October 15, 2012 Hire-a-Shocker Newsletter

In this issue: - Choosing a Major - Career Testing - Career Spotlight - Job Choices Magazine

WS U C a re e r S ervices

Hire-a-Shocker Issue 05 / 10.15 .12

Choosing a Major? By Jan Mead

Career Services

What shall I major in? What a huge, and important, question. Short of asking a Magic 8 Ball, there are several things you can do to help make your decision.

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Ask Questions: - What do you love to do?

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- What classes do you enjoy the most?

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- What are you interested in? What do you think about, read books about, talk to your friends about?

- What are you good at? What do other people compliment you on?

- What is important to you? For example: making lots of money? helping people? working with information?

- What did other people major in? And, what are they doing with that major? “People” being your parents, friends of your parents, other relatives, people you sit next to at a social outing. You get the idea people you can talk with anywhere you find yourself.

- What jobs are expected to be in demand in the future? Government offices compile this information and our office can help you find it.

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- And here’s a fun one: when you were a kid, what did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?

Consider: A career is developmental. You will probably explore careers several times in your lifetime. You will change.

The world will change. You will have opportunities you don’t think about at this stage of your life.

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Career Testing and Assessments By Jan Mead Assessments can be helpful when deciding on a major. Although no assessment is a magic answer that will tell you what you should major in, they can be useful tools in the exploration and decision making process.

The assessment we use most often is the VISTA card sort. It involves going through cards in the categories of interests, skills, values and traits to identify your top ten in each category.

This information is used to identify your Holland Code, a basic tool useful in career exploration and based on the idea that job satisfaction depends on

compatibility between your personality and your work environment.

The Strong is an alternative to the card sort. It is an online assessment that takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. The Strong will also help you identify your Holland Code, but deals only with your interests.

The MBTI is an online assessment that

identifies four preferences: how you get your energy; how you take in information; how you make decisions; and how you deal with the outside world.

The MBTI will help you discover what careers support your preferences and the environments you are most successful in, as well as how to deal with challenges.

StrengthsQuest is another online assessment. Based on positive psychology, it is designed to help you identify the talents that come naturally to you and to make the most of these talents to excel in your personal, academic, and professional life.

Career Services is the place to go!

For assistance with choosing a major!

When you reach the point where “undecided” is no longer an option and you have no idea what major to select, or there are too many intriguing choices and you cannot commit to one, we can help!

- Schedule an appointment with a career counselor - Consider taking an interest test - Check out books about majors and careers Our goal is to help you discover a major which will lead to career paths where you will be happy working. Call or come in to schedule an appointment.

316.978.3435 203 Grace Wilkie Hall www.wichita.edu/career

Career Coffee Blog...By Jan Mead True Colors Want to understand the other people in your class, group, or office better? Want to know why they do the things they do and don’t do the things you do? Wonder why they cause you so much stress? If so, True Colors might be just the personality assessment for you!

True Colors identifies four different personality styles, characterizing each style by a color. Although we are all a blend of a variety of traits, we will each probably find the characteristics of one color dominant over the others.

Career Spotlight: Event Planner Are you great at putting all the details together to plan events? Consider a career in event planning.

Professionals in this field plan and manage all the details of events such as the time, location, transportation, and cost. They may also work creatively with clients to develop the perfect feel for an event or develop the marketing to publicize an event. Event planners are hired by businesses, hotels, colleges, nonprofit groups, government organizations, or are self-employed. Because much of the job relies on working with others, planners have strong interpersonal and communication skills.

In brief:

Managing events also takes strong organization and coordination skills while at the same time flexibility

- Blues care about other people and relationships.

and the ability to stay calm under pressure. Unlike some careers, event planners focus more on

- Golds appreciate tradition and are hard working.

- Greens are complex, competent and independent and want to know “why?”

- Oranges need freedom, flexibility and change and like to play.

Mix all these colors together and you can understand why you have frustrations and even conflict.

True Colors is a great way to gain insight into, and appreciation for, your own behavior and that of the people you interact or have relationships with.

For a True Colors presentation to your class or group, call our office at 978-3435.

experience than a particular academic background. Most entry level positions require a Bachelor’s degree, often in communications, marketing, public relations, hospitality management, or business but hire other majors as well. More importantly, most look for 1 to 5 years of relevant experience.

This experience can be gained while in school as part of an internship, involvement in an extracurricular group, or a part-time job as long as it develops relevant skills such as event organization, budget management, or coordinating programs. For more information visit http://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/meeting-convention-and-event-planners.htm#tab-1 or for examples of the types of jobs in event planning, check out the Career Center section of the International Special Events Society (ISES) website at http://careers.ises.com/home/index.cfm?site_id=553.

