More easy-to-navigate news sites

If you liked the Google Fast Flip Site that Jill mentioned, you should check this out too.  It’s called the newsmap (click on the picture to take a peek):

This site is also from Google, and it works similarly to Fast Flip, in that it allows you to browse headlines from different news sources all over the world.  The main difference here is that there are tabs showing headlines in several languages- so if you wanted, you could read major German news in German, Argentinean news in Spanish, etc.  Plus, it’s color-coded for each category of news, and the boxes are different sizes depending on which headlines are most often read.  Oh, and the site is updated constantly, meaning you’ll always be reading most current stories from across the globe.  Pretty cool, right?

 

So go ahead, stay in the loop!

Clinch Your Spot in Your Championship Game

Congrats Yellow Jackets for securing a spot in the ACC Championship game! Perseverance, hard work and lots of practice have paid off for the football team and it can pay off for you too. It seems to me that football and job searching are really quite similar. Students searching for an internship need to follow the same principles as our winning football team. Get your head in the game and show up ready to play.

First you need the right equipment. Build a resume during your student career that showcases your star talent. Get involved in student life at through clubs, volunteering, professional groups or with any of the many activities here at GT. Create a cover letter that highlights your accomplishments and how you will be a benefit to the company.

Study your playbook. Start your research early. Find out what companies are out there in the big wide world and identify which ones would you actually like to work for and where they’re located. Use the library’s free employer databases, register on P2D2 and Career Buzz to search job openings.

Next, practice your position. Network with other students, friends, and at the many networking opportunities GT provides. Set up a LinkedIn Account, register with the alumni directory, attend employer information sessions and career fairs.

Execute the play! Polish your interviewing skills. Practice interviewing by having your friends ask you sample interview questions. Learn to talk about your experiences in and out of the classroom. Schedule a mock interview and practice practice practice.

Go for the extra point. After the interview be sure to follow up with the recruiter. Send a thank you note the following day. Make sure you mention all the reasons you’re a great fit for the job.

Touchdown! Land that internship.

Tara and Bella

Tara is an elephant.  Bella is a dog.  They are best friends.

Clearly they are different in many ways, and yet it doesn’t matter.  They are a team.

The clip ends with a challenge to all of us:  “If they can do it, what’s our excuse?”

In every job you’ll ever have – the summer gig as a barista at the local coffee shop or the co-op job at BMW – you’ll encounter people who are very (emphasis on ‘very’!) different from you.  They’ll be different in how they look, dress, communicate, what motivates them, what they eat, how they work, how old they are, where they grew up, what they excel at, what they struggle with, etc.

What can we learn from an elephant and a dog?  This:

Some of our success depends on how hard we work and what skills and talents we possess.  But arguably an even larger component depends on how well we work with the different coworkers and clients we encounter.   Do we respect them for who they are, see their differences as strengths, and strive to work as a team?

If an elephant and a dog can do it, what’s our excuse?

Working abroad in South America … Chile is your answer!

I have been trying to develop internships and jobs in Latin America for four years.  I have not been very successful in the past in developing internship in Latin America as it has many challenges – full-time internships are not part of their work culture, the pay is not enough to live on, etc. However, I think I have found a new gold mine – Chile! Chile is an amazing country in South America. I find that many students do not know much about it at all. It ranges from desert to southern Patagonia and has some of the most beautiful coastline in South America! In addition, it has internships! I am hoping to send at least 6 students to Chile this spring semester. It is helpful to know some Spanish though as 95% of Chileans do not speak English. So, take a few minutes and learn more about this wonderful South American country:  http://www.visit-chile.org/splash.php

NEWSFLASH: Employers check Facebook and MySpace!

I’m sure you already knew this, but it’s so important to understand how, well, IMPORTANT it is that your social networking profiles not show any information that could prevent you from being hired!

Still unconcerned?  Check out this excerpt from an article in the New York Times from August 2009:

“According to a new study conducted by Harris Interactive for CareerBuilder.com, 45 percent of employers questioned are using social networks to screen job candidates — more than double from a year earlier…”

Surprised?  Well, here’s the real shocker:

“…35 percent of employers decided not to offer a job to a candidate based on the content uncovered on a social networking site.”

The article goes on to state that the main sites employers tend to browse are Facebook, followed by MySpace and LinkedIn.  Twitter was also on the list.

So what might drive your interviewer away from giving you the job?  Most employers in the CareerBuilder survey claimed provocative photos to be the main warning sign, with references to drinking and drug use following close behind.  Some even mentioned bad-mouthing past employers along with poor online communication skills.

What to do?  You can start by adjusting your privacy settings to make sure that only your friends can see your profile.  Don’t forget to Google yourself too- it’s the easiest way for an employer to gain access to your information.

If you’re still unsure about what’s appropriate for an employer to see, think of it this way: if mom and dad can see it, chances are an employer won’t be alarmed either.

Read the full version of the New York Times article here

Top 11 Job-Hunting Mistakes

Who doesn’t like Top 10 (or 11) Lists?  So here are the top 11 mistakes made by students when looking for a job:

11)   Blaming The Economy:  Take ownership and initiative.  Students who say they can’t find jobs because of the economy, in reality, often can’t find jobs because they’re not putting in the effort.

10)   Putting All Eggs in 1 or 2 Baskets:  Do apply for your dream jobs, but also apply for several back-up jobs.  Please note that in the current economy, we recommend ’several’ equate to 10-20+.

9)  Lacking Focus: Yes, we did just tell you to apply for ’several’ jobs, but it’s good to have a focus.  Applying to all mechanical engineering companies in Georgia would be enough to cause anyone to give-up on their job search.

