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Conan O’Brien is BACK!

April 12, 2010 By David Leave a Comment

Are you coo coo for CoCo? Well get your television ready again because Conan O’Brien is coming back on TBS. Currently doing a comedy tour titled “The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television” Tour, Conan made the news public via his (hilarious) twitter account.

Many of you may have followed the entire Tonight Show Conflict, but for those of you who haven’t, here’s a brief review*:
Jay Leno (The Tonight Show host 1992-2009) announced in 2004 that Conan O’Brien would take over the show in 2009. Less than a year into his tenure at The Tonight Show, NBC told Conan that Jay wanted The Tonight Show back, so NBC stole the show from Conan and gave it back to Jay. This not only embarrassed O’Brien, but created an uproar from Conan fans to keep CoCo on the air.

We can learn from what Conan has gone through in our own job search. It’s easy to grow angry or upset in the process, but it’s important to stay sharp and ready for the next opportunity. You have to convince the company you want to work for you not that you’d like them to hire you; but sell the company that they NEED to hire you.

Finally, it’s great to stay positive. CoCo gives his eternal wisdom for us:

“In three months I’ve gone from network television to Twitter to performing live in theaters, and now I’m headed to basic cable,” O’Brien said in a statement. “My plan is working perfectly.“

*disclaimer: I’m a huge fan of Conan, so the review is a bit biased.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Work in Dublin with indeed!

March 17, 2010 By David Leave a Comment

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Make sure you wear, eat, drink, and do everything GREEN! As Spartans, it’s a natural partnership.

Being the devout Irish we know you are, why not go back to the Motherland to work in Dublin? One cool tool for you to use to work in Dublin (or any location) is called indeed. indeed.com is a Google-esque job search tool that you can plug in what kind of job you want and where you want to work.

Filed Under All Blog Posts Tagged With job search, online job search

An American (Spartan) Hero

March 1, 2010 By David Leave a Comment

Ryan Miller, an East Lansing native, got his first pair of hockey pads when he was eight years old in 1988. In 2010, he became Winter Olympics 2010 Ice Hockey Tournament MVP (Most Valuable Player). Leading Team USA to a 5-1 record and a Silver medal, Miller showed his Spartan pride with a picture of a dog with a block “S” on the back of his helmet.

However “heroic” Miller is on the ice, he’s even greater off of it with The Steadfast Foundation, his charity that supports the victims and families that become afflicted by cancer.

If you’d like to support The Steadfast Foundation or Ryan Miller in his normal habitat (the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL), do so with the pride of Michigan State for one of our favorite Spartan Hockey players.

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Teach For America

February 15, 2010 By David Leave a Comment

Teach For America is a national organization of outstanding recent college graduates and working professionals – of all academic majors, backgrounds and career interests – who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders for expanding educational opportunity for all children.

Currently, there are 14 million young people growing up in poverty. Over half of these students will not graduate from high school by the age of 18. Those that are lucky enough to graduate read, on average, at an eighth-grade reading level.

Teach for America seeks outstanding individuals who possess the leadership skills and experience to solve educational inequity.

Our teachers receive full salary and benefits, an America Corps grant, loan deferral, professional development, and access to a powerful alumni network.

After the two year commitment, alumni go on to make a difference in public policy, law, education, business, and medicine. Teach For America is one of BusinessWeek’s “Best Places to Launch a Career” offering exclusive partnerships with top companies like GE, Goldman Sachs, Google, KIPP, J.P. Morgan, McKinsey & Company, The White House Project and over 200 top-ranked graduate schools.

To apply submit the online application.
Selected applicants participate in a 30-minute phone interview, followed by a final day-long interview.

The FINAL Application Deadline: Friday, February 19, 2010
To learn more, visit www.teachforamerica.org/admissions or contact admissions@teachforamerica.org

Filed Under All Blog Posts Tagged With application, college graduates, job, leadership, Philanthropy

Update from Career Service Network: Career Survey

February 12, 2010 By David Leave a Comment

Voice your opinions at: www.universumsurvey.com/us

Because Michigan State University students are highly sought after by employers, your opinions are extremely important and valuable sources of information. Top companies, including many that recruit Michigan State University students, base their recruiting strategies on Universum’s research so it will truly benefit you and others on campus to share your opinions on recruiting and employers. Companies will only see the collective Michigan State University results, and your participation/identity will be kept confidential.

In appreciation for your time you will receive a free copy of the WetFeet Insider Guide: Killer Cover Letters and Resumes (a $21.95 value!)

Coming Soon: The new and improved Career Profile in the next couple of months. If you choose to receive mailings from Universum, you will receive an exclusive invitation to join Universum’s Career Profile—an online career toolbox where you can compare your survey results with other groups of respondents; receive targeted announcements from top employers about recruitment events, contests, opportunities, and more; get the inside scoop on your ideal and considered employers; and more.

In addition, thirty (30) students from your campus will have the option to:

1. Donate to PROJECT HOPE – providing life-saving vaccines to children in developing countries

2. Donate to the UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) U.S. Fund

3. Donate to breast cancer research

All respondents are also entered into the Universum 2010 Sweepstakes to win a $1000 Universum Scholarship or one of two $500 Universum Scholarships, as well as Golla laptop bags and accessories.

Take the survey now at:www.universumsurvey.com/us

It’s your life, your future and your world!

Linda S. Gross, Ph.D.
Associate Director, Career Services Network
Michigan State University

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Spring Break Job Shadow Day 2010!

January 22, 2010 By David Leave a Comment

Filed Under All Blog Posts, CASH Videos Tagged With East Lansing, event, job shadow, network, spring break

Inside Edge: Scott from Command on Standing Out

January 21, 2010 By David Leave a Comment

Filed Under All Blog Posts, CASH Videos, Inside Edge Tagged With career services, command transportation, inside edge, MSU Career Services Network

MSU Speed Networking 1/19

January 15, 2010 By David Leave a Comment

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How “Weirdness” Can Get You a Job

January 15, 2010 By David Leave a Comment

Either you said it, you’ve heard it said, or it’s being said behind your back:
“My friends are the weirdest people in the world.”

Well, fine citizens of Earth, this can help you stand out when looking for a job. Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com spoke in a New York Times article with Adam Bryant about how he looks for “weirdness” when searching for employees. He views it as establishing culture for his company, establishing a creative and pleasant workplace for all. An example question in the interview would be, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how weird are you?” The importance of the question is less of what you answer, but more of how you respond.

Although many companies are going to be more traditional like we’re used to, there are going to be several others, like Zappos.com, that are searching for a more “weird” employee. So don’t be afraid you trekies, bandos, WoW players, and others to be yourself when applying to these companies that welcome you to be you! Just make sure to do some research in advance…

Full New York Times Article

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Inside Edge – Going into the World

December 15, 2009 By David Leave a Comment

Filed Under All Blog Posts, CASH Videos, Inside Edge Tagged With economy, future, inside edge, job search, michigan state university, prepare

To-Do list for Salary (or Benefits) Negotiation

December 14, 2009 By David Leave a Comment

In my COM 340 (Fall 09) class, a group did a really great job on a presentation on negotiation in the interview room. Here’s the list of tips they had for the process:

Be Confident.
Prepare for your interview!
Know your value. Don’t under/over value yourself.
Be flexible.
Proper timing is key.
Be professional. Don’t make it personal.
Look at the entire compensation package, not just the salary.
Take your time when making a decision.
Ask for the offer in writing.

Do you have any advice from any salary or benefits negotiations you’ve had? Leave them in the comments & share your knowledge with other students!

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