Hire-a-Shocker October 29, 2012 Newsletter

In this issue: - Education Career Fair - Seasonal Jobs - Career Spotlight - 4 Tips for Job Seekers

WS U C a re e r S ervices

Hire-a-Shocker

Issue 06 / 10.29.12

Events for Education Majors:

Education Career Fair & Interview Day Eduation Career Fair

Who’s in Demand?

Early projections show employers plan to target business, engineering, and computer-related degrees at the bachelor’s level during the 2012-2013 college recruiting season, according to an annual survey of the job market for new college graduates. (See chart below.)

The Education Career Fair will take place at the Hughes Metropolitan Complex on Thursday, November 8 from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. This event provides an opportunity for students and alumni to network with representatives from school districts in the Wichita area and from across the state.

In preparation for the annual Education Interview Day to be held on February 18, 2013, education majors graduating in December 2012 or May 2013 are encouraged to attend.

Students should take the opportunity to visit with representatives from various school districts to learn about programs, enrollment and benefits. The list of registered school districts is available through Hire-a-Shocker.

Education Interview Day Education Interview Day will be held at the Hughes Metropolitan Complex on Monday, February 18, 2013. Local school districts, as well as some from across the state, will be conducting 30-minute scheduled interviews.

Students must have an approved resume in Hire-a-Shocker in order to select interview times. January 29, 2013 is the deadline to upload a resume into the system for approval. The interview schedules will open up in Hire-a-Shocker on Sunday, February 10 at 4:00 pm. Organizers of the interview day will be available from 4:00 to 6:00 pm if students have questions concerning interview times. The phone number to call for assistance is 316-978-3435.

“Make sure that you are on the system as soon as the schedules open because they will fill quickly. It is highly competitive,” said Lori Godderz, coordinator of the event.

Once a schedule is filled there is no guarantee that the school district will open another one. However, there will be a resume drop through Hire-a-Shocker for those students who were not able to get an interview time.

More information on the job market for the Class of 2013 will be available in November.

Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, copyright holder. www. naceweb.org.

Seasonal Jobs Opportunities Are Here!

Cash registers will soon be ringing with holiday sales. Restaurants, caterers and entertainment venues will be reserved for holiday parties, and guests will be filling hotels!

Employers are starting to hire seasonal help and they are posting on Hire-a-Shocker. Most employers hire extra holiday help in late October.

“We encourage students to create a job search agent and to check their email regularly because listings might have short application periods,” said Jeanne Hopkins, job board coordinator. “We don’t want anyone to miss out on an employment opportunity.”

To find a hoilday job on Hire-a-Shocker, log in and go to the Job Search screen. Search for the Position Type: Seasonal/temporary/one-time. To create a job agent, click on “Email me new jobs for this search.”

Name your job agent and save. An email will be sent when any new/updated jobs matching the search are available.

How to Handle a Salary Request Courtesy of the National Association of Colleges and Employers, copyright holder: www.naceweb.org.

When an employer requests a salary history, many job seekers find themselves at a loss. You don’t want to price yourself out of a job, but you don’t want the employer to offer less than the going rate for the position.

Tips for Writing Thank-You Letters: 1. Always send the letter within 24 hours of the interview.

2. Address the letter to the person who interviewed you.

3. The letter should have a business-like appearance.

4. Keep it brief.

5. Emailing a thank-you is acceptable. Use the same formal guidelines as you would for a paper correspondence.

So what's the right answer?

- Don't include salary history on your resume.

6. Ask someone to proofread before you send the letter or email.

- Handle the request at the end of your cover letter. First, highlight your skills, experience, and interest in the position information that is far more important to your consideration as a candidate.

7. Thank-you letters should not be form letters. Tailor each one to the specific interview.

- Respond to the question positively without giving a specific amount. (Example: "I'm earning in the mid-30s.")

- Say "salary is negotiable."

- If you know the market value for the position and for someone with your skills and background, give a $3,000-$5,000 range. (Use the free NACE Salary Calculator to find an appropriate range.)

- Be prepared to respond to this question in an interview. Carry a list of your positions in reverse chronological order, including the name of the company, your title, a synopsis of your duties, and, lastly, general compensation amount (e.g. mid-30s).

- Don't lie about your salary history. Employers may verify salary history through reference checks.

