Honors College Career Corner Blog

Advice for Graduating Seniors

2013-04-22T09:39:00.000-05:00

What College Seniors Need to Do Now to Prepare for Graduation

by Bill Fay

Bill Fay

Yes, those are contradictory statements — and the title of a great song — but that’s intentional.
For most students, college is a wonderful experience, maybe the most fun you’ll have at any point in your life. The combination of people, events, opportunities — and the freedom to experience them all at whatever level you wish — is going to be very difficult to match.
So hold on! Take some time to walk around campus and remember where you were and who you were with when you did something, learned something, succeeded or failed at something.
Get in touch with the classmates, professors, office personnel, coaches or bartenders who contributed to your college experience, and thank them. Do it in person. If they really made a difference, bring them lunch or a beverage and ask if you can keep in touch.
That will help them remember you as much as you will remember them. If you haven’t discovered it yet, “who” you know is going to mean a lot more after college than “what” you know.
When that’s done, you can begin taking the serious steps needed to let the working world know “I’m coming!”
The Working World Needs You
Despite what you may have read or heard in whatever communication communities you visit, the working world wants you. A college degree is necessary for two-thirds of the jobs in America. You have one. Successful companies thrive on energy in the workplace. You bring some. Fresh ideas are gold currency for any company. You have some.

But, like everything, you have to prepare to succeed. There are small steps you need to take before you start your job search and running off to a full-time position.

Here are some suggestions, in no real order, of things that will help you prepare for life after college:

· Clean up your social media. Your experience using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and every other social media platform is unmatched … and easily accessible. Doesn’t matter what job you apply for, the employer probably can find a history of who you are and how you communicate/behave online. All those warnings from Mom and Dad about posting pictures and rambling rants, are about to come true. It’s almost too easy for employers to eliminate candidates, just by seeing how they handle themselves in social media. Take whatever steps you can to make yourself look responsible in this forum.
· Visit the financial aid office. The stats say that 60 percent of students borrow money to get their degree. The folks who loaned you that money, want it back. Your financial aid officer can help you find out how much you owe and what the repayment terms are going to be. Most loan programs give you six months to start paying them back, but if you can’t afford it, they want to know ahead of time so you can plan a repayment schedule. They won’t forget about it, but it will be bad news for you, if you do.
· Check your credit report. This may not seem like a big deal, until you get out of school and try to buy a car, rent an apartment, buy a home or try to get a job. The guy on the other end of those deals is definitely going to run a credit check to determine whether it’s worth doing business with you. Go toannualcreditreport.com to get a free credit report. Sometimes, there are errors in the report that affect your score. Examine the report, and make sure it’s accurate. It could have a significant impact on your economic status.
· Pay all your fees. Make sure your tuition, dorm, food, books, lab fees and any other bills you ran up at school, are all paid. I had a college roommate who refused to pay a parking ticket. The school refused to issue him a diploma or send his transcripts to anyone. He paid the parking ticket; they sent the diploma. Same thing could happen to you.
· Line up recommendations. This can be part of your nostalgic swing around campus. What professors, advisers or college employers have to say about you could be very important in your next step in life. It can be the deciding factor in getting your first job or gaining entry to graduate school. Make sure they have something good to say, then ask them if they would mind putting it down on paper.
· Rewrite your resume. There are 1,000 ways to write a resume, and they are all boring. All of them! Keep it short and simple. Tell the employer who you are, what you’ve done and what you want to do. Don’t try to answer all their questions. Give them a taste of what they’re getting. Don’t feed them a whole meal. You will have the opportunity to market yourself during a job interview. That’s what they’re for.
· Define the job you want. You went to college for a reason (hopefully), and now it’s time to define that reason. Be specific. Do it in one sentence. “I want to teach English at a middle school or high school.” Or maybe: “I want to work in the accounting department at a large corporation.” People will help you with that. Nothing is more frustrating than hearing a student answer the question, “What are you going to do after graduation?” with the response: “Hopefully, find a job.” What kind of job? “I don’t know. I’ll take anything.” Guess what? You’re not going to get anything.

