Would you like a chance at winning a great prize? Save these dates -

There are over 3500 new students scheduled to attend orientation during this summer. Are you one of these students? Would you like a chance at winning a great prize? In your orientation packets there is a “dollar” and on the back there is a link which leads to a prize drawing. This year the prize is a great pair of headphones - Beats by Dr. Dre!

Some dates to save!

Visit the Career Development Center for a slice of cake during the Choosa Palooza event on August 23^rd. Watch for more Welcome Week details!

Listen to a day of work related music on KMSU - Labor Day September 2^nd.

Campus and Community Fair – Prizes, Part-time jobs, free food, and much more – why not join us for our first big event? September 4^th in the Myers Field House.

-Matt Carlson

Career Exploration Coordinator

Staffing Companies and how they can work for you!

If you find yourself needing a temporary (one day to one year) position during a break or a transition period, or are looking for something more permanent, working with a staffing company can be a great collaboration! Many people are unsure of what staffing companies do or what services they offer. There are many different kinds of staffing companies that range from general positions to extremely specific types of jobs they recruit for. There are three main types of job placements in the staffing industry:

• Temporary or contract, where you work for a staffing firm's client on an interim basis
• Temp-to-perm or temp-to-hire, where you work for a staffing firm's client on a trial basis to determine if the job is a good fit for your skills, interests, and career goals—if so, you become the client's employee
• Direct hire or permanent, where you are recruited by the staffing firm and then hired by its client (http://www.americanstaffing.net/jobseekers/select.cfm)

 The following information will help you learn more about staffing companies and offer resources to get you in touch with them!

First and foremost, staffing companies offer Jobs!  Staffing companies match millions of people to millions of jobs.

·        2.91 million people per day are employed by staffing companies.

·         11.5 million temporary and contract employees are hired by U.S. staffing firms over the course of a year.

·         79% of temporary and contract employees work full time, virtually the same as the rest of the work force. 

Next, they offer Flexibility.  The staffing industry offers flexibility to both employees and companies. People can choose when, where, and how they want to work. Companies can get the skills they need to keep fully staffed during busy times.

·         66% of temporary employees say flexible work time is important to them.

·         64% of staffing employees report that their work gives them the scheduling flexibility and the time for family that they desire.

·         90% of client businesses say staffing companies give them flexibility to keep fully staffed during busy times.

    Staffing companies act as a Bridge. Temporary and contract work provides a bridge to permanent employment. People can try out a prospective employer and showcase their skills for a permanent job.

·         88% of staffing employees say that temporary or contract work made them more employable.

·         77% of staffing employees say it's a good way to obtain a permanent job.

·         80% of staffing clients say staffing firms offer a good way to find people who can become permanent employees.

  If you want  Choice, a staffing company may be fore you! Many people choose temporary and contract work as an employment option. They can select their work schedules and choose among a variety of diverse and challenging assignments.

·         67% of staffing employees say choice of assignments was an important factor in their job decision.

·         23% of staffing employees have little or no interest in a permanent job—they prefer the alternative arrangement over traditional employment.

·         33% of staffing employees say they work for a staffing company because they like the diversity and challenge of different jobs.

Statistics taken from:  http://www.americanstaffing.net/staffingsmarts/f_facts.html

Where to find them:

Staffing companies are easy to find, but make sure to do some research to see which one is right for you. By searching “Minnesota Staffing Agencies” in your search bar, many will show up. The great thing about Staffing Agencies is that they are across the country, so type in any city or state you may be looking to relocate to. Give them a call, read through their website, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. They want to help you!

-Kady Johnson, CDC Graduate Assistant

You have your Cap and Gown - Now What?

Graduation is fast approaching and that may bring some anxiety about what your next step will be. If you are graduating on May 11^th and don’t have a job in your field yet, don’t give up - there is still hope! The following is a list of tips that could help you in your search for that perfect position!

Network!

Networking opens the door to a lot of job openings you would never otherwise know about. In addition, by networking you can learn a lot about breaking into your chosen career field and meeting some great people. Schedule an informational interview with someone who holds a position you are searching for. Lastly, be a “billboard” for yourself; tell friends and family what you are searching for. The more eyes looking out for you, the better!

Use Social Media

Social media networks are excellent avenues to go down in order to increase the awareness that you are in need of a job. It is important to understand that applying for jobs is not always the best way to obtain one. Instead, let people know that you are available for work! Refer back to our blog about utilizing social media in your job search.

