We’re a week away from the Spring Internship & Career Fair!

Dear students,

Looking for that job or internship? Come to our Spring Internship & Career Fair, where over hundreds of companies are there to see you

The ICC Spring Internship and Career Fair
Thursday, April 30, 2009
10 AM – 2 PM, UC Davis Pavilion

FAQ:

What happens at a Career Fair? What do I even do?
Hundreds of company representatives are promoting their companies and/or recruiting for positions. Some of the representatives are UCD Alum, and they’re tapping within their alumni resource to hire some of the best and brightest. These companies are offering internship and/or full-time job positions. Your part, as the student, is to make a good first impression, prep your resume, and market yourself as best as you can to these companies.
How can I prepare for event?
The ICC will be holding a “Prepare for the Fair” event on 4/21, 4/23, and 4/29 (See the Program of Events for the exact time and location). You can also check out this general guideline for suggested attire, what to ask representatives, how to map out companies, etc

How many companies will be there?
The list of companies constantly changes, but we currently have 100+ companies coming, including Apple, Genentech, the Internal Revenue Service, Johnson&Johnson, etc. Check out the constantly updated list here

Do I have to stay for the whole four hours?
No, of course not; that allotted time is to help you see as few or as many companies as you’d like.

I’m coming from class – won’t it be a little awkward to meet employers with my backpack on?
Yes, I agree that would be awkward. However, we do have a bag-check option just for those scenarios, which do happen often.

Have any more questions? Feel free to comment, and I’ll answer them as best as I can!

Warm regards,
Your LA&B Student Advisor

Upcoming ICC event: What Recruiters Want

What are you doing on 4/20? Come to an exciting & new ICC event!

What Recruiters Want: Inside tips for breaking into the business world

Monday, April 20th

6:30p.m.

Wellman 106

Meet representatives from companies such as:

• Morgan Stanley
• CalPERS
• MassMutual
• Franchise Tax Board

This panel of top employers will share their insider’s view on how to STAND OUT in fields such as banking, accounting, financial services, investments, consulting and HR.

Sponsored by the Internship and Career Center, Department of Economics and Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.

“I lost my job because of Twitter”

DON’T let this happen to you.

“A recent tweet by a would-be Cisco hire illustrates how easy it is to humiliate yourself with microblogging. The candidate, whose identity ultimately was revealed, posted this: “Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.” Cisco replied: ‘Who is the hiring manager? I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web.’”

More details about the situation can be read at Helen Popkin’s article “Twitter gets you fired in 140 characters or less”

There are many components to landing a job, such as a creating a good resume and cover letter, making a good impression with your attire, doing well during the interview, and possessing proper social web etiquette.

The term “social web etiquette” was coined when speaking with ranting to Ken Barnes about students who need better privacy settings on their Facebook (By the way, if there is some other terminology I should be using, please let me know). Look at it this way: If an employer wants to hire you, they find it necessary to find everything about you to see if there is a fit, which includes checking out resumes, calling references, and doing background checks. In this day and age, that may include checking your social networking sites

One may argue: “They can’t look at my Facebook/Twitter/MySpace; that’s private information!”
I argue: Let’s try this exercise. Google your name. What comes up? Stuff from high school? Your comments on this blog? ::gasp:: Is that your Facebook? Or even your Twitter?
Surprise. That stuff is public. Everything on the internet is public. You know what’s creepier than possibly finding your social networking sites through a google search? Realizing how easily it can be done. If you can do it, a seven-year old could probably do it, and now your soon-to-be employer can as well.

One may say: “But my stuff is private!”
I say: Did you pass the google exercise I just had you do? If you did – Well, good for you.

One may say: “If you wouldn’t want your mother to see it, don’t put it up at all.”
I say: That is one way to look at it. Or, just don’t be friends with your mom – simple as that.

What do you think?

Welcome to Spring Quarter 09!

Dear Students,

Spring is here! Here’s a few highlights from our Spring Program of Events*:

- April 7, Resume Clinic (1:10pm at 234 South Hall)
- April 14, Interviewing Skills (12:10pm at 229 South Hall)
- April 29, CIA Info Session (5:15pm at the Founders Board Room in Buehler)
- April 30, Spring Internship & Career Fair (10-2pm at the Pavilion)
- May 6, Careers in Accounting (5:30pm at the Community Center at the Colleges at La Rue)
- May 14, Jobs for Communications Majors (4:10pm at MUII, MU)

See you there!
Your LA&B Student Advisor

• Want a Program of Events for yourself? Stop by the ICC to get a hard copy, or click the link to the right

Interview Prep 101

Apply for a job and pass the resume screening process? Congratulations! But now you need to prepare for the real test: the interview. The UC Davis Internship & Career Center has the following resources to help students prepare for the obstacle ahead:

