What’s in your career tool box? Career Plan Checklist for Students Judi Garcia, NOVA Job Center Anita Manuel, San Jose State University Eileen O’Brien, College of San Mateo
Transcript
What’s in your career tool box? Career Plan Checklist for Students
Judi Garcia, NOVA Job Center Anita Manuel, San Jose State University
Eileen O’Brien, College of San Mateo
Agenda
• Introductions • Career Exploration for the 21st Century (Eileen) • Identifying Transferable skills (Anita) • What Employers Want (Anita) • Resumes that work (Judi) • LinkedIn, not just for professionals (Anita) • Networking tools (Judi) • Q&A
It’s important to help high school and transfer students understand that major does not = career. Identify some careers of interest and review job descriptions to determine main skill sets needed. Identifying transferable skills is key in translating what students learn in the classroom into real world projects and work. (transferable skill handout)
Communication skills (written/verbal)*** Leadership/Initiative ** Critical Thinking/Analysis** Strong Work Ethic** Ability to Work on Teams Attention to Detail Computer Skills
NACE 2014
What Employers Want…
Developing these skills can start NOW! Successfully demonstrating and marketing them WILL make you COMPETITIVE in a GLOBAL job market
Presenter
Presentation Notes
We hosted our job fair last week with 125 local employers and speaking with representatives it is clear regardless of industry these skills are indeed what they want and hire for. Recruiters look at class projects, extra curricular (leadership) activities most for demonstration of these skills in addition to internship experience. A recruiter will determine if they want to forward candidate in the first 30 seconds of meeting.
JUDI – Student resumes are different in that they focus on high school/college education, key coursework, skills and training, and projects and activities, in lieu of work experience. Students can set themselves apart with both academic and outside activities
Key Tips to Remember…
• Limit to 1-2 pages • Use Keywords – Show how your coursework, skills and
experience match what the employer wants • Use bulleted statements • Fonts – Times New Roman, Arial, Helvetica, Verdana,
Tahoma or Courier • Font Size – 11 – 14 • No italics, script, underlines, horizontal/vertical lines,
graphics and shading • Check formatting, proofread – look professional
Presenter
Presentation Notes
JUDI
Cover Letter: Yes or No?
• Cover Letter – highlight your skills, abilities and interest in the position and employer – Introduction – Express your interest in position
and how you learned about it – Body – Highlight your skills, experience and
education related to the position – Conclusion – Reiterate your interest in the
position, thank you and your contact info
Presenter
Presentation Notes
JUDI – We hear that cover letters are read about 50% of the time, but it’s a marketing tool to introduce yourself and give reasons why you would be a great candidate for internship/job
SOCIAL MEDIA & RECRUITING
Presenter
Presentation Notes
So what does this mean for your job search? To start, it means that if you are looking for a job or internship, it’s important to be found by these hiring managers in the places where they are seeking top candidates…do you have a LinkedIn profile? And if you’re on Facebook, what kind of information can an employer find about you?
Are you LinkedIn?
• New sections for student &
recent grad profiles • New University Pages
• Check out tools for YOU: http://university.linkedin.com
Now let’s shift gears and talk about specific tools. We’ll start of with LinkedIn. The beauty of LinkedIn is that it is a social network specifically created for internship, job and professional networking. It’s easy to use, it’s free and you can share your profile link with others online or on your business cards and resumes. Most people now expect that you have a LinkedIn profile and will even use it in replacement of a business card…”connect with me on LinkedIn”
Research Universities & Connect with Alumni! http://linkedin.com/alumni
Presenter
Presentation Notes
One of the biggest reasons students state that they don’t use LinkedIn is because they don’t really “know” anyone professionally. But as we discussed earlier that’s really not the case, and one of your best potential connections is with alumni from your program or major. LinkedIn offers an alumni page which allows you to check out all of the SJSU alumni and see where they work, what they do, what they majored in and what skills they use. By using this alumni search feature you can not only find potential contacts for advice but also see how they developed their career. If you’ve ever wondered…”what do people actually do with my major” this alumni function can give you real life examples of what fellow Spartans have done with their careers and give you good ideas of what career paths you might want to explore.
JUDI: Informational Interviews, Job Fairs, Internships, Volunteering, Professional and College Groups. Include upcoming events you plan to attend and get involved with, upcoming classes/training, other special projects on tap. Show engagement and enthusiasm!
How About You? Your tips for success?
Questions? Comments?
Thank You! • Judi Garcia Career Advisor/Career Planning Instructor NOVA Job Center (City of Sunnyvale) and UC Berkeley Extension [email protected] or via LinkedIn
• Anita Manuel Program Manager/Career Consultant San Jose State University, Career Center [email protected] or via LinkedIn
• Eileen O’Brien Director, Career Services Center College of San Mateo [email protected]