Career Planning Office

Jobs!  Jobs! Jobs!  Companies are hiring despite what you hear in the news.  Is it as easy to get a job as it was before?  No way. You have to try harder and make yourself stand out.  Here are some things you can do to get yourself noticed: 

1)      First of all, make sure you know what job you are applying for and gear your résumé/cover letter toward that job. Have multiple people review your résumé. You can always improve it.

2)      Make sure you have all your skills and accomplishments listed on your résumé. Don't forget the soft skills: communication, leadership, research, analytical, and computer and teamwork.  These skills are just as important (and sometimes more) than your technical skills. 

3)      Make sure leadership roles stand out. Do you belong to any clubs/organizations? Have you been active in them? Have you held any office or chaired or co-chaired any events?  Employers like to see these leadership skills on your résumé.

4)      What about community service? Employers also like to see this on your résumé.

5)      Did you pay your way through school? Make sure that is listed on your résumé, too. 

6)      Networking is the best way to get a job. You have to keep at it. Find the networking events that apply to your major and go to those events. Network with everyone you know. 

Overall, employers want a well-rounded individual. Yes, you may have an excellent GPA, but what else have you done?  Employers look at a multitude of things when deciding who to interview.  So make yourself stand out. Visit the Career Planning Office (BS4090) and we can help you with your job search skills. 

Here is an article regarding companies hiring for the holidays: http://www.theworkbuzz.com/job-search/companies-holiday-hiring/.

 

 

 

The academic year has started with such a variety of students and alumni needing advice on career changes, as well as first time professional positions. I have reviewed a mountain of resumes and cover letters and referred people to a wide variety of job research sites. There are jobs out there, and Kelley School of Business Indianapolis has a uniquely skilled group of students.

 

Good luck to all of you this week as accounting recruiting begins, and to the rest of you as we negotiate the job market in these tough economic times.

 

I recently had a major medical scare in my life and had to have major surgery.  Everything ended up turning out great, but it made me reevaluate some areas in my life that needed to be changed.  I share this with you because it might help you in some way also reevaluate what is really important. 

 

We are always being pulled in so many directions.  I have 2 kids and a husband.  I have a career.  My husband and I have 17 siblings between the 2 of us, along with over 50 nieces and nephews.  There is always something to do and something going on with graduations, bridal/baby showers, new babies, weddings, etc.  The list goes on and on.  As you can see, there's not much time for myself. 

I started making some minor changes.  I made a list of things that I really enjoy and that are important to me.  I'm a list maker.  I put things on there such as reading and doing crossword puzzles.  (I know-I'm such an exciting person-believe it or not-I was the life of the party in my 20's).  I started walking 5 times a week for 30 minutes and listen to my iPod.  I actually really enjoy this time and put this on my list too.  I got my iPod over a year ago and just never took the time to use it.  With the help of my son and husband, I have over 800 songs on there now.  This walk with music is such a joy to me.  I get time to myself for 30 minutes and I am helping my health with stress reduction and hopefully-no weight gain.  Why didn't I do this before????

Another thing I do is cut out anything that really isn't important.  I get a lot of invites to in-home parties and used to try to make it to most of them if I could.  Why?  I don't know except to please others.  So I started saying no to those(unless I really want to go). 

I started enjoying the time on my deck and stopped stressing about the small stuff.  The laundry will get done-sometime.  The house will get cleaned-sometime. 

My point in all of this is for you to live life.  Don't put off anything that is enjoyable to you.  You can fit it in.  If you would have asked me a year ago if I had time to walk for 30 minutes a day, I would have said "No way."  But now that it's a priority, and a good one, I take the time.  Make a list of what you really enjoy and what is really important and start doing those things.  Cut the unimportant stuff out of your life!  And remember, if you do have a health scare, we have the best hospital right here on campus!  IU Medical Center is awesome! 

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

 

I recently spent the weekend with my husband, children, and grandchildren at a state park lodge. We had a wonderful time, and in the midst of the frivolity, I was struck by what a good example we all are of Perceivers. If you have done an MBTI evaluation, you should know that as Perceivers we are all spontaneous and open to change.

 

My son and grandson were tent camping, but the rest of us stayed in the lodge. Our original plan was to cook dinner at the campfire. We brought all the food with us in multiple coolers. When we got to the lodge and walked by the restaurant we changed our minds almost in unison. Of course, that meant that we had to eat dinner in shifts because the baby fell asleep for the night before we could eat. It's ok...we ate our camp food for dinner when we got home! I think my grandson is a budding planner. He slept most of the way home, poor little guy.

 

It's great to see theory in action. If you aren't familiar with MBTI, you must check it out. Take a look at www.typelogic.com.

 

BTW-Clifty Falls State Park has a new lodge and it is beautiful! It sits on the Ohio River just a little east of Madison, Indiana.

