I still haven't heard back from the company I had a follow up interview with. I keep running through the phone interview in my head, and while I felt it went well I'm still questioning it. I think this waiting is the worst part. They told me that I would know one way or the other before the holidays, so I should be hearing back soon. I was really lucky with my other interview because I received the job offer the same day, which was great seeing as I am horribly impatient.
My plan for break is use CareerSearch to find 10 internship positions that are a little closer to home, and would save on the travel and housing costs. I'll keep you up to date on how that goes. I figure 10 seems like a completely achievable goal and I would REALLY REALLY like to stay closer to home. I know it sounds pigheaded but I don't want to have to move twice in one summer, that's too much additional stress without even taking school or work into account. I just need to decide what I want to do. The thing that scares me most would be turning down a sure thing and not being able to find another position. I still have time though to figure things out I just need to actually make a decision about it all.
Other than that it's officially break for me!!! At this point I can't wait to get home, see my dog and break out the Christmas decorations!
Hope you all don't get too stressed with finals and have an awesome break!
Happy Holidays!!!!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Oh Frustration
So yesterday I had a conversation with one of my very good friends... Let's call him Bob (his name's not really Bob FYI).
Bob is looking for a summer internship but refuses to use any of the CDC's resources. He looked in JobFinder once and there weren't any jobs that fit his very specific criteria, so he's done with utilizing WPI's help.
Rather than get extraordinarily frustrated with Bob, I can't help but think others might be in the same boat so I figured I would try to explain the different CDC services offered to WPI students. I know I just mentioned CareerSearch a few weeks ago, but it's THAT important that I should be mentioning it again!
JobFinder is a GREAT starting point in your job search. Sometimes there will be something great on there, other times positions listed might not interest you. That is completely fine! I know way to many people who resign themselves to the mentality of "I can't find a job." DON"T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU!!! JobFinder is the WPI system of connecting employers with students directly. Certain companies prefer to use our system while others would like you to use theirs. This is where CareerSearch comes into play. Yes it takes a little more effort on your part to find companies and apply to them, but it's really no harder than applying to colleges. A simple search generates TONS of companies. It might take some work to figure out exactly WHAT you want to search for, but once you do there should be about 20-30 viable company leads. CareerSearch gives you everything from a company summary, to their website, to contact information.
Check on these company's websites to see if they have a career page (as most do) and look at positions that way. There are going to be more than you are expecting there to be!
Sorry about the rant for today. It may sound really cheezy but I just really want my friends to find jobs that they're happy with... so I keep bothering them til they do what they need to. :-D
If you're unsure about how to use ANY of the services the CDC offers, or if you're having trouble with any of them (note: if CareerSearch returns nothing you're most likely having trouble with the system), please please PLEASE stop by the CDC and ask for help!
Bob is looking for a summer internship but refuses to use any of the CDC's resources. He looked in JobFinder once and there weren't any jobs that fit his very specific criteria, so he's done with utilizing WPI's help.
Rather than get extraordinarily frustrated with Bob, I can't help but think others might be in the same boat so I figured I would try to explain the different CDC services offered to WPI students. I know I just mentioned CareerSearch a few weeks ago, but it's THAT important that I should be mentioning it again!
JobFinder is a GREAT starting point in your job search. Sometimes there will be something great on there, other times positions listed might not interest you. That is completely fine! I know way to many people who resign themselves to the mentality of "I can't find a job." DON"T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU!!! JobFinder is the WPI system of connecting employers with students directly. Certain companies prefer to use our system while others would like you to use theirs. This is where CareerSearch comes into play. Yes it takes a little more effort on your part to find companies and apply to them, but it's really no harder than applying to colleges. A simple search generates TONS of companies. It might take some work to figure out exactly WHAT you want to search for, but once you do there should be about 20-30 viable company leads. CareerSearch gives you everything from a company summary, to their website, to contact information.
Check on these company's websites to see if they have a career page (as most do) and look at positions that way. There are going to be more than you are expecting there to be!
Sorry about the rant for today. It may sound really cheezy but I just really want my friends to find jobs that they're happy with... so I keep bothering them til they do what they need to. :-D
If you're unsure about how to use ANY of the services the CDC offers, or if you're having trouble with any of them (note: if CareerSearch returns nothing you're most likely having trouble with the system), please please PLEASE stop by the CDC and ask for help!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
How to find a job over winter break!
While I've been having a little luck with my internship search, I know many of you are having a hard time finding internships and full time positions in this economy. I'm not going to lie - it's tough, but definitely not impossible. This hiccup just means that you need to put in a little more effort into your search. Don't rely on getting emails telling you to apply for jobs, go out and search for them yourself!
So I know all of you reading this are probably dealing with finals right about now, so I'm going to give you a few things you should start doing now to prepare yourself to go into full job search mode while you're on break.
First - GET YOUR RESUME CRITIQUED!! Even if you've had it checked in the past, I'm sure SOMETHING has changed. Get it up to date and have it critiqued before break.
