Career Planning Plans

Hello! And the countdown begins! Only 7 more weeks of school left! I have a feeling these weeks will go by extremely fast...

 

Recently, our office has been working really hard to modify and update our 4-year plan that is intended to guide our students to creating an organized approach to a career path in their 4 years of college. This is a great tool because it encourages time management within a wide spectrum of time and relieves common stressful factors that surface towards the end of your college career.

 

Over the next couple days I will go into each year with detail. Let's start out with the newly admitted Dons, the Freshman. As your second semester of your first year comes to an end I hope you have built relationships that have made you feel at home here at USF. Before the stress of finals comes around I also encourage you to go down the checklist below and make sure you've completed the following:

• Visit the Career Services Center and find out what services are available for you. We are located in University Center 5th Floor.
• Meet with a career counselor during our drop-in hours to begin to explore career options.
• Discuss career interests with a faculty advisor to plan relevant course work.
• Take a Career Assessment.
• Read "What can you do with this major?" Handout.
• Strengthen personal development by volunteering for community service.
• See DonsCareers for part-time jobs off-campus
  
• Get involved with student groups related to your major and/or career interests.
• Login to DonsCareers and sign up to receive announcements about career events
  
• Keep informed about CSC programs and career ideas through our events calendar. 

Don't worry if you haven't been keeping up Freshman, the Summer may be a great time to catch up on your career planning.

The above pointers are simple suggestions targeted for first year student but I highly encourage ALL of you to check out the steps for your corresponding year at our home page - www.usfca.edu/career and (I will cover each year later on...)

1. Create your own yearly action plan specific to your major and include what classes you are planning to take each semester along with your career planning strategies, and

2. Stop by our office to talk to a counselor about your yearly action plan to receive more pointers on how to obtain your DREAM JOB!


Best of Luck!
Rosie

Its A Plan!

            I have officially been working here at the CSC for almost 2 months this April. Woohoo! I honestly never thought I could have learned so much in so little time. I have been working during Drop-in hours (which are Monday-Friday, 11-2), helping people perfect their resumes for Summer internships and for the “real world”. These Drop-in hours have inspired me to look at internships myself and think about my own future. A year from this May, I will be graduating (hopefully) from USF. That is a scary and exciting thought, all at once.

   So, for the heck of it, I went looked up internships and jobs in DonsCareers. I looked through the amazing opportunities I could possibly apply for and it made me optimistic. I could teach in another country, at a “real” company, or in another state. The more and more I looked at these listings, the more I thought, “what if?”. These thoughts were lingering in my mind for a few days making me truly think about what I wanted to DO after graduation. I am very goal-oriented. At times, like all students, I get lazy and forget what I’m working towards here at USF. It’s important to take a step back every once in a while and look at the bigger picture. Maybe I need to start saving more money so that I can teach in Africa for a year? Or perhaps I need to do more internships in [insert field here] to get this certain job. Whatever it is, you’re going to need a plan at some point.

All it takes is one idea to get you going, and checking out DonsCareers might be just the site to inspire you.

          

:]  Victoria

   

INTERNSHIP EXCHANGE

Are you looking for a summer internship but want to go home or see a new city like Boston or Los Angeles? Well we have something that could possible help you find a summer internship in those different regions. It is called Internship Exchange. Internship Exchange is a internship data base that is shared with many different colleges from different regions including Harvard University, University of Miami, Brown University, Boston College, Princeton University, Pepperdine University, and etc... Due to being a shared internship data base, Internship Exchange has two major benefits. The first benefit is that you will be able to see internships not only in the area of your current school but within the area of the schools you share data base with. Giving you the opportunity to travel for a summer internship or possibly go home for the summer and find an internship. Another great benefit is that some employers are specifically looking for interns from a specific school but must post on internship exchange and when doing so, it gives our students from the University of San Francisco a chance to apply to internship that are meant for students attending Harvard. So go on to our websiteusfca.edu/career and sign up for Internship Exchange and start searching for those internships in other cities. You're also welcome to stop by our office located on the UC 5th floor if you need any help with resume, cover letters, or interviewing help.

