College | Classy Career Girl

4 Ways to Leverage Your Alma Mater in Your Job Search

May 16, 2012 by Anna Runyan ·

Today’s post is written by Lindsey Harper Mac. Lindsay specializes in writing about education, professional and personal development, and career building and writes on behalf of Colorado Technical University.

Contrary to popular belief, your alma mater won’t just push you out of the nest and expect you to fly on your own. In addition to preparing you for the professional world by arming you with a quality education, your alma mater can also provide you with the tools necessary to make this transition smoother and more successful. Finding a job as an individual can seem impossible with the current uninviting job market, but when you have a team of well-connected professionals to support you, the world truly is your oyster.

To find out how you can leverage your alma mater to help you find your dream job, consider the following helpful resources.

  1. Utilize the Career Services Department

Most colleges have a career services department designed primarily to help students in their job search. Most career services departments are not limited to helping recent graduates, but in providing lifelong services to all alumni. Set up an appointment with a career development professional in this department to review current job listings, respond to your questions, and offer professional advice for your job search.

  2. Reconnect with Professors and Peers

One of the more personal resources you can take advantage of is reconnecting to former professors and peers. Your former professors can provide you with excellent recommendations to improve your appeal in the job market and cam possibly help personally connect you with his or her professional peers who may be searching for new employees. Your peers who have already found work can also help you by providing personal recommendations and connections to other professionals in your industry.

  3. Extend Your Education

You may have to focus on your own professional development to improve your appeal to potential employers. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is by furthering your education. You can enroll in an advanced degree program or simply take a few classes to specialize in a certain aspect of your profession. No matter how committed you are, working toward extending your education is an effective, proactive way to surpass the competition. To accommodate your busy schedule, ask your guidance counselor about online education alternatives.

  4. Enhance Your Resume

First impressions can make all the difference in the success of your job search, which is why having a resume that is polished and up to date is crucial for catching the attention of employers. Most institutions have a center available solely for helping students and alumni improve their resumes by reading it over for grammatical errors, evaluating for design appeal, and offering structural advice to increase general appeal.

As a general rule, you will want to focus on emphasizing the active role you played in your professional development. For example, if you received an award of some sort in college, talk about how you actively worked to achieve this award instead of passively describing how it was given to you. In addition to improving the style, structure, and content of your resume, your alma mater can also help market your resume to potential employers to ensure that it won’t simply be tossed to the bottom of the pile.

How have you used your alma mater in your career search?

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Filed Under: College, Grad School, How to Find a Job | 1 Comment

3 Ways To Make Your Career About Passion AND Practicality

May 1, 2012 by Anna Runyan ·

Today’s post is written by Alex Summers. Having spent long and arduous hours learning about business, marketing, and writing from respected minds while attending school, she now feels an obligation to spread the knowledge along with a fresh perspective.

When asking for career advice, many of us have probably been told by elders that it’s important to love what you do. Nothing ultimately matters as much as the satisfaction and contentment derived from an enjoyable, lifelong career. But this goal remains elusive for many. While all of us have passions and a desire (or at least a need) to maintain a stable income, it is often difficult to unify the two. We can find a well-paying, dependable job in a field that we can’t stand. We can live paycheck-to-paycheck in an industry we adore. But it’s often hard to find and maintain that middle ground.

If you’re in this position, it’s important to keep seeking your passions while simultaneously staying practical about your options and your perfect career. Here are a 3 tips for working to accomplish this challenging task:

Create a balance. Life is all about balance, and finding the right career is no exception. But how, on a literal level, can this be done? It usually is a matter of specializing when it matters: if you’re in a broad field that is practical but not enjoyable, try to find a specialty within that field that better suits your passions. On the other hand, if you are in an industry about which you are more passionate, look to take a job in one of the more practical and dependable focuses therein.
Take time to explore. As a young professional, the best way to find that optimal career balance is to take some time to try out a wide variety of opportunities. You may find that your passions aren’t as exciting in reality and that some paths prove more enjoyable than you initially think. Along the way, hopefully, you’ll come across something that works well for you.
Don’t assume your passions are impossible. There was once a time when the field of massage therapy represented a career that was high on passion and short on practicality. Massage therapists were poorly paid and few and far between. A person who was fascinated by the career, therefore, had little chance at employing themselves or maintaining a stable lifestyle. But that has all changed over the past decade: thanks to growing awareness, new backing from the medical community, and an aging population, massage therapy is now a lucrative field with growing demand. Certified professionals are in short supply even though massage therapy schools are regularly full. This all goes to show that your passions can become practical should you choose to stick with them.

