With registration for the spring 2012 semester fast approaching, some students are faced with that all-important (but hair-pullingly stressful) task of declaring a major.  With so many choices, how can one possibly choose?  Human Biology, Political Science, Communications, Education, and Accounting: the list goes on forever!  But don’t worry, because Career Services is here to help guide you on your way to making the decision that is right for you.

               The best place to start your possible major search would be the “Choosing a Major” guide on the Career Services website.  There you can look at the list of majors and minors UWGB has to offer and even print a complete copy of the guide.  This information will help you consider your interests, values and abilities and transform them into a major that fits you.  If you’re not quite sure what a major is or are interested to know what kind of career options are available within that major, you can visit Majortopia, also on the Career Services website.  This page will provide you with in depth information about the major, including necessary skills, possible career paths, and links for even more extensive information. 

               Choosing your major could be one of the biggest and most personal decisions you make during your college career.   It is important that you choose something that helps you get where you want to go, and most importantly, something that you enjoy!  If you aren’t sure where to begin or want to know if you’re on the right track, you can make an appointment with Career Services by calling (920) 465-2163 or stopping by SS 1600.  The Career Services staff members would be happy to talk to you and help you figure out what you want to do with your major and what you intend to get out of it.  They can also tell you more about the Human Development 225 class offered at UWGB.  This is a one-credit course that teaches and prepares you for career planning.

No matter what major you choose, it is a very personal decision.  Only you can make the one that is right for you.  It’s important for you to know that there are many tools offered by UWGB Career Services.  They are there to help you every step of the way!

In an era of Jersey Shore, Lady Gaga, and Twitter, our idea of professionalism can get somewhat misconstrued and hazy.  Where do we draw the line between our personal lives and our business lives when it seems everything we do is readily available for viewing on the Internet?  50% of employers rejected a prospective employee based on a Snooki wannabe picture found online while Googling his or her name – and they WILL Google you.  In his book, Job Seeking with Social Media for Dummies, Joshua Waldman addresses these Internet faux paus and how to avoid them.  He provides his readers with this crucial information for job seeking in the 21st century by using LinkedIn, the world’s most powerful professional network.  Here, Waldman identifies the top seven mistakes job seekers make on LinkedIn and how they can be avoided.

1: Not having a well-defined brand across platforms

Branding starts with you and ends with them.  Identify your values and then do research on your target employer’s top two problems. How can you help solve these problems?  Align all messaging and images with that.

2: Using your job title in your professional headlines

You are NOT your job. Move away from commodity and into personality by using your personal branding message in the 120 characters available in LinkedIn’s headline space.

3: Rambling on and on in your Profile Summary

The profile summary of your online resume is a place to differentiate yourself in 20-30 seconds. Deliver your elevator pitch in 5 lines or less.  Keep it to “Hello, my name is….I’m a….specializing in….”

4: Not using LinkedIn’s applications

Tell your prospective employer what motivates you by showing them what books you are reading and recent blog posts or slide shows you’ve created using LinkedIn’s applications.

5: Not having 100% LinkedIn profile

Just like you would dress up for a job interview, you want your LinkedIn and online profiles to be as clean and professional as possible. LinkedIn guides you through the process of getting to 100%.

6: Looking like an axe murderer

Like it or not, people make split-second decisions about us based on the way you look. Make sure your profile photograph is professional and welcoming.

7: Leaving your online relationships online

You want to get the meeting, phone call or appointment as quickly as you can.  Although networking can feel somewhat uncomfortable, don’t hide behind your computer monitor.  Take these relationships off line and buy them a cup of coffee while you ask them industry-specific questions. 

Twitter can also be an extremely helpful resource.  Jobs are posted to Twitter in real-time and can be applied for in seconds.  You are 40% more likely to get hired if you apply to the job within 30 minutes of it getting posted.  Twellow, Twitter Yellow Pages, is another way of searching for specific jobs in your respective location.  Just remember, if you are using Twitter to network and contact prospective employers, do not tweet what you had for breakfast unless it was life-changing.  That’s the fastest way to get un-followed and moved into the rejected pile.  Keep your personal life off line and focus your online attention on the fast track to success.  The best way to do this is by branding yourself BEFORE going online, polishing off your profiles, and deepening your relationships by taking them offline.  Combining all of these tools will make you a success both on and off line!

When job seekers receive a rejection from an employer – they often don’t receive feedback why they didn’t get the job or internship.  If you find that you are being rejected too often, maybe some corrections need to be made in one or more of the following areas:

 1.      Is your resume letting you down?
If your resume does not stand out, chances of an interview are slim. Make sure your resume is well-written. Seek help if needed.

2.      Are you networking?
Seek out people you know and if they are in your field – let them know you are looking!

3.      Are you using limited job sources to find openings?
Traditional sources are not enough – look online, use multiple job boards and consider social media too!

4.      Are your job search materials off-target?
Customize cover letters and resumes. Jobs seekers who don’t put forth effort in the search are labeled “too lazy to hire”.