Salary requests are difficult for all job searchers to handle, not just new college grads. The key is to shift the focus, politely but firmly, from what you made in the past to competitive compensation for the position you want.

Career Coffee Blog...By Jan Mead Why would I suggest you work a seasonal - or any temporary job?

Number one on my list of reasons is a temporary job just might lead to a long term opportunity. Work hard, prove yourself and the employer may want to hang on to you longer - maybe much longer - than originally planned.

Working a job for even a short time is a great way to try out companies and jobs. Working in any number of jobs, or for XYZ Company, may sound appealing...until you actually try it. If you take a job, knowing it is only temporary, it doesn’t hurt your resume when “it is only temporary.” You know how you hear me say “network” over and over again?

Career Spotlight: Photographer

There are many areas of specialization in the field of photography. These include nature, wedding, underwater, aerial, celebrity, or photo journalist. While it is not necessary to have education to become a photographer, usually trained photographers will receive higher wages. Following are some of the tasks that may be required as a photographer – and they certainly show why having education will be important to be successful!

Working a temporary job is a great way to make contacts and add people to your professional network.

Do a good job and you’ve also got a great reference.

You stand a good shot at learning new skills AND you make money!

I have worked a number of temporary jobs. All taught me new skills and three turned into jobs I worked at for at least five years. Another was with an organization I determined I didn’t want to stay with. Because I took the job as a temporary position, it didn’t hurt my resume, or reference information, that I only stayed there a few months - until, in fact, I found another temporary job - one that I worked at five years. Those are my experiences.

So...why would I suggest you work a seasonal - or any temporary job? Why wouldn’t I?

• Take pictures of individuals, families, and small groups, either in studio or on location.

• Adjust apertures, shutter speeds, and camera focus based on a combination of factors such as lighting, field depth, subject motion, film type, and film speed.

• Use traditional or digital cameras, along with a variety of equipment such as tripods, filters, and flash attachments.

• Create artificial light, using flashes and reflectors.

• Determine desired images and picture composition, selecting and adjusting subjects, equipment, and lighting to achieve desired effects.

• Scan photographs into computers for editing, storage, and electronic transmission.

• Estimate or measure light levels, distances, and numbers of exposures needed, using measuring devices and formulas.

• Manipulate and enhance scanned or digital images to create desired effects, using computers and specialized software.

What about all the competition you may face in this field? After all, millions of us now have digital cameras. Having a good paying job as a photographer will take a passion for photography, lots of hard work and dedication to learning and improving your skills, as well as some good luck. It has been suggested that a photography career is best pursued while having another full time job. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the average salary for a photographer is $14 per hour and job growth will be average. Job prospects will be best for candidates who are multi-talented and possess related skills such as picture editing and capturing digital video.

Let the Job Seeker Beware!

4 Tips for the Savvy Job Seeker

By Matt Berndt, Campus Career Coach Blog

Caveat Emptor - Let the Buyer Beware - is good advice for the job seeker.

I find that many job seekers are very naive when they are searching for jobs and reviewing job descriptions. Just because a job has been posted on a company website, internet job board, or even your College’s job and internship database, does not mean it is necessarily complete, accurate or wholly legitimate. And, just because YOU wouldn’t consider a specific job, kind of employer or profession doesn’t mean that job, employer or profession isn’t right for someone else. Different strokes for different folks, right? Like in every other part of your life as a consumer, when you are looking for a job, you have to evaluate and scrutinize your options realistically before making decisions. With that in mind, here is a little advice:

Hire-a-Shocker Tips Receive communications from Hire-a-Shocker by text, email, and social media.

- Allow Texting to receive timely messages from our office, your job agents, and Hire-a-Shocker.

The default setting is to not allow texting. Go to My Account -> My Profile -> Personal Information to change the setting to ‘Yes.’

#1 – Don’t think someone else is doing quality control on job postings for you. That’s your job.

If you look carefully at most online job boards you will find a disclaimer that says something like “we do not necessarily endorse any of the positions or companies listed on this site.” Get the idea? People who run job boards usually do some kind of quality control, but they do not go back to everyone who posts jobs to make sure all the information in their postings is complete or accurate, and they don’t check the legitimacy of every company that post jobs. So, be a little suspicious if: - You are being directed to apply to a Gmail, Yahoo or other personal email address rather than a business email address or web application.

- They don’t provide a company name or any information about the company.

