Proactive Summer

The summer is such a great time of year! There's festivals, family gathering, vacations, and hopefully, plenty of time for some well deserved R&R (rest and relaxation).  The worse thing about the summer, in my opinion, is that it simply goes by way too fast.  Recently glancing at my calendar, I've realized that the Fall 2012 school year is quickly approaching. Not something you want to necessarily think about right now but being proactive has it's benefits; trust me on this one.

The 2012 academic year brings with it career fairs, employer visits, and of course on-campus and off-campus interviews.  The Fall Career Fair and the Post-Grad Service Fair are both scheduled to take place in September.  There are already approximately 24 employers signed-up for Fall on-campus interviews!  Corporations and agencies are setting their calendars to recruit on Marquette's campus for the best and brightest just weeks after the beginning of the school year.  In preparation for the Fall Career Fair, Post-Grad Service Fair, and internship and full-time position interviews, professional documents need to be in tip-top shape.  The saying is that your résumé gets you the interview and the interview potentially gets you the job.  Don't wait until mere days before the fair to get your documents together, put your best foot forward - and decrease your stress level - by starting now.

There's a few avenues to choose from when working on your professional documents.  One, do it yourself; you may not need additional assistance, you just need to buckle down and get it done.  Two, explore our Online Library for awesome resources available to you 24/7.  Three, and always most recommended, set up an appointment with a career counselor to go over your professional documents.  Even if you've completed options one and two, option three is available to students and alumni five days a week from 8am until 5pm :-)

Staying Connected

The summer is finally here. For most, at least for a while, that means no more homework, no more group projects, no more research, no more sitting through classes. Of course the professionals of Career Services Center are though urging you to take advantage of your summer. That could mean getting a jump start on those graduate school applications, touching up your resume, doing some career exploration, or meeting up with a few professionals in your desired career field.

"My summer isn't focused on those things, it's focused on vacationing," you utter. Of course the summer is about relaxing, having fun, recouping for next year, and regenerating energy BUT don't let it slip by without being at least somewhat productive. We don't want  you to miss out on all of your favorite summer activities, we just want to help prepare you for your future career. That's one of the main reasons the Career Services has tapped into the virtual. Allow us to help you stay up-to-date on the latest career development information through our social media outlets.

We're tweeting! Follow the Career Services Center on Twitter to stay up to date on the latest job search articles, highlights and Career Services Center happenings.
- Get short, timely messages from MU Career Services @MU_CSC
- Get job postings, interview information, and tips @MUCSCJobs

We're blogging! Be sure to visit the Career Services Center’s new blog, Career Chatter, regularly to get all the latest information and advice from our office. It's the Career Services Center... UNPLUGGED

We’re on Facebook!
Become a fan of the MU Career Services Center on Facebook.  You're on there anyway.

We’re LinkedIn!
Network with professionals in our MUCSC Group on LinkedIn. If you don’t already have an account - here is one good excuse to get one! To find us just search in groups for MUCSC and join.

Sun! Fun!! Networking!?!

Bet you didn’t know that the guy standing next to you at the Black Eyed Peas concert works at that really great company you’re dying to intern at, did you? Summer networking opportunities present themselves when you least expect it—you need to be able to spot opps and take advantage.

But we all want to have fun during the summer and networking sounds, well… pretty boring, right? WRONG! Networking can be FUN (especially in summer) and here are some tips to make networking summer-worthy.

1. Make your parents happy and go to that neighborhood BBQ

Free food – good; being outside on a fabulous summer day – good; meeting new people who have established careers – good! When you get invited to go somewhere with your parents and their friends, think about how you can make it fun. I usually try to make a game out of networking (because it is not something I naturally like to do—oops, was I supposed to admit that?!). How many new people can I meet? How many people can I get connected to from the people I meet? Can I learn 5 new things about career fields? The possibilities are endless!

2. Pay attention to what is going on around you

Ever get so focused on one thing that you are completely oblivious to everything else going on around you? It happens to everyone from time to time, but you might miss a great opportunity if you don’t look around. Be willing to explore this summer; join a summer kickball league to meet new people, go somewhere you have never been and pay attention to the people you see, set up an informational interview with someone in a career field you might be interested in, but never thought of before (maybe the career field you learned about at that BBQ?). How aware do you think you are? Test your awareness hereà www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4

3. Be ready to talk to people

If I said, “So, tell me a little about yourself,” would you have a response? Since this is going to be your summer of networking, you need to figure out how to tell someone about yourself in a brief, but effective way. Perhaps you might say something like this: “My name is Jane Smith and I am a junior at Marquette University studying Writing Intensive English. I have been really excited about my major lately because I just finished an internship this past spring in a publishing setting and I loved the fast-pace and working with different people. I am hoping to continue gaining experience with professional writing this fall and am looking for opportunities to pursue.” You never know when you can make a connection with someone—all you need to do is tell them what you hope to do.

4. Stay in touch!

After meeting all of these great people this summer, you will need to maintain your relationships. Stay connected through LinkedIn, e-mail short notes with helpful articles or other information to share, and let your contacts know what is going on with you. You must maintain your relationships or all of your hard work (and summer fun) will be for nothing.

Need more help with Networking? Come see us—we are open all summer (even for phone appointments!). To make an appointment, call 414.288.7423.

Summer Vacations and Your Career

As the semester winds down, many of you are probably thinking about how you will spend your summer. Freshmen and sophomores may be looking forward to reconnecting with friends from high school. Juniors might be looking forward to staying here in Milwaukee for the summer. Seniors may very well be preparing for the transition between life as a student and life as a graduate. No matter what your situation, it is important to remember that your career will continue to cultivate itself even while you are away from campus.

We all wish that we could return to the summers when we had total freedom and zero responsibility. Unless you are independently wealthy (and if so, we always accept donations!), odds are that you will be looking for work somewhere, whether it is full-time, part-time, an internship, or even volunteering. Seek something out that you will enjoy. You will always perform better in a setting where you are excited about your tasks and can show that enthusiasm. Your co-workers will notice, and you will be making a positive impression on the people that may be your references for your next job.

Additionally, remember that while you are out having fun over the summer (and you should still do that), talk to anyone that you can. If you are working at Summerfest selling a particular product that Milwaukee may or may not be well-known for, make small talk with your customers and find out what they do in the real world. Who knows, you may be talking to someone who is doing exactly what you ultimately want to do. Effective connections are consistently made in non-traditional settings. I was recently on an airplane and overheard a new business deal being brokered by two people that were previously strangers, but just happened to work in areas that had considerable synergy.

Summer vacation is a great break from the stresses of school. Just remember, your career never stops evolving, so make the most of your break through experience and networking while enjoying the vacation as well!