspicious.

• Avoid jobs and internships that schedule interviews past business hours. Most offices are closed by 5pm every day and closed on the weekends. If you found a job opening and got an interview at 6am on a Saturday, don't go! It's a scam.
• Watch out for jobs that send you checks before you work. You get paid after you work and if you cash that check, your bank account will close.
• Don't go with listings that sound too good to be true. It's unlikely you'll get paid $10,000 a week by doing a simple task, don't fall for it. 

2. Be weary of Craigslist. 

While there are a lot of sketchy ads on Craigslist and the job listings aren't always promising. You can use these alternatives:

• Go to the Career Development Center at C-102. Ask for job and internship opportunities that have been approved by school and deemed safe for students to apply for. 
• Go on trustworthy websites. Examples are Indeed, Glassdoor, WayUp, and Internships.com

3. Do background checks.

Many jobs & internships are startups that many haven't heard of, while some companies are fake. To avoid walking into a dangerous situation, you can follow these tips: 

• Google the location. If the company address leads to something other than the business (such as an abandoned building), that's when you know it's a scam. 
• Do research on the company. Check whether there's  information on the company, such as reviews, company social media, or pages on their founding members. 
• Check with the Career Center at school. They can verify whether a job or internship is trustworthy. 

-Amanda Blando

How to Practice for an Interview

Need to brush up on your interview skills? Just follow these tips and practice them:

1. Practice in the mirror. When you're at home, pretend you're in an interview and maintain eye contact with yourself in the mirror.

2. Schedule a mock interview at C-102. You will be evaluated on your interviewing skills, etiquette, and presentation. The interview will be tailored to the position you are applying to and will be like an actual interview when you walk in. You can also set up mock interviews with friends. 

3. Learn about interview questions. Get familiar with commonly asked questions and your responses to them. 

Some examples of commonly asked questions interviews are: 

• Tell me about yourself
• What are your greatest strengths? Weaknesses?
• Why do you feel you'll be successful in this position?
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills. 

A good place to look for most commonly asked interview questions is from The Interview Guys at 

https://theinterviewguys.com/top-10-job-interview-questions/

This website provides various, detailed tips for interviewing according to the position you are applying for.


You can also watch their video tutorials to prepare for interviews at: 

https://www.youtube.com/user/The2InterviewGuys

4. Ask other people. People who you know well will tell you their opinion on your strengths and weaknesses. Other people can also give you insight jobs from their experience.

5. Develop a "personal pitch." Know what you are going to say about your educational background, work skills, desired position, and why you are interested the job position. Preparation and prior research on the company may be necessary to develop this. 

If you need more help with your interview skills, go to the Career Center at C-102 and you'll get tips on what to improve. Remember, practice makes perfect! 

-Amanda Blando

Determining Your Levels of Competency on Your Resume

When it comes to your job experiences and skills, you have different levels of competencies. You may have more experience with customer service but have little understanding about working with a cash register, and that's okay. When you are creating your resume, you're tailoring it to your skills by highlighting your skills and your competency in certain areas.

With your qualifications and skills, there are three levels of competency:

• Competent
• More competent
• Very competent

1. Competent

Competent means you have average knowledge in a specific area. You don't have to be an expert, you just have to know the basics of how something works. You may be relatively new to this area and have more to learn. Phrases you can use to describe you are competent in an area are:

• Basic knowledge of...
• Familiarity with..
• Understanding of...
• Experience in...

Example: Familiarity with (POS) Point of Sales terminals

2. More Competent

More Competent means you have more than average knowledge in a specific area. You are not yet an expert, but you have gained more experience and knowledge since you began working in that area. Phrases you can use to describe you are more competent in an area are: 

• Solid understanding of...
• Proficient in...
• In-depth knowledge of....
• Three years experience in...

Example: Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Internet Research

3. Very Competent

Very Competent means you excel in a specific area of work and have had a lot of experience. You have a strong skill set and have a lot of knowledge in a certain area. 

• Highly skilled in...
• Successful experience in...
• Extensive background in....
• Effective in...

Example: Extensive background in working independently and in a team-based environment. 

Hopefully this has helped you gain a better understanding of your skills on your resume!


This was meant to help you highlight your strengths and identify your weaknesses in the work area.



If you need any feedback on your resume, go to the Career Development Center at C-102!



