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Black Collegian Career Center
Career
Related - Frequently
Asked Questions
Bob Stanelle
Director of Student Development
Black Hills State University 1.) Why
is our campus career center always nagging me to get into their office, get my
resume updated and start my job search in September when I don't need a job
until next May? A good campus career center is
"nagging" you from the time you enter the university as a freshman!
It is important you learn to think like a potential employer.
It is what you do during your undergraduate years that will lead you to
the next step, be it employment, graduate school, a professional program, or
another adventure of your own choosing. Leaders will be looking at your total
undergraduate experience. This includes
degree, major, GPA, campus and community involvement, and work experience.
For example, several summers of internships related to your studies gives
you a stronger personal knowledge and skills package for marketing yourself to
those who select at the next level It
is impossible for anyone to overemphasize the importance of getting started
early on building your personal marketing package. Those who start earliest, as
freshmen, tend to be rewarded as seniors with better job offers or more likely
selection to the graduate program of their choice.
As for September, most employers begin recruiting on
campus already in September for students not scheduled to graduate until the
following June. This is true for both full-time positions and summer
internships. They are in competition for
the best students and the competition starts early in September. Graduate
programs operate in much the same manner. A
student needs to think the same way also. You are in competition for the best
jobs and the competition starts early in September. Most employers have their
"quota" of new graduate and summer internships filled by February,
many by December.
2.) Why isn't March good enough?
If you wait until March to begin your search, 90% of
the total opportunities, and 100% of the best" ones, will likely have
passed you by so listen to your career center. Prepare
yourself for your future by being organized early on. Develop your resume and
interview skills. Never miss a Career Day
event. Visit your campus career
center upon your return to school in September.
Rusty Anderson
Director of Career Planning and Placement
The University of Southern Mississippi
1.) How do I find a job in Washington, D.C.?
Focus on utilization of diverse resources: network (alumni,
family members, faculty members, church members, classmates, high school
classmates, professional contacts through student organizations and clubs),
Chamber of Commerce, resource books, career fairs, newspapers, Internet sites,
and state employment agencies.
Dr. John Boyd
Director of Career Services
Baylor University
1.) What method does your career center use to track the
school’s graduates (job placement and salary)?
We e-mail students prior to graduation, have information
cards to fill out in the bookstore where graduates get their caps and gowns
(give a Career Services pen once the card is filled out), and send postcards to
graduates three months after graduation.
Cynthia M. Zeigler
Director, Career Services
South Carolina State University
1.) Are grades important?
Of course they are.
Employers are always looking for those with the best grades.
However, that does not mean that persons with average grades cannot or
will not be considered for employment or other referrals.
Individuals who are average should know themselves well enough that they
could articulate their skills, knowledge and abilities in order to compete for
what they want.
Scott Williams
Executive Director, Career Services Center
The University of Georgia
1.) I’ve just accepted my first professional position
and am eager to start my career. My
employer suggests that I begin investing in their retirement program right away.
Retirement seems like such a long way off and there are so many things
I’d like to buy! Should I skip it and begin saving for retirement later?
An important, often overlooked item by new college
graduates is saving and investing. To
drive home the importance of understanding the “time value” of money,
let’s consider this example. Sally
and Frank are each 22 years old and plan to work until they are 65.
Sally opens a qualified retirement plan at 12 % and invests $2,000 a year
for six years, then STOPS. Frank
SPENDS that extra $2,000 a year on himself for the first six years, then opens a
qualified retirement plan at 12% and invests $2,000 a year for the next 37
years. Sally has invested only
$12,000, compared to Frank who has invested $74, 000.
however, at 65 years of age, Sally as accumulated $1, 348, 440, nearly
IDENTICAL to Frank’s accumulation of $1, 363, 780!
Understanding your retirement benefits early on can set the
stage for common sense financial planning and success later in life.
Hearing terms such as 401K and 403B being thrown around at employee
orientation as if they are second nature can be an intimidating experience.
Realize that if something remains unclear to you regarding your benefits,
you can schedule a time to meet with your friendly human resources
representative. Be
proactive-research the terms and understand meaning, carefully read through your
employee handbook, and develop a list of questions prior to new employee
orientation. A list of employer
retirement plans with brief definitions appears below.
Defined Benefit Plan: A retirement plan in which your employer makes contributions
on your behalf, investing the money so that at the time you are eligible to
withdraw the money, it will equal a predetermined benefit.
Payment may equal a flat monthly payment or a lump sum amount.
Defined Contribution Plan: A retirement plan in
which you or your employer make contributions to your account.