These are just three tips to keep in mind when trying to find a career path that combines passion with practicality. While we would all jump to take a job that offers us equally large measures of both, this is not always a feasible option for young professionals today. But this does not mean that you should ever cede your goals – whether now or in the future.

How do you combine passion and practicality in your job?

photo credit: Neil Conway

Filed Under: College, How to Find a Job, personal development | No Comments

Life of a Soon To Be College Grad: Update From Clare

March 22, 2012 by Anna Runyan ·

Today we continue a series where we follow a college student as she navigates the final years of college and the professional world. Every quarter you will get an update from our “Soon To Be College Grad” about her career preparation and job search process. Hopefully, this will also help you see what resources are available and what other college students and new grads are doing as they head out into the real world. If you have any other advice of what you are doing to prepare for after graduation, please share in the comments! I am excited to hear your thoughts!

Here’s an exciting update from Clare from Twirling Clare. Her story is a GREAT example of how you never know where you might meet someone who can help you reach your dreams and goals. Always be ready! If you missed her initial introduction, make sure you read Life of a Soon to be College Grad: Meet Clare.

How is the job search going?

Over Christmas break while working in Alligator Purse, a women’s apparel boutique in Cincinnati, I assisted a male customer searching for a Christmas gift for his wife. While he was in the store, we got to talking and I mentioned to him about my blog, my career interests, and other outlooks on the current job market. After he checked out, he informed me that he was the Publisher of an up and coming Cincinnati Lifestyle & Event Guide magazine called Venue. He left me his contact information and I emailed him to pursue a possible career opportunity. After several weeks of discussing potential projects, we decided that I would be a weekly correspondent on local philanthropies and nonprofits around the Cincinnati area. I will be writing about a 300-400 word write-up on these local foundations each week which will be featured on Venue’s website. I am ecstatic about the project and eager to start working. The first publication was just released and you can read it here on the Venue website. I am officially the Venue Lifestyle and Event Guide as a weekly blog correspondent on Nonprofit and Philanthropies in the Cincinnati area.

Have you used the career services office at your school? If so, how have they have helped you?

In addition to my job opportunity, I also stopped into the Career Service Center at my school to talk about life, networking, and all of the other fun “real world” steps that will need to take place in the next couple of weeks. I met with the Director of the Career Services Department for over an hour and the meeting went very well. After checking in, I was asked to enter my contact information into a database to connect students from our school with networking opportunities from a broad collection of alums who are also registered in the system.

When I met with the director of Career Services, I told her about my upcoming project for the semester. She said that I was on the right track for lining up future job opportunities and told me the important skills it takes for relationships like that to work-out positively. She said that a vast majority of the jobs available are not advertised, not listed online, not in classified pages. If an employer meets you and wants you to work for him or her…they will do anything they can to ensure that you’ll be a new employee. So, how do you become that person? Personality. Even though good grades, involvement, and a strong resume helps, a lot of times you’ll be hired based on who you are as a person. Your charm, your conversation skills, your demeanor. Your personality is your best asset and you are in full control over your behaviors…and it just so happens that this will make the best impression. Therefore, regardless if you are working in a boutique, at a networking event, or simply grocery shopping, let your personality shine! There are the strongest moments for someone to recognize your character and see whether or not you would be a good fit for his or her company and they will act upon it if they want you.

What is one thing that you want to share with readers who may be in a similar situation as you?

It is important to realize that every connection, every job opportunity, is a step to fulfilling your dream. Continue to build a networking list and come up with goals. Start with short term goals, like where do you want to be this summer? If it’s an internship, what type of job? Do you like interacting with people? Answer basic questions such as those to pivot you forward for your next steps. If you have a job now, do not hesitate to suggest an assessment point. It is always helpful for you and your employer to take a step back and observe how your work is going and whether or not a revamping needs to be done. Not only will you feel more invested in your work, but it will also show your employer that you want to provide the best for the company and yourself.