5.      Are you treating unemployment as a form of vacation?
Treat your job search like a job, 40 hours/week searching!

6.      Are you well prepared for job interviews?
Do your research! Show your interest and explain how you can meet their needs. Know their services, products, etc.

7.      Are your interview techniques poor?
An interview is not a casual conversation. Practice your interview skills and be prepared for probing, behavioral based questions.

8.      Is your job search too restricted?
You might need to relocate, broaden your commuting range, work for a smaller employer, etc. Define what matters most to you to conduct the widest search possible.

9.      Do you criticize past employers during interviews?
If you spend your time criticizing former employers, you come across negative. Most will rule out hiring you.

10.  Is your appearance professional and strong?
How you dress and carry yourself says a lot about your self-confidence. Formal, professional dress is a must for interviews.

If you are struggling with your job or internship search, be sure to use the various resources provided by Career Services!

The staff in Career Services are preparing for the start of the semester -four weeks and counting! Whether you are a freshman, transfer student or seasoned student who will be graduating in the next semester or two, a little pre-semester preparation can go a long ways.

UNDECIDED? NEED HELP DECIDING YOUR MAJOR or CAREER DIRECTION? We have resources to help you explore information about majors and careers. If you’re not sure where to start, call our office (920.465.2163) to set up a time to visit with one of our staff members who can direct you to the appropriate resources or recommend a career assessment if appropriate.

NEED A JOB/INTERNSHIP? USE PHOENIX RECRUITMENT ON-LINE (PRO)! Whether you are looking for an on- or off-campus job, an internship, or will be graduating and seeking a full-time position, all positions received by Career Services are listed in PRO. If you have specific questions about campus employment or work study awards, be sure to connect with Student Employment at 920.465.2556 or studentemployment@uwgb.edu. As a registered student at UW-Green Bay, you have an account in PRO. Check out the following link (http://www.uwgb.edu/careers/connections/pro-student-info.asp) to learn how to access the system and view the user’s guide. You can upload a resume into the system and set up a job search agent, which is a great way to receive notifications about openings in your specific areas of interest.

PREPARE OR UPDATE YOUR RESUME: On-Campus Interview schedules will open on September 6. For most of these schedules, employers will require a resume. If you are seeking an internship or full-time position, you’ll want to bring copies of your resume to the Fall Job & Internship Fair on Wednesday, September 28. We have links to resume writing information on our site and will have our first resume workshop on September 13. You can make an appointment to bring in a printed copy of your resume and our staff will review it for you and make recommendations.

GRADUATING? It’s not too early to develop your job search strategy. What kinds of jobs will you be seeking? Geographically where do you hope to find a job? Is your resume set to go? Have you talked with potential references? Given the challenges of today’s job market, having a solid job search plan is always a good move!

Whether you’re seeking more information about majors or careers, writing your first resume, considering graduate school or searching for a job or internship, check out our website or call our office at 920.465.2163 to set up an appointment to discuss your specific questions.

Each year, Career Services conducts the Graduate Follow-Up Survey to determine the status of our graduates regarding employment, graduate study, or other endeavors. The data for the Class of 2010 (December 2009, May 2010 and August 2010 graduates) has been compiled and is available on our website at: http://www.uwgb.edu/careers/connections/graduate-follow-up-survey.asp   On this page you will be able to view an overview of the survey results, as well as reports by major.   With a 70% response rate for the survey, the Class of 2010 had a 96.4% placement rate.  “Placement rate” is the percent of alumni who reported working, attending graduate/professional school, or are active in the military.

With 2.8% of respondents reporting that they were still seeking employment, the Class of 2010 graduates fared better than the overall national and local averages (unemployment rates ranged from 6.0% to 9.7% between May 2010 and May 2011).   However, some challenges these alumni  faced included finding positions related to their major/desired career field and that it took more time to find a job. Some noted they accepted positions that were not directly related to major due to their geographic preferences (desired location), lack of available positions, or the salary and/or benefits by their employer.

The Marketing & Communication Office of UW-Green Bay provided a great summary of the statistics, available for viewing at http://blog.uwgb.edu/inside/index.php/log-news/news/06/30/survey-graduates/

How many e-mails do you send during a given day?  While e-mail can be a very convenient and time-saving tool, there are also pitfalls to this form of communication.  In her Wall Street Journal article “Email Etiquette at Work,” Nikita Garia provides advice about the use of email, especially within the work environment.  She covers basic things that we might take for granted, such as proper grammar and spelling, as well as tips to avoid the embarrassment of hitting “reply all” when you only intended one specific recipient to read your message. 

We may be tempted to be less formal when communicating with someone by e-mail; unfortunately this can leave a poor impression about us with the reader.  So, whether you are a current student or recent graduate, consider these guidelines when you are communicating by e-mail to faculty, staff, employers, customers or potential graduate programs.  View the complete article at:  http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/06/03/career-journal-email-etiquette-for-the-workplace/

Whether you will be walking across the  stage for Commencement this coming Saturday, or are a student who will be starting an internship this summer, I recommend reading Namrata Dadwal’s short article, “Seven career mistakes you should avoid.”  Dadwal, who writes for The Economic Times, addresses habits, attitudes and behaviors that are viewed negatively within the workplace.

