The Waiting Game

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!!!!

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!

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!

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!

Yay for new developments!

So for the last two weeks I have had THE flu. Of course getting sick at WPI makes getting back on track nearly impossible, but that's what I'm working like crazy on right about now.

While I was stuck in bed, I got an email from a company I had previously interviewed with asking for a follow up interview!!! As excited as I was there was also the small fact that I was on a lot of medication, and decided it would be in my best interest to wait a few days to email back. Needless to say I got a phone call while I was home requesting a phone interview!!!

So now as I am getting back on track, I am also trying to prepare for a phone interview. Professional phone calls kind of intimidate me for some reason, so I'm going to do my best to prepare ahead of time. In my previous internship I handled many of the professional calls, pitching things to other companies and setting up meetings, so that is going to help a little bit. I am also heavily drawing from my mock interview experience. If you haven't had one of these, I cannot suggest them enough.

It may sound simple enough but trust me:
PRACTICING FOR YOUR INTERVIEW WILL HELP YOU GET THE JOB!!!

Not only that but it will help you feel more prepared and have the confidence you need to ace the interview. I found a couple of great articles that I'll post below with great tips like smile during the interview even though you aren't face to face, stand up during the interview or sit up tall as it makes you feel more confident. Also make sure you have a copy of your resume and the job description in front of you!!! If you're going away for a term or just want to be prepared you should definitely read through them as they're helping me figure out what to do!

One of the CDC staff members sent me this article which is a great short and sweet reference guide (although I'd still highly suggest reading through the rest of the articles too).

ALSO know that you can use one of the CDC's interview rooms to stay in when you're on the phone. I'm planning on doing this so that I'm not just in my apartment lounging around when they call!

How to Prepare for a Telephone Interview

Phone Interview Tips

What to Expect & How to Prepare for a Telephone Interview

Things I wish I knew earlier!

So if you've been reading this blog you know that I've been considering a job offer for a while now. I don't think it's a great fit for me, so I'm working on exploring other options. One thing I wish I knew how to use earlier was how to utilize Career Search. Career Search is a database that WPI subscribes to that you can access through your Job Finder account (there's a link to it under the quick links section). One of the main reasons why I feel like this intership would be a bad choice for me is the location, as I would prefer to be close to either my home or school. Career Search to the rescue!! You can use it to search through over 4 million companies in specific geographical locations that are in certain fields.


You may be asking why on earth do I want a list of a few hundred companies to research????

The answer is simple - over 80% of jobs out there aren't posted on online sites such as Monster. THAT'S A LOT OF JOBS!!!! Where could you possibly find these postings? Through the companies' websites! Most companies want YOU to find THEM.

So you, yes you, stop complaining that you can't find a job... I've heard enough of it!!! With a little effort you can quadruple the number of positions you are elgible for, it's all up to you though! If you are serious about finding a job be it an internship, co-op or full time position, put forth the effort, who knows maybe you'll find something that has everything you are looking for!

The database is fairly simple to use, but I'd recommend watching the Podcast on Career Search (available through your Job Finder account) if you have any problems with it.





What are you waiting for GO!!!!!

How to make your job hunt easier!!!

My spam filter is usually pretty good about detecting bogus emails... usually. But lately I've been getting a few spam emails about various "job" opportunities that all sound a little too good to be true, and I've been hearing questions from friends thinking that some of the CDC's about job postings through Job Finder are spam (which is not the case!) so I figured I'd clear the air so to speak.


First off... if the email is titled something along the lines of "On-campus Recruiting Resume Submittal" and is signed by a Career Development Center staff person... it is NOT spam! In fact these are usually awesome opportunities for you to interview with a company on campus for positions ranging from internships to co-ops to full time positions. If you receive one of these emails, you should log into your Job Finder account ASAP and check out the job by clicking on the "On-Campus Interviews I Qualify For" on the "Shortcuts" tab on the home page. On-Campus Recruiting (or OCR) positions are the only ones where you may receive an email if you qualify for them.

However, if you'd like Job Finder to email you when new positions are posted that fit your criteria, it's easy to do, you just need to set up a "Search Agent." Follow these steps to set up your own:
1) Log into Job Finder (link can be found here or through the CDC's website).
2) Click on the "Jobs" tab at the top of the screen.
3) Click on the "Advanced Search" tab.
4) Choose the "save as" check box and type in a useful name to save the search as (mine is ME Internships 2009).
5) Go through and choose what parameters you want to search for. Ex. I searched for Internships in Mechanical Engineering located in either New Hampshire or Massachusetts (you can choose more than one option by CTRL-Clicking on the choices).
6) Hit "Submit."
7) Go to the "Search Agents" tab and then choose the "Schedule" button.
8) Check "Yes" to enable scheduling of the search agent.
9) Choose how often you'd like results emailed to you and if you just want new postings or if you want all (I'm going with once a week and all postings).
10) Hit Submit!

There you go 10 easy steps to make job hunting THAT much easier.

Even with the search agent, it's a great idea to check your Job Finder account periodically in case positions slip through the filters! Good luck to you all!!!