How to Properly Introduce Yourself According to Miss Manners

Have you ever introduced yourself to someone, such as a recruiter, and wondered if its appropriate to say your first and last name or if you should be casual and just give your first name?

Well…here is what Miss Manners says…

“There is indeed something missing in many introductions nowadays: surnames. For reasons of practicality, as well as courtesy, a proper introduction informs each person of the other’s identity. Those first-name-only introductions strike Miss Manners as being intended for concealment, the way salespeople and service people refuse to divulge their last names over the telephone so that they cannot be traced.”

So, in short keep it polite and professional…give your first and last name.

Ambassador Sign up Spring, Fairs & Events!

Volunteering as a career fair ambassador is a great way to build your resume, have the chance to meet with company representatives in a more relaxed way, lets employers see you in action, and is fun. Student Ambassadors are an integral part of our events and recruiters continually comment on how they appreciate the help that ambassadors provide and how they enhance their experience on campus.

Below is a list of upcoming events that we need volunteers for. If you are interested in volunteering for an event you can get to the ambassador registration forms by clicking on the quick link on your MySpartanCareer home page. Or, by:
1. Going to our website: http://careernetwork.msu.edu
2. Click on the Career Fair quick link
3. Click on the Blue Ambassador Button

Once we receive your volunteer registration we will follow up with you with more information on the specific roles. If you have any questions please contact Naomi Lilly, events assistant at (517) 884-1310, or e-mailing careerevents@csp.msu.edu.

School of Planning, Design, and Construction Career Fair–Wednesday, February 10th, 4-7 p.m. at the MSU Union (2nd Floor)–We need volunteers between 2p.m. to 7:30p.m.

Environmental/Natural Resource Fair & Government /Non-Profit Fair–Thursday, February 11th, 4-7 p.m. at the Spartan Club, Stadium Tower (4th Floor)–We need volunteers between 2p.m. to 7:30p.m.

Summer Employment & Internship Career Fair–Thursday, February 18th, 4:30-7:30 p.m. at the Kellogg Center, Big Ten Rooms–We need volunteers between 2:30p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Speed Networking Event–Thursday, February 19th, 12-3:30 p.m. at the Spartan Club, Stadium Tower (4th Floor)–We need volunteers between 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

To get more information on becoming an ambassador and to sign up please copy and paste the link below into your web browser (please note that this link may wrap to two lines).

http://careernetwork.msu.edu/students/studen-event-ambassador-information

We will follow up with you with more information on the specific roles. If you have any questions you can call us at (517) 884-1310 or e-mail us at careerevents@cps.msu.edu. To see a list of the organizations attending the fairs go to www.careernetwork.msu.edu and click on Career Events; under Students click on Career Events/Fairs. Employers are continually registering so check back for updates.

We hope to see you at the event!

Spring Break Job Shadow Day 2010!

MSU Speed Networking 1/19

CASHtips – Networking

OK, what is the deal with Twitter?

Who would even follow me? I don’t need to update everyone on my every move! Sound familiar? I hear it all the time.  But here’s the thing – don’t look at twitter as a way to give out your personal information (unless you want to), instead think of it as a way of getting information from others.  One thing is for sure, Twitter is blowing up…at a rate of 1,382% to be exact (as of March).  One thing is for sure, it doesn’t seam to be going anywhere anytime soon.  So it’s time to stop wondering, and start utilizing twitter for everything it can do for you.  And yes – there’s lots it can do.

Don’t know where to start? Well you’re in luck – mashable (a great resource for online social media) has just released a Twitter Guide Book for those who are new to Twitter.

The best part about Twitter? The external sites that people have developed to utilize the information flowing through tweets…even for your jobs search: www.TwitterJobSearch.com a job search engine for twitter.

There are tons of twitter’s you can follow that strictly post job postings. How to find them?  Once you make your twitter account click “find people” search “[city] jobs” [replace city with the city of your choice] and see what job twitterers are out there.  For example, want to live in Chicago? I just searched Chicago jobs & these are just the first 5 that came up: chicagowebjobs, jobschicago,  jobchicago, Chicagocareers, GreenJobChicago all posting job openings.  Think about it – instead of you searching everywhere for jobs, all you have to click is “follow” and a constant flow of job postings will come to you!

Leave it up to our generation to come up with the most lazy way possible to have information come directly to us! But hey, who’s complaining?

& for those of you who still want to hate on twitter…enjoy….

No Job?

We don’t need to tell you that the job market isn’t awesome right now. In fact, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE is the guru organization on college hiring) reports that college hiring is down more than 20% this year. CASH for Careers and your friends in the Career Services Network want to give you a few tips to help you through the tough times. Below are four main tips to help you in your job search.

Check back regularly for new tips and success stories from your fellow Spartans.

BE PROACTIVE

How easy is it to sit behind your computer and submit resumes to every online position you qualify for? Super easy! But is it an effective way to approach your job search? NO WAY! Don’t wait for jobs to come to you, be proactive! You NEED to have a game plan – pick 10 organizations or companies you want to work for and seek out ways to connect with them. Have a strategy.

Devise a plan to figure out what you want to do, where you would like to be and what companies/industries interest you the most. Having a game plan and learning how to convey that message to employers can help you land a job.

BE CREATIVE

Employers are always looking for innovative candidates who can really think on their feet. Why not WOW them right off the bat with a creative way of getting their attention during your job search. Successful candidates have used anything from video resumes to blogs to Facebook pages in order to land a job. At the very least, take the time to make each application unique to the company you’re applying to. Nobody wants to read a cookie cutter resume and cover letter.

NETWORK

You don’t need anyone to tell you again that networking is important during a job search, but we’re going to anyway! Networking is REALLY important! Now more than ever, it is critical to leverage your networks when seeking employment.

Not only should you keep in contact with people you already know in your field, you also need to create new contacts that can help you with your job search. Since 70% of jobs are unadvertised, it truly is who you know, not what you know that’s going to help you find a job. More recently, the phenomenon is who KNOWS you! Also, networking is not a one-time transaction, but rather a continuous process to foster a relationship.

PERSEVERE

In today’s job search, it would be easy to get frustrated every time you hear “We’re not hiring,” “That position has been filled,” “We don’t have the resources to bring anyone in right now.” Don’t take NO for an answer. If someone turns you down today, try again in a week or two to stay in touch with your contact. Keep your head up and keep trying. Having a positive attitude and a strong support system will help you get through difficult times.

How To Find A Job on Twitter – Mashable

With college grads facing more and more trouble finding jobs today, it only seems natural that students will have to become more creative in their job search, and these days the most innovative solutions seem to coming online. Sarah Evans, on Mashable, recently highlighted how you can potentially use Twitter to help find a job. Networking these days is a whole new ball game and Twitter is an important new pitch you should add to your repertoire. Swing by Mashable to find out some new strategies for using everyone’s favorite “lifecasting” tool to find you that sweet  new job you’ve been looking for.

HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter – Mashable

Don’t forget about other great social networking tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn and blogs that can also help with your job search.

The Handshake

I just came across a great article on BrazenCareerist discussing the importance of having a good handshake and it is so true! A good handshake is sometimes taken for granted, but a bad one can be as awkward as a 14 year old boy at his first dance. Nobody likes the “grab your fingers” handshake or the wet dead fish shake. You need a good firm shake that says you mean business. Read this article and practice your shake. It could make all the difference. What Does Your Handshake Say About You? – BrazenCareerist