Career Spring 2020
JACK WEST / MANAGING EDITOR
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The Auburn Plainsman: Career
February 6, 2020
RENT 20th Anniversary Tour Tuesday, February 18 and Wednesday, February 19 Terrance Simien and The Zydeco Experience Friday, February 21 Waitress Tuesday, February 25 and Wednesday, February 26 The You & Me Tour: An Evening with Drew and Ellie Holcomb Thursday, February 27 Pablo Sáinz Villegas: Americano Trio Sunday, March 1 Matt Haimovitz and Simone Dinnerstein Tuesday, March 3 free concert The United States Navy Band Friday, March 13
Tickets available now!
334.844.TIXS (8497) GOGUECENTER.AUBURN.EDU View our complete 2019–20 inaugural season lineup online.
February 6, 2020
The Auburn Plainsman: Career
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MARIE LIPSKI / PHOTO EDITOR
The City of Auburn hires applictants from a variety of fields, including engineering, marketing, communications and finance.
City offers diverse career opportunities By CHARLIE RAMO Community Reporter
When students are considering which careers to pursue after graduation, local government is often not something they consider. However, working in city-level government offers opportunities for public service at a more direct level not found in larger forms of government. “[You need to] have that interest in government and how things work,” said David Dorton, director of public affairs for the City of Auburn. “Local government is really where the rubber meets the road as far as [the] government providing services directly to people and interacting with [them].” Local governments hire a wide variety of majors, covering engineering, technology, finance, public administration and planning, among others, Dorton said. Dorton began in local government when he asked for an internship from the city manager. That position led to a full-time job and to where he is now.
“One of these days, they’ll tell me my internship’s over, and I have to go,” Dorton said. Local government was always appealing to Dorton, so he knew he wanted to follow that career path straight out of college. He said he finds his job fulfilling and purposeful. “There may be more of a purpose behind what you’re doing,” Dorton said. “Even in some cases, it might be the same tasks as the public sector, but you feel more of a sense of purpose there.” The City attends job fairs, especially for public safety, Dorton said. The public safety department has a large student program. A student firefighter program is also offered, providing tuition benefits as well as training to be a full-time professional firefighter. There are also multiple internship programs in various departments. “Sometimes, there is a divide between academics and the practical [knowledge] in the workplace scenario,” Dorton said. “Always, an internship helps you explore whether you really like it and gives you ex-
perience. There are a number of interns, like me, that found something and stuck with it.” Dorton recommends internships in either public or private sectors, mainly so students can discover what kinds of jobs they enjoy. In government, interns must have a drive for public service. “Talk to the city manager, a department head or someone in an area you’re interested in,” Dorton said. “Learn a little more [about government], and folks are always happy to talk and share.” Allison Blankenship works in Public Affairs as a neighborhood specialist. She began her position in local government on Jan. 6. Blankenship graduated from Auburn University in 2010 with a degree in journalism. She wrote for The Auburn Villager for six years as the associate editor, covering City Council, planning commissions and other local government programs. “I got really involved with everything that was going on [in local government],” Blankenship said. “I developed a passion
for informing the community about those things and getting to know people in the community. When this position opened, it just felt like the right shift for me because it allowed me to continue to do what I love.” Blankenship enjoys building relationships with citizens face-to-face. In journalism, she had to remain a neutral third party and could not connect with people on the level she does now. “Being employed in the City allows me to be more involved and to know what’s going on on a deeper level,” Blankenship said. Blankenship said she plans to stay in her current position for the foreseeable future, making contacts and connecting with people. The longer she stays in this position, the deeper the connections she creates with others. She wants to be a point of contact for both residents and students. “I’m definitely excited about where this position can take me and what my purpose is through it over the years,” Blankenship said. “[We will] see where it takes me from there. I wouldn’t mind staying in local government.”
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The Auburn Plainsman: Career
February 6, 2020
Ties to T-shirts
How some businesses are relaxing their dress codes By EMERY LAY Lifestyle Writer
Just like fashion, our business wear changes over time. Full suits become sports jackets, and skirts give way to pants. What does not change however, is our attempt to make a powerful impression and project confidence in our professions or interviews. So, perhaps as a society, our perceptions about how to project confidence is changing. Marianne McCarley, a career services specialist in the College of Liberal Arts, said that much of that can change based on where you work.
