Promising Young Youth

I spent this morning with two of my staff members and 171 high school students... in one room... for 90 minutes. They were loud, they were silly, sometimes they weren't paying attention so we had to blow a whistle and throw them candy... but boy were they inspiring.

Each year the Career Services Center in conjunction with Marquette University's Public Affairs Office hosts students from the Earn and Learn Summer Youth Internship Program.

I always say that the best part of my job is having the privilege of hearing students share their personal goals and dreams. These student participants were no exception.

The workshop we facilitated walked them through a series of activities helping them contemplate their interests, skills, and values and how those fit into careers.

Asking someone to think about and share a dream career (one you dream of doing without worrying about skill level or income) is often tough. These students weren't shy at all... here are some the goals and dreams they shared. I hope they inspire hope as well as laughter for you as they did for me.

• Move to Africa, learn how to build drums, move back to the US and open a drumming shop for making and learning to play African drums
• Marry LeBron James
• Become a professional musician and teach at the college level
• Become a scientist who works on stopping the spread of AIDS
• Join the police academy and become a detective in New York City
• Own a $7 million home and charge people to come see the inside
• Become a medical doctor and open a free clinic in the neighborhood where I grew up
• Open a residence for teen mothers that includes a clean, safe place for them to learn how to best care for themselves and their babies

We have so much promise in our youth. We have so much promise in ourselves as well. Never stop pursuing your dreams!

What NOT to do

This morning I was interviewed by a reporter for The Wisconsin Radio Network regarding etiquette and mistakes people are making in their job searches.

While I find the most egregious acts of indiscretion tend to get the most hype; therefore they seem so commonplace, it is the common mistakes people might be making that could be keeping them unemployed.

It's often fun to share these appalling stories only to help us feel that we might somehow be superior and therefore have a better chance of securing the position.

If this is what you need, then read this: 43 weird things said in job interviews.

But remember this advice: your skills, experience, and professionalism will go much further in getting you the job than some outrageous stunt to stand out. Be yourself, be creative, but don't get caught up in being known as the____________ guy/gal (fill in with outrageous activity such as scooter, crazy hat, singing resume, subway sandwich wrapped in resume, baby shoe...)

Well you get the idea. And if you don't get the idea, then call us to schedule a mock interview. We'll get you headed in the right direction!

Simple Things Make All the Difference

In the workplace, there are always a million things happening at any given time. You have reports to complete, clients to speak with, political drama to tend to, and so on. One thing to remember is that, despite all these huge things that may be going on at any one point, it is the little things that can shape perception of you in the office.

Little things are just that; small, seemingly inconsequential things that aren't terribly important. One such thing that many people have been guilty of over the years is clicking "Reply All" instead of just "Reply". I've worked at a place before where someone clicked reply all seemingly every time they sent an email. Most of the time it wasn't a big deal at all, but it was certainly a little obnoxious to get repeated emails that had nothing to do with you. This person was not a bad worker by any means. In fact, that person was very capable with what they did. The sad truth is that, because of a small mistake like that, people took this person far less seriously than they otherwise would have.

Make sure at whatever job you have that you take care of these little things. You don't want to garner a reputation because of something ultimately inconsequential.

I thought I had heard it all!

True story:

2009 graduate of a top ten university interviews for an investment banking position in Connecticut. It is his second interview with this firm. After a one-hour interview, the recruiter says that he believes the candidate is a good fit and he will pass his name and info along to his manager. But before he proceeds he asks a very common question...

"Do you have any questions before we move to the next step?" asked the recruiter.

"No; I don't think I do." The candidate looks down at the desk between him and the recruiter where his padfolio and cell phone are resting and says, " Mom? Do you have any questions?"

THE MOTHER WAS ON SPEAKER PHONE THE WHOLE TIME!

I could list twenty reasons why this is an appalling story. I'll spare you my rant.

You can do this on your own. After having sought support, coaching, and all of the other resources available to you, you must interview and get a job on your own. You can do it! And if you need a little help... you know where to find us!

Going To Door County For Work

Yes, we actually do/did that. Since Wednesday we've been on a retreat in Bailey's Harbor with WIPCCC, a professional organization that we belong to. Now, not being from Wisconsin, I didn't truly get what the whole big deal was with going "up north". It seemed to me that being in Wisconsin was quite clearly up north to begin with. It's pretty nice though I must say.

Meeting with our colleagues from the other private colleges in Wisconsin is always a good experience. Being able to share our experiences and ideas with others from similar institutions gives us a chance to grow professionally. Sometimes you can get so accustomed to the way things are always done in your workplace that you forget about other approaches; this is a good time to refresh your brain.

One topic we looked at in-depth was how to provide better counseling service to all by adapting for cultural differences. This doesn't just mean ethnic differences either. One of the cases we addressed revolved around an older person in an unskilled position that may be facing a layoff after 35+ years on the job. I think working on these skills will be able to help us help all of you. We already attempt to provide the best service that we possibly can, but just like anyone else, we can always get better. It might be in a situation working with an international student, or it could be working with a student trying to meet parental expectations. Either way, through attending seminars and other professional development opportunities such as this gives us the opportunity to become better at what we do, and really, isn't that the goal of everyone in their job?

Whatcha Gonna Do With Your Life?

I know exactly WHAT I want to do, it's more of a question of WHERE I will start my career. Similarly to many students out there, I am now stepping out into the unknown. I have my Master of Education degree, I have completed my time at Marquette and I have no idea where I will find a job or when I will find one. Despite being an amazingly wonderful support network, the staff at Career Services can't create jobs for me out of thin air.

A few weeks ago I was terrified of the idea of unemployment. I couldn't imagine my life without 14 hour days spent on campus. I'm a planner and I didn't have a plan. Like I said, terrifying.

