UVM Career Center Blog

Mile 21

Many marathoners will agree that mile 21 is a tough one. You’ve come so far, yet you still have a ways to go. You are almost finished with your college career, almost but not quite.

Where do you find the energy to push through until the end? To sit down and polish your resume, create a professional Linked-In profile, attend networking events, make professional connections and apply and interview for jobs? Not to mention, homework and tests.

Whew! Just reading through the list could make you tired.

Let us consider advice from the Marathon pros to help you finish the year strong!
• Pace yourself: This isn’t a quick sprint. Keep taking steady, sustainable steps forward
• Take care of yourself throughout the process: rest and good food are your friends
• Pay attention to your mind-set and self-talk: success is mainly in the mind
• Set reasonable outcome and process goals: think of things you can easily achieve, as well as ultimate goals

To help you keep moving forward and meeting your goals, step-by-step, the focus this month is on Resumes and your Professional Presentation.

Check out the resources on the Senior Checklist for Career Success to create or improve your resume and create a professional Linked In Profile.

The keystone of your job search is your resume. You will need it to network and job search effectively. If you don’t have one yet, now’s the time!

If you already have a fabulous resume, please consider your on-line presence. Are you Linked-In? Have you checked your Facebook Privacy settings? Have you Googled yourself lately? Now is the time to create a positive, professional on-line presence.

Ryan Hall, on running a marathon:
“I don’t think about the miles that are coming down the road, I don’t think about the mile I’m on right now, I don’t think about the miles I’ve already covered. I think about what I’m doing right now, just being lost in the moment.”

You’re entering the home stretch.
Wishing you well!

~Kala

November 29, 2011

Blogging Yourself into a Job

By career

Marshall McLuhan famously wrote that “the medium is the message.” When you list your blog on your resume, the message you send to a potential employer is that you understand the importance of modern media and its role in society. As a medium, a blog is very much an extension of yourself; it allows you to express a fuller version of yourself beyond your resume.

A blog is not just for writers and artists to advertise their portfolios, it’s a tool for all jobseekers to demonstrate their ability to analyze, synthesize and communicate information in their field. By blogging about professional and academic experiences, jobseekers can animate those bullet points on their resume, bringing to life a semester abroad, a service-learning course, or an internship. Here is a good example.

Like anything else you include on your resume, you must carefully consider whether or not your blog promotes you as a candidate. Poorly organized, infrequently updated, incredibly personal or irrelevant blogs can work against you! Also keep in mind that a blog can be a compliment to a resume but it is not a substitute.

Other Advantages of Blogging

-A blog can reveal hard-to-communicate personal qualities: passion, creativity, imagination, etc.

-Blogging allows you to come across as an individual before the interview.

-Know the tools of the trade: more and more companies are using blogs to organize projects

-Your blog will pop up if employers Google you!

Don’t have a blog? Here is a basic guide to getting started as well as strategies for writing good blog posts and maintaining a blog routine.

~Jarrod

November 17, 2011

World of Work: Kathryn Sylvester Manciocchi ‘02

By career

Kathryn Sylvester Manciocchi ‘02
Benefits Specialist
Millennium Partners Sports Club Management / Sports Club LA
http://www.thesportsclubla.com
San Francisco Bay Area, CA

Major: Environmental Studies

How would you describe what you do on a typical day?

On a typical day, I can work on any of the following:

Benefits enrollment, presentations and questions
Working with employees, vendors and brokers
Open enrollment and changes to plans
401K administration
Leave and worker’s compensation administration
COBRA and unemployment administration
Company wellness program

What advice do you have for students searching for jobs or internships in your field?

Check out events from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Northeast Human Resources Association (NEHRA) and do lots of informational interviews!

Do you like numbers and math? Are you interested in the healthcare industry? Perhaps, you like law and legal matters? This may be for you!

What three words best describe your work environment?

Busy, Engaging and Fun. It’s different every day!

Describe your best day at work.

My best days are when I get a “thank you” for a job well done and I am satisfied with my work at 5:00pm.

November 10, 2011

Doing Good, Doing Well: Make Money Doing What You Love

By career

Meaning making & making money?

Are they mutually exclusive or is it possible to do both? Yes!

Here are the steps:

Define what matters to you
Explore opportunities
Learn from others
Take a stand, take a step – get involved!

Soul Collage

Find out what is possible:

Considering a Non-Profit Career

Learn from the experts:

Idealist.org

Get in the conversation:

Join LinkedIn & their non-profit groups, including:

Non Profit & Philanthropic Job Board
Non Profit Network
Non Profit Professionals
UVM Career Connections: Non Profit & Social Services

Clarify your Mission:

Friday, Nov. 11, 1:30 pm: Creating a Personal Mission Statement & Action Plan,
Career Services L/L E 166.

Get Involved:

UVM is a great place to start

Do a year of service:

Non-Profit Fellowships

~Holly

November 3, 2011

Internship of the Month: Travellers Worldwide

By career

Intern: Caroline Graff
Class Year: 2013
Major: Psychology
Internship Title: Volunteer at Wildlife Park/Teacher’s assistant to Refugee children learning English
Company: Travellers Worldwide
Website: http://www.travellersworldwide.com/

Briefly tell us about the organization you were with:

Travellers Worldwide is an organization that sends volunteers around the world to work in a variety of different projects. During the time spent abroad volunteers are immersed in different culture where they get the chance to experience life in another country. All programs are at least six weeks long but can be extended to a full semester.

How would you describe the various projects you did in for your organization to someone who is unfamiliar with your field? I worked in two different projects. One was at a wildlife park where I was able to meet the locals as well as travelers visiting the park from around the country and even around the world! I got to experience working with various animals, mainly marsupials and birds. The second project I worked on was at as a Teacher’s Assistant in an Intensive English Center for refugee children.

What did you like best about this internship? What was most challenging?

I particularly enjoyed working with the children at the school I was with. It gave me an opportunity I had never had before. I got to learn about their culture and meet kids from all around the world who came to Australia to make a new life. I gained a great deal from the experience–it opened my eyes to how important it is to have institutions that allow for immigrants to assimilate to their new culture. The hardest part was having to come back home!

How did you gain credit for this internship?

I took the service learning class, EDSS 239, at UVM where I did various readings and wrote papers connecting them to my experience.

What impact did this internship have on your career direction?

As a psychology major, working with the children allowed me to realize I have a love for kids, and it got me thinking about doing something in the psychology field where I would be able to work with kids. Working with refugees was also particularly interesting and I would enjoy doing something like that as well.

What advice do you have for students searching for internships?

Trying an internship in something you’ve never done before or that doesn’t have to do with your major can also be a good thing where you’ll learn a lot and it may introduce you to something you’ll be interested in.

Why should students do an internship?

Internships allow you to gain a different experience than you do in the classroom. Particularly if you usually take large lecture classes, internships allow you to gain hands on experience. I found the internship work to be a relief from some of the classroom stresses of having to take exams. You get the opportunity to work on something you choose to explore more deeply and it can be an eye opening experience.

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