In this economy and market, everyone is trying to make an extra buck or two.  Please beware of job scams.  I received this article,  Job Scams ( Job Scams Feb 2009.pdf) from the Wall Street Journal and wanted to share it with you.   Whatever you do, do not pay money to get a job.  If anyone tells you that they need money from you before they can help you find a job, run out of the office.  There are many reputable search firms out there who do not charge you money.   Keep that in mind when using search firms for your job search.  Also do not give out any personal information unless you know for sure that it is a legitimate job or place of employment. 

The best way to get a job is through networking and talking to people.  Let everyone you know that you are seeking a job.  This includes your neighbors, friends, friend's sisters, dentists, pastor, etc.  Let them know the type of job you are seeking.  Keep talking to people.  Even when you secure a job, keep working on your network.  You never know when your next big break will come from someone you met while networking.   I got the job I am in now due to someone I worked with years ago at my previous job.  She remembered that my dream job was to work in a Career Planning Office and she contacted me when there was an opening. 

Be smart about your job search and you will be okay.  If there's ever anything you're not sure of or if something just doesn't seem right, then it's best to move on to something else.  You can always contact our office if you have any questions regarding your job search.  Good luck out there and remember that we are here to help students get through the job search process. 

Companies Hiring: 

Midwest ISO, Carmel, IN
US Internet, Connersville, IN 

Alorica Inc., Lafayette, IN

Sonco Worldwide

 

A blog about optimism?  Really?  Haven't you been reading the newspapers, the weekly magazines, the Web, or listening to the news, local and national?  Sure.  And it's all bad.  But remember, there is a bottom line to media outlets: they have to make money and right now the economy and its daily woes are big money makers.  What is printed and reported on the air has to appeal to a wide audience.  This includes sweeping generalizations that hardly deal with reality in your community.  Because students have been bombarded with so many negative messages they may be asking themselves, what's the point?  So with that in mind, let's engage in a little optimism.

Indianapolis enjoys some unique economic attributes that in certain times can be viewed as drawbacks and in other times, such as what is currently being experienced, can be advantageous to those searching for employment.  Indiana is not experiencing the same downturn as other metropolitan areas such as Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis, or other east coast urban areas.  The Indianapolis economy is largely made up of small to medium size firms who have managed to stay viable, despite the credit crunch, and even expand.  Consequently, there are jobs in Central Indiana.   Students, who are engaging in serious comprehensive job search strategies are finding success and in some cases dealing with multiple job offers from local firms.  I'm not just referring to accounting majors, but also management and marketing majors who are finding great success in Central Indiana by applying the most basic job search strategies.  Are they all dream jobs?  Not always.  But sometimes underemployment is a strategy to something better.

Let's take Suzie for instance (not her real name but a real recent graduate).  Suzie was "downsized " from a great internship with a Fortune 500 company and was able to leverage that experience with a local marketing firm for an excellent position with a better than average starting salary.  It can be done!  A job search like anything else requires persistence.  It also requires the ability to leverage the skill sets a candidate has gained in past experiences.  A sound tool box coupled with confidence in the candidates' academic credentials and hard and soft skills will make for a competitive interviewing process. 

Is it always that easy?  Of course not, but attitude, confidence, and optimism can go a long way to making a candidate the best fit for a position.  With the tool box set and the skill sets in place job seekers can leverage experiences, developed skills, and some optimism in order to secure a position.  It's what a candidate has to offer to the organization and people in it that will ultimately win the day.  Be confident in the idea of yourself.  Be optimistic!

I recently got the pleasure to work with 2 outstanding Kelley students, among others, planning the Kelley Career and Internship Fair.   What a great experience!  These 2 students planned most details about the career fair.  They communicated with employers, ordered tables for the event, handled the decorations and placement of the tables,  made presentations to students  in classrooms, marketed the event and assisted with the so many details it takes to put on a job fair-while being full time students.   They did an excellent job!  Over 225 students took advantage of the Kelley Career Fair, which was held on Tuesday, April 14^th.   It is so great to see students stepping up and taking control of what events happen on campus.  

You see, students have not bought in into the events that the Career Planning Office has planned in years past. We have held many "Meet the Recruiter" events and have had only 9 students show up.  It is quite a long event when you have more employers there than students.   Our office is looking to do many more events partnered with student groups.   I have seen how students can encourage other students to participate and attend their events.   This is also another experiential learning event.  Both students are marketing majors and they both got solid experience that they can list on their resumes.  They also got exposure to employers and both got interviews partly due to their planning of this event.  This is a win-win situation for students, employers and our office.  Students will get the experience of planning events along with the exposure to prospective employers.  We get the advantage of guaranteeing our employers that many students will be attending these events.  With Kelley student groups, we intend to plan many more events! 

Indiana companies hiring now:  ExactTarget, Fastenal, Dave & Buster's, FBI, Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane, WestPoint Financial

Recently, a temporary health issue rendered me blind for about 2 weeks. I was not able to drive, read, watch TV, or use the computer. Thankfully, my sight has nearly fully recovered, but there are many people not as lucky as I. This experience gave me a rare look at what it feels like in our society to have a disability.

 

Diversity is a term that we hear frequently. Mostly, we think of it as descriptive of the differences in people based on race or ethnicity, but there are many things that make us different. As a practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Assessment, I have come to realize that even the ways we perceive the world and make choices and judgments are diverse.

 

Not having the benefit of sight, even for just a little while, opened my eyes to how it must be to navigate with a disability.  The sudden inability to see presents difficulties which are obvious, but I was not expecting everything that happened. When people realized that I couldn't see, they began to treat me differently. They talked louder (nothing wrong with my hearing!) They discussed things about me without including me in the conversation (as though I wasn't there.) They spoke to me like I was a child instead of a well-educated adult. The effect of such treatment creates anger, resentment, and a feeling of defeat. I am ashamed to think that I may have been guilty of such insensitivity in the past.

 

And so, I have written this blog. Think about how you treat others. Be proud of who you are in all of your diverse ways, and allow others the same right.

As I counsel students, I am hearing more and more of them say that they want to do something that makes a difference. With that in mind, I attended the American Humanics conference held last month at the Marriott in downtown Indy.

What is American Humanics? To quote their website, "The American Humanics program is an innovative course of study that equips college and university students to become skilled professionals and leaders in America's nonprofit organizations." They have a program at IUPUI that enables interested students to prepare for a career in non-profits. This does not mean that you abandon your study of accounting or management. You take this program in conjunction with your major work to prepare you for non-profit work.

So why should you care about non-profits? Well, not only do non-profits employ about 10% of the American workforce (The Nonprofit Career Guide), by the time you are 25, you will have spent 1/3 or more of your time involved with non-profits. Think about it: hospitals, schools (including IUPUI) churches, clubs, sports organizations, symphonies, museums, and public TV or radio are all non-profits. If you want to make a difference, take a look at the non-profit sector.

If you are worried about money, consider that through donations, fees, and government grants, reporting non-profits in 2005 had total revenue of $1.6 trillion. Based on wages paid only, the sector surpasses the Netherlands as the 16th largest economy in the world (The Nonprofit Career Guide). Within the next 10 years (when boomers retire), there will be 640,000 senior level management positions available in non-profits (Bridgestar). These are well paid positions in every field of endeavor.

If you think you might be interested in the non-profit sector as you make your career plans, check out the that the CPO has provided on our website. The Nonprofit Career Guide is available in the CPO, BS 4090.

Heading into the holiday break, I finally decided it was time to do some electronic housecleaning.  After sending dozens of revised resumes to the recycle bin from my ridiculously crowded desktop, I turned my attention to my internet Favorites folder, which has never seen the delete key (it's true - I had a link for a Sharper Image sale).  One of the few favorites that survived the purge, however, is a link to an archive of Work with Marty Nemko podcasts.
Of all the links to share, why would I choose this one?  Because most of the career advice you find on the web is either generic, boring or both - and Marty is anything but generic and boring.  He is funny, sarcastic, blunt and doesn't hesitate to take on potentially controversial issues such as race and gender in the workplace.  He also happens to be a renowned career coach who has a weekly radio show on KLAW, an NPR affiliate in San Francisco.  Rather than spend an hour every week giving canned career advice to his listeners, he brings on authors, politicians, entrepreneurs and executives who provide unique insight on current issues, trends, and policies affecting the world of work.  He also invites on working professions from a wide range of industries - shows which are some of the best examples of informational interviews you'll find anywhere.   
Here are a few show capsules from Marty's website to peak your interest, all of which are available to listen to or download HERE:
November 9:  Obama advisor, Jared Bernstein. He and I debated the wisdom of a liberal versus libertarian-leaning approach to fixing economy. This is one of my favorite shows, ever. I think you'll find that it fairly and interestingly presents both sides of this critical issue.
 November 2: Barbara and Marty Nemko debate how to work a room.
October 26: Allison O'Kelly on stay-at-home moms trying to get back in the workplace.
August 31: An hour of call-in 3-minute career makeovers plus an ode to people who work 60+ hours a week, especially the women who do.
August 24: Race in the Workplace.
August 17: Penelope Trunk, author of Brazen Careerist, on Generation X and Y in the workplace. (She's pretty outrageous.)
August 3: Green Careers with Carol McClelland who runs greencareercentral.com and Marie Kerpan, a career counselor who specializes in green careers.
July 20: David Hodgson, author of Video Game Careers.
April 6: Attorney F. Lee Bailey on what it's really like to be a lawyer, plus tips for people currently involved in a criminal or civil case.