Resume CSI

When prompted to write a resume, many students dash off a list of tasks they’ve performed in a fill-in-the-blanks style. Why would an employer want to read five lines describing your job as a server at Applebee’s? The answer is — the employer wouldn’t. Nothing loses the employer’s attention faster than a list of the obvious or expected duties as exciting as this week’s grocery list.

“What do I do?” wonders the frustrated job seeker. Rethink the resume. You see, contrary to popular belief, the resume is not so much a summary as a body of evidence. Think of your resume as CSI — Career Search Intelligence. Instead of stating the obvious, provide evidence of your ability to handle the targeted job and of your effectiveness as an employee.

The prospective employer knows that as a server at Applebee’s you serve food and beverages, you talk with customers and you tally their bill on a cash register. What the employer doesn’t know is that you train new servers, effectively manage difficult customers and generate repeat business through your excellent customer service and communication skills. Now your mundane litany of tasks becomes a bit more interesting or even compelling to the employer with an eye on the bottom line.

So the next time you need to write a resume, throw away the template, start with a blank screen, and create a new body of evidence. Think not in terms of the tasks you’ve performed but instead in terms of proof that you can do the targeted job — and do it effectively. Provide the CSI that will prompt that prospective employer to invite you to interview —- and that’s another story.

Is this professional dress?

I heard this question over and over again during the Fall Career and Internship Fair held on November 4^th.  Unfortunately the answer was far too often, “No. Not really.”  Don’t get me wrong, many of the 600+ students and alumni present were dressed up, but there is a huge difference between ripping the runway and meeting a potential employer for the first time. 

 Professional dress for a job fair and an interview are one in the same: a full suit.  For ladies this can be a matching skirt or pants suit with understated make-up and jewelry.  For men, a full suit, pressed shirt, tie, well groomed facial hair, and shined shoes.

 Professional dress does not have to cost a fortune if you start looking well before the event.   Visit the sale section of discount clothing retailers (Marshall’s, K&G, and T J Maxx) for deals on classic suits.  You may be able to snag a professional look for less than $100.

 So what doesn’t make the cut?  Polo shirts; open toe shoes; missing suit jackets; men with no ties; ladies with trendy, tight-fitting dresses; untamed hair; excessive accessories, make-up and perfume/cologne.  For the next career fair, dress to impress.  And when in doubt, contact the Career Center for more information.

Remarkable Resumes: Developing Your Leadership Skills!

Leadership skills and experiences are becoming increasingly popular with employers and internship supervisors. Job and Internship candidates who have a “Leadership Experience” section on their resume can impress an employer…this is the time for Towson University students to become detectives and conduct a thorough investigation and leadership search on past experiences and current activities, skills, and talents.

Leadership skills are very broadly defined and often reflect what you, as a student, have gained from any meaningful experience (i.e. volunteer work, coaching, participation in sports, clubs, community activities, projects).

Involvement with others, within teams, groups, etc., can be very good examples of leadership experience. Even if you don’t hold an officer position in your club or group, you ARE a member and you ARE learning valuable interpersonal, team work and problem-solving skills that you can present on your resume. Don’t sell yourself short by neglecting to examine everything you have to offer…use your resume to ENLIGHTEN your future employer:

Express your interest in a specific position

Note previous activities and experiences relevant to the job description

Lift up your qualifications with leadership experience

Incorporate numerical data to quantify your accomplishments

Generate action verbs to describe your previous and current experience

Highlight your strengths, qualifications and skills

Transform your resume into a visually pleasing document

Emphasize strong grammatical and writing skills

Navigate your way to the Career Center at Towson University for a RESUME REVIEW!

Ever wondered what a day in the life of an astrophysicist is like?

Now is your chance to find out what life is like in any profession of interest from choreographer to chef, from pediatrician to prosecuting attorney, from mathematician to make-up artist.  Try our job shadowing opportunity for Towson University students!   

DESCRIPTION: Job shadowing is a two-to-five-day program that allows undergraduate Towson University students to observe and network with professionals in a selected field of interest.

Gain an overview of day-to-day activities in a professional environment that will help you make career decisions.

Explore career interests and gain an understanding of a profession by participating in some of the following activities:

* Tour the facility
* Gain an understanding of office policies/procedures
* Review organization mission/vision statement
* Attend/observe staff or client meetings
* Complete an office task or assist with a project
* Observe client interactions
* Conduct informational interviews with staff
* Explore possible career paths within the organization and the profession
* Discuss current trends in the profession

DATES: The job shadowing program will take place during 2-5 days of Winter Break 2010. Students will arrange specific days with the host organization. Interested students must complete and submit the Job Shadowing Program Application by NOVEMBER 6, 2009.

