Good news and bad news for college students...
The good news is that only a scant 17 percent
of employers recently surveyed by OfficeTeam, a staffing
service, consider grades the most important criterion
for hiring. And the bad news is only bad if
you haven't yet gained work experience while
in college -- the survey showed that almost half
the employers ranked experience as the most
important criteria. If you don't have experience, or
are looking for more, this issue of QuintZine may help.
EDITOR's IN-BOX:
We received an interesting communique from a new
subscriber this week. Jeni Rosenthal writes:
"I am a part-time student, and I work as well
and do career counseling as a small business.
I am a real believer in young people developing
their own businesses."
Rosenthal goes on to describe how her father was laid off
from a company he thought he would work for through the
end of his career. Between that experience and the
fact that Rosenthal lives in a remote community
in Northern Ontario, she says, "I have learned that a
young person should have the skills to develop his or her
own businesses or create his or her own job if necessary.
The place that I work at now did not have a position
open for me, but I proposed to them an idea that I
believed would be beneficial to them and showed them how
I would be able to make it work, and they eventually
created the position for me."
Rosenthal's ideas tie in nicely with this issue's
Q&A interview with career counselor Jenny Von Helms.
Read Rosenthal's full letter.
By now, most college students no longer have
to be convinced of the importance of gaining
experience before graduation, and seeking
and experiencing internships has become a
routine component of collegiate life.
So, knowing that you will have one or more
internships during college, what are the
keys to making the most
of your internship?
Quintessential Careers Webmaster Dr. Randall Hansen
offers 12 keys to internship success.
"Follow these guidelines and you should
be well on your way not only to a successful internship, but to a successful career," Hansen promises.
Really good search engines for internship
opportunities have long been a rare commodity on the
Internet. A couple of good ones fell by the
wayside, leaving a long drought of quality sources
for internship listings. With
USInterns.com stepping
up to the plate within the last year, the picture
has improved dramatically. While not perfect,
USInterns.com is among the best places for students
to find internships.
USInterns.com's approach is different from many other
recruiting sites on the web because it focuses solely
on the internship niche. The site claims that it
"incorporates innovative technologies to maximize
the efficiency of the internship search and tracking
process for all participants."
"Students have the opportunity to research internship
opportunities through multiple fields," the site states.
"USInterns.com Resume Builder allows students to tailor
resumes to fit certain postings before applying
directly online."
When trying out an internship site, our litmus
test is to type in "accounting internships
in Florida," on the assumption that accounting
internships in the Sunshine State should be plentiful.
Our most recent test of USInterns.com produced only
one such internship listing, but that was a step up
from past searches, which have yielded none. A decent number
of accounting internships (52) were available
nationwide, though.
We were also dismayed to find more than one typo on the
Web site. Bottom line: USInterns.com has great
potential and room for improvement.
Jenny Von Helms, associate director of career services/internship
coordinator at Carthage College in Kenosha, WI.
Von Helms suggests some creative approaches to finding
internships. "Develop an internship proposal to present to
companies who might not have hired interns in the past," she advises.
"An employer will certainly be more impressed with a student
who says 'I want to learn this and I can do this for your
company' than one who lacks focus or initiative.
Show the employer that the company has a need, and you
are the person to fill that need," says Von Helms.
Read more about how to find internships, along with Von Helms's
thoughts on reality checks for new grads and students
who rush too quickly into the job market without
sufficient self-knowledge, along with Von Helms's
fascinating review of ethical dilemmas in the job search, at:
Jenny Von Helms Q&A.
Latest Additions: New Sites Added to QuintCareers
Ask the Employer -- a
career advancement site specializing in establishing networking e-mentoring partnerships based
on matching criteria in the site's professional database. Also
offers job-hunting tips and advice, a discussion board, and more. Free.
ImproveNow.com --
which offers several interesting assessments for job-seekers, including ImproveNowPSI, which examines
your personal style in helping better understand yourself; and the ImproveNow JSI, which is designed
to help you identify and articulate behavior styles appropriate for your job. Free.
