The Career Services Ultimate Gift Guide

Over the past two weeks my email inbox has been flooded by the promise of Free Shipping and 50% sales from every retailer that I’ve even blinked at over the past year. I’ve received magazines in the mail that have created a stack about 2 feet high on my coffee table.

It’s that time of year- the time to buy lots of “stuff”… or maybe the idealist in me would say… the time to GIVE! And therefore the University Career Services office decided to get into the spirit and create our own…

Career Services Ultimate Gift Guide:

Be a Career Mentor: If you’re looking for a priceless gift that is meaningful for you and those you help- become a Career Mentor. No matter where you are in your career (less than 4 months of full-time work experience – 30 years or more) you can offer current students advice just by sharing your career story. If you are a Northwestern Alum one of the best ways to be a Career Mentor is to register for the Northwestern CareerNet. Learn more at http://alumni.northwestern.edu/careers

Review a Friend’s Resume: If you’ve perfected your resume and have gained knowledge about content as well as design of this important document, why not share that gift by helping a friend or colleague. Of course, I’ll put a plug in for referring a friend to University Career Services for the final review. But know that you too have vital information to share. Need resume samples please find them within our Career Guide that you can download at http://www.northwestern.edu/careers/students/resources/index.html

Perform a Mock Interview: If you have a friend who is getting ready for an interview. Offer to help them, by doing a mock interview. Ask the following key questions to find out if they are ready for a basic first round interview:

• Tell me about yourself
• Why are you interested in this company/position?
• What do you know about our company?
• What do you have to offer that separates you from the other applicants? or Why should we hire you?

Just allowing your friend to verbalize the answers to these questions will help them realize if they need to do more research and prepare more. For other mock interview assistance call UCS at 847-491-3700.

Offer to Help with Networking: Lastly, one of the greatest gifts you can give is entry into your network. If you know someone who might be a great connection for a friend or colleague- share that information. Ask your network to welcome a new member. If you’ve interned somewhere before, contact your past supervisor and ask if they are looking for interns this summer. If they say yes, ask if you can recommend some of your friends for this summer’s openings.

Of course there are so many other gifts you can give… resume paper, portfolios, interviewing attire, but I think you’ll agree the non-materialistic gifts are the best when it comes to giving a gift of Career Development!

Bleed Purple, Purple Pride, Purple Mafia… it’s all Good!

What happens when two people from Northwestern get together? Great things and for sure- Purple Pride.

This week Northwestern University proudly advertised an episode of the Colbert Report where Stephen Colbert (NU Alum) interview Seth Meyers (also an NU Alum). What was witnessed by many was pure comedy and fun. Watch it for yourself at http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/401792/november-08-2011/seth-meyers

But what did I see (as a diehard Career Services Professional)?

A successful networking conversation.

I saw two people with a common background getting along really well. And I wanted to share this with Northwestern Students who may be nervous about networking or meeting people they don’t know.

Bleed Purple, Purple Pride and the Purple Mafia are all ways to describe how Northwestern wants to help and care about Northwestern. You’ll find that NU alumni are as excited to talk with you and get to know you as you are to meet with them.

So watch the fun clip above and get motivated to find NU alumni like Colbert and Meyers who can help you learn more about career choices and employment.

Everything I Need to Know I Learned from my Middle School Year Book

“Betsy, you’re cool. KIT, Debbie”

At first I wondered, what in the world does “KIT” stand for? Then I realized it means “Keep in Touch”, and instantly Middle School Aged Betsy was so much cooler.

But really… everything I need to know I learned from that statement. Keep in Touch. This is especially true when it comes to forming relationships and networking.

This week my husband came home from work to tell me that his company had another round of lay-offs. He thankfully was not laid off, but it got me thinking. What if suddenly you are without work. And now you have to awkwardly get in touch with former colleagues, former supervisors or former mentors. If you haven’t spoken to some of these key people in several years, asking for their help will likely feel like a desparate attempt to find work. But what if you had “KIT”?

Ways to “KIT”:

• Connect on LinkedIn.com with your old colleagues by offering to write a recommendation for them and maybe they will even return the favor.
• Labor Day is fast approaching… why not send a note saying how much you enjoyed working with them or having had them as a mentor in the past. Ok… if Labor Day isn’t significant enough in November is the perfect US holiday- Thanksgiving!
• Connect on Facebook.com and write a quick note on their “wall”. This is a great way to stay in touch and it doesn’t take much time to get caught up on their lives through photos.
• Ask an old colleague out to lunch to catch-up.

Do these things now and when you come asking for help they will be more than willing to do just that.

 

Brand Yourself on LinkedIN

To better utilize Social Media as a professional, student or job-seeker…here’s a LinkedIn tip to help promote your own 'brand'!  

CUSTOMIZE YOUR LinkedIN URL!

Instead of some jumble of numbers and characters as your URL for your LinkedIn profile, wouldn’t it be cooler if  it was just your name?

Here’s how:

Customize your public profile URL when you edit your public profile. Log into LinkedIN and click on that link.  THEN…

1. Go to the Your public profile URL section in the bottom right.
2. Click Customize your public profile URL.
3. Enter the last part of your URL in the text box. (just your name is advisable)
4. Click Set Custom URL
5. Done!

 Why is this cool or helpful?  This increases visibility on Google searches and improves your Google PageRank.