- Drop by the ICC and get your copy of our Career Resource Manual, or check it out here. Page 45 has a list of common interview questions that students, like myself, use to prep for interviews

- Have a webcam? Check out Interview Stream. After you create an account, you can be “interviewed” while you are recorded. Students answer the question to the best of their ability and afterward, you can watch how you did! Take note of how many times you say “um,” “uh,” or if you pulled a Miss South Carolina, and try not to make the same mistake during the real thing.
(Even if you don’t have a webcam, you can make an appointment to use the computer & webcam in Room 218 of South Hall)

- Attend an “Interviewing Skills” workshop! Pick up our current “Program of Events” to see when the next workshop will be held by an ICC coordinator

Good luck!
Your LA&B Student Advisor

What to expect from “Career Speed Dating”

Dear Students,

Long time no see! I’m sorry if it seems I’ve neglected the blog – I’ve been busy with the latest Winter Internship & Career Fair, advising students, overcoming whatever sickness I may have, and that lovely time of the quarter called “midterms,” but I’m back. But enough about me, and more about our next upcoming event!

This Thursday, March 5, the Liberal Arts & Business program area of the ICC will be holding our “Career Speed Dating” event from 4 -6 pm at Freeborn Hall. No pre-registration is necessary; all students are encouraged to attend.

Even before I worked at the ICC, I went to last year’s “Career Speed Dating” event, and I can honestly say that I enjoyed it! To break down the event format, I’ll explain it in the same way my Yelp reviews are structured:

Approximately 8 – 10 students sit down with an employer, hear about their profession for 10 minutes, and have the remaining time for questions.  Once their time is up, a bell is rung and students must move to the next table of their choice (much like real speed dating events). If a student stays the whole 2 hours (but they don’t have to), they will be able to see a maximum of 6 different professionals.

PROS:
- Casual attire is appropriate. This is a great networking opportunity in a casual environment where you can talk to employers and just merely get to know more about the person or profession
- Bringing your resume is not necessary; attending professionals will be there to mainly talk to you
- Every professional had something different to say
- I found it enjoyable to sometimes just sit and listen to a professional’s anecdote of their experience as a college student and how they got to where they are now
- There is no need to impress (like a real date, haha). Just please don’t besmirch your name or ours.

CONS:
- 15 mins goes by surprisingly fast, and before you know it, you’re off to another table.
- Last year’s event had such a good turnout that the popular tables (i.e the FBI, Target, Mervyn’s) filled up fast!

It’s highly suggested that students see who’s coming and check out the map before the event starts!

Warm regards,
Your LA&B Student Advisor

Increase your Marketability through Cyber Media Usage

[Written by yours truly <3 Also posted at http://iccweb.ucdavis.edu/LAB/articles_tech_skills.htm]

A new year and a new academic quarter are upon us, and it’s never too early to start looking for an internship or full-time job. As students plow through their undergrad, they prepare themselves by taking classes, picking up a job, becoming more involved on campus, etc, but in this economy, some may wonder, “What can I do to make myself even more marketable?”

We are living in an exciting time where technology is constantly changing and our dependence on it is ever-growing. Create a niche for yourself by increasing your knowledge of technology and ultimately, cyber media.

It’s not enough that a student’s technical skills only encompass Microsoft Office – the majority of college students work with Word, Excel and/or PowerPoint on a daily basis, and with that type of competition, how else is it possible to distinguish yourself from other candidates? However, by “increasing your knowledge of technology,” it’s not necessary to learn how to program in C++, count in binary, or speak Fortran (and if you didn’t understand any of that, it’s okay, you’re not a n00b).

By increasing your knowledge of utilizing cyber media, you are making yourself more marketable when applying for jobs.

Defining “cyber media” is difficult, but we are all familiar with many of its examples. Facebook, YouTube, podcasts, blogs, etc. are all online resources utilized to share information that can be created or viewed by anyone. Here are some suggestions on how to become proactive:

1. Learn another operating system. The majority of computer users are familiar with the Windows Operating Systems; why not learn the Macintosh OS? Or even vice versa? (Mac users, try not to cringe.)
2. Become inspired by famous bloggers (i.e. Perez Hilton, John Mayer), and start your own! It can be about anything – food, interests, or even an online portfolio of your art work. Design major Kate Wang keeps a blog of her portfolio from design projects, internships, or work assignments. Her site, kate-wang.blogspot.com, gets a lot of traffic from visitors all over the world! Not only does she have an organized and simple way to access her work, she has even received job offers from impressed companies.
3. If writing is not your forte, what about video blogging? Become the next YouTube sensation and let the world know about your day, a project you’re working on, or the reasons why you do or do not like college (KevJumba, anyone?)
4. Networking sites definitely help – who knew that Facebook or MySpace would ever come in handy in the real world? But do realize that there are more than just those two.
5. For those of you who think you “know nothing about computers,” there is an amazing class offered through the Plant Sciences department here at UC Davis. The class is PLS21, “Computers in Agriculture,” but don’t let the name fool you: I took this amazing class my second year, and got a refresher on the basics of Microsoft Office, and learned so much more (i.e Microsoft Access to manipulate various rows of data, Mozilla Composer to create your own webpage, Microsoft Excel formulas and macros for expense reports, etc).