Internweb.com --
a free internship connection for employers and students that provides searchable internship
listings and an easy internship posting process. Students are able to search for internships by
internship type, employer type, geographic location or any combination. Resources for out-of-state
housing, cover letter and resume writing, interviewing and other useful topics are also presented.
ShowBizJobs.Com --
offering job-seekers in the film, television, recording and attractions industries the opportunity to
search for jobs by company name, job category, or geographic location. Job-seekers can also post your
resume into their proprietary database. Job search is free, but there is a fee for posting your resume.
Find even more additions to Quintessential Careers by visiting our
Latest
Additions section.
Lesley writes: "I am currently in college pursuing a
degree in psychology. I think that I would like to get
into the field of human resources, but I am not sure
about some things. I was thinking that I really have
no experience in that field so I should get a master's
degree in human resources, but a lot of people are
telling me that I shouldn't. They say most
job openings for master's-degree-level people in human
resources are for those with many years of
experience. I am told that I should get my feet wet,
so to speak, and then try to get the company
I am with to pay for me to get my master's degree.
My problem with that is if I am a psychology major
and not a human resources major, how will I get a company
to give me a chance?"
Read Career Doctor
Randall S. Hansen's advice here.
Kyle, a recent grad with a year of experience, has had no
response to his resume and cover-letter mailings, despite
being told that these documents are in good shape.
Q TIPS: Quick and Quintessential Career & Job Tips
As part of the new partnership between WetFeet.com
and InternshipPrograms.com, the sites will launch a
monthly newsletter, "CareerWatch: Internships" in October.
In the meantime, they offer an
article about
which internships pay.
The Public Affairs Group in Washington, DC,
offers an internship program that aims for a
highly diverse pool of interns. The group calls these
internships "substantive and exciting opportunities
based on knowledge and/or relevant experience available
in one or more of the following areas: corporate development,
marketing, finance and administration, journalism with
heavy concentration on editing, publishing and research,
international, women's studies/research, Internet/Web site
development." Most internships are for college credit with
transportation costs reimbursed. However, a few internship
are paid, depending on the student's experience and number
of hours that can be committed. Interns work
in the company's four divisions: Top Speaking Forums,
Best Practices in Corporate Communications, Diversity
Best Practices, and Business Women's Network.
For more information.
The Occupational Outlook Quarterly is
a newsletter with lots of helpful info for
job seekers. The summer issue
is currently online,
and the fall issue, boasting an "outlook
for college graduates" feature, is expected shortly.
QuintZine: Topics in Upcoming Issues
WATCH FOR feature articles on these topics in upcoming
issues of QuintZine:
* Pantsuits vs. skirtsuits for interviews
* Case-based and behavior-based interviews
* Online Assessments
* How a SWOT Analysis can help you market yourself
* Interviewing: It's more fun than you think
* Graduate school for working professionals
* Phone etiquette in the job hunt
* Guide to the company visit
* Letters of recommendation and references
* 10 questions to ask yourself if you still haven't found a job
* Completing a job application
* How to choose a college
* Changing Careers
* How to land an internship
* Temping
* Build your career through volunteering
* Hot jobs for 2001
* Q&As with well-known career experts
. . . and much, much more!
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RESUMES * JOB SEARCH CORRESPONDENCE FROM TRUSTED EXPERTS * COVER LETTERS
Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters is up and running,
providing quality job-search correspondence at some of
the lowest prices on the Web.
We create resumes,
cover letters, curriculum vitae, thank-you and
follow-up letters, and list-formatted documents,
such as salary histories and reference lists.
We also can provide critiques and makeovers of
your resume or cover letter. Credit cards accepted.
Check out Quintessential Resumes
and Cover Letters!
QuintZine
A publication of
Quintessential Careers
Publisher: Dr. Randall S. Hansen
Editor: Katharine Hansen
ISSN: 1528-9443