Invest Your Time

If you find yourself in need of a temporary or part time job while you are searching for your professional position, try to find a position that is related to the field/position you are interested in. In addition, consider interning for a few hours per week in an organization of interest. An internship is a great way of getting your foot in the door!

Career Development Center

The Career Development Center services are available to alumni for no cost! We are here to assist you throughout the summer months and beyond. If you need to polish up your resume and cover letter or need interview tips or practice, be sure to make an appointment! 

~Cassie Goff 
CDC Graduate Assistant

What are you doing this summer besides having fun? Here's what you CAN do -

Turn this summer into a professional, positive, and proactive
experience.  All roads lead to your future, so make a road worth traveling down.

Consider your budget, career path, and personal goals when seeking out a summer position.  If you need help getting started with this process, the Career Development Center can assist you! 

During your summer job or internship I urge you to keep three assets in mind: Learning experience, building your resume, and making connections.

Learning Experience - This summer is a time to

• learn about yourself,
• learn about who you admire and
• learn about your work interests

If you do not gain feedback from co-workers or supervisors, ask for it.  Take criticism and ask what to improve on, put the comments to use to grow. 

Build Resume - Summer positions help you experience new responsibilities.  Look for the opportunity to lead in your position.  As more responsibilities are delegated to you remember to be resourceful.  Pay attention to how things work around you, individuals’ roles, and what systems are in place or possibly lacking.  Make note of all these tasks and responsibilities to add to your resume.  A position description will help with the wording on your resume.

Make Connections -  Finding a mentor during your summer position is an asset for a lifetime!  Stay in touch with new connections you form and let them know the impact they have made in your professional life.  A professional network that may help keep connections is LinkedIn.  If these professionals can speak to your skills and abilities, ask them to be a reference before your final days.

 Please visit our CDC webpage that can guide you down this exciting road to summer jobs and internships!  Make the most of your SUMMER!

-Shannon Dale, CDC Graduate Assistant

Making Time for Career Development: A Survival Guide

In these busy days, sometimes it feels like we are just trying to survive! We are trying to survive the unseasonably cold weather, our hectic schedules as the semester comes to a close, our many obligations, all the while doing our best to make progress in our career development! With so many things coming at us, and not enough hours in the day to complete all our tasks, it might be easy to let our career development fall to the wayside. If you are feeling overwhelmed with the idea of making progress on your career development plans, the Career Development Center is here to help! First things first, before you can thrive as a competitive candidate in the job market, you must first figure out how to survive! Here is a Survival Guide for making time for your Career Development while managing a hectic schedule.

Survival Tip Number #1: Use your resources

Suggested time of investment: 5 -15 minutes monthly

*Increased frequency during a job search.

Use your network. Don’t reinvent the wheel folks. You already have a support system of classmates, professors, advisors, mentors, and campus resources at your fingertips! Challenge yourself to reach out to a handful of these people, talk to them about your plans, share your frustrations or your confusion about where to go next, and ask for guidance. You will find that if you are willing to reach out, people will be more than willing to help! Need a safe place/unbiased third party to talk to about your career development? You guessed it- The CDC is here for you!

Survival Tip Number #2: Know your Strengths and Skills

Suggested time of investment: 45 minutes every 4-6 months

*Increased frequency during a job search.

With so much going on, maybe adding something to your list sounds really intimidating. Examining what strengths and skills you already possess can help you discover what step to take next and possibly hone in on some areas to emphasize in your resume.

·         Ask your friends, family, and trusted network what they perceive your strengths, skills, and qualities to be.

·         What have you received compliments on in the past?

·         What quality in yourself do you pride?

·         What experiences have you had that are profound or important to who YOU are?

Survival Tip Number #3: Reframe: What are you doing now and how might that influence your career development process?

Suggested time of investment: 5 -15 minutes monthly

*Increased frequency during a job search.

Take a look at the things you are currently doing and apply your career development lens to these:

·         What does my online presence say about me?

·         What does my current voicemail message sound like and what might an employer think about it?

·         If I were to Google myself what would show up?

·         What are my grades like this semester?

·         What am I doing with my free time?

·         What are my current coping strategies?

·         Who do I spend my time with?

·         What is missing from my resume that I would like to accomplish?

Survival Tip Number #4: Make a Plan

Suggested time of investment: 1 hour independently + 30 – 45 minutes in collaboration with a friend, professor, advisor, mentor or career counselor.