- You can’t find the company website or you can’t tell by viewing the website what the company actually does.

- The job description provided isn’t really a job description but rather a list of characteristics they are seeking in candidates; e.g., “sports-minded people sought for outstanding career opportunity” as the core of the job posting! Where are the details? How can you tell whether or not you are interested or qualified? This should be a red flag!

- Email - Read the emails sent by Career Services.

These are targeted messages about job listings, interviews on campus, and special events that will help you to find a job.

- Connect With Us - follow us on Facebook and Twitter to receive an array of interesting information via posts/tweets. Connect to our social media accounts from our webpage - wichita.edu/career.

You don’t blindly accept everything your parents, teachers and advisers tell you, do you? You don’t – I know. I am a parent, and I have been a teacher and an adviser! Why would you blindly accept the information in a job posting without questioning it first? “I found it on the internet, so it must be legit” is a lousy answer, and if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

#2 – Don’t decide not to apply for a job because “you don’t think you want to work in that field!”

JOB SEEKER: “Yeah, I didn’t apply for that job because I don’t think I’d want to work in that field.”

ME: “Really, what do you know about that field?”

JOB SEEKER: “Um, not that much really, I just don’t think I want to do that kind of work.”

ME: “What kind of work? What about it didn’t seem to match your interests or skills?”

JOB SEEKER: “Um, I don’t know. I just don’t want to do that kind of job.”

ME: “Okay, so what kind of work appeals to you? What jobs would you like to do?”

JOB SEEKER: “I don’t know, just not that job. What else do you suggest?”

Now, I am not telling you to apply for everything and everything available (that would also be crazy), but don’t rule out a job opportunity unless and until you know (not think) it’s not a possible fit for you. Give it a chance! You can still have the right to say no to a job offer, but you will never get to the job offer if you self-select out of the process before it ever begins. I can guarantee you one thing: If you don’t apply for jobs, you won’t get a job. It really is that simple.

#3 – When you apply for a job, don’t just assume that the employer will recognize you as qualified.

You might read a job posting and be convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that you are qualified to do the job.

You might feel very strongly that you are a highly competitive candidate. Don’t keep this a secret from the employer! Use your cover letter/email to tell the employer precisely how your qualifications match what they are seeking, not how badly you want the job or how cool the employer is. They already know you want a job (you’re applying), and they are already aware of precisely how cool they are. If the employer is seeking specific skills or types of experience, and you have these qualifications, say so in your cover letter and back it up in your resume.

Employers can’t get inside your head. They can’t read your mind. If you are lucky enough to get an interview, you will be expected to demonstrate and defend your qualifications in person. So, if you are a good match, tell them early and tell them often. Two side notes to this topic: - If you can’t make compelling arguments regarding why you are a qualified candidate and why you want the job, why are you applying?

- If you only apply for jobs for which you are not qualified, your chances of getting a job for which you are qualified are pretty slim.

#4 – Don’t assume the job description is complete, well-written or realistic in its stated expectations.

Job descriptions are wish lists. Based upon the jobs that need to be done, employers write job descriptions to create ideal candidate profiles, including job responsibilities, necessary qualifications, preferred qualifications and, of course, other duties as assigned (just in case they forgot something). The chances of an employer finding a candidate that matches the description perfectly and is a good fit with its organizational culture is somewhere between slim and none. If an employer has listed ten key qualifications and you have seven of these qualification; you are probably a viable candidate. If you have two or three, probably not. Looking for work is hard enough as it is! Don’t overcomplicate the process by not being a savvy consumer. Caveat Emptor! That means you, if you are looking for a job.

Profile information is your responsibility.

It is important to keep your profile in Hire-a-Shocker up to date. If you change your major or graduation date, update your information. If you learn a new skill or computer program, update your information.

If you change your email address, update your information. If you are allowing employers to view your information and resume in Hire-a-Shocker, then it must be current.

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.

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- wichita.edu/career - Click on the Employer log in for Hire-a-Shocker

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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

- International Students

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

- National Career Week

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.

- Career Coffee Blog

Apr. 12 - Physical Therapy Career Fair

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

Hire-a-Shocker October Stats Degree Preferred - 36% Degree Required - 35% No Degree Required - 22%

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

Seasonal/Temp/One Time - 4% On-Campus - 3% Volunteer - 0%