Finally, do not hesitate to reach big. Have a dream job? Contact their Human Resources department, it never hurts to try. The most important advice, on that note, is to know your passion. Just as your personality is your strongest asset, so is your passion. Be well versed on your area of expertise. Do you love fashion? Tell someone about it, tell them why you love it, know why you love it. Are you a scientist? Tell someone about your research, an experiment you are working on, a development you hope to be part of in the overall scientific community. The same can be said about whatever your interests are and wherever your passions lie.

What’s your advice for preparing for the real world after college?

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Filed Under: College, How to Find a Job, how to network, Networking | No Comments

The Advice My College Advisor Told Me That Sucked

November 22, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

One of my college professors, who also doubled as my career advisor, gave me terrible career advice. Instead of listening, I chose to do the complete opposite of what he said.

I told my advisor that I wanted to get my MBA.

My advisor told me to get married and have kids before going to grad school. He assumed that I would be a stay at home mom first and going back to grad school would help me improve the networking skills I would lose after having kids. According to him, going back for my MBA after being a stay at home mom was the best path for my future success.

If women continue to be fed this advice, we will continue down the same path of not making it to the top of any industry. Advice like this is telling women to quit climbing that ladder. In this video by Sheryl Sandberg, we learned that we cannot quit before we quit. We can’t pull back from work opportunities when we think of starting a family.

I know there is nothing wrong with being a stay at home mom or going back to grad school as a mom. There was one mom in my MBA program who was juggling work, school and her three kids! I don’t know how she did it. She faced daily guilt of not seeing her kids or husband day or night for three years. I cringe as I think that this is the path that my advisor wanted me to take.

Moral of the story: Not all advice is good advice. I am glad that I did the opposite of what he said. With my MBA in hand and a job that I am proud of, I am glad I didn’t listen!

Have you received bad career advice? Please share!

Photo Source: Rady School of Management

Filed Under: College, Grad School, women at work | 15 Comments

Dear Classy Career Girl: How Do I Improve My Writing?

October 12, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

Dear Classy Career Girl,

I want to improve my writing skills. I need your tips on how to blog, how to write essays instantly and anything else that would help me improve my writing skills. I hope you will answer my question. Thanks again.

-Classy Career Girl Reader

Hi there! Thanks for your question. Before I started blogging, I thought I was a terrible writer and I dreaded writing! My college roommate would make fun of me because of how many times I would write a sentence and then hit the delete key. It would take me days to write a one page paper that I was happy with.

Now I love expressing myself by writing this blog! Writing is a process that helps you develop your ideas and it enables you to think logically. If you want to start a blog, you can check out a recent post I did called A Young Professional’s Guide to Starting a Blog. Here are a few more things that you can do to improve your writing skills:

Read

I believe that all good readers are good writers. Spend some extra time reading books, magazines, newspapers, articles, etc. If you read daily, you will begin to understand how to construct sentences and paragraphs. Reading will also help you learn grammar and punctuation. When I first took the GMAT (the entry test for business school), my English and writing skills were not great. I decided to take a break from studying for the GMAT and joined a book club instead. The accountability of the group made me read daily and the next time I took the GMAT my scores improved dramatically. Check to see if there are any book clubs around you that you can join. If you can’t find one, start one!

Know Your Topic

Before I start writing, I brainstorm topics that I am passionate about. You need to know what you want to share and then begin gathering information about it. Read other people’s ideas in books and articles and write down what you think. Make sure you organize all of your notes and resources into one spot on your computer or into a folder on your desk so that you can find it later.

Know Your Readers

One thing you should always consider is your readers. Who will be your audience? After you figure out your topic, figure out who your readers will be.

Review Your Work

Read your work out loud after you are finished. By doing this, you will hear problems that you might not be able to see such as emphasis, word choice and syntax.

Ask For Help

Never hesitate to ask for help by sharing your writing with your loved ones. But, make sure you are able to accept criticism. Hearing what other people think, whether positive or negative, will help you become a better writer.

Most importantly, be confident and inspired in everything you write. Write more, don’t stop. The more you write, the better you will be. Soon you will realize that your writing skills have improved just like mine did!

Have a question for Classy Career Girl? Think Dear Abby with a modern career girl twist. I return every email (anna@classycareergirl.com) and will post answers to your questions weekly.