Second - Learn how to write a cover letter! If the bulk of your searching isn't going to happen til break you really can't do this ahead of time as they should be tailored for each position. Talk to a CDC counselor and/or check out some of the handouts and samples available in the CDC.
Third - Try to go on a mock interview. I know that this is one of the more time consuming suggestions I have but it's really worth it to be prepared. The skills you gain during your mock interview will undoubtedly help you in all of your interviews.
Note: I've just suggested 3 things. There's a ton else you can be working on too, but stick with these if you aren't sure where to start. I know it's finals week, and that you are all probably stressed and don't want to think about finding a job, but it's much easier to do while you're on campus!! Put in a little effort now and you'll be prepared come the Spring fairs!
Good luck and PLEASE start working on this stuff NOW!
So I know all of you reading this are probably dealing with finals right about now, so I'm going to give you a few things you should start doing now to prepare yourself to go into full job search mode while you're on break.
First - GET YOUR RESUME CRITIQUED!! Even if you've had it checked in the past, I'm sure SOMETHING has changed. Get it up to date and have it critiqued before break.
Second - Learn how to write a cover letter! If the bulk of your searching isn't going to happen til break you really can't do this ahead of time as they should be tailored for each position. Talk to a CDC counselor and/or check out some of the handouts and samples available in the CDC.
Third - Try to go on a mock interview. I know that this is one of the more time consuming suggestions I have but it's really worth it to be prepared. The skills you gain during your mock interview will undoubtedly help you in all of your interviews.
Note: I've just suggested 3 things. There's a ton else you can be working on too, but stick with these if you aren't sure where to start. I know it's finals week, and that you are all probably stressed and don't want to think about finding a job, but it's much easier to do while you're on campus!! Put in a little effort now and you'll be prepared come the Spring fairs!
Good luck and PLEASE start working on this stuff NOW!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Follow up!!
Alright... so I just got out of my phone interview and all things considered I think it went really well.... except for the fact that I'm pretty sure I giggled somewhat incessantly throughout the interview. Well not giggled per say, but I was focusing on trying to smile throughout the interview as all the tips suggested and I think it came across kind of strange. We'll see how it goes though, I should be hearing about it shortly.
So now here goes my new found perspective on phone interviews. While they are extremely different from face-to-face interviews, you need to treat it as if they're the same. I think this is where I fell short. Things were very relaxed and it was extremely difficult for me to remain professional throughout it felt like a conversation and not really an interview. Here are my modified tips!!
- PRINT OUT YOUR RESUME
- PRINT OUT THE JOB POSTING
- USE A CDC INTERVIEW ROOM!!! This eliminates distractions and places you in a professional environment which definitely helped me a lot.
- Take notes on important points.
- Try to smile... but keep the giggling under control.
- Speak in complete sentences (this might seem like a DUH point but it's still useful!)
- I printed out correspondences I had with my interviewers via email (for their names, positions and well just because I could)
- I also printed out the quick glance facts sheet available on their company website
- I had a copy of my unofficial transcript lying around as well as the tips on phone interviewing sheet.
Anyway, I should be hearing within the next few weeks (they're deciding before the holidays) and I'll let you know how it goes. I'm going to work on my thank you notes very shortly, and I am keeping my fingers crossed!!
Also if you are going to be away C-Term, be prepared to have a phone interview!! Don't let being out of the country impact your job search. Companies understand that you are abroad and most are willing to set up alternate options for interviews.
I hope you all are having luck in your job search! This sounds super cliche but if you spend 10 minutes a day on your job search you will greatly increase your chances of finding a job you really love. Get to it!
So now here goes my new found perspective on phone interviews. While they are extremely different from face-to-face interviews, you need to treat it as if they're the same. I think this is where I fell short. Things were very relaxed and it was extremely difficult for me to remain professional throughout it felt like a conversation and not really an interview. Here are my modified tips!!
- PRINT OUT YOUR RESUME
- PRINT OUT THE JOB POSTING
- USE A CDC INTERVIEW ROOM!!! This eliminates distractions and places you in a professional environment which definitely helped me a lot.
- Take notes on important points.
- Try to smile... but keep the giggling under control.
- Speak in complete sentences (this might seem like a DUH point but it's still useful!)
- I printed out correspondences I had with my interviewers via email (for their names, positions and well just because I could)
- I also printed out the quick glance facts sheet available on their company website
- I had a copy of my unofficial transcript lying around as well as the tips on phone interviewing sheet.
Anyway, I should be hearing within the next few weeks (they're deciding before the holidays) and I'll let you know how it goes. I'm going to work on my thank you notes very shortly, and I am keeping my fingers crossed!!
Also if you are going to be away C-Term, be prepared to have a phone interview!! Don't let being out of the country impact your job search. Companies understand that you are abroad and most are willing to set up alternate options for interviews.
I hope you all are having luck in your job search! This sounds super cliche but if you spend 10 minutes a day on your job search you will greatly increase your chances of finding a job you really love. Get to it!
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