“It depends on the industry you’re in,” she said. For instance, a dress code may be different for a receptionist at a doctor’s office than for a consultant at an electronic store. While one might assume that a trend towards more lenient attire is limited to more casual places of work, McCarley said that it has also been changing for more traditional institutions. “For some of the other jobs — we are talking about creative jobs, like advertising agencies or some of the high-tech jobs ... the trend there continues to be casual,” McCarley said. She said that on her recent trip to the main Google office in New
York, the accepted business attire included jeans, sneakers and T-shirts. “Walking around there, I did not see anybody from the age of 25 to 50 that was not wearing those clothes,” McCarley. McCarley said she noticed a similar dresscode while at Warner Media, the company that owns HBO. “They showed their creativity, and it was really fun,” she said. McCarley said that while employees at some of the more traditional work places aren’t wearing T-shirts, there has been a shift. “Some of the more conserva-
tive places to work — we’re looking at banks, financial institutions and some of the major corporations — it has been changing,” she said. She attributed some of the increasing prevalence of causual business attire to our growing comfortability with athleisure. “With the emergence of athleisure wear the past ten years, we are seeing just an overall societal relaxation,” McCarley said. According to McCarley, this relaxation can have an outsized effect on women in the workplace. “With that [relaxation], it can
be very empowering, especially for women,” she said. “It’s ... empowering that women can take on at least a bit more relaxed, more comfortable attire for themselves.” This is especially true in contrast to the once-stricter rules of clothing, like wearing pantyhose in the Alabama heat, McCarley said. Overall, McCarley said business attire and its changes are not universal, but they are noticable. “It depends on the company culture and the type of environment that the company is going for,” she said.
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February 6, 2020
The Auburn Plainsman: Career
Making the perfect resume (334) 844-4000 att0001@auburn.edu Auburn University | Mascot (1979 - present)
J os h u a F ish er
Aubie T. Tiger
rapher tog o h /P
Skills: • Shaking head excitedly • Pointing at fans and students • Spinning tail • Rapid costume changes
By LYDIA MCMULLEN Lifestyle Writer
For college students, a resume is a personal marketing tool and gateway to receiving an interview for a job or graduate school. Crafting a quality resume and cover letter is a top priority. “Your resume is your chance to get that great first impression and prove you have what it takes to get that position,” said Addye Buckley-Burnell, the associate director of career development at the Auburn University Career Center. Buckley-Burnell said it is important to make your resume easy to follow, use strong and varied action words and incorporate terminology the intended employer uses. Every job and position is different, Buckley-Burnell said. An applicant’s resume should be tailored to the position being applied for. The listed experiences and skills should communicate to the employer that a candidate has the necessary qualifications for a job at their company. “Having a commitment to something can be helpful, but it’s really more about how you contributed to that organization,” Buckley-Burnell said. She also stressed that potential employers
want to see how an applicant will add to their company. According to Buckley-Burnell, communicating the skills that one can bring to the table is more important than the length of time an applicant was involved. “Anyone can be a member for three years,” Buckley-Burnell said. “Just having a position listed on there is not very helpful.” An applicant should use bullet points to demonstrate how a position helped to build skills and abilities that will be important in the new role. “Most employers will want a basic, clean, black-and-white resume,” Buckley-Burnell said. While creativity is a useful skill, the only applicants who should turn in creative resumes or incorporate graphics are those who are applying for design positions. “Resumes often get run through an applicant tracking program, and it tends to be easier to run through when it’s your basic, clean document with no graphics,” she said. Buckley-Burnell said the key to resume building is having someone look over the work and give feedback. The career center offers a job search guide, sample resumes, VMock and drop in resume review sessions. “Make sure what you’re trying to get across is getting across,” she said.
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The Auburn Plainsman: Career
February 6, 2020
FILE PHOTO
Auburn hosts part-time internship fairs throughout the year.
Benefits of taking an internship Abigail Murphy Lifestyle Writer
After graduation, students have the option to either take an entry-level job or to accept an internship, among other things. Which one is the better option is a matter of personal preference. For Meredith Taylor, a senior in apparel merchandise, said she decided to do a summer internship to gain more experience and work her way up in the workforce. This summer she will be going to New York City to intern as an assistant buyer for Ross. “I will be projecting the future trends and helping to buy the merchandise for their stores,” Taylor said. The benefit of her doing a paid internship over an entry-level job is that she can take time to really learn about her career before hav-
ing to jump straight in, she said. “With an entry-level job, I would be expected to know what to do and run with it,” she said. This internship is helping her be more independent for when she gets a job and is developing her skills. She said this will help her become a better candidate before she applies for her first job. “I would love to get a full-time job with it,” Taylor said. “I know a lot ... internships ... offer jobs to interns.” She said with her industry, you have to work your way up, and internships like this are a way to start. “I am kind of hoping that this goes so great that I can just stay in New York and fill my resume up,” Taylor said. “So, I can maybe work higher up in the company or become the actual buyer instead of the assistant buyer.”
February 6, 2020
The Auburn Plainsman: Career
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A guide to upcoming career fairs Engineering and Technology
College of Agriculture
Feb. 10 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Feb. 13 3 p.m - 6 p.m.
Harbert College of Business
ASCE / ASAB
Feb. 11, 13, 17 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Feb. 18 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Building Science
Supply Chain Management
Feb. 12 2 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Feb. 19 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.
AU Career Fair (All Majors) March 24 2 p.m. - 6 p.m. More information can be found at career.auburn.edu
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