See You in the Fall!

We just made it through the first (academic) year of the Career Center Blog. Yeah! Since summer is here and most of you will be either spending your days at the beach, in a internship, or exploring new areas in summer classes the blog is going on semi hiatus, too. The blog will get back to its regular Monday schedule starting in August 2008 (though there will be surprise posts during the summer!).

But while we will not have new posts each week, please look through all of our old posts! We have a lot of information here that can get you on the right track in your career development.

Remember, if you have any questions or just want to comment leave us a message in the comments section.

The Untried Source

When advising students about searching for jobs there is one source that I always recommend, especially if they wan to move to an area they are not in or not familiar with. This resource is the Chamber of Commerce. The majority of cities and regions have a chamber of commerce and a website to promote their membership. It is the membership of a chamber of commerce which will benefit the job hunter.

For example, say you are a recent graduate and you know you want to move to Seattle, Washington. You have some ideas about what type of work you want to do but do not know different companies or jobs available. You look on the large places like Monster.com and other huge job search places but you are still lost. But where else do you look for jobs? This is when I suggest the Chamber of Commerce for the region. The chamber will have a membership list of the different organization in the area.

For finding those Chamber of Commerce websites Google or another search engine is a great resource. But remember if you have a metro area you will have multiple offices to use. So go to the US Chamber of Commerce. It lists the different offices throughout the country (http://www.uschamber.com/chambers/directory/default.htm?n=tb)

Congrats Seniors! Now what are you going to do?

Congratulations Seniors!

You have made it through 4 (or more) years here at the College of Charleston, but where are you going now? At the Career Center we have a lot of resources that you can use to find the path best suited for you. Check out these resources and good luck in the future!

• CISTERNonline: The Career Center’s online job search database. Here we list full- and part-time employment opportunities, plus internships.
• Our web resources: We have a lot of websites that can be used in the job search. Some are specific to industry or geographical location but you should be able to find something to help you in the search.
• The Resource Library: In our office we have hundreds of books that you can use (even after graduation) to research and locate different career fields.
• Our Staff: Sometimes going alone is not always easy during the job search. While we will not hold your hand we can give you the skills and more resources that can help you be successful in the job search. Come by our office during drop-in hours Monday-Friday 1 pm to 4 pm or you can make an appointment.

And if you already have a job—Good for you! We would love to hear about your new job (click here). Or if you would like to help future College of Charleston students with their career development needs please become an Alumni Career Mentor (click here).

Say Thank You

There is one key step in the interview process many people seem to forget. They concentrate on the questions and what to wear then breathe a sigh of relief when it is over. But it is not over! After the interview there is the thank you note. This key piece of paper can help you get the dream job you want so much. It allows you the opportunity to thank the interviewer for the interview and let them know one more time why you would make the best person for the position. The thank you letter could be the tipping factor in the decision process for some.

So now that you know you should really, really write one here are some facts/tips to guide you.

• Send the thank you letter within 24 to 48 hours of the interview. This will keep you fresh in the interviewer’s thoughts plus you want them to get it before they make a decision.
• Your thank you can either be typed, written, or emailed. Choosing which one is a judgment call. If you want a formal letter go with typed, personal hand written, and email if you know the person prefers that type of contact.
  • If it is hand written remember to write legible. If the interviewer cannot read your writing the letter will loose its value as a tool to promote yourself.
• Your thank you letter does not have to be on fancy paper or cards. You can buy nice thank you cards at Wal-mart or other similar stores at a low cost. Just make sure your cards are professional looking and do not feature the cute bunny rabbit motif.

Check out these links to find more tips on writing a thank you letter.

• http://www.cofc.edu/~career/Cover%20Letters.pdf
• http://jobsearch.about.com/od/thankyouletters/a/thankyouletters.htm
• http://www.career.vt.edu/JOBSEARC/thankyou.htm

Do you have any other tips or suggestions about writing thank you notes?

Finding That Summer Job

We are on the verge of a hot, humid summer but are you going to go to the beach everyday? For most people that is just not possible.

In our fantasies we would be spending the hot days of summer at the beach or lying by the pool. Unfortunately, we do not live in our fantasies but are faced with reality. Do you have your summer job lined up? No? Then stop by the Career Center and check out the different opportunities we can show you for summer employment.

One resource is CISTERNonline. It is our online database with job listings, both part-time, internships, and full-time positions. And if you are a student at the College of Charleston you already have an account to look up available positions. Go to this address: http://cisternonline.erecruiting.com/er/security/login.jsp to get started. And if this is your first time logging in the website will walk you through the process.

Tip: If you want to find a part-time job that is in Downtown Charleston, type in Downtown in the keyword section. Your results will list only downtown jobs.

If working outside of the Charleston area for summer is more your style go to http://www.cofc.edu/~career/helpfulweblinks-location.html#seasonal and look under Summer/Seasonal Jobs. These are great resources for finding a summer position but you better hurry summer is almost here!