2011 Family Orientation

SUMMER 2011 FAMILY ORIENTATION GUIDING TODAY’S STUDENT TO BE TOMORROW’S EMPLOYEE OF CHOICE

Carol Ogus Woodruff, Assistant Director, Liaison to the College of Fine Arts and Communication and College of Human Ecology Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

A lot of fellows nowadays have a B.A., an M.A., or a Ph.D. Unfortunately, they don’t have a J.O.B. --“Fats” Domino

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

Our constituents: Undergraduate students, Graduate students, and ECU Alumni Our structure: Liaison System, where career coaches work primarily with specific Colleges or Professional Schools Our mission: to equip students and alumni with the skills, tools, and opportunities they need to identify and prepare for future careers

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

Utilizing a mix of personal coaching, class presentations, workshops and seminars supported with comprehensive technologies, The Career Center provides an array of services that includes:

Readiness • • • • •

Assessment Job Coaching Resume and Cover Letter Critiques HIRED and Mock Interviews Etiquette

Recruitment Programs • • • •

Career Fairs On Campus Information Sessions On Campus Interviews PirateJobs: Job Listing and Recruitment

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

13,151 students and alumni • •

2865 individual appointments 316 professional seminars, presentations, and special programs

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

5,000 students attended career fairs

644 new employers added to database

97% of students expressed increased confidence in interview 85% students rated abilities

career fair experience excellent or good

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

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Career Planning Career Exploration Career/Graduate School Job Search Service Learning, Internships Etiquette Interviewing Resumes

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

Goals of Self-Assessment • Identify strengths, skills, interests, and values • Correlate with professions • Explore, experiment, consider • Clarify path

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

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Mock Interviews HIRED (Helping Individuals Reach Employment Destinations)

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

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Correspondence Telephone Demeanor Dress Business Dining Formal Dining

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

EXPLORATION What They Should Do

How You Can Help

Explore interests and abilities through courses and campus activities; keep balance in mind.

Affirm what you know to be their strengths and interests and encourage exploration of new .

Focus on writing and communication skills.

Make sure they read the book they have been asked to read for Pirate Read. They will discuss and write about this book in classes.

Create a first draft of a resume and bring it to the Career Center for review.

Encourage them to create a first draft of a resume this summer or at the least, develop a list of activities, awards, honors, and jobs so that the information will be easy to assemble into a resume.

Set up a profile on PirateJobs.

Ask them if they have filled out their profile on PirateJobs. It takes only a few minutes.

Test the waters with an internship or job shadow.

Do you have contacts at any companies that are in their area of interest?

Attend a Career Fair.

Ask them when the Career Fair is to be held.

What They Should Do

How You Can Help

Talk to professionals in career fields of interest. Review the Career Success Guide for tips on informational interviewing.

Consider your network of colleagues and friends and share names and contact information with your student.

Get to know faculty in their area of interest. Make an appointment during office hours to get to know faculty; discuss the career field of interest. Participate in class discussions.

Encourage students to talk to you about their classes. Ask them what faculty they find the most interesting and approachable. Suggest they meet faculty during office hours.

Continue to work on resume or develop anew. Develop the first draft using the Career Center's Optimal Resume software.

Suggest your student make an appointment at The Career Center to review their resume.

Look for internships. Obtain a summer position in field of interest. Internships can be found through a variety of sources. Some academic programs require internships and employ faculty or advisors to serve as Intern Coordinators.

Ask your student if anyone in the department fulfills that role. If not, he or she can pick up intern search tips at The Career Center.

Attend a Career Fair.

Are Career Fairs in your student's radar? Ask what businesses are scheduled to participate. (Employers attending the Career Fair will be posted on our website.)

Establish a relationship with their academic advisor.

Many students see their advisors only when it is time to register for classes. Advisors are tremendous resources and are available to assist students in a variety of ways. Suggest that your student connect with his/her advisor well before the registration period begins to allow a relaxed appointment.

What They Should Do

How You Can Help

Develop a plan for an effective job search. Set deadlines for important steps. Make an appointment with a Career Coach to discuss.

Ask if your student has met with a Career Coach to begin planning for a job search.

Get to know faculty in their area of interest. Make an appointment during office hours to get to know faculty; discuss the career field of interest. Participate in class discussions.

Encourage students to talk to you about their classes. Ask them what faculty they find the most interesting and approachable.

Suggest they meet faculty during office hours.

Join career-related professional associations. Seek leadership positions in co-curricular activities. Volunteer in a program that relates to their profession. When students volunteer in an area related to their career, they develop hands on experience, create networking opportunities, and get a taste of working in that field.

Some academic programs require students to volunteer as part of their coursework. If your student isn't required to volunteer, suggest he or she visit the ECU Volunteer and Service Learning Center to find out what volunteer opportunities are available.

Update resume to include internship and/or volunteer experiences gained to date, school or employment projects, professional organizations, honors, awards, etc.

Remind your student that the experiences gained through internships, volunteering, class activities, etc. provide valuable practical experience and resume content.

Consider if graduate school is an appropriate next step. If so, research graduate school options and apply according to established guidelines and deadlines.

Encourage frank discussion regarding viability and advisability of attending graduate school. In some professions, advanced degrees are required; in others, joining the work force right away is a better option. Refer to the article "Is Graduate School Right For You?" in the ECU Career Success Guide.

Attend both the Fall and Spring Career Fairs and practice interacting with employers to gain internships or jobs. Develop a power greeting. A description of a power greeting can be found on the ECU Career Center website.

Ask your student for a power greeting demonstration.

What They Should Do

How You Can Help

Establish a reference list; ask employers and faculty if they will serve as references and/or write letters of recommendation on your behalf.

Remind your student that he or she should always seek and receive permission from an intended reference before listing. Note that requests should be made early in the semester. Faculty are bombarded with requests at the end of each semester.

Attend both the Fall and Spring Career Fairs with targeted resumes in hand and dressed in professional business attire. The power of a suit should never be underestimated.

Recruiters expect students to attend Career Fairs dressed in business attire. Ask your student what he or she plans to wear. If he or she does not have a suit, consider providing assistance in securing one.

Conduct a thorough job search campaign. Attend oncampus interviews and information sessions. Network.

Networking is an extremely effective job search strategy.

Provide your student with contacts in your sphere.

Research companies prior to sending resumes. Target resumes to align with job descriptions. Schedule an appointment with a Career Coach for a resume critique.

It's not too late to create a resume. Encourage your student to create a resume and make an appointment at The Career Center for a resume critique.

Review interviewing information on The Career Center website and in the Career Success Guide. Set up a mock interview at The Career Center.

Encourage your student to set up an appointment for a mock interview at The Career Center.

Notify The Career Center once upon acceptance of a job offer.

Securing a job can take up to six months. Encourage your student to persevere.

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

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Talk face-to-face with recruiters Schedule interviews Research internship or job shadowing opportunities Present resume

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

• Gain firsthand knowledge about company • Develop relationship with insider • Present resume

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

www.ecu.edu/career

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

• Optimal Resume: Resume writing software • E-Portfolios • Letter Writing Templates • Links to popular job search engines • Presentations • Podcasts • Recorded Interviewing • Links to assessments • PirateJobs

www.ecu.edu/career Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

Partners Welcome •Mentor

•Panel Presenter •Post jobs/internships on PirateJobs •HIRED Interviewer •Register your business to participate in Career Fairs

• Sponsor Career Fairs • Support a scholarship

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.

701 E. 5th St. (corner of 5th & Jarvis) 252-328-6050 www.ecu.edu/career

Find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life. – Confucius