Week 7: Cover Letters & Resume

A resume is a summary of background, skills and qualifications, which is sent to employers for review. Consider it to be your personal marketing brochure with the goal of gaining the employer’s attention and to giving them the information they need to bring you to the next step in the hiring process, an interview. Your resume is often the first document that an employer would typically look at, so it serves as your first impression in the employment process. A well-written and formatted resume tells the employer a lot about your professionalism, and improves the chances for receiving an interview. Consider that employers compare resumes to decide whom to interview. Also, a resume could be used to display our multiple fields of study, which have led to our IDS degree. 

The great thing about resumes is that it is your own personal document, meaning you can design it however you would like. However, just remember, it should be professional and stand out in a pile of other resumes. You have to understand when employers are reviewing resumes they are not just looking at yours but at least a hundred others. They briefly scan each resume for about twenty seconds and if they see something that stands out to their eye then they put it aside. It isn’t until they get down to the last ten or so that they really look in depth at your resume. Therefore, you want to be sure to make it no longer than a page and use key words that were presented in the job description. 

The Career Service building is a great place to go for help. Make an appointment, and bring in your resume. They will sit down and help guide you into creating an outstanding resume that will stand out and make employers interested in you. They will also provide you with worksheets of helps tips that you should consider when making your resume. 

What questions do you have about resumes? How do you plan to use your resume to highlight your interdisciplinary degree? Draft a portion of your experience section and give feedback to at least one other student. Share at least 3 tips, which you think, are the most important things to remember when composing your resume. Have you found a really great resource to turn to when looking for ideas? Please share it with the rest of us!

Remember, in addition to your original post, read the postings through out the week and reply to another classmates post with any helpful hints you may have. As always use the reply button and add your first and last name at end of post.

Have a nice week, 
Megan

Topic 6: Interview skills

Hey Cornerstone students, Cristie here!

I hope you all had a good and restful Spring Break.

This week our topic is interview skills.

You will start by going on this website: http://www.perfectinterview.com/ucf/

Select a short interview and choose three question categories you struggle with.

You may choose to complete with a video capture but if you choose not to you must write out your answers.

After your interview click on "Review Saved Interviews." Select the "Share" button. E-mail yourself your interview and include the links in your posting.

For your posting:

Reflect on your interview. Did you find the questions challenging? What areas did you find problematic? What were you strengths and weaknesses in responses? What could you improve? Did you learn from the “Coach” tool?

Also share some advice that you have learned through your past interview experiences.

Here is some advice that I want to share with you:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->When going into a room for an interview ALWAYS knock before entering the room even if somebody has escorted you to the door where they are expecting you. Chances are this is your first test. Second give a firm handshake to everybody in the room and introduce yourself individually to each person.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->When dealing with a panel interview make sure you’re looking at the person directing the question but when answering the question make eye contact with the other interviewers. Be aware of your posture because every interviewer will be looking at you from different angle. Acknowledge everyone in the room during the interview the last thing you want is for someone to feel like they were invisible to you.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->When dealing with a phone interview first and foremost be aware of your surroundings. Make you are somewhere where you won’t be interrupted. Stay seated so you won’t be tempted to pace around the room, which can be heard on the other line of the phone. Be sure your phone has battery capability to last longer than the expected time. Lastly remember to close this is your time to sell yourself and secure a face-to-face interview.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->Salary talk, chances are your employers will mention a starting salary this is your time to speak up. The best way to go about this if it’s your first time is to ask if the salary is negotiable this is a low-pressure way to open up the discussion. Some companies are more likely to offer more money if asked but if you never ask then they will give you the rock bottom.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->o <!--[endif]-->Never forget a key component of a successful interview is a thank you note.

Be sure to look over another student’s posting and comment.

Week 5:Professional Opportunities and Job Skills

Professional Opportunities and Job Skills

Hi Cornerstone students welcome to week 5, wow, we are more than halfway, it is flying by ;) This week we are discussing professional opportunities and job skills.

Upon contemplating my philosophy in regards to my professional life and how I have conducted myself over the course of the last 20 or so years of employment along with my odd jobs and employment as a teen I can say that my philosophy would be one of hard work pays off. I have always performed any task I undertake to the best of my ability. I feel that when performing work or tasks that I want to be represented in a way that is positive and said work or tasks are associated with as being performed by someone who cares about what they do. I have also always felt that I do not want to just have a “job” I wanted to have a career and I want it to be something I like to do, not “have” to do.

Take some time to address these questions and then look into the activities we have planned for you.

How have you used your interdisciplinarity in your professional life?

What has been your professional history?

What are your strongest and weakest job skills?

What can you do to develop and improve upon your weak skills?


Identify two professional clubs or organizations that are useful to your chosen career.

How have internship or externship helped your professional development?

Discuss your personal philosophy concerning your professional life

How is or isn't this philosophy interdisciplinary?

How have your career goals altered?

UCF Link to gain insight on internships

http://www.explearning.ucf.edu/categories/Overview/Options_and_Definitions/94_91.aspx

Explore this interns site and pick one or two areas that may interest you or be helpful for you to gain knowledge to ward your future career goals.

Maybe you should join the circus, here are some fun tests and activities to determine what role would fit you best.

http://www.ringling.com/TopLanding.aspx?id=11616

Explore the sites and have fun with them you may learn something about yourself ;)

Free career test

http://www.free-career-test.com/Inventory/items.aspx?guid={79f5fa5f-9b60-4f68-840b-ff2f2469570f}&page=1&utid=5269368

After you sign in and create a user name and password just answer the questions as indicated, upon completion you will be sent to an advertisement, just click not interested and then you will be sent to your results page.  There may be a few more advertisements come up, just click continue with report . You do not have to purchase anything, although it will ask, there is no need. Just gain some insight as to what your personality says about what career choices you would be better suited for. Being great at what you do can be very satisfying. Yet many people find themselves working in a career where their natural talents go to waste. For one reason or another, there's a mismatch between their Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's) and their job duties.

In at least 2-3 sentences explain how your career choices and your personality either match or do not match.

 Please respond to at least 1other student (more is better to get a dialogue going) and as always respond as a reply not a new post and use first and last name at the end of your post.

Feel free to visit this link to explore other various forms of career and personality tests: 

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/careertests/Career_Tests.htm

Thank you,

Katina Bolton