Photo Credit ( Bruna, Breath of Life , and Mr. Maynard)

Filed Under: College, motivation, personal development | 7 Comments

Life of a Soon To Be College Grad Series: Meet Clare

September 20, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

Today we start a new series that I am very excited about! We will be following a college student as she navigates the final years of college and the professional world. Every quarter you will get an update from our “Soon To Be College Grad” about her career preparation and job search process. Hopefully, this will also help you see what resources are available and what other college students and new grads are doing as they head out into the real world. If you have any other advice of what you are doing to prepare for after graduation, please share in the comments! I am excited to hear your thoughts!

Now, a big warm welcome to our soon to be college grad…..Clare from Twirling Clare.

1) Give us a little background on yourself. School, major, etc.

I am a Junior at Ohio Wesleyan University, a small liberal arts school, in Delaware, OH outside of Columbus. I am from Cincinnati, OH and have three younger brothers. I am a double major in Politics and Government and English with a Literature concentration. I am also trying to have a Theatre minor as well! I am very involved at school as Vice President of the Spirit and Homecoming Organization, Co-Chair of President’s Ball, Legacy Intern for Heritage Day, and a member of Kappa Alpha Theta. This past summer I interned for Congresswoman Jean Schmidt in her District Office and worked at a women’s apparel boutique, Alligator Purse. Both were such great learning experiences and I loved both jobs.

2) What is your dream job or goal after graduation?

I am still not 100% on what I want to do with career paths…but am doing as much as I can, taking different avenues to make sure that I am able to figure out what works best for me! Currently, I am interested in Public Relations and Communications. Neither degree is offered at my school, but I chose majors as ones that will work with a PR and Communications career, but are also conducive to many paths I might be interested in.

In addition to PR and English, I also have a creative interest. This is both in an event planning realm, a fashion realm, and different arts and crafts realm. I foster such ideas with the event and social planning aspects that I am involved in with my extra curricular activities at school and my blog, Twirling Clare. My dream job would be a profession in a creative realm. My favorite brand is Kate Spade and I am inspired every day by their company and the creativity and inspiration that they find. I would love to work for their company or be involved in a similar type of environment.

3) What are you planning to do this upcoming year that will help you get that dream job?

In order to achieve such a career path, I will continue to work on my blog…hoping to grow it more and more. I keep an inspiration collection which includes: a little thoughts book, scrapbooks of style inspirations, and an archive of pictures. I will continue to work on my resume and cover letter and probably meet with our Career Office for the first time and just see how I am in the large scheme of things…hopefully on target!

You can also read more about Clare’s soon to be college grad experiences on Twitter @twirlingclare. Thanks Clare! Can’t wait to hear more!

How are you preparing for college graduation?

(photo by m00by)

Filed Under: College, How to Find a Job, internships | 9 Comments

College Mistakes That Will NOT Help You Find a Job

September 7, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

If you are planning to head back to school or are currently school, this post is for you. I have put together a list of the top 10 mistakes that myself and my friends made when pursuing our undergraduate and graduate degrees. Learn from us and don’t make these mistakes!

The Top 10 College Mistakes That Will NOT Help You Find a Career:

Getting a degree where the only way you can get a job is by getting your masters or PhD.
Heading into a career field with no jobs available.
Getting a graduate degree that wasn’t necessary because you could have gotten the same job without it.
Not conducting informational interviews to find out that you hate your chosen career before you start working in it.
Not making a plan for what you are going to do after college so you just take the first job that popped up after graduation (that you hate).
Not building a network during college because you spent too much time studying or partying.
Picking a major where there is only one type of job after graduation instead of having many different options that you can pursue.
Picking a major that you are good at in school but you actually despise it.
Picking a major because someone else said that you should.
Since you can’t find a job after college, you decide to head to grad school instead (and still can’t find a job after grad school).

Did you make any of these mistakes? Are you happy with your degree?

Note: This post was written in assocation with Kaplan Open Learning. Progressing in your career can be difficult in the current competitive job market. Thanks to online distance learning schools like Kaplan Open Learning, even if you are already employed you can further expand your skills base by studying online. For more information on online learning and courses, visit www.kaplanopenlearning.org.uk. (photo credit: 123RF Stock Photos)

Filed Under: College, Gen Y, How to Find a Job | 14 Comments

College Tips: Can I get financial aid for a second degree?