The last piece of advice I’d give is probably more important than anything I’ve written so far: Invite your parent(s) to dinner, and talk about your future.
Doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Find a quiet room with no waitresses, roommates or siblings there to disturb the conversation. Just the two or three of you … talking about you.
Nobody wants you to succeed more than they do. They shared in the struggles that got you to this point, so let them share in the joy of your accomplishment. Whether they went to college or not, they have life-changing experiences – your birth being one – that gives them knowledge you will find useful. They would love to share it. You’ll benefit from hearing it.
When dinner’s over, take them out to a place with an old-time jukebox. If you’re lucky, they’ll have a copy of “Hold On, I’m Comin” by Sam & Dave. Fire it up. It’ll give everyone a reason to celebrate!

Summer Jobs for Coogs Fair

2013-04-08T10:21:00.001-05:00

University Career Services will host the annual Summer Jobs for Coogs Fair

from 1 to 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 10 in the University Center Houston Room.
This job fair is open to all majors and there will be opportunities for summer jobs
(part-time and full-time), internships, and volunteer work. The fair will be focused
on, but not limited to, summer employment opportunities.
Dress: business casual preferred, professional attire optional.
Students are encouraged to bring a supply of their resumes!
For more information, visit www.career.uh.edu/careerfairs/summerjobs/2013 or
Email Lauren Moore at lmoore@uh.edu
A list of participating employers will be available on the UCS website starting
April 3rd.
Pre-registration for students is not required.
Thank you,
Lauren L. Moore
Employer Relations Coordinator
University Career Services
106 Student Service Center 1
713.743.5098
Email: lmoore@uh.edu
www.career.uh.edu

2013-02-26T12:35:00.001-06:00

Useless Phrases You Should Avoid in Your Cover Letter

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By Jose Sanchez | Business 2 Community – 3 hours ago

Useless Phrases You Should Avoid in Your Cover LetterA cover letter is as vital as your resume, because it serves as anintroduction. It is important that you create a perfect cover letter that will match your resume. You need to realize that each word and phrase that you include in your letter will make a huge impact and will dictate your future. Using the right words and phrases will make a difference on how you will be perceived. You need to remember that the recruiter will read your letter using his or her own judgment. There are lots of sample cover letters that you can find online that you can use as a pattern, but it does not mean that you need to copy word per word.

“To whom it may concern”

This phrase nowadays will not give you an edge, because internet technology can give you a lot of means to know the person that you need to address in your cover letter. If you will not research for his or her name, you will look lazy and not interested in knowing more about the company. This can become a disadvantage on your part, so as much as possible you need to exert an effort to find out the name of the right person to address. In case you cannot find any name, then that is an excuse.

“References available upon request”

It is important that you include references, because it is already expected. This phrase is meaningless since you will put references on your resume and not in your cover letter. You should not mention it all.

“Give me a chance”

This is not the exact phrase that many applicants used, but many include it in their letter. You need to sound positive, so adding such phrase will only give a negative feeling. This might seem that you lack every opportunity that you need and you are deprive with success. If you are confident that you can do the job, there is no way that the employer cannot give you the chance that you need. Cover letters only need positive phrases, so you can convince the reader that you are the best person for the position.

“Salary amount”

This is the worst thing that you can mention on your cover letter, because you will sound rude as well as presumptuous. As you write your cover letter, it means that you are not asked an interview or offered a job, so mentioning the salary will irritate your recruiter. The amount of salary should be discussed on the job offer and it should not be negotiated using your cover letter.

There are common words used in cover letters such as hope, hone, feel and drawn. It will be helpful if you will avoid using these cliché words, because this will not impress the reader. Hope means that there is a chance that you will be rejected and it is a negative word for a recruiter. You can say “I’m looking forward”. Hone is not a good word to include, it is better if you will use develop. Drawn is not a good word to use as you are not having a romantic relationship to them. The word feel is not the right words to say, because the company is not interested on how you feel.

