Writing Your Resume
Producing a good resume and a well-written cover letter is a basic requirement for a successful job search. The Career Services is here to assist you with this important task by providing the following resources:
CareerSoar - Offers a wide range of resume writing services, curriculum vitae writing, and employment cover letter services to job-seeking professionals.
Resume.com - Build and post your resume online at no cost.
Resume Now - offers jobseekers a fast and easy way to create a resume
Resume Writers - Work one-on-one, directly and personally, with an experienced professional until you have a resume you are satisfied with.
Networking
Networking sounds like an unfamiliar and distant term for many students, however, networking is one of the best ways to find jobs and internships. Similar to social networking sites such as Facebook, professional networking sites allow you to invite people you know. By connecting with friends and coworkers, you can also see who is in their network to identify people you may want to talk with. Many of the sites also allow you to search for new contacts at companies or industries that interest you.
LinkedIn - Invite friends, coworkers, and supervisors to join your network, receive recommendations from people you've worked with, and search the over 100 million professionals already on the LinkedIn network. Find jobs using the jobs and employer directories.
Twitter - Follow and have real-time communications with hiring managers and working professionals in your career area.
- Don't Limit Your Contact:
- Search for professional contacts by different criteria, including educational background, company, career field, location, etc.
- If you find a contact who works at a company you'd like to work for but their particular job doesn't interest you, it can still be helpful to contact them. You can learn more about the company and get additional referrals from within the company.
- Make Contact:
Once you've found someone you'd like to connect with, contact them via email and ask for an informational interview, either in person or over the phone. In your email, include where you found them (e.g. LinkedIn or Twitter), why you are interested in talking with them (make sure to keep the focus on getting information rather than asking for a job), and that you would like to set-up an informational meeting with them for 15-30 minutes. - Prepare Ahead of Time:
Do your research ahead of time to learn more about what they do, where they work, and develop a list of questions to ask them. - Ask for Referrals:
At the end of your informational interview, ask if there is anyone else you can speak with or that they can refer you to so that you can continue to build your network. - Follow-Up:
Don't forget to send your contact a thank you note and to get in touch again once you've followed some of their advice.
Interviewing
Being prepared for your interview will give you the confidence to succeed in highlighting important qualities and skills needed to illustrate your qualifications.
Research your employer and salary - Prior to the interview, you should conduct a thorough research on the company/employer, the field, and the salary. Preparing for interviews, questions asked by employers, questions to ask employers, etiquette tips for interviews, closing the interview, dressing for interviews, interview advice from employers, types of interviews, etiquette tips for dining, sample thank you letter. In addition, you should arm yourself with data and insights from relevant websites to help you answer the questions "what are your salary requirements?"
Mock Interviews - Our Career Services Counselor are available to meet with students for a mock interview. To schedule an appointment, students can email Career Services at careerservices@psuca.edu. Please come prepared for the appointment like an actual interview.