The importance of Grammar

Word choice and punctuation are crucial in a professional setting. Remember to proof read your professional documents (i.e. cover letters, resumes, etc.)

For more examples of how punctuation can be misleading read Eats Shoots and Leaves.

Be careful not to trust your computer’s spell and grammar check. Just ask Taylor Mali.

Inside Edge – Going into the World

To-Do list for Salary (or Benefits) Negotiation

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:

1. Be Confident.
2. Prepare for your interview!
3. Know your value.  Don’t under/over value yourself.
4. Be flexible.
5. Proper timing is key.
6. Be professional.  Don’t make it personal.
7. Look at the entire compensation package, not just the salary.
8. Take your time when making a decision.
9. 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!

Advice from Alumni: Jessica, Sales Representative at Altria

Jessica Doroshewitz, an alumnus of MSU and former employee of the Lear Career Services Center, answered some interview questions to help students in their job search and give advice as to what current students should do before applying to a job/internship. She also tells us what it’s like to work for Altria, a Fortune 500 company. She is currently a Sales Representative for Altria and works within Michigan.

1. What are 3 major things at MSU that helped you find a job?
There are a lot of factors that went into my internship/ job search throughout all of my experiences at MSU. I would say the Lear Center was definitely a huge part of my success. They have so much to offer in terms of guidance, workshops, tools, and the variety of companies that come to recruit through all of the Career Services Centers. Getting involved in many different types of clubs on campus also really helped . It gave me many opportunities to have some leadership on campus and learn about different areas of business. Finally, I would say that networking with employers I met on campus was a huge part of my success.

2. What kind of activities did you do on campus while at MSU? Did they prepare you for working at Altria?

I did a lot of activities during my time at MSU! I started freshman year in General Management Association, holding positions from Secretary to President throughout my 4 years. There was also the Day at State program I was involved with for a few years. I was the President of Toastmasters/ MSU Speak Smart, as well as holding a job in the Lear Career Center for 3 years working as a student assistant. During my time I also had 3 internships when I was not on campus.

3. Describe how your job search went before graduation/ how did you get a job with Altria?

I had some internship experience, so I knew what I was looking for in a full time position. I interviewed with 7 companies during the fall of my Senior year. These recruiters were people I had met through the career fairs, information sessions, or just from attending different meetings. After going through all the rounds of interviews, I had 5 job offers. I was looking for something fast paced, with lots of opportunity to advance/ learn, an office/ field balance with everyday work, and great benefits. Altria had the best offer to encompass all of these things that were important to me, so in the end I chose them while it was the best fit.

4. What is the biggest challenge you face adjusting from college life to the workplace?

The biggest challenge is the responsibility! MSU offers so much support in every aspects of a students life, that when I went from high school to college, I had a huge support from the university, friends, and my family with adjusting to college life. When you get tossed into the real world, you have a lot more problem solving to do. I graduated and started a new job the next month, almost all of my friends moved, I relocated to a smaller town where I didn’t know anyone, and for the first time I was living alone. It is a lot more responsibility but it is a lot of fun figuring everything out and learning how to deal with things on my own.

5. What is your typical work day like?

I am a sales representative, so there really is not a “normal” day. I call on 150 accounts in a territory I am in charge of. I sell new programs, contracts, or products Altria is offering, as well as consult with retailers on how to grow their business. On some days, I have meetings and training to attend either in my area or out of town. It is a very fun job and high paced where no two days are ever the same!

6. What would you recommend students do to get a job/ internship?
Get involved! The best thing you can do is network with other students, employers, advisors, professors, or anyone else you come in contact with. You never know where an opportunity will rise and the more people you know the more opportunities you will have!

7. What has been the best part of working for Altria?
The best part of working here is definitely the people. I can not say enough good things about the company culture and how well this company supports its people. From training and development, to support in everyday activities, I can’t imagine a company that treats their employees better and offers more opportunity.

8. Is there anything else you would like to add or suggestions for students looking for jobs/internships?

Don’t get discouraged! Keep networking, practicing mock interviews, and getting involved on campus and eventually it will pay off.

If you want to use the resources Jessica was talking about, visit myspartancareer.com to check out workshops and events on campus that can help you in you career search!