 Now that I changed my URL…my LinkedIn profile can be found under:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniedurant

Also, now no other ‘Stephanie Durant’s can take/use this URL!  More social media tips will be coming your way!  Enjoy!

Junior Jumpstart

Summer just started, but did you know that it is already time to think and plan for your full-time job search.  Interestingly enough, our employer partners have already started to launch their recruitment initiatives (info sessions, dinners, networking receptions, etc…).  It is important to take advantage of the summer time to develop the foundation for recruitment activities come this fall.

(1)   Network – Sorry to bring this up again, but it is so important!  Developing strong relationships by way of networking will help you to develop internal advocates within firms, ultimately supporting your interest in getting an interview.  A few notable resources: LinkedIn Northwestern Alumni Group and the Northwestern Alumni Association Directory

(2)   Research – Identify a variety of players in your industry of interest.  While most students can name the big five within their industry, it is important to diversify the portfolio of companies you are pursuing beyond those five!  Doing your research and identifying additional employers of interest will contribute to a more effective job search ultimately.

(3)   Interview Preparation –Just like any other skill, becoming good at interviewing may require an investment of time and energy.  Behavioral interviews are used to evaluate how your past experiences have prepared you and will allow you to contribute within this opportunity/organization you are pursuing.  Depending on your industry of interest, you may also need to prepare for either Technical or Case Interviews.  Technical/case interviews address your knowledge and know-how in an applied format.  Preparing now will help to alleviate some of the stress come fall quarter!

How to Maintain Your Network

Have you heard that Networking or Relationship Building is essential for any job or internship search? I’m sure you have because if you go to a UCS workshop, meet with one of our staff members during an appointment or read through our resources and materials you will see the word Networking uttered hundreds of times. But once you meet people, exchange business cards, shake hands and part, what do you do next?

There really is an art to Maintaining Your Network. Here are some of my suggestions:

1. When you meet someone and receive a business card from them, write on the back of the card something that will help remind you of them or a topic for follow-up. This will make it easier for you to write a relevant thank you note or follow-up email.
2. Join LinkedIn.com and create a professional online presence for yourself. When you meet someone in person or over the phone ask if they are on LinkedIn.com. If they are, then ask them if you could stay connected through that site. If they say yes, then be sure to connect with them within 48 hours. (Also, change that preloaded message that LinkedIn.com has on the invite template to something more personal… that will go a long way to impress.)
3. Send updates to your network when you win an award, receive an internship or job offer or for any change on your resume. When you write to share the update ask your contact how they are doing and be respectful of their time, but let them know you were excited to share your news.
4. Invite your contact(s) out for lunch or for coffee to catch-up. The more often you can meet someone in person, the better your relationship will be. Think of how you build friendships and use some of those techniques (as appropriate) when maintaining your “professional friends” or your network.
5. Volunteer for your contacts company, organization or ask them if you could help them in anyway. One reason, some people do not feel comfortable networking is because they might feel it is one sided. That you are asking others for favors or advice and you might feel there is nothing in it for the person you are networking with. Well, here’s your chance to give back to your contact.

Developing a strong network is indeed important, but remember to think of ways to stay in touch with those people you are meeting over the summer at your internship, in your classes, at alumni events or maybe even at social gatherings. If you have any questions please post a comment here or contact Northwestern University Career Services at 847-491-3700.

Getting Your Foot in the Door

A popular saying related to getting noticed with your potential employer(s), “Getting Your Foot in the Door” is easier now than ever before. How you ask? Well, through Social Media (i.e. Linkedin.com and Twitter.com)- that’s how!

Here’s how to get started (for this online lesson I’m going to focus on LinkedIn):

1. Create an account and profile on www.linkedin.com (free version)
2. Complete your error-free and super interesting/relevant profile
3. Search for connections you know who are already on LinkedIn and request them to be in your network. (Note: LinkedIn will pre-load a message for you to send to your potential connection- erase that and start from scratch mentioning why you’d like to connect. Trust me people RARELY do this and you will be perceived as a thoughtful and genuine person if you write your own message)
4. Click the section on LinkedIn labeled “Companies” 
5. Once in the “Companies” section search for companies you are interested in working for by typing the name in the search box or browsing by industries

After searching for a company, and when you have a sufficient amount of connections made on LinkedIn, you’ll find that LinkedIn will tell you if you know people who work or have worked at the company you searched for. Once you have found connections at companies that are at least 2nd degree connections you can send a message to these individuals  (note: in the case you have a 2nd degree- you will need to contact the person that connects the two of you first) to start forming a professional relationship (also known as networking). A great first contact message includes:

• How you found their name/information
• Who you are (major, other relevant information)
• Why you are interested in talking to them
• What you want

The “What you want” part in my opinion should not be too aggressive. In other words avoid saying “Can you get me a job/internship with your company?” (Probably not the best way to start). But do say “I am interested in finding out more about you and how you got to where you are in your career. Would you have about 20 minutes to talk over the phone so I could ask you a few questions?” Once you’ve talked over the phone and things went well your ultimate goal should be to meet this person… in person. This can be achieved through meeting for coffee, meeting for lunch, asking if you could shadow them for a day or half a day, etc.

So all you job seekers and internship seekers stay positive. Use social media to “Get Your Foot in the Door” and become someone that people know and respect. If you have any questions about this process please contact Northwestern University Career Services at 847-491-3700 to schedule an appointment (note: Appointments are only available to NU students and alumni).