Are Career Fairs open to graduates?

QUESTION

Is the career fair open to recent graduates? Also, is there a list of the companies that will be attending and if they actually have openings?  Thanks, George

ANSWER                                                                              Sharon Herrera sharon.herrera@tamucc.edu Student Employment

Yes, recent graduates are welcome to attend all fairs; We do ask that you update your profile on the Hire an Islander web site.  Just log onto http://career-services.tamucc.edu  and update your profile at Career Services.  If you have any problem remembering your username or password, feel free to contact us. Since your Sand dollar card is no longer valid, you will be asked to fill out a short registration form with some demographic information and hand it in when you enter the fair. A current list of companies attending is available on our web site as well.  Look on the right side of the page under Upcoming events, click the fair you are interested in attending.  You asked if companies have actual openings, and for the most part that answer is yes.  Unlike students, who get to attend our fairs free, employers have to pay to attend the fair.  Most companies don’t have the luxury of attending a fair just to keep their name out there.  We find that companies have to justify the expense of attending a fair, so yes they have openings, or they did when they registered.  Hope to see you there!

QUESTION

Hello Ms. Hererra,  My name is Jeanie and I am an education major here at TAMUCC. I was wondering if you can give me any more information on the positions at the Early Childhood Development Center?

ANSWER                                                                               Sharon Herrera sharon.herrera@tamucc.edu Student Employment

Hi Jeanie, I just talked with the person who is handling the interviews and she is still in the process of interviewing for the job.   But they are required to hire work study awarded students in that position, and unfortunately, you don’t qualify for work study at this time.  We do have some jobs available on campus that don’t require WS.  Please log onto your “Hire an Islander” account and check the non-work study jobs.  I posted a couple new positions yesterday.  If you have problems searching for jobs, please give us a call and we will be glad to help you with it.

09/21 - I was awarded Work-Study but can't find a job.

QUESTION

Hello Sharon, I don't know if you remember me but, I came in not too long ago to ask about a job.  I was awarded Work-Study but still can't find a job.  Is there anything else I can/should do?

ANSWER                                                                               Sharon Herrera sharon.herrera@tamucc.edu Student Employment

One thing I can tell you about looking for a work-study job is that you have to be persistent.  Look at the job almost on a daily basis.  When you see one, if you can apply online, apply immediately.  When new jobs open up on campus, they usually close them within the week.  If you only look once a week, you might be missing a lot.  The other thing I can tell you is not to take it personally.  Most departments are interested in the hours that someone is available.    Things that you might not have thought about that might help: 1.    Schedule a Resume Review with one of our counselors   2.     You can also fill out the other forms that are available in the resource library of Hire an Islander.  These are applications and class schedule forms that some departments might want.  If they are filled out already, you will not have any problems.  If you haven’t filled them out, you will see a message that says, "You do not currently have the forms needed to apply for the job" and then will be told which forms you are missing.  We also have a tutorial on our front page to tell you how to upload those forms if you have problems.

BIG Changes coming to TAMU-CC Career Services in Fall 2011!

This summer, the staff at Career Services has been hard at work revising the website in an effort to make it more useful for Islanders.  We're looking for any suggestions or critiques on the current state of the website in order to make it better for next fall.

What are YOUR ideas for transforming the webpage?  What would help YOU in finding a job?

And, in an effort to address a number of student concerns and questions, we've started posting video walk-thru's intended to show new students how to register for the HireAnIslander database.  All tutorials will be posted to the Career Services home page as they're completed.  Do you have any suggestions for upcoming tutorials that you would like to see?

How to Register for the HireAnIslander Database  Tutorial

How to Apply for Jobs Requiring Online Applications Tutorial

Be sure to LIKE us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on all of the new changes here at Career Services...

05/09 - How much information should I include regarding past volunteer efforts?

QUESTION

Should I list all of my volunteer work on my resume? Should I include my volunteer experience from high school as well?

ANSWER Jennifer Isaac-Gonzales M.S. Jennifer.gonzales@tamucc.edu Career Counselor

You can list your volunteer experience under Activities/Organizations in your resume.  However, if you have relevant work experience that takes up most of your resume, you do not need to list all of it.  Plus, you do not need to include volunteer work from high school once you are in junior year or senior year in college.  The only time you would include any high school is if you are a freshmen or sophomore in college looking for a part-time job.  When you are applying for a position in your major, you should only include college activities and organizations.

4/25 - How specific should I be when listing skills?

This week's question is a common one - too often, students attempt to compact pages worth of information and end up flooding their resume with many unnecessary components.  Today, Career Counselor R.J. Davis tackles the question...

QUESTION

In listing my skills, especially computer skills, should I just say that I have “computer skills” or “Microsoft Office Suite” or should I list each software program I have used?

ANSWER R.J. Davis randy.davis@tamucc.edu Career Counselor

When listing skills, which are the value you bring to an employer, you should be very specific.  List each software program you can use with a level of proficiency.  Too often, employers or human resource personal will scan resumes and then use a keyword search program.  Just like websites, you wants as many hits as possible.  Companies that search resumes in this manner also use a formula to decide whether or not to advance a resume.  The more hits you get on your resume, the greater the probability or your resume being advanced.