July 26, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

Dear Class Career Girl, In 2010, I graduated from a four year university with a bachelors in science degree that I really didn’t want but was overly talked into. After looking for a job for about a year, I found a pretty nice office job that I like. It’s a little boring and underpaid to my tastes but at least I finally landed a job and stopped feeling like a failure. My job is at the local maximum security prison and I have always been around this type of environment (my dad worked here for 20 years and the guy I’m dating works at the neighboring prison). I have decided to go back to school online to get a B.A. in Criminal Justice and they also offer the Masters degree fully online. Are there any places that offer aid to students/young professionals that are wanting to correct their mistakes and get a degree that they could actually benefit from in a career? Thanks, Second Chance Student

Dear Second Chance Student, When I received your question, I knew I didn’t have all the right answers for you so I asked Ken O’Connor, the Director of Student Advocacy at CUStudentLoans.org to help. Ken is recognized by CBS MoneyWatch as one the top 25 college twitterers! Thanks Ken!

“First up, the student should not feel bad, or like they have made some kind of huge mistake by pursuing their prior degree. If they were talked into it by someone else, there is no sense in feeling bad after the fact.

I’m not a Prison HR expert, however, I do know they are the kind of organizations that would require Master’s degree recipients for very specific positions. My advice would be to first focus on exactly what positions would require this advanced education. Then research the administration of other prisons, and look at the educational background of people that have the same positions you would like to hold. What schools did they go to? Did they like it there? Does it have an alumni base in the field you want to enter?

Unfortunately, school opportunities have irreparably changed as a result of completing a first bachelors degree. The student cannot ever be funded with any federal need based grants to pursue a 2nd bachelors, and most likely will not qualify for any institutional merit or need based grants no matter where she attends. If she were to purse a Master’s Degree, they would be eligible for the same thing, just federal stafford loans. So my advice is to forget doing a second Bachelor’s and go for a Masters instead. Consider a Master’s in Public Administration, but only after being exactly sure that this would fill the requirement. The MPA is really only effective when combined with real work experience, but it could be the linchpin to securing the job when the opportunity arises.

Second, are there any places that offer aid to students/young professionals that are wanting to correct their mistakes and get a degree that they could actually benefit from in a career?

Schools will give support within their sphere of influence, and will arm the student with knowledge, but really only the student does any work towards advancing a career. No school is going to help you correct mistakes and no one comes out of programs instantly getting jobs anymore. The employment wheels are set in motion long before even starting a degree program. It sounds like the student wants a do-over because they are unhappy with their first degree choice.

On the second try, this student needs to be careful to avoid the mistake of thinking a school is going to bestow a magical gift to her, making her instantly employable. She needs to instead focus on what actual job skills and ability she needs to continue in her field. I suspect that in the field of prisons, there is NO CLASSROOM CAPABLE OF TEACHING THE LESSONS NEEDED TO WORK THERE. It’s more about experience, and being connected politically. Since Dad has been in the business for over 20 years, I bet there might be some clout in her corner, so just getting a Master’s to pad the resume will be enough to secure that job when it opens.”

Hope this helps you! Best of luck!!
Classy Career Girl and Ken O’Connor

Readers, what is your advice for Second Chance Student? Should she take out more loans to get another degree?

(photo by Tulane PR)

Filed Under: College, Grad School | 4 Comments

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

July 15, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

Today’s post will take us down memory lane and challenge us to think about who we really want to be in life. The author, Cheryl Rhody, has an appetite for ambition, a vivid imagination and an enthusiasm for public relations, marketing, digital media and ultimately brand amplification. You can connect with her on Linkedin or follow her on Twitter @CherylHRhody.

We’ve all been asked this age-old question, most likely inside of an elementary school classroom while introducing one of your parents to speak to your classmates for “Career Day”. (Luckily my dad designed jets, so I always had an interesting guest to bring along.) When asked this question over the years, my responses included whimsical things such as a fairytale princess, a ballerina or a high-fashion model until I ultimately realized that a 5’2 girl like me with an imagination the size of Texas was destined for a career in marketing and public relations.