Honors Career Network

2013-02-07T12:29:00.002-06:00

Honors Career Network

February 8, 2013

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Students come meet and greet area employers with a special connection to the Honors College. All of the companies participating in the Honors Career Network employ Honors alum (and UH alum). They know the caliber of student enrolled in the Honors College and they are interested in hiring for part-time and internship positions as well as full time positions for those preparing to graduate. Business attire recommended. This event is also open to UH campus. List of participating companies:

Ernst and Young

Chase

Shell

PROS

IHS Global Informational Company

Accenture

Exxon/Mobil

Main Street Capital

SRR Financial Advisory Firm

University of Houston

Teach For America Summer Internship

2013-01-17T12:10:00.000-06:00

PAID SUMMER INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY

<Great for underclassmen>

WHAT? This summer, Teach For America will run eleven institutes across the country to train our teachers and prepare them to assume full-time teaching responsibilities in the fall. Operation Coordinators will play an integral role in the daily operations of our program and are paid hourly. They also have room, board and some travel costs provided.

WHO? We are looking for highly organized, outstanding underclassmen to serve as operations coordinators (OCs) at each of the institutes. This role is specifically geared for sophomores or juniors.

HOW TO APPLY? In order to be considered for this position, you must submit an online application and complete the following three steps by Sunday, January 27, 2013:

1) Open the application

- Go to the institute page and select the city where you live to begin the application process: http://www.teachforamerica.org/join-our-staff/summer-institute-staff-opportunities/application-process-and-deadlines

- This will take you to the “Current Job Opportunities” page where you will scroll down and click on the “Operations Coordinator” position.

- This will open the job description. Hit “Apply Online” to begin your application.

- NOTE: In the “Attachments” portion of the application remember to attach the items listed below.

2) Upload your resume (maximum length one page).

3) Upload your cover letter (maximum length one page). Your cover letter should include answers to at least three of the following questions:

-Why are you applying to this specific institute position?

-What skills/expertise do you bring to this position?

-Write about a specific project you’ve worked on where you demonstrated leadership qualities.

4) Complete the operations coordinator applicant activity found at the link below, and follow the directions to add it to your application. (You will need to copy and paste the link into your browser):

https://sites.google.com/a/teachforamerica.org/applicant-activities/operations-coordinator

For more information, please contact institutestaff@teachforamerica.org

Good luck! www.teachforamerica.org

Developing an ePortfolio

2012-12-06T15:33:00.004-06:00

ePortfolio

An ePortfolio is an online bio for students to share the highlights of their collegiate career with prospective employers or graduate and professional school selection committees. A fully developed portfolio should offer a broader sense of who you are, what you have accomplished, and what you hope to achieve. The ePortfolio should be designed as a self-narrative, and serve as an invitation for employers and selection committees to get to know you.

Employers and graduate and professional school selection committees are now seeking more than just a traditional résumé from candidates. Interested parties want to know more about who you really are, and will likely search online to find out more about you. So you should ask yourself: what do I want to appear in an online search? By creating an ePortfolio, a prospective employer will learn about your accomplishments as an undergraduate, and why you have chosen your particular career path.

The Honors College has created an ePortfolio program to provide you with the resources needed to successfully showcase your career in Honors. Whether you are headed directly into the workforce, or planning to apply for graduate or professional school, developing an ePortfolio will enable you to distinguish yourself from other candidates.

Job Opportunities/Scholarship Announcement

2012-10-05T13:01:00.004-05:00

Job Opportunities/Scholarship Announcement

Healthcare

Are you looking for a unique job opportunity to gain real-life experience in child development and to be part of an amazing journey of recovery?

Join our Team - We are creating two miracles!

UH faculty member invites you to be part of her seven-year-old daughter’s and seven-year-old son’s fun and exciting in-home Son-Rise programs. For kids in the autism spectrum, this approach of play therapy combines a fun, loving, and nonjudgmental attitude with learning through play

· No experience necessary. We will provide ongoing Son-Rise training

· Compensation: $10/h

· Looking for people to begin immediately

· Flexible schedules

· Pearland area

Qualifications

· Energy, enthusiasm and excitement!