HOW TO REGISTER:

1. Complete the Job Shadowing Program Application, please copy and paste the following link in the web browser to gain access to the application:

https://www.myinterfase.com/towson/resources/resource_view.aspx?token=yycbHloiKxeH%2fLDZaTiTuw%3d%3d

2. Save the application as a Word document and upload it to your Hire@TU account.

3. Upload your resume into your Hire@TU account.

4. Select “job shadowing” as an applicant type in your Hire@TU profile.

5. View job #20859 and submit your application online.

Meet with a Career Center staff member to prepare your resume and discuss job shadowing interests. Call the Career Center at 401-704-2233 to schedule an appointment or gain further information about the program.

 

A Day with Constellation Energy

Join.  Grow.  Shine.

Over the summer we visited Constellation Energy.  Before the day began, I glanced through the information we were provided, drawn in by those three words. They translated into: 

• Join the Constellation Energy team.
• Grow a career with a rapidly growing company.
• Shine through your accomplishments with an accomplished company.

Constellation Energy is a growing fortune 500 company and a large presence in the Baltimore area as well as across the country and around the world.  Yet, you don’t get the impression that the employees are lost.  In fact, the energy was just the oppisite.  When the presentation started, one of the employees said a line that really stood out:

“Everybody believes this is exactly what we should be doing.”

There are two ways to interpret that comment; either it is a company where everyone believes in what they are doing or it is a company where everyone belives they have found the right fit for them.  Either way, imagine the positive energy surrounding a career with that company.  Is that what you are looking for?

Forty percent of Constellation Energy’s workforce is eligible to retire in the next 5-7 years so they are looking for seasoned talent (Alumni) and students they can start on the right career path.  In fact, they were rated by Business Week as one of the best places to launch your career, and in the top 30 for best places for an internship.

And they absolutely hire more than engineers.

A little about the company:

Constellation Energy is a holding company which owns several business units, including BGE.  They are in the competitive wholesale energy markets and are in an intensely competitive economic environment, needing to be high quality and low cost.  It is a company that makes a difference, for better or worse.  With renewable energy being a hot topic issue right now, Constellation Energy is right on board looking for innovative people to research and develop new forms of energy. 

Constellation Energy has all the jobs associated with a corporate entity, including  human resources, IT, finance, & communications.  Additionally, there are more specialized job fields including engineering, math, science, & meteorology.   In total, Constellation Energy has a diverse set of needs and hires a diverse talent pool including international employees.

We had the pleasure of talking with a panel of current employees to hear where their needs lie.  Here is a breakdown of  what we heard:

• Global Commodities: Engineering, Accounting, MBA with 2 years experience
• Nuclear: New grad program looking for an Associate Chemist.  It is a 2 year program where you learn the plant then can be promoted.  Every 6 months you would receive a salary adjustment.
• BGE: Business analyst and Customer Service Reps. Also a high need for field workers.
• Corporate: MBA rotational program (supply chain, logistics, operations), Tax Accountants, Corporate Communications (marketing & communications), and Business Process Improvement.

Jobs are first posted internally in order to help their employees grow professionally within the company.  The culture of the company is highly employee focused; their goal being to assist  people looking to develop within an organization.  Support is provided to help people get to where they want to be in their career.  Sure, there are the same problems that exist in any company, but here there is a management team that works well together and tries to do their best for both their employees and their investors. 

They have a high rate of converting good interns into full time hires.  In talking to a former Towson University student, she mentioned starting as an intern in the summer, then working part time while attending school for the next two semester, then switching to full time after graduation. She loves it.  There is a high learning curve requiring about 8-9 months to get a basic understanding, but she stated it is an easy environment to ask questions. 

So if you are interested in working for a large company with a diverse workforce that recognizes individual contributions, consider Constellation Energy.

How to get hired (from the mouths of Constellation Energy staff):

• Dress for success at interviews . This means a full suit!  You need to project an image of being capable and professional.
• Communication skills: Know how to proactively sell your abilities both in and out of class.  This is essential since you do not have much hands on experience.  Be able to answer “Why did you pick your major?” 
• Show some personality; be unique.  Show enthusiasm.
• Effectively answer behavioral interview questions.  Practice!  They need to be able to see you in the roles.  Use experience from clubs, projects, and classes.
• Good resume & coverletter.  Recruiters will go out of their way to find grammar and spelling errors, and those resumes will end up in the trash.  Will also look closely for you to show that you have some knowlege of the company.
• DO NOT LET YOUR CELL PHONE RING DURING THE INTERVIEW!!!!!!!
• Your voicemail and email should be professional.  Do not have a ‘ring back’ tone or have music on your voicemail. 
• Be confident, but not agressive and pushy. 