8)  Not Networking: You’ve all heard that networking is the most effective way to find a job.  It’s true!  Be sure to talk to people you know to find out who they know.

7) Humble Resume: There are many times in life when humility is a great thing, but when you’re writing a resume is not one of these times.  This is your chance to shine, and shine brightly!

6) Messy Resume: Having lots of great content on your resume isn’t enough.  It needs to be formatted in a clear, professional way.

5) Generic or Poorly-Written Cover Letter: If you’re apathetic when writing a cover letter, why should a recruiter think you’ll be anything less when working for them?

4) Mistrusting the ‘Black Hole’:  The black hole is a term that one of my students has affectionately given to company’s on-line application systems.  She called recently to let me know that the black hole isn’t so black and has actually led to 3 interviews.  Every semester, my students get jobs through the black hole.

3) Inconsistent Time Commitment:  OK, I’ll give you a parallel.  If you want to play soccer but never go to practice, you’re probably not going to get much play time during games.  If you want to intern but never job search, you’re probably not going to get an internship.

2) Not Taking Advantage of Campus Resources:  All campuses have career counselors, job databases, and employer events.   Make these your first line of attack.  You should never be able to say that you missed a career fair or haven’t had your resume reviewed by your career counselor.

1) Procrastination: You can have a stellar resume, tremendous people skills, and leadership activities from here to Nebraska, but if you don’t start your job search early, you’re going to miss out on opportunities, maybe just a few or maybe all of them.

FLASH MOB

If you’re like me, you dread every time the professor says the next assignment in class is going to be done in groups.  Don’t they know that we Techies do our finest quality work alone, when there’s no one there to distract from our brilliant ideas?  And everyone knows that one person in the group who does maybe 5% of the work.

The bad thing is that when it’s time to apply for that job which could lead to your career, you’re more than likely going to have to demonstrate how much you love and are good at teamwork.  And don’t forget, once you land that job, you will be working in teams.  Teams of engineers, teams of scientific researchers, teams of consultants, teams, teams, teams…

But is group work really so bad?  Take a look at the comedic brilliance of a flash mob.  With flash mobs, the idea is volume- the more people participating, the better.  Just think about a “Frozen Grand Central” with only one person.  Not so funny.  “Frozen Grand Central” with over 200 people who freeze and then go about their business like what they just did was totally normal?  Pretty funny.

So what’s the point?  Group projects, like flash mobs, can be successful.  In groups, you’ll end up with more ideas, more help in case you yourself get stumped on part of the research, and the best part?  You don’t have to do all the work!  There’s obviously a reason why literally ALL major decisions for a company or government are made in groups.  Now it’s up to you to do your group project, and figure out the benefits for yourself, because we all know you’ll need the practice!

International Interest?

Did YOU end up attending the Study and Work Abroad Fair this past Tuesday? If not, you must join us next October 2010 for the fair. It is a sight to see…100’s of students interested in going abroad for work or study; recruiters excited to share their program opportunities; returnee students eager to share their stories of having been abroad.

As a Work Abroad Advisor, I am always curious why students would not be excited to go abroad. Are you too focused on your campus coursework or activities? Does leaving the country sound intimidating? Worried that you will have to speak a foreign language fluently? (this is a myth!) Feel free to leave a comment about why you hesitate to go abroad or come visit the DoPP Work Abroad Program to speak to an advisor. Debbie Gulick or Jill Burya would be more than happy to sit down and discuss the amazing reasons why an international work experience is a priceless opportunity! Just e-mail us at Workabroad@dopp.gatech.edu and tell us you are thinking of working abroad. From there, we will show you how easy it is to make an appointment to discuss your international future!

Jill Burya

Work Abroad Program Division of Professional Practice

*Campus Location: A French Building, Suite 112-C*

Phone: 404-385-7511

Email: jill.burya@dopp.gatech.edu

Website: http://www.workabroad.gatech.edu

Are You an Outlier?

At last month’s Technology Association of Georgia breakfast, I won a copy of Malcolm Gladwell’s new book, “Outliers”.  President Peterson recently asked the Institute deans and leaders to read this book to generate discussion on Georgia Tech’s vision statement.

“Outliers” is a book about success.  It includes the story of a man with an I.Q. of 195. To put this into perspective, the average I.Q. is around 100, and Einstein’s I.Q. was estimated to be 150. The man with the I.Q. of 195 never finished college and lives a modest existence in the midwest.

Gladwell argues that outliers are people who are successful due to a combination of factors, some within their control and some beyond their control.  His examples are intriguing:  Korean pilots, Bill Gates, Canadian hockey players, New York lawyers.

What can you do to make yourself an outlier?

It can be argued that one factor (among many) that you have control of is your resume.  Every college graduate has a college degree.  But not every graduate has worked in their field before graduation.

If you were a recruiter, would you hire the student with the 4.0 or the student who has already worked in your industry?  You can’t control what year you were born, whether you’re a wiz at Calc II exams, or how you were (or weren’t) taught to communicate effectively by your parents, but you can control whether or not you pursue a co-op position or internship.

The ball is in YOUR court.   You can be an outlier.

Registering a Spring Job: Quicker than Cooking Ramen Noodles!

If you have accepted a spring job and you have a few minutes, you can either cook some ramen noodles OR register your job with DoPP.  Or, if you truly want to multi-task, you can eat ramen noodles while scheduling a meeting to register your job.

Not only is registering your job quick, it’s also free and a great way to show the world that GT has given your job their official seal of approval.

Phase I registration is October 28 — November 10 so bring us your spring offer letter today!