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(0) CommentsThe Partnership for Public Service and Public Employees Roundtable will host Public Service Recognition Week on May 5-11. Students and alumni with a passion for public service and career aspirations in the federal government may be interested in participating in two events targeting the general public:
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(0) CommentsWith federal agencies still facing the effects of sequestration, there have been many questions about the availability of jobs and internships in the federal government. In a recent interview with Federal News Radio, federal hiring expert Lily Whiteman notes that while a lot of agencies have cut back on hiring, not all have done so, and it’s important to continually check USAJobs for an updated list of vacancies. Whiteman also confirmed that Pathways and other internships are a great way to enter federal service; students and alumni who qualify for the Internship Program and Recent Graduates Program should seek these opportunities in agencies of interest.
It is especially important during these times to have strong application materials for federal jobs and internships. Take the extra time to develop a solid federal resume and carefully respond to application questionnaires to ensure that you have the best possible chance of being offered an interview.
For students and alumni searching for federal jobs and internships, we strongly suggest that you set up and monitor alerts on USAJobs to stay on top of vacancies and general hiring needs of agencies. If you’re interested in additional updates on furloughs by agency, visit Government Executive’s helpful furlough tracking site.
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(0) CommentsIn my previous blog on Job Search Etiquette, I warned you about 3 common mistakes that may disinvite you from a job interview. Today, I would like to talk about one more etiquette mistake that some job seekers make in their job search process, and I would like AU students not to make it, ever! (More …)
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(0) Comments[Contributed by Career Center Writer Roxana Hadadi]
Were you one of the more than 1,000 students who attended the Career Center’s Job and Internship Fair on Tuesday, March 27? Did you chat with one of the more than 130 companies, organizations, and nonprofits at the fair? Did you drop off your resume with recruiters? Well … now what?
Getting prepared for each semester’s career fair can be a daunting task, but after the fair is over, don’t become complacent, says Taylor Roosevelt, the Career Center’s customer service coordinator. Getting in touch with contacts, demonstrating your interest in their companies, and continuing the conversations you started at the fair are important steps to help employers remember you and understand why you’re the right candidate for them.
For more insights from Taylor about how to initiate follow-up chats, as well as information about the resources the Career Center offers to assist you in using your fair experience to your benefit, read on! (More …)
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(0) CommentsAre you a hands-on learner? Do you prefer lecture-style classes? Or perhaps group work is more your style. Regardless of the way you prefer to access and process information, the Career Center has a variety of resources to suit your preferences. Keep reading for more information on our resources for verbal, visual, interpersonal (social), and intrapersonal (solitary) learners.
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(0) CommentsCover letters are your official introduction to an employer, whereby you intrigue them enough about your background and experience so that they’re compelled to read your resume and eventually say “we have to interview this person!” Yet, for most folks, writing a cover letter ranges from being an exercise in monotony to downright uncomfortable. Cover letters for many go against everything they’ve been taught about being humble, while for other folks one page seems like not nearly enough to talk about themselves.
However, the secret to writing great cover letter letters is keeping the following in mind: It’s About Them, Not You. The best cover letters are those which focus on the organizations needs and illustrate how your skills and experiences match those needs. An important part in ensuring whether your cover letter is focusing less on yourself and more on the employer is a basic one: grammar usage, specifically of the personal pronoun “I”. When a cover letter is filled with “I”, it can (albeit unfairly) leave readers with an impression that a candidate is self-absorbed, arrogant, and only concerned with what the company can do for them. To avoid this common mistake, Greg Simpson of Lee Hecht Harrison advises three simple steps to ensure that you don’t fall into the “I-Trap”:
So the next time you’ve finished cranking out that cover letter, before hitting submit, review it and ask yourself “is this cover letter about me or them?”
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(0) CommentsThe Career Center understands that the uncertainty caused by sequestration will have an effect on our students and alumni who are currently searching for jobs and internships. We are planning a series of workshops to discuss the possible impact of sequestration on the job and internship search and offer ideas to address this challenge. In the meantime, here are some resources to find jobs and internships outside of the federal government:
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(0) CommentsMention the word “networking” and it will send most people running in the other direction. The fear of networking stems from “not knowing how to approach a room full of strangers during an event” or “believing that the recipient of an email request for an informational interview will dub the individual as needy.” Whether in person or through social media sites, networking is the key ingredient to more than 80% of the hires made in the United States. According to Bob McIntosh on the Recruiting Blog “smart jobseekers attend networking events because they understand that personal networking coupled with online networking will yield better results than spending the majority of their time” on various job boards.
What is Networking & How Do I Use it Effectively?
I work with a team of professional career advisors that teach American University students the value of networking – “making connections and maintaining relationships with people who support you throughout each phase of your career” (source: http://www.american.edu/careercenter). Our very own School of Communication Professor Chris Palmer and Career Center advisors share the 7 secrets of effective networking* -
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(0) CommentsWith the spring semester getting into full swing, your search for internships and jobs is, hopefully, moving to the next, very desirable, phase: from sending out resumes and cover letters to receiving invitations to interviews. Start maximizing your chances of being hired by doing a little self-check of your knowledge and practice of job search etiquette. Today, we’ll talk about 3 common mistakes that you don’t want to make when you are waiting to hear from prospective employers. (More …)
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(0) CommentsGreetings AU!
My name is Marc St.Hilaire and I’m the newest member of the AU Career Center. I’ll be working with graduate students within SIS alongside John Charles, so I’m looking forward to meeting with you all either one on one or during drop-in hours at the SIS atrium.
On my first day at AU which was exactly two weeks ago my new boss said these fine words about careers: “Follow your passion and pay the bills”. At some point we’ve all been told to “do what you love,” but for some that doesn’t always mean a salary. Very often what we enjoy doing can sometimes feel mutually exclusive to what “pays the bills.”
So how does one combine their passion with that inevitable need to make an income? The answer: It’s all about the small steps.
If making a leap to your true passion is not a financial option at the moment, take small steps that’ll eventually lead you there. A key element to doing this is setting aside time to develop your passion. Even if it’s as little as 15 minutes a day, make this time your own to do one or all of the following:
Whether you’re being paid to do something you love or taking steps to eventually get there, keep at it because these activities will enable you to work at your peak. In a recent article in the Harvard Business Review entitled “Choosing Between Making Money and Doing What You Love,” the authors – Leonard A. Schlesinger, Charles F. Kiefer and Paul B. Brown – state ” You simply want to be doing something that you love, or something that is logically going to lead to something you love, in order to do your best work. That desire will make you more creative and more resourceful, help you get further faster, and help you persist”.
So get out there and follow your passion, the bills will get paid sooner or later.