Thanks to my wonderful support network assuring me that I will be OK, I finally came to realize that some time to relax wouldn't be so bad. Then I started piecing together a plan. Once I get home I will be volunteering with university career center and hopefully working a part time job at a sporting goods store. I will finally have time to visit with family and friends and not have to cram them all into a 48 hour weekend. I can read books, I can run, I can take up yoga, I can cook, I can spend so much time with my 1 year old nephew that he'll finally remember who I am! Most importantly, I can recharge my batteries so that when I do find that job I will be 110% ready and even more apt to appreciate employment. I will also have time to really focus on my job search. The idea of sitting on my sister's couch doing nothing was terrifying but I'm really not the "do nothing" type.

So if you are caught in a similar situation, my last advice as a Marquette Career Advisor is to do what you need to do to stay motivated and focused but take time for yourself. Be the absolute best, most positive volunteer or part-time employee another organization has ever seen! You never know where it might lead you. Unemployment isn't as scary as it seems. It's another time to learn a life lesson and focus on what is important.

And visit the Career Services Center. They're patient and understanding of all situations. I don't know what I would have done without them. They are open all summer and still want to help you too!!!

Resume turned Road Kill

For the last few months I have had a blue flash drive on my key chain. This important piece of hardware is home to all of my job search materials and as of just a few weeks ago, all of my final projects for graduate school. I have constantly been telling my coworkers how relieved I'll be to be done with school and employed so I can finally remove that flash drive from my key ring. I kept it there to stay organized and to avoid having to commute 20 minutes if I forgot a paper that I needed to print at school.

This past weekend I was running errands and got a phone call later in the day from an unknown number. My poor blue flash drive had fallen off of my key chain in a parking lot. Needless to say it looks like computer hardware road kill and was likely run over by a few cars before being found. A very nice man picked it up and was able to upload my resume in order to find my phone number and return it to me.

There is a lesson to be learned in all of this. I did in fact just backup all of the files on this flash drive last week so, in reality, I did not need it back. It is extremely important to backup important documents for school or your job search! Save your resumes and cover letters and job search spreadsheets in multiple formats in order to avoid a momentary heart attack when you realize your precious blue flash drive has turned into road kill.

We're on Twitter!

Hope everyone's having a great summer so far, whether its in an internship, a "real" job, fun summer work, or travelling to places throughout the world.

Being the hip, happening people that we are, we've finally joined Twitter. We'll be updating it each workday, and if you're lucky, maybe even sometimes on the weekend with quick tips, interesting articles, and alerts about what is going on in our office. Sign up and follow us (@MUCareerChatter) for even more great insight than you get here at the blog, just more concise!

People are Getting Hired and 55 Ways to Get More Energy

With all of the headlines college students seem to be bearing the brunt of this bad economy.

Each day the Career Services Center staff receives e-mails, phone calls, and drop-ins from students who are now employed and have been engaged in their job searches since early spring. These students have availed themselves to the many resources and support provided by the Career Services Center. I'm not saying we're the magic bullet to finding a job, but every resource helps.

The point is, students are getting offers, are being accepted into post-graduate volunteer programs, and are getting into graduate/professional school. It's not easy, but it's not impossible either.

Call us today for an appointment at 414-288-7423. We can talk by phone if you have already left the Milwaukee area. We're here to help you succeed.

In the meantime, I'm sharing this great post from one of my favorite daily blogs, Zen Habits. This is actually a guest post on Zen Habits from Greg Go.

55 Ways to Get More Energy

Here are some of my favorites but check out the whole article here with explanations and how-tos. Learn about the book 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget.

2. Rock out loud.
5. Have a piece of chocolate.
7. Hit up the water cooler for inconsequential banter.
9. Wear brighter colors.
10. Take a power nap.
11. Flirt.
20. Sniff some citrus.
23. Play to relax.
27. Stand up, stretch and take a couple of deep breaths.
28. Get your world organized.
29. Look on the bright side.
34. Listen to tunes while you work.
41. Get a massage.
45. Take a walk outside.
48. Have a laugh.
52. Get a good night’s sleep.
54. Socialize.

What About Professional Organizations?

Have you ever been reading something and you suddenly see a veritable alphabet soup of acronyms in front of you? Sometimes these will just be simple abbreviations, like SCUBA. If you're reading something related to careers (and since you're on our blog, I tend to think you might have that inclination!), there's a good chance that the acronym is in reference to a professional organization.

Of course, the question then becomes, why would I join one of these professional organizations? If you recall an earlier post I made, I talked about how getting involved with groups in your realm of interest can benefit your job search process. I'd like to believe that you have a considerable interest in your field of choice. Involving yourself in professional organizations in your field will help you to build connections and network with people of similar interests. Get involved on a committee or sub-committee within your organization. The more you involve yourself, the more ingrained in the industry you will become. Additionally, your own personal knowledge level will increase considerably by working with professionals from other companies.

The best part about professional organizations in terms of a job search is that you can truly get involved at any point in your career. Many colleges have campus branches of professional organizations. For example, there is a chapter of the American Marketing Association here at Marquette. Getting involved with these groups now might be able to give you a leg up when it comes time to find that first professional position. But even if you don't join while you are in college, you can still jump into that world later in life. And as any student has met with me can attest to, I'm a huge proponent of giving anything a try at least once, because you never know if that experience will be the one that ultimately pays off for you.

If you need assistance finding a professional organization that fits your interests, Wikipedia provides a good starting point. It's not exhaustive though, so if you don't see the one for you, let us know and we can help, or simply google "professional organizations (your field)". I'd bet you find something...