- Aloha Nate  

BSN or MSN ??

Hello!

I think we can all agree that spring break came and went too fast!! Can you believe there are only a few weeks left until the end of the school year?! Many of you will be graduating this May with a Bachelor's degree in your major while some of you are still considering continuing your education for a Masters degree or even Doctorate. Power to you! As a nursing student, I have a few friends who are 100% determined to earn their Masters in the Science of Nursing (MSN), and I have also encountered those who ask me what the advantages of an MSN are and the difference between a BSN and MSN. There are a few main points to consider when making the decision of what degree to pursue. First and foremost, recruiters have stated that having an MSN does not give you any advantage in a hiring pool of RNs with only a BSN. The only thing recruiters do say is that an MSN gives you more room for career advancement once you are hired to work in a hospital, but does not necessarily mean you will be hired in a higher position right off the bat. As far as pay rate goes, there is also not much more significance for someone who has their MSN over someone who has their BSN since they are all considered equally in the same pool.

Ultimately, the decision to pursue a higher degree should come from the desire to pursue a higher education and be more knowledgeable in your field of study. Doing more research on your own before making the final decision is always helpful as well. Also remember that you are highly encouraged to discuss your plans with a career counselor in our office. Good luck to you all in whatever you decide to pursue in life! 

Rosie Ceja

Reflection from Career Fairs Past.

      
       I’ve always walked through the Career Fair, but have never seen the actual work that goes behind it. I never gave it much thought and just assumed that tables were set up and different companies would come and allowed to show up at their leisure to give away goodies to the students. Turns out, there is a LOT of work that goes into planning such an event. First of all, companies have to be interested in visiting our campus in the first place, I forget that they are looking for future interns or employees. Since I was working behind the scenes, I actually overheard two employers discussing the resumes in their hands with much enthusiasm.
       One of my posts at the career fair was to encourage students to fill out the evaluation sheet before they exited the fair. Evaluations are necessary because the Career Fair is essentially put on for the students. Naturally, we should want to make sure our input is taken into account, right? Where else will you find employers being brought to you, the student? All one has to do is dress up, bring a resume, and the opportunity to get an internship or job is right their in front of you, located conveniently on campus. Moral of the story: Evaluation sheets are an opportunity to voice your opinion.
        Lastly but not least, I did see some students walk into the fair who wished that they had brought a resume or had a resume to give to employers. It’s not too late to start building your resume! The Career Fair might have passed, but you could always come into career services to discuss some options and/or make your resume shine. Whatever type of internship or job you are looking to add to your resume, you can always start  here Career Services Center.

Cheers!

INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS!!!

Hi All, 

I know its midterm week and everyone has test, papers, and projects due before spring breaks hits. But it is also a great time to prepare and set up some INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS with people to gain information about something you're interested in or even expand your networking for future endeavors. I will be going back to Hawaii for spring break and have set up a few informational interviews with professionals in financial based occupations. Its quite easy to set one up and can be done with any free time you have, not just only over breaks. All you need to do is search for members of professional associations in the industries your interested in or network and contact a family friend that is in interest field of work. You can basically contact everyone and anyone that might interest you. 

So you might ask why set up a informational interview? There are a lot of reasons, including learning firsthand what it is like to do a particular kind of work at a particular organization, or to develop contacts in key positions with people who hire or who make recommendations, or to even find out about jobs and career paths you did not know exist. 

Once you have found a possible informational interview contact them and tell your contact that you are in the process of making some decisions about your career, and you want to learn more about his or her field. In particular, you want to learn whether, and how, someone with your background might enter and succeed in that field. But always remember you are not yet in a job search! After giving your contact some background information and a brief summary of what you want to know. Ask the professional to meet either in their office or over Starbucks or Jamba Juice. 