The process to getting hired:

Constellation Energy has a large internship pipeline. They often hire summer interns the fall before.  The majority of entry level positions within the company are filled by former interns.  People who demonstrate talent may get an early offer of employment, but they do understand that you are in the recruiting process and do not force you to make a decision before you can see your other options.

Constellation Energy will be at Towson University’s Fall Career & Internship Fair on October 15, 2008 in the Chesapeake Rooms of the Univeristy Union from 2:30p-5:30p.  Dress to impress!

A Day with Fastenal

Teamwork.

Integrity.

Innovation.

Ambition.

Are these words that you would use to describe yourself and the company you work for?  If yes, then you may want to consider Fastenal.

Fastenal is a national company with a local branch, who is the “largest company you have never heard of.”  They are a publicly traded company and listed on Forbes Top 400, having exceeded 2 billion dollars last year.  Fastenal is a sales oriented company, focusing on industrial and construction supplies. 

“Oh, but I’m not a business major.”   – No problem.

“I don’t know ANYTHING about industrial supplies.”  – No problem.

Fastenal recruiters are looking for people with a strong entrepreneurial spirit; someone who enjoys building relationships and wants to advance within a stable company.  Regardless of your background, if you can demonstrate those four values we listed at the top of this posting, then you probably have a good shot at an outside sales job with Fastenal.  New employees attend extensive training to allow for success in the position.

Ruth Hopper, Regional Recruiter for Fastenal says, ”Fastenal will take the opportunity to invest in its employee through further training, career development, etc.”

Career Path:Most people start at Fastenal either part time sales or full time entry level outside sales.  They offer a pay range of $10 – $12 per hour and a very flexible schedule for part time employees, ideal for a college student, even starting as early as freshmen year.  Need credit?  No problem! They offer an organized, paid internship program.  In both of these positions, you are a valuable addition to the team, and able to contribute to the company in a big way.  For example, one of the presenters talked about how as a part time employee she had an idea to increase marketing by utilizing telemarketing.  Their open communication policy allowed her to directly contact a manager with her idea, and he provided her with the resources and staffing in order to try it out.  That is an active example of their “teamwork” value and “treat all as equals” leadership style. 

Additionally, Fastenal actively promotes from within and is focused on promoting good performers when deserved, regardless of how long they have been working with the company.   Full time sales staff makes a base salary plus commission.  A good performer in sales during their first year (entry-level) can expect to make in the low to mid 30’s.  It is important to keep in mind that as your relationships grow, so will your commission.  Also, there are more positions with Fastenal other than sales.  Talk to a recruiter or check out the website for more details.

How To Get Hired:  Fastenal primarily recruits through word-of-mouth and college career fairs.  Recruiters from Fastenal often attend Towson University career events, so make sure you are there!  You can also go to their website www.fastenal.comand click on “Careers.”  All employees start out as entry level, so if you have 10 years of sales experience this may not be the best move for you. Please fill free to also contact the Regional Recruiter, Ruth Hopper, at rhopper@fastenal.com with your area of interest for part-time, full time or internship opportunities.

Do you work for Fastenal or know someone who does?  Feel free to post your comments below! 

 

Welcome!

The purpose of the Career Center’s blog is to continue to reach out to Towson University students and help them through the transition from backpack to briefcase.  Sure we offer fantastic FREE services like career counseling, career assessments, job search skills, mock interviews, career fairs, on campus jobs, resume reviews, major selection and more, but we have so much more helpful information locked in our brains!

For example, we often visit employers who talk to us about what careers & internships they offer and we come back to the office thinking, “Man! I wish I could work there!”  Now we can hope to pass our excitement to you through the blog!  Or we will attend a conference and think, “Wow! That would be really important for the students at Towson to know.” Now we can inform you through our blog!  Or we have a funny/interesting anecdote from our lives before working at Towson that may be similar to an experience you are currently going through.  That great life experience is now yours, free of charge, on our blog.

So check back regularly to what great nuggets of information we have to share.  Or, you can always visit us in person at 7800 York Rd, Suite 206.  (Did I mention we have an awesome computer lab, with fax, photocopy, and printing services?  All totally free, as long as it’s somehow related to your future career/job.)