-Amanda Blando

Tips for a Successful Job Interview

Research- The very first thing to do before you even start practicing for the interview is to research the company you’re going to interview with. The employer expects you to talk about the following: how did you hear about this opening, why you want to work here, and what do you know about the company. That’s just the beginning, so you want to make sure you make a great impression on the employer.  This can be achieved by knowing about the company. You can go the company’s website and read the section “About Us”, the Facebook page, or Twitter profile.  These are the things that will give you an idea of what the company is actually about and what they’re expecting from you.

 

Practice-  It’s one of the most crucial things that must be done in order to ace an interview. You will never get a job if you don’t rehearse for an interview. No matter how smart you are, you always have to prep.  One of the best ways to prepare your responses is creating a list of job requirements and matching them to your experience. This way you’ll be able to highlight your experience as well as provide evidence.

In addition, be prepared to answer questions that are not job related because an interviewer might use this strategy to analyze your confidence. So you definitely should prepare your responses for things like the following: What is one of my weaknesses and how am I working on it?  What do I do in a difficult situation? Do I let things go even if there is a need for change, or do I take initiatives to fix something?  How am I capable of doing that?

 

Get Ready Ahead of Time- You should never wait for the last minute to have your interview  outfit ready. You should lay out a professional outfit as soon as possible so you won’t be as worried the day before the interview. You must proofread your resume ahead of time because that way you’ll be able to fix the errors, as well as add your most recent experiences. You definitely need to bring multiple copies of your resume, a pen, and a notepad to the interview.

 

 Punctuality- Arriving a few minutes early to the interview is the key. You never know if the traffic is packed, if there’s an accident on your way or if the building for the interview room is very far away.  You definitely should allow yourself a little extra time to get to the destination, and that way won’t be facing any hassle. You can freshen up prior to the interview, and give yourself a little review. That way you can also kill the nervousness. Arrive early at the location and be ready.  At the end, thank the interviewer and make sure you have everything you need to leave a positive impression on the interviewer for the purpose of getting the job.  

 

                                                                                                                   ~Zeenib Younis

 

Resources

https://www.thebalance.com/how-to-ace-a-job-interview-2058574

https://www.thebalance.com/top-interview-tips-2058577

Internships - Make the Most of Them

Around 75% of college students are working in an internship. This means three out of your four friends have an internship.  What about the last one? Oh, he or she might already have a full time job. How can you make yourself stand out from such a massive amount of students or increase your opportunity to get a full time job through an internship?

            First of all, take the internship as seriously as possible. Your attitude decides what you can get from the internship. Some internships are low-paid or unpaid, so, some people will not pay enough attention to it or even play around.  If you’re like that, I highly recommend you leave the internships for other, more dedicated people.  An internship can provide young workers the opportunity to build skills for their resumes or meet people who are working in their preferred industry, regardless of whether its paid.  If you take the internship seriously and decide to learn from it, I believe you can earn much in the future.   See it as a long-term investment. There is a famous rule: “1.01^365 = 37.78, 0.99^365 = 0.025”, which means if we work a little more in the internship every day, we can get huge return back, and if we work a little less every day, we will lose tremendously in the future.

            Secondly, try to do everything on time. Show up on time in the morning, arrive for meetings before they begin, and complete tasks by their deadlines. Ryan, an executive in  municipal government, says “Always be on time. Summer internships are for a short, defined period of time, so give it 100%. Be willing to get to the office early.”  Being on time seems insignificant. But, if you can be strictly regimented with it, there will be no problem for you to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. Being an intern is not always about the hard or great stuff you can accomplish, but how well you can keep accomplishing the insignificant stuff that you are assigned.

            Thirdly, ask questions.  Embrace questions when you are learning. Often, your colleagues will be willing to help you solve it, so don’t be hesitant to ask. If you have a meeting with your superior, you should think of thoughtful questions in advance, which can demonstrate you have prepared for the meeting and respect his or her time.   If you have a meeting with senior colleagues, you should spend time on looking for some questions they miss.  Don’t just accept things at face value; asking a question is not only  good feedback for the company, but also an effective improvement of yourself.

            Last but not least, build up professional relationships.  We have discussed above, an internship provides you an opportunity to meet people who work in the same or similar field. The career network is invisible wealth. It not only represents your ability, but also can open your eyes. Internship usually don’t last long, so make good use of time to create your circle.

            The internship could be less meaningful, if you just do what you expect. However, it could be valuable, if you can go above and beyond. The more effort you make, the more return you can get back.

                                                                                                                     ~Jaden Jiang

Source: https://hbr.org/2016/07/6-ways-to-make-the-most-of-your-internship