Flash forward several years later, I am still in love with my career choice (although certainly not grown-up!) However, there is something about our culture and society that irks me. You see, I think we have been asking the wrong question all along. While I take pride in my job, it is just one of the many things that define who I am. I believe we should be asking not “What”, but “Who do you want to be when you grow up?

If I had been asked that question, perhaps my response would have been vastly different, with hopes and aspirations of being the best daughter, wife, mother, friend, pet owner, volunteer and colleague that I could possibly be. Here are a few tips to help you reconnect with the “who” we all want to be:

Be a good person. It’s a simple as The Golden Rule. I am a big believer in karma and in not burning bridges. While your career or personal life might be thriving today, tomorrow could be a different story. By treating others with respect and kindness, you open up the doors to many new opportunities in life that you would have otherwise been unaware of.
Be passionate. It is so important to have things in life that motivate and inspire you. Whether it’s the corner office or the coveted title of “Home Room Mother”, it doesn’t matter as long as you are passionate about your goals. If you don’t have an interest in what you are doing, you will ultimately run out of steam and possibly have a mid-life crisis.
Be smart. The most successful people in life are those who continue learning and never allow themselves to believe they have reached their full potential. No matter where you are in your lifecycle, there is always more to be learned. Take a cooking class, travel around the world, learn to play a musical instrument, mentor children, visit the elderly…just do something
Be real. By allowing yourself to trust your instincts, you become both vulnerable and empowered. Don’t embark on a career, relationship or any major life decision if you are simply “going with the flow” or following in anyone else’s footsteps, especially not if you are fulfilling someone else’s vision for you. Life is certainly not a “one-size-fits-all” piece of clothing.
Be yourself! Take a look around. We all come in different shapes and sizes, with our own backgrounds and experiences. Quite frankly, it would be so boring if we were all the same! Embrace who you are, good and bad. A wise person once said there will always be someone who is better off than you are and someone who is worse off. Comparing yourself to anyone else is not only a waste of time, but is a huge roadblock in becoming the person you want to be and living the life you want to live.

So I encourage you to take a trip down memory lane and recall what you wanted to be when you grew up. Flash forward to this very moment, are you who do you what to be today? The good news is that if you aren’t, there is still plenty of time and getting there is easier than you think. Start by treating people with respect, finding and following your passion, continue learning, be genuine and above all, be you! No matter what the answer to the question is, if your answer makes you happy, then you have successfully fulfilled your childhood dreams!

(Photo by Matteo Catanese)

Filed Under: College, Gen Y | 4 Comments

Listen Up College Grads! How to Get Rid of Student Loan Debt

June 7, 2011 by Anna Runyan ·

If you are thinking about college or grad school, you might be wondering how to eliminate student loan debt after graduation. Lucky for us, Patricia Briggs asked if she could write an article to help us eliminate our student loan debt. Patricia is a guest columnist, blogger, author for various websites and communities. She loves to write articles during her free time about bankruptcy, investment opportunities and monetary policies.

Millions of students are relying on loans in order to pay for their educational expenses. After graduating, these students find it difficult to eliminate their overwhelming debts as the interest begins accruing on the principal balance. Here are some solutions for fresh graduates to avoid damaging their credit reports and to eradicate their student loan debt:

Formulate a debt repayment plan so that you can focus on accumulating some extra cash to eliminate your debts. You can prepare a list of the debts in descending order of the interest rate. You can use your extra income to pay off the high interest debts and make minimum payment on your other debts on the list. Once you pay off the highest interest rate debt then focus on paying the second highest on the list. But, you should remember that you will not succeed in paying off the debts unless you follow a budget.
Negotiate with the creditors to lower the principal balance along with the interest rate. Try to convince your lenders to reduce the interest rate or monthly payment until you get a job. Be aware that a creditor might charge interest or a late fee on your owed amount.
Enroll in a debt consolidation program if you need to manage multiple creditors. This will allow you to consolidate your bills in a single convenient monthly payment and it help you get out of debt. But, the success of the consolidation program depends on the type of your student loan, your income flow and your eagerness to maintain a financially disciplined life.

These are three important ways to eliminate your student loan debt effortlessly. If you have an insurmountable amount of debt, employ any of the above mentioned methods to lower your financial woes.

Filed Under: College, Gen Y, Grad School | 3 Comments