Informational Interviews:

Important Things to Remember An informational interview is not a job interview. The purpose of an informational interview is to acquire information regarding a career path from the perspective of a professional. Never ask for a job at an informational interview! You will actually hurt your chances for future employment or referrals if you ask about employment.

You are hoping for a realistic overview of a career field. If you hear only negative information, or only positive information, you may want to conduct another informational interview with a different person.

Research the organization before you go to the information interview. You’ll respond better to questions the interviewee might ask you.

Hire-a-Shocker If you’re looking for a job, you need to check out Hire-a-Shocker, our online recruitment system.

Post your resume and search for part-time, full-time, degreed and nondegreed positions, including oncampus opportunities. Hire-a-Shocker also shows which employers are coming to career events and allows you to apply for on-campus interviews.

Dress appropriately. While you probably don’t need to wear a business suit, do wear professional clothing. Don’t be late for an information interview! Plan to arrive ten minutes early. Take a small notebook and a pen and a list of questions. Always send a thank you note.

If you remember the points above, informational interviewing is an excellent opportunity to add a person to your professional network.

20 Great Questions to Ask in Informational Interviews How did you get started in this field?

Why did you decide to work for this company?

What is your favorite aspect of your work?

What is your least favorite aspect of the job?

What are the rewards and frustrations of this field in general?

What sorts of changes are occurring in your occupation?

How is the outlook for employment in this field?

What degrees, skills and experiences are important for someone entering this career?

What courses and past experiences proved the most valuable for you in this job?

How is my experience so far for entering this field? What else should I do?

What are the typical entry-level jobs?

What can you tell me about this company’s atmosphere and culture?

What is expected outside of work hours in terms of availability, social events, etc?

How flexible are dress codes, work hours, work locations, and job schedules?

How has your job affected your lifestyle?

How long do people typically work in their jobs here?

What would be the next step in your career?

How are salaries in this line of work?

What other fields or companies do you think I should research?

Use Hire-a-Shocker to Choose a Major Hire-a-Shocker is the resource for WSU students to use to find jobs while in school and when they graduate. Hire-a-Shocker is also a great resource when thinking about careers and majors.

The Employer Directory of Hire-a-Shocker lists 5,000+ employers. Many organizations provide information about what they do and include a link to their website.

To Search by Industry: Open the Employer Directory and click advanced search to the right of the Search button. Make a choice or several similar choices from the Industry List and click Search. For example, if you select all the industries beginning with “Communications/Media,” approximately 120 companies/ogranizations will be listed. It is possible to sort any resulting list by organization name, city, state or industry.

To Search by Organization: Read the employer’s profile and take the link to their website, if available. Google search the organization outside of Hire-a-Shocker for more information about the company.

To Search by Job Category: Discover job titles and job descriptions of interest to you. Requirements for the position will be listed also. Once you have a job title, explore the Occupational Outlook Handbook online. This government publication gives you a job description, education requirements, pay range and a ten year outlook for the job title.

Job Choices Magazine The Job Choices magazine provides job search advice for new college graduates, however the magazine contains information that every college student needs to know.

Job Choices is published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. It is available on the Career Services website, wichita.edu/career, click on “Job Seeker Resources� or find it in the Resource Library of Hire-a-Shocker.

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/nace/JobChoices0812/index.php

Office Hours In the next issue:

Fall 2012 Events Nov. 8 - Education Career Fair - Hughes Metropolitan Complex

Monday & Tuesday 8:00 am - 7:00 pm Wednesday through Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Walk-In Hours

- Education Career Fair

Nov. 27 - Sales Panel 5:30 pm Clinton Hall 206

- Seasonal Jobs

Spring 2013 Events

- Career Spotlight

Feb. 18 - Education Interview Day

Notice of Nondiscrimination

Feb. 28 - Spring 2013 Job Fair

Wichita State University does not discriminate in its programs and activities on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, status as a veteran, genetic information or disability. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies: Director, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity, Wichita State University, 1845 Fairmount, Wichita KS 67260-0205; telephone (316) 978-6791.

- 4 Tips for Job Seekers

Apr. 12 - Physical Therapy Career Fair

Tuesday & Wednesday - 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Hire-a-Shocker September Stats Degree Preferred - 37% Degree Required - 36% No Degree Required - 21%

1845 Fairmount Street, Wichita, KS 67260-0042 316.978.3435 - career.services@wichita.edu www.wichita.edu/career

On-Campus - 4% Seasonal/Temp/One Time - 2% Volunteer - 0%