· Reliable and punctual.

· Patient, persistent and open minded.

· Seeking to enrich your life by helping those of two amazing children.

To find out more, please contact Dusya Vera at dusyavera@yahoo.com

http://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/contents/other_sections/autism-solutions.php

Michigan State University College of Law

King Scholars program will provide full-tuition scholarship assistance (a three-year value of $105,000) to 20 members of the fall 2013 class. A competitive candidate has achieved undergraduate GPA of 3.75 and 162 or higher on LSAT.

The College of Law will also award $28,500 and $17,500 to as many as 60 members of the 2013 incoming class. A competitive candidate has achieved undergraduate GPA of 3.50 or higher and 157 or higher on the LSAT.

For more information visit www.law.msu.edu/admissions/scholarships .html or contact admiss@law.msu, or 517-432-0222.

Events Internship

Institute of Interfaith Dialog

There are a several projects the intern would work on including annual friendship dinners, art contests for middle and high school students, and international trips for schools of communication at university level. This is not a paid internship.

For more information contact Ali R. Candir, Executive Director

acandir@interfaithdialog.org or call (713) 974-4443

2012-10-04T16:09:00.001-05:00

THE NUMBER ONE PURPOSE OF A RESUME
The resume is a tool with one specific purpose: to win an interview. If it does what the fantasy resume did, it works. If it doesn't, it isn't an effective resume. A resume is an advertisement, nothing more, nothing less.
A great resume doesn't just tell them what you have done but makes the same assertion that all good ads do: If you buy this product, you will get these specific, direct benefits. It presents you in the best light. It convinces the employer that you have what it takes to be successful in this new position or career.
It is so pleasing to the eye that the reader is enticed to pick it up and read it. It "whets the appetite," stimulates interest in meeting you and learning more about you. It inspires the prospective employer to pick up the phone and ask you to come in for an interview.

What are the most important things to remember about writing an effective resume? They can be encapsulated in a six-letter acronym, FAKTSA, in which the letters stand for:

Focus
Appearance
Keywords
Transferrable Skills
Accomplishments

Focus

A sharp focus is an extremely important resume element. Given that employers screen resumes for as few as 6 seconds, a resume should show the employer at a glance what you want to do and what you're good at. Studies have shown that employers wanted resumes to show a clear match between the applicant and a particular job's requirements. A "general" resume that is not focused on a specific job's requirements is seen as not competitive. In a study by CareerBuilder.com, 71 percent of hiring managers preferred a resume customized for the open position. Note that objective statements have long been used -- with varying degrees of success -- to sharpen the focus of resumes, but they are currently out of fashion with employers. To sharpen your focus, consider a section such as a "Summary of Qualifications," "Profile," or the like.

Appearance

Your resume needs to catch the readers attention and be simultaneously reader-friendly. Research indicates that employers rank easy readability as the most important resume point in terms of first impressions.
For a "print" resume -- used for networking, career fairs, taking to the interview, and mailing to the employer -- include some design elements, such as rule lines, to give your resume graphic interest. We also strongly recommend a bulleted style to make your resume more reader-friendly. Most employers prefer bullets and dislike the density of type seen in a paragraph format.
Some job-seekers damage the appearance of their resumes by trying to squeeze a lot of information onto one page. Don't be afraid to go to a two-page resume.

Keywords

More than 90 percent of resumes are searched for job-specific keywords. Therefore, if you apply for a job with a company that searches databases for keywords, and your resume doesn't have the keywords the company seeks for the person who fills that job, you are pretty much dead in the water. Some career experts recommend a section of industry-specific keywords, labeled with a heading such as Areas of Expertise, Core Competencies, or Key Proficiencies. Other career gurus disdain these keyword sections because they list disembodied words with no context. They would prefer to see the keywords embedded in contextual accomplishments statements

Transferable Skills

One of the most important concepts you will ever encounter in the job-hunting process is that of transferable job skills. The deft use of transferable skills should pervade your job search and be a key factor in your resume, cover letter, and interview strategies. What are transferable skills? Simply put, they are skills you have acquired during any activity in your life -- jobs, classes, projects, parenting, hobbies, sports, virtually anything -- that are transferable and applicable to what you want to do in your next job.