04/15 - What should I do when I haven't heard back from any of the jobs I applied for?

This week's question comes from a graduating senior who hasn't had any luck receiving feedback from their applied jobs...Career Counselor Nancy Salinas responds:

QUESTION

I am a senior graduating in May. I have applied to several jobs and haven’t heard back yet. It’s been several weeks already. What should I do?

ANSWER Nancy Salinas nancy.salinas@tamucc.edu Career Counselor

If you have been applying to jobs online there may be an area on employers’ website where you can check on the STATUS of your application. It may say for example:  NOT HIRED – Maybe you didn’t meet the minimum requirements of the position. Or it could say IN PROGRESS – meaning you are still being considered for the position. When applying for a position in person, when you turn in your application and credentials ASK: When do you expect to conduct interviews? And if you do interview for a position you can ask, When do you expect to make your decision?

04/12 - How Do I Prepare My Resume for the Teacher Job Fair?

As students are gearing up for this semester's Teacher Job Fair (Wednesday, April 13, 2011), Career Services has received several questions regarding what is and what isn't appropriate resume content.  Associate Director of Career Services Terri Howe explains why its important to include what is expected and to exclude what isn't...

QUESTION

How do I prepare my resume for the Teacher Job Fair?

ANSWER Terri Howe Associate Director terri.howe@tamucc.edu

A resume should only be one page.  This is especially important for submitting to a job fair!  Recruiters have to take all those resumes back with them to their ISDs.  So, they really don’t want to be hauling a bunch of extra pages if it’s not necessary! Also, the resume should have important information about you as a teacher- your degree, expected date of graduation, expected date of completing your teacher cert exams, relevant work experience (including your student teaching and field base experiences).  It shouldn’t have personal items on there, like your picture, your date of birth, your gender, weight, hobbies, etc.   In fact, most recruiters will not accept a resume if it includes your picture or any of the personal stuff listed above!

3/29 - Should I put my clinical rotations on my resume?

This week's blog comes from career counselor Jennifer Gonzales as she answers a student's question regarding nursing careers and clinical rotations:

QUESTION

Why might it be important to put your clinical rotations on a resume when looking for a nursing career?

ANSWER Jennifer Isaac-Gonzales M.S. Jennifer.gonzales@tamucc.edu Career Counselor

It is important to put your clinical experience on your resume for several reasons.  However, each case may be different.  If you do not have some type of related work experience on your resume, you may have room to put your clinical experience on your resume.  If you were a student tech or certified nurse assistant,  you do not need to put your clinical rotations on your resume because you may have transferrable and relevant skills that are already on your resume because of your work experience.  Also, some nurse recruiters may ask you to put the clinical rotations on there because they want to see where you did them and what you did as a student nurse during clinical rotations.  Just make sure that your resume does not go over one to one and half pages. This is why you need to come and see me for a resume review.

03/22 - What in the world can I do with my major?

A common question for most students, wondering what you'll do with your major is normal!  Career Counselor Nancy Salinas blogs about how important it is to visit our office and take advantage of services in order to find the right career for you...

QUESTION

I’m not sure what I want to do with my major…is there someone I can talk to about it?

ANSWER Nancy Dee Salinas, M.S. Career Counselor

You may definitely talk to your Career Counselor!  He or she can absolutely give you some guidance about what you can do with your major. There are usually a variety of avenues you can take regarding careers in your major. Also, be sure to go to the “What Can I Do with My Major” Resource Section on the Career Services website: What Can I Do With My Major? Click on your major and you will see information about what you can do with your major!  As always, if you have additional questions or just want to meet face to face, give us a call (361-825-2628) to get registered and schedule an appointment today!

02/25 - Career Counselor Yesenia Velazquez blogs about the upcoming All Major Career Fair...

Yesenia Velazquez Career Counselor Yesenia.velazquez@tamucc.edu

Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s “All Major Career Fair” takes place on Wednesday, March 2, 2011 from 10 AM to 2 PM in the UC Lone Star Ballrooms.  As of today, we have 46 businesses interested in recruiting our students.  Employers will be recruiting for full-time, part-time, professional, and internship opportunities.  Students in their sophomore and junior year can learn about internship opportunities and those graduating can learn about jobs available to them after graduation.  For that reason, even if you are not graduating this spring, it is important to attend and be prepared. You will have a relatively short amount of time to sell yourself and make a positive impact on the employer.  For that reason, bring a polished, error-free resume and dress professionally, as if you were attending a job interview.  Students should come prepared to network and answer questions.  If there are companies you are highly interested in, research the company prior to attending the fair and prepare thoughtful questions to ask the recruiter.  We recommend that you research at least five companies.  You can view a list of attending companies on our Career Services website (career-services.tamucc.edu).  Attending the Career Fair, and being prepared, might not land you a job but it will increase your chances of receiving an interview.