Once you have set the informational interview, prepare questions but remember that you are NOT asking this person for a job. An example question would be: In the position you now hold, what do you do in a typical day? But for more information come into CSC to check out some handouts for possible questions on Informational interviews on the UC 5th Floor or check out the PDF on our website: http://usfca.edu/uploadedFiles/Destinations/Offices_and_Services/CSC/docs/Informational%20Interviews.pdf. Also don't forget to offer to pay for Starbucks or Jamba Juice because your contact did take time out of his or her day to meet with you and don't forget thank you card, thank you card, send a hand written thank you card, thanking them for taking time out of their day to talk to you. Let them know you want to keep in touch. 

So set those INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEWS UP!

Aloha- Nate

NETWORKING DOES WORK!!!

Hey All,

Are you guys looking for a job or an internship? Have you heard of those ridiculous stories of how a friend of a friend got an internship by networking and didn't believe it? Tell me about it, I heard about them all the time. But guess what? Most of the time they are true, NETWORKING DOES WORK!

For me personally I have received 2 great internships by networking. Statistically about 80% of people that receive a job/internship receive them because they have networked or know someone that knows someone, essentially networking. I received my first internship by letting people know that I was looking for in internship, which is a great way to start networking. After a few emails and a few calls around, my dad's friend contacted me back with a family friend of his who was looking for an intern over the summer. It turned out perfectly. I received great experience and my network grew to a pretty large group in Hawaii.

My second internship is based on the idea you never know who you might meet and what a thank you card could do for you, ANYTHING COULD TURN INTO AN OPPORTUNITY. It started off when my uncle visited me in San Francisco and took me with him to a conference in Napa Valley. My thought was to hangout at the pool and have a good time in Napa while my uncle attended meetings. As I started to relax a man approached me and asked if the waiter had messed my order up and we both realized that I had his burger and he had mine. WE started talking about all kinds of stuff from sports to career options to school, after a while he told me that he was a partner in a finical advising firm. We hit it off and before I left I got his card. So a few days later I come back into the city and send him a hand written thank you card, thanking him for talking. A few weeks later I get a call from him and he offers me an internship. He stated that this internship would include spending the day by his side working with him on hedge funds, multi-million dollar accounts, and customer relationships in New York City. Which turned into a great opportunity and experience. 

You honestly will never know who you might meet or what they might have to offer, so be ready for anything that might come your way. If you want to learn more about networking come to our office located at UC 5th floor. We have some handouts or check our website for events on mentorships or networking. NETWORKING DOES WORK!!! and hand written thank you cards do work.

Aloha, 

Nate

Career and Internship Fair Prep

The Career Fair is fast approaching. Are you ready for it?

If not, don't fret! Here's four easy steps to get yourself prepared:

Step 1: See who's coming
Do you research. Check out the full list of all employers who will be attending the 23rd annual Career and Internship Fair. Decide who you want to talk to, and check out their websites for more detailed information  and the positions they might be hiring for.

Step 2: Get your resume reviewed
This week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we will have real recruiters down in Parina Lounge to review your resumes from 12 - 1:30pm. If they're packed, you're always welcome to come in for drop-ins every day (except for Career Fair day of course!) from 11am-2pm. Don't miss this opportunity.

Step 3: Attend our Career Fair Prep Workshop
Tomorrow night (March 2nd), from 5:30-7pm in the Fromm Maier Room, we will have a panel of real recruiters there to answer your questions about what they want to see at the career fair. Not sure what types of questions you should ask at the fair? Don't know how to dress? What better way to find out than from the recruiters themselves.

Step 4: Attend the fair
Come dressed to impress, bring several copies of your resume on nice resume quality paper (can be found in the bookstore or any office supply place), and have questions prepared. Know who you're going to talk to, introduce yourself, ask about the positions available, show that you did your research on the company, and most of all be enthusiastic.

Simple enough? Great. I'll be seeing you there!

-Sarah