Accomplishments

Many resumes are duties-driven when they should be accomplishments-driven. Job-seekers should, for example, NEVER use expressions like "Duties included," "Responsibilities included," or "Responsible for." That's job-description language, not accomplishments-oriented resume language that sells. Accomplishments are the points that increase reader's interest, stimulate a request for a job interview, and help sell you to an employer -- much more so than everyday job duties. Be sure also that the accomplishments you list support your career goals.

Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director and associate publisher of Quintessential Careers.

UH Internship Career Fair

2012-09-07T11:32:00.001-05:00

We recommend that our students complete at least one internship (paid or unpaid, for-credit or not-for-credit) before graduation. The Career Services Center at the University of Houston offers many internship resources. Visit http://www.career.uh.edu/internshipservices/newsletter/ to learn more, and remember the Internship Career Fair will be held on Wednesday, October 3 from 1-4 in the Campus Recreation Center Multipurpose Room. Business Attire.

Should I do an Internship? YES!

2012-09-07T11:30:00.000-05:00

An internship is a work-related learning experience for individuals who wish to develop hands on work experience in a certain occupational field. Internships may be the best thing that you can do for your future. Internships provide work experience opportunities to university students. Employers are willing to hire interns with little or no experience, and whether the internship is paid or unpaid, the benefits are endless. Here are some of the benefits:

Gain Valuable Work Experience
An internship provides the opportunity to gain hands on work experience that you just can’t get in the classroom. College students and first time job seekers aren’t usually desirable candidates, but companies are willing to train them as interns and give them the experience they would need to get a job.

Have an Edge in the Job Market
Employers are usually more concerned with your work experience than your qualifications and internships are often the only way to get the work experience you need to secure a job, so they're a vital part of your resume.

Many employers prefer or require applicants who have done an internship or relevant work experience and in many of the more competitive job markets it is essential to set you apart from the others. Many skills are best learned on the job, and even internships that are not directly related to your career provide you with opportunities to demonstrate your transferable skills, such as leadership, critical thinking, and communication skills.

Transition into a Job
Employers see interns as prospective employees and many finish their internships and continue working with the company full time. Internships are the number one way for employers to find new staff in the US.

Think of it as a really long interview, after which you’ve proved that you are a capable and hardworking employee. During your internship, your mentors and professional colleagues can introduce you to potential employers, plus provide references and describe your accomplishments to assist in your job search.

Decide if this is the Right Career for You
If you’re not sure if this is the right career for you, doing an internship is a great way to try it out. Internships are generally short-term, so you can test your future career without committing and find out if it is a career that will satisfy you.

Networking Opportunities
Internships are a great way to meet people in your field. Even if you have experience, knowing people never hurts. An internship allows you to meet people who might help you land a job later on and give you the contacts in the industry you’re trying to break into.

People who know your potential and work ethic are happy to pass along tips about opportunities, share your information with their friends, and provide you with suggestions on how and where to look for positions once you graduate. Leverage this group of professionals into a network to help you land the position you want.

Apply Classroom Knowledge
As an intern you will gain immediate career-related experiences that complement your academic credentials. Not only can you apply the theories that you learn in class to real experiences, but you can take those experiences back into the classroom.

An internship introduces you to the world of work and how work gets completed beyond academia. It’s a chance to prove the worth of your qualifications and to show that you can perform in the role you've been given.

Internship stories?

2012-01-11T16:23:00.001-06:00

We'd like to hear your internship stories! Contact Libby at lningrassia@uh.edu to share your recent internships or jobs.