Some of the attitudes she addresses include:

• I don’t need to be punctual
• I want everything now
• I know everything there is to know
• What’s a network? (Failure to network)

While glancing at this list, some of you may even recognize these attitudes among peers within your own classroom environment! So whether it’s an attitude about how we approach a class or team project, how we present ourselves during our internships, or how we act as we enter the full-time workforce, it’s a subtle reminder that we need to be aware of the image we project to others.   

View the complete article at: http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-04-04/news/29374922_1_career-launcher-job-profile-satya-narayanan

Greetings from Career Services! It’s hard to believe it is already the start of spring semester—time is flying by. I hope that you all had a happy holiday and a great break! With the new year upon us and new classes already in session, it’s time to start crackin’ down and get back into those “study habits”. 

We, here at Career Services just want to remind you that as your schedules and lives begin to pick up, our offices are open to help YOU succeed in all aspects of your career and job search. If you’ve got questions about your major, we can help you. If you are struggling to find internship or job placements, we have tools for you. If you need some advice regarding interviews, resume building, or anything else related, our career counselors are here to guide you. Visit our website for more information: http://www.uwgb.edu/careers/. Stop into our offices SS 1600, we’re open 7:45AM – 4:30PM Monday – Friday. Call us at (920)465-2163 and schedule your appointment today!

With the New Year and the idea of many students and upcoming grads beginning new job searches, I thought it would be interesting to pull up statistics and predictions of 2011’s job market. To my surprise many of the news sources I pulled up, said 2011 is a good year for college students to be in the market for a job. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, college student and graduate hiring is expected to climb in 2011. Employers anticipate a 13.5 percent increase in college graduate hiring, 40 percent of employers hiring levels will remain the same, however nearly half of all participants in the Job Outlook 2011 Preview Survey expected some rise in hiring. This is GREAT news for us here in college. As I dug further into this survey, I found that 32.5 percent of the respondents were employers from the Midwest, while 27.9 in the Northeast, and 13.7 in the West. This is also GREAT news for us here in the Midwest. I’d say with the New Year upon us, a new semester at hand, and a positive outlook, we’re in for a pretty swell 2011. Not to mention our office has multiple events and seminars to get you at the top of your game. Check them out here! Keep working hard, keep striving, and stay determined—success will find you. Stay up-to-date with Career Services and all of our great services, events, information, and opportunity to maximize your efforts. Don’t hesitate to ask for help. We are here to help YOU! Best wishes from Career Services.

How professional are YOU on the job? Raise a hand if you have ever answered a cell phone call, responded to a text message, or even spent time surfing the net for your next online purchase or Facebook status while at work—be honest here. Hands raised—we have probably all done this at one time or another, but is that level of professionalism what we’d want our bosses to see? ? Probably not. Still, according to a study done by researches at the Center for Professional Excellence (CPE) at York College of Pennsylvania, students and young employees continually fail to make the cut professionally. Nearly 38.2 percent of respondents said that less than half of new graduates exhibited professionalism in the workplace—a percentage practically unchanged in comparison with the results of the same survey in 2009. Of the traits that students fail to display in the workplace, internet etiquette, accepting personal responsibility and being open to constructivecriticism are among the highest ranked traits missing from recent graduates. “New employees are lacking the professional qualities that are deemed to be important. The largest gap exists for accepting personal responsibility and for decisions and actions and being open to criticism.”Interestingly, students also perceive this gap between importance and prevalence when rating the same qualities. However, they tend to feel they demonstrate more professionalism than employers actually experience,” says David Polk, whose company was commissioned by the CPE to complete the survey.

The CPE survey also finds that, again much like last year, new employees are continually more concerned with the opportunity for advancement than they should be—meaning that new workers want to touch the stars before climbing the mountain, so to speak.  Nearly half of those surveyed stated that the “sense of entitlement” in young employees is to blame for instant gratification and the decline in professional ism in the workplace. Some respondents even stated that students and young employees want mid-career treatment in their entry level positions; worse yet others said that the newer job seekers lack a quality work ethic.

 “Some of these problems in the workplace are the same things we are seeing in the classroom,” said Polk. “Students and employees alike are text messaging, surfing the Internet, and responding to cell phone calls at inappropriate times. It appears that for many the need to be in constant contact with friends and family has become an addiction. The addicted no longer see it as rude to be obsessively responding to calls or text messages.”

So does this mean all hope is lost for our young job seekers? Not at all. In response to last years survey results, York College in Pennsylvania created a series of seminars and educational classes for students and recent graduates, teaching the art of professionalism in the workplace. The results were outstanding, student respondents voted three to one that such programs offered by colleges were extremely valuable tools.

Now that you’ve got the facts, those of us with our hands raised, know we’re not alone, but clearly it’s time for change. And if you’re reading this wondering if your college campus offers such valuable programs and classes—you’re in luck! The University of Wisconsin—Green Bay and Career Services offer a variety of workshops, seminars, webinars, and classes throughout the academic year! Keep an eye on our events page for more information, so you can blow your next employer out of the water with your outstanding professional skills!