Become MSU’s Next Job Idol

Contest begins: November 1, 2009
Final submissions are due by: November 30, 2009

Think your elevator speech is kickin? Prove it. Going on now until November 30th there is an MSU Job Idol contest through MySpartanCareer.  All you have to do is create a two-minute elevator pitch using InterviewStream (part of MySpartanCareer.com system). The winner receives a prize and bragging rights!

How do you get started? Super simple…

1. Go to MySpartanCareer.com and click on the MSU Student Log-In link.
2. Log in to MySpartanCareer.com; from your MySpartanCareer.com home page click on the InterviewStream icon, then click on the Job Idol button.
3. They system will take you through the process step by step.

Winners will be announced prior to Winter Break. If you have any questions post it in the comments section or contact Career Services directly at (517) 884-1300.

Looking to Jet? Top 10 Best Countries for Business in 2009

Career Gallery has ended, winter is approaching, mid semester pressure is kicking in, and there are still tons of MSU students feverishly interviewing around campus in search of career opportunities for next semester. Is one of the Big Four accounting firms calling your name? More interested in marketing work somewhere on the East Coast? Hell, perhaps you want to go out of the country?

If that’s the case, Forbes has an article that I found to be particularly interesting. With informative statistics, beautiful pictures and a clear breakdown of each ranking countries the Top 10 Best Countries for Business in 2009 have been established as:

1. Denmark
2. United States
3. Canada
4. Singapore
5. New Zealand
6. United Kingdom
7. Sweden
8. Australia
9. Hong Kong
10. Norway

Now could be an opportunity to snag that international position you have been looking for! To find more details on each country check out Forbes Top 10 Best Countries for Business in 2009.  And remember there are tons of of resources through MSU where you can further your global research, like globalEDGE & Going Global.

A Tabloid for Accountants

Check out my new favorite business blog:  goingconcern.com

Going concern is a “tabloid” covering the worlds of accounting and finance.  The site provides news, blogs, and an inside scoop on the firms and businesses that shape the industry.

It is imperative for business students to stay current on the issues that face their potential employers!  This is a great alternative to reading the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times cover-to-cover on a daily basis!

So in the next few weeks when you are interviewing with the accounting firms on campus, bring up a current event affecting that particular firm. I guarantee they will be impressed!

Loose Change – Where to put your Name Tag

CASHtips – Career Fair Preparation

RESUME | Resume Makeover – The Do’s & Don’t’s

THE DO’S & DON’T'S OF RESUMES

What’s Right… Name & contact information is large and easy to read. Both current & permanent addresses are listed. Degree and awarding institution are spelled out. Additional areas of study are highlighted, as well as more specific information on the Study Abroad program. For many employers, foreign language skills are important. If you don’t have a skills summary in your resume, including languages studied in your “Education” section is appropriate. Formatting is consistent — dates line up, bold & CAPS make important information stand out, font sizes (and styles) are the same throughout, bullets are uniform. Overall, the resume looks orderly and organized without even reading it. Experience related to the student’s field of interest (business) is highlighted in the bullet points describing work history. Past tense is used consistently to demonstrate readiness to move forward and leave even current experience behind. Points are specific (note the use of numbers) and demonstrate the student’s success with and impact on the operations of previous employers. Related extracurricular activities — especially leadership roles — can be included and described in your “Experience” section. Employers are increasingly looking for employees with solid technology skills. Use descriptors like “skilled,” “proficient,” “working knowledge of,” “competent,” etc. to demonstrate your level of proficiency with various programs/applications. It used to be standard protocol to include a statement like “References Available Upon Request” at the end of a resume. Now employers expect that you’ll have references to offer, so including a line to that effect isn’t needed. However, if you have a portfolio or samples of your work that an employer would want to see, including a statement referring an employer to supplemental materials is appropriate, since not all candidates will have those to offer.	What’s Wrong… Using a template or resume program can cause an employer to think that you don’t have the computer skills necessary to create, format, and organize your resume — or that you don’t have the initiative to figure out how to do one on your own. Show employers that you can think for yourself and use word processing software skillfully. The contact information here is too small — one of the downfalls of templates. One of the most important things on your resume is how to get in touch with you. Make sure employers will be able to read your contact information easily. Never include personal information like your Social Security number, birth date, height, etc. Don’t use an unprofessional e-mail address! Set the tone for your level of professionalism. If you’re including an objective in your resume, keep it short and employer-focused. It’s great if you want to advance your skills, but employers care more about what you’ll do for them rather than what they’ll do for you. A better alternative would be something like, “To obtain a manager trainee position with XYZ Corporation.” This shows that you’ve done enough research to know what entry-level position you’d be hired into and personalizes your resume for that particular employer — in other words, at least this resume only got sent to them. Avoid using first-person (i.e., “I,” “my,” and “me”). Employers know you’re talking about yourself. Save the space for words that really matter. There are inconsistencies in the size of bullets, formatting of lines, and too many fonts, as well as grammatical and spelling errors. This shows lack of attention to detail and generally sloppy work habits. Bullet points for work experience are very task-oriented. This only shows the employer what you did, but not your accomplishments how you contributed to the effectiveness of the organization or applied useful skills. Dates are listed in the front, which isn’t where they belong. When you worked somewhere is not as important as your job title or where you worked. Put the most important things at the front of the line. Don’t use abbreviations and acronyms. It’s nice to have interests, but those listed here don’t apply to the world of business or relate to the position for which this student is applying. Will an employer really care that you like to listen to music? Will that help you do your job better? Probably not. Don’t include references on your resume.