The amount that is contributed is defined; the value at the time you
withdraw your money is not guaranteed but is a result of how your money was
invested. You are responsible for
investing your account, typically within a range of options provided by the
employer.
401(k) or 403(b):
Retirement plans that allow you to contribute money toward your retirement on a
before-tax basis. You pay taxes on
your contributions-and their earnings-when you withdraw the money, typically at
the time of retirement. Many plans
offer an incentive for employees to save, matching employee contributions up to
a certain level.
Ms. Yolanda Johnson
Associate Director, Career Services
Bennett College
1.)
What are my chances of getting a job without previous work experience,
for example an internship?
Internships, employment and
research projects are resume builders. They help students gain experience and
feel out the job areas. Employers
want individuals who are willing to learn and gain the experience. Therefore;
your chances of getting a job without previous experience, particularly
internships are good as long as you are willing to learn and gain the experience
to enable you to make career decisions. Look at the experiences as an
opportunity to try and learn as much as possible about the career and gain
valuable information at the same time.
2.)
How does my hairstyle affect my getting a job?
Even though the workforce has
become more contemporary in its dress, some things remain constant and
conservative. Some employers will view hairstyles as being rebellious and unable
to adapt to the corporate culture. Employers look at employees that are
promotable. Someone who best represents them is the very person they would put
out front for the customers to see as a first person of contact.
Joe Marion
Director, Career Counseling and
Replacement
Southern University at New
Orleans
1.) When should I start applying for
a job or placement in graduate schools?
Since the administration of
career counseling is of a developmental nature, students should visit the Career
Counseling Center at the beginning of their college career.
The Career Counseling Center will then have the opportunity to help the
student formulate career goals and objectives for securing the job or graduate
placement the student wants. Successful
career counseling involves a process (e.g., the blending of interests,
information, and ability). The Career Center can provide information, contact
possibilities, interview opportunities, as well as help with preparing
job/graduate school documents (e.g., the application, statement of purpose, and
resume) the system requires.
Kenya J. Varnado
Director, Human Development Center
Huston-Tillotson College
1.) How do you motivate and encourage students to utilize the
services that the career center has to offer?
We have students notify their peers and educate them on the
abundance of information they will receive by visiting the Resource Center. The
students will explain that the HTC Resource Center has job postings, application
packets, graduate school information, and various materials related to student
empowerment.
Karen Ash, Ph.D.
Director, Career Services
Cornell University
1.) I have received an offer from a company and they want me to decide in two
weeks. I don’t feel ready to
decide, but I do like the company and don’t want to lose the offer.
Should I accept and then keep interviewing anyway?
No! It reflects poorly on you and on your college when you accept
a position and then renege on the offer. Put
yourself in the recruiter’s shoes: you are under pressure to hire the best
students and you did hire a great student from (blank) University; the student
calls you late in the season and says he/she has accepted another offer.
By then, your choices are limited and other students you could have
selected are no longer available. Would
you want to return to that campus for future hiring needs?
So, how do you handle the
situation? Ask the company for an
extension on the deadline to give them an answer. If the company does not allow extra time, make an appointment
to see your career services advisor and discuss the situation.
Talk about what is really important to you in an organization and in the
work you are seeking. If this is a good offer and a good match, accept it and leave
the job search behind you. No job
has everything we want in it; and the first job, no matter which one you select,
will offer you experience to draw from, and to learn more about yourself—what
you do and don’t enjoy about that work or that organizational culture.
Then you can move on to a second job that will allow you more learning
opportunities, an so on, until you find the right niche.
Or you can decide not to accept
the offer, thanking them, and explaining that you are very enthused about the
opportunity but feel it is premature to accept it. And tell them you will certainly contact them again in the
future when you are ready to make your final decision.
Adam
Jeffers
Career
Counselor, Career Services
San
Diego State University
1.) Should
I list membership of a cultural club or organization on a resume, and how may
it impact the potential for employment with a top ten company?"
Before answering this question, it is important for the applicant to ask
him/herself, "Does my involvement with the club or organization help to
demonstrate the skills and experience required for the position I am applying
for?" And, "Does the cultural club or organization represent who I
am as an individual?" If you can answer yes, to either question, you
should list the experience or affiliation with the club or organization. If
you are a non-active member of a cultural club or organization then you could
list it as an interest and not an achievement. Listing an interest is
acceptable, however; it does not reflect the leadership skills of a secretary,
vice president or any other position of trust. Listing an active membership
becomes important when applying for positions requiring thorough background
investigations. Information obtained from background investigations that have
not been aforementioned, may be regarded as intentional omissions. Listing
memberships of clubs and organizations not only provides the employer with
additional information about the applicant, but it may also provide the
applicant with relevant information about the employer.
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