Create a plan for your career development early. It is never too early or too late to start! The CDC is open this summer from 8 AM - 4 PM. If you have an hour to spare this May, June, July, or August consider making an appointment with a career counselor to talk about your plans for the future!

Following this Survival Guide will help you set a bit of time aside to assist you in working on your Career Development process and will positively influence your path towards being offered a position in your field. Revisiting any of these survival tips can help you thrive and aid you in becoming an exceptional candidate in this competitive job market! Continue developing your professional network, continue reflecting on where you’ve been and what goals you have for yourself, and continue planning for your career development. As always, if at any step along the way you feel stuck, would like suggestions, or would like to talk to someone who’s been there - stop by the CDC!

Best wishes as you practice your survival skills and make headway on your career development process!

Sincerely,
Karina Clennon

Doctoral Intern, CDC

  

Graduate Follow-up Survey! Why is it important?

Graduation is a short 25 days away! Where did the time go?!

The Career Development Center has been a great resource for you so far, and we can continue to be a wonderful resource for you once you graduate.

So how can you help us? Well, by completing the Graduate Follow-up Survey of course!

This is a survey for graduates to help give us a picture of where Mavericks are and what they are doing.  We use the information in many different ways- so, if you’re not graduating this semester, listen up! This is how you can use this information too - We post, on our website, an anonymous collection of results to show where our cherished Mavericks are! 

Take a peek at what the Class of 2011 is doing here.

Pretty cool? This is helpful for current students to check out and see what it is that they could do after graduating - whether it be continuing with graduate schools, entering the work force, joining the Peace Corps, the list goes on! And it is broken down by Colleges, Majors and a quick Snapshot of the student's responses.

25 Days left…Spring is coming…And You All Can Do It! 

You can click here to take the survey! It's a very short survey so shouldn't take much of your time! 

Come visit us in the CDC if there is anything else we can do to help! QuickStop hours are from 11-2 p.m.,  Monday-Friday.

Take care -

Liz Hanley

Career Development Center Graduate Intern

Class of 2013  :)

What do you know about MAVJOBS?

MavJobs.com is your one stop shop for finding jobs & internships, registering for on-campus career events, and receiving career tips! Besides its job and resume functions, students can use MavJobs to research careers, industries and employers, and access exclusive webinars, handouts, and the latest Salary Survey and Job Choices publications in the Resources|Document Library section of MavJobs.

Employers intentionally post jobs to MavJobs! Many of the positions found on MavJobs are from employers who specifically post to our system looking for MSU students and graduates, either because the employers are local to the area, or they have heard of our successful programs, or because they have hired other MSU students and alumni and see the quality of MSU candidates.

You can search on other job boards through MavJobs! Besides MavJobs.com, you can also search other job boards from within MavJobs, such as the more regional jobs in LandIt, or government jobs in USA Jobs, or jobs in another part of the country or world through the USA Career Guides and Going Global links. The Going Global section of MavJobs is a great resource for searching for jobs and internships overseas!

You can have MavJobs search for jobs specific to you! MavJobs now has a notification on the student home page whenever it finds jobs that look like they might match your criteria, based on your profile and any jobs you have looked at or applied to in the past.  You can also setup and activate a search agent to get those notifications sent to you via email!

You can sign up for a career counseling appointment through MavJobs! Students can setup an appointment with one of our staff via the online scheduling too available under Calendar|Counseling Appointment.

Tips about navigating MavJobs.com

You can upload your resume and apply for jobs and internships by first logging in with your campus email and password. Every student has a log in for MavJobs. That is how you get started!

STEP 1: The very first time you login, you will have to fill out a profile so the site has your information.

STEP 2: Upload your resume to MavJobs through the “documents” tab.

Upload your resume so that it can be included in the “resume book”.  Employers looking for talent can then search for and reach out directly to potential candidates who meet their criteria – so you might get an offer to apply for or interview for a job with a company, even if the job has not been posted to MavJobs!

STEP 3: Search for jobs under the “Jobs, Internships, On-campus Interviews” tab.

STEP 4: Follow the instructions on how to apply for specific jobs; each application process is different.

Don’t forget to check the Shortcuts section on the student home page for links to our helpful CareerSpots videos and Job Search Links by Major/Field!

Need assistance navigating MavJobs? Stop in the CDC during QuickStop for one-on-one help!

– Cassie Goff, Graduate Assistant, CDC

– Chris Lienemann, Technology & Information Specialist, CDC