RESUME | Action Verbs

Use active language to describe your work experience and skills! The action verbs listed here are organized by skill areas to help you think about how your past experiences can apply to skill sets employers look for. Of course, many of these verbs apply to multiple skill areas – use all categories to get ideas for how you might organized describe your own skills and experience.

Running Late to Work?!

There is no worse feeling than waking up in the morning, rested from good night’s sleep, and glancing at the clock, only to do a double-take: You’re late! Jumping up from the bed you throw on the closest (hopefully cleanest) clothes in your path and proceed to drive to work drag race-style checking the clock every thirty seconds. The moment you reach the office it’s time for the infamous excuse: “My dog died”, “I took a wrong turn”, “Oh my goodness I forgot I was suppose to work today!” you are reduced to feeling two feet tall, stumbling over your words and vowing to wake up three hours early the next morning.

If you tend to suffer from a lack of punctuality, you’re not alone. According to a recent article by Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources for CareerBuilder.com, one-in-ten workers — 13 percent — say they arrive late to work at least once a week and 24 percent say they arrive late at least once a month.

MSN conducted a poll of average employees to investigate the biggest causes of workplace tardiness. Here’s what workers said:

· Twenty-seven percent of workers blamed traffic.

· Ten percent pointed to getting their kids ready for school or day care.

· Eleven percent said falling back asleep was the main culprit.

· Other popular reasons: forgetting something at home, feeling sick and misplacing house or car keys.

Not all excuses were so practical however, twenty percent of workers admitted to making up fake excuses to explain their tardiness. Hiring managers provided the following 10 examples of the most unusual excuses employees offered for arriving late to work:

1. I dreamed that I was fired, so I didn’t bother to get out of bed.
2. I had to take my cat to the dentist.
3. I went all the way to the office and realized I was still in my pajamas and had to go home to change.
4. I saw that you weren’t in the office, so I went out looking for you.
5. I couldn’t find the right tie, so I had to wait for the stores to open so I could buy one.
6. My son tried to flush our ferret down the toilet and I needed to tend to the ferret.
7. I ran over a goat.
8. I stopped for a bagel sandwich, the store was robbed and the police required everyone to stay for questioning.
9. A bee flew in my car and attacked me and I had to pull over.
10. I wet my pants and went home to change.

While the majority of bosses tend to be lenient if employees occasionally run late, others are much stricter in their policies. Thirty percent of hiring managers say they don’t care if their employees come in late as long as their work is completed on time with good quality. Be warned: One-in-ten hiring managers say they would consider terminating an employee if he/she arrives late once or twice in a given year; and one-in-five say a pink slip may be in order if an employee is late three times in a year. (msn.careerbuilder.com)

So think twice the next time you decide to sleep just ten more minutes. Arriving late to work is ultimately unprofessional and disrespectful. And while the majority of bosses don’t typically question the validity of the reasons provided, 35 percent say most of the time they don’t believe the excuses.