In order to understand how this may apply in the real world, let’s focus on a fellow Aggie: William Hsu is a second year Economics major as well as founder and developer of Davistext.com. He created the site this past September while “feeling frustrated as a first-year student unable to find out what books he needed earlier” – as quoted in the Aggie. He utilized cyber media to inform the UCD community via Facebook group invites and Daviswiki entries. By reaching out to students via utilizing a frequently-visited website, his site’s popularity grew.

My position at the ICC and my internship with Apple increase my own knowledge of cyber media. At the Internship and Career Center, I have been given the privilege to manage the Liberal Arts & Business blog, which I try to constantly update for our valued readers. Through my internship at Apple, I am constantly working with the Macintosh operating system (I am mainly a Windows user, so it’s a big deal to me), as well as staying up-to-date with the latest gadgets and trends of the company. As a Textiles and Clothing major, many predict my future will be in retail management or design; however, with my knowledge of cyber media, I can utilize my skills to contribute to an important sector of retail: E-commerce. Companies such as Macy’s and Victoria’s Secret are always looking for tech-savvy and up-to-date interns who can manage their websites, attract consumers, and increase revenue.

The next time it’s 2am and you’re on Facebook (with a paper due at 10am that you haven’t started), don’t feel so bad. You’re just increasing your cyber media skills, right?

New Year, New Opportunities

Happy 2009!

Try not to be discouraged by the economy (keyword: try); the ICC is trying our best to keep you updated on new jobs and internships available, as well as reconfiguring your approach toward the job search.

Check out our Winter 2009 Program of Events (located on the right-hand side of this blog)! We have some special events coming up, such as:

- “How to turn your job or volunteer position into an internship” with Lisa Sanders on January 13 from 12:10pm – 1:00pm in the DeCarli room (MU, second floor)

- “Myers-Briggs Type Indicator” on January 22 ( remember: you need to sign up for it on your Aggie Job Link account first!)

- “You can intern abroad and get $” on January 27 at 2:10pm at 114 South Hall

As always, we have a group of student advisers who can help you search Aggie Job Link for some jobs or internships, or critique your resume!

Wishing you a successful start to the Winter Quarter,

Your LA&B student advisor

What Do YOU Want to See?

Dear students,

The Liberal Arts & Business blog is another way that the UC Davis Internship & Career Center is trying to reach out to our students, letting them know about all the resources available to them. For future blog entries, what would you like to see? As a LA&B adviser, I try to inform others about helpful resources that I would utilize as a student myself.

It’s like what T.I. says – “You can have whatever you like.”

Comment and give us inspiration, so that this blog may be a daily resource for you, just like the Aggie!

Warm Regards,

Your LA&B Student Advisor

Happy Thanksgiving!!

How An Assessment Can Save Your [Career] Life

Dear students,

Did you know that 80% of college graduates work in a field unrelated to their major? When students come into the ICC, we use their major to better help them, but ultimately, we rely on their strengths and past experience to find their ideal job or internship.

For students who aren’t sure where to start, we highly recommend taking an assessment. The ICC offers the following four assessments:

- the Myer-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) helps students determine career options (or even a major for those who are undeclared) based on personality preferences.

- the Strong Interest Inventory recognizes an individual’s career interests, preferred work environments and personal work style

- SkillsScan is a card sort used to help a person learn more about the way he or she would prefer to combine their skills in a career

- Values Clarification points out an individual’s values and priorities and align them with his or her’s beliefs and needs.

For students interested in taking one (or even all) of these assessments, make sure you have an Aggie Job Link Account*. Once logged in, click on the “Events” tab to the right, then click on the “workshops” tab. Click on the desired assessment, and RSVP. It is essential that students RSVP prior to the workshop date–students will receive an email from the facilitating coordinator with the username, password, and instructions to take the assessment (for the MBTI and Strong Interest). The assessment must be completed two (2) days prior to the workshop so the results may be interpreted by the facilitating coordinator.

The best part about these assessments? They’re free, and there are no wrong or right answers!

Best Regards,

Your LA&B Student Advisor

*For students without an Aggie Job Link account, sign up is simple! Go to icc.ucdavis.edu, and click on “Aggie Job Link Student Login” to the right.  Underneath “Help with Aggie Job Link,” click on “Create a Student Account.”