COOPERATIVE EDUCATION/INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Willis Hall, Room 402B

Phone: 1-908-737-4114

Fax: 1-908-737-4125

Email: KeanCoop@gmail.com

Website: www.kean.edu/~cooped

OFFICE OF THE DEAN

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Kean University • 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, New Jersey 07083-0411 • 908-737-KEAN (5326) • www.kean.edu

Career Fair Hints

The Look:

Decide on what you are going to wear and have the outfit clean and pressed the evening before the Career Fair. Dress professionally, even though it is not an interview your look should say I am ready to sit down and talk to you now! You do not have to purchase a new outfit, just make sure your shoes are shined, hair well groomed, and your overall appearance shows that you prepared for the event. Carry as little as possible so you are able to go into your folder for resumes and shake hands with the recruiter without looking like a juggler.

The Resume:

Before you run off to make multiple copies make sure it has been proofread by you and at least one other person. There should be no typos, spelling, or grammar errors. Additionally, you will want to eliminate any special effects. Many companies now scan resumes and scanners cannot be counted on to read bold, underling, or special fonts. Keep the document simple, easy to read, and accurate.

The Game Plan:

When you plan to attend a career fair, find out what companies will be attending and chose a few that interests you (3-5). Once you have decided, start your research on those companies so that you can approach the recruiter with a sense of confidence because you have done your homework. As you are walking around picking up the nifty handouts, make sure you leave enough time to speak to your selected companies. Occasionally, you are not able to obtain information on who will be in attendance before the day of the career fair. When this occurs, get there early, review the list, decide who you will see, and prepare mentally before going to any table or booth.

The Key Moment:

Now you are there – standing in front of the recruiter. Introduce yourself (name, major, class/graduation date), state your interests (internship, co-op, part-time, full-time work), and why you stopped at this company’s table (can only do this if you did your research). In anticipation of personal questions, prepare and practice a one to three minute infomercial on who you are. Be honest and sincere about yourself, even when they come to the GPA question. Try to have a question or two for the recruiter about their company (avoid salary and benefits questions) to show your interest. Finally, don’t forget to give the recruiter a copy of your resume. Thank them for his/her time, and get a business card.

Follow-Up:

Immediately after the career fair send a thank you letter or email message to the interviewers of the companies you are most interested in. Reinstate your interest in working for them. You can use common language but also make each letter unique. Include a copy of your resume. Many candidates skip this very important post-interview activity. By taking the extra time in doing this step, you will leave a final positive impression. Also, evaluate your interview strengths and weaknesses. Note what you can change for the next time you have an interview.

Special thanks to Career Advancement and Development, Kean University for part of the information.

TIPS FOR PROOFREADING AND EDITING YOUR RESUME

1. SPELLING AND GRAMMAR MUST BE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.

One error is often enough to get you eliminated from consideration. The most common errors include:

§ Spelling and typo's:

Spell check will catch many errors, it will not catch homonyms, company names, or even your phone number.

§ Tense changes:

It is crucial that your verb tense remain consistent within each entry. Example: Responsibilities included: Assist clients with application forms, typed and filed weekly reports, answered telephones. CORRECTION, SHOULD READ: Assisted, which is past tense.

Generally, verbs should have endings that are similar to the others in an entry, ed, ing, or just the root word without an ending.

§ Plurals:

Mistakes usually occur when there are modifiers or when there is a list of several things. Example: Processed home owners and car payments. CORRECTION, SHOULD READ: Processed home owner and car payments. Home owners are not processed, home owner is a modifier, it specifies what type of payments are processed and thus should be singular.

2. AVOID INCLUDING INFORMATION FROM HIGH SCHOOL.

Generally, it is not to your advantage to list information from High School, this makes your resume appear juvenile rather than professional.

3. LIST AND DOCUMENT INFORMATION CLEARLY.

Make sure it is clear what exactly you did (Dean's List), where you did it (Kean University) and when (Spring, 1996).

4. INCLUDE WHEN YOU EXPECT TO GRADUATE OR ANOTHER INDICATOR OF WHERE

YOU ARE IN YOUR PROGRAM (NUMBER OF CREDITS).

5. INCLUDE YOUR GPA IF IT IS A 3.0 OR HIGHER.

6. FORMAT SHOULD REMAIN CONSISTENT. Whatever way you organize your information, keep

it that way.

7. BE BRIEF, ONE PAGE RECOMMENDED. Editing suggestions:

§ Change your margins or spacing.

§ Items listed in a column can be listed across the page.

§ Eliminate some information.

Are all the things that you listed and described useful and necessary? Your oldest job could possibly be eliminated or a lengthy job description could be cut down. "References available upon request" is not necessary and therefore can be eliminated.

Composed By: Judith Ferguson, Graduate Assistant, Cooperative Education, Kean University

WRITING YOUR RESUME

Now you are ready to write your resume! There are many formats you can follow in writing a resume. However, the following are the most widely used formats:

Chronological

This format lists educational and work experience in reverse chronological order. This approach works well for recent college graduates or those who have a continuous educational and work background. (If there are any gaps in your background, this may not be the best format to follow.) Employers are most familiar with this format and find it easy to follow.

Functional-Chronological

This format emphasizes skills, accomplishments, and functions—First, skills are listed and described; then work experience and education are listed in reverse chronological order. This format is helpful for people with gaps in their work experience or educational background.

Whichever format you use, you can include the following information:

Personal Data

Name, address, and telephone number must be included in your resume. Other personal information such as age, sex, height, weight, and marital status should be included only if you feel that this information enhances your employment possibilities.

Objective

It is important to include a job objective in your resume! Hiring officials look favorably upon applicants who have clearly defined job goals. If you have more than one career goal, it is advisable to have a few resumes, each with a different job objective, e.g. Mathematics Teacher, Computer Programmer. Each resume should stress areas in your work and educational background pertinent to your job objective.

Educational Background

List the degrees, dates, names of colleges and professional schools, and other relevant information such as honors received. Depending upon your job objective, you should include descriptions of internships and special projects. Pertinent courses can also be listed when necessary. Remember, if you have little or no work experience in your chosen field, it is useful to include educational experiences directly related to your job objective.

Work Experience

For each work experience, in a chronological resume, write the name of the employer and the title of your position. Do not just list your responsibilities; describe what you did in brief sentences starting with action verbs. Remember to stress experience that proves your ability to perform successfully in the job you want. Avoid use of personal pronouns. In a Functional-Chronological resume, decide which skills are most desirable for your job objective. Under each skill, list and discuss any paid, unpaid or academic experiences. Then list your work experiences. (See sample resume.)

Other Items You May Include When Appropriate

§ Extra-Curricular and/or Community Activities, Interests.

§ Professional Memberships.

§ Skills and Qualifications, Highlights of Qualifications, or Summary of Qualifications. This section is composed of 3-5 brief, punchy statements describing the skills, qualities, and experience you have that make you a desirable candidate for the position listed in the objective.

References

If you are keeping your own credentials, or if you have requested people to write references for you when they are contacted, the last line of your resume can appropriately read: References: Available upon request.

If you have started a confidential folder with our office, the last line of your resume can appropriately read: References: A complete set of references will be forwarded, upon request, by the Cooperative Education Program, Kean College of New Jersey, Morris Avenue, Willis 402B, Union, New Jersey 07083.

§ Remember—Always ask permission from people to use them as writers of references.

Resume Tips

§ Be brief—limit the resume to one or two pages

§ Choose format that is best for you

§ Make the resume attractive and easy to follow

§ Pay close attention to margins, spelling, grammar and style

§ Use good quality paper and a reputable duplication service

§ Investigate printing services by checking the yellow pages of your local telephone directory

§ Proofread carefully; also ask someone else to check for errors

§ Be honest and accurate

§ Avoid use of first person pronoun

§ Use action verbs to describe responsibilities

§ A cover letter should always accompany a resume.

ACTION VERBS

Accomplished	Generated
Achieved	Increased
Acted	Influenced
Adapted	Implemented
Administered	Initiated
Advanced	Improved
Advised	Interpreted
Allocated	Invented
Analyzed	Launched
Approved	Lead
Arranged	Lectured
Assisted	Listened
Attracted	Managed
Began	Maintained
Compiled	Motivated
Completed	Mediated
Composed	Moderated
Computed	Negotiated
Conducted	Organized
Consulted	Originated
Conceived	Planned
Constructed	Participated
Controlled	Performed
Created	Programmed
Coordinated	Proposed
Counseled	Proved
Delegated	Provided
Demonstrated	Purchased
Developed	Recorded
Devised	Recommended
Described	Reorganized
Designed	Revamped
Diagnosed	Revised
Directed	Reviewed
Disbursed	Researched
Eliminated	Scheduled
Established	Set Up
Equipped	Solved
Evaluated	Structured
Expanded	Supervised
Expedited	Supported
Enlarged	Sold
Founded	Taught
Gained	Trained
Guided	Wrote

Career Advancement and Development

Andrew G. Anderson

12 Yellow Street

Brielle, NJ 08730

Telephone: 732-223-7476

Pager: 732-223-0634

E-mail: aanderson@aol.com

OBJECTIVE To obtain an internship in the Financial Services sector.

EDUCATION B.S. Degree, Kean University, Union, NJ

Major: Management Science: Finance

Anticipated Graduation: December, 2001

GPA: 3.1

Software Applications: Excel, Lotus, MS Word, WordPerfect, Reflex, Unix.

PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE

January 1999- Financial Assistant: New Jersey Sports Authority, Trenton, NJ

Present Responsibilities: Work extensively with Director of Event & General Accounting, organized profit and loss statements, design spreadsheets, compare yearly concession stand revenues, read volumes of material involving contractual agreements between NJSA and the franchises, compile statistics for accounting purposes, research various sports leagues for franchises revenue and expense accounts, research sports business information for special projects.

Sept.-Dec. Intramural Sports Director: Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ

1997-1999 Responsibilities: Supervised, organized and promoted campus sports leagues. Scheduled and coordinated games. Managed special projects such as Holiday Tournaments, Conventions and Alumni Games. Prepared annual rosters. Also responsible for budgeting and allocating funds for events.

June-August Counselor: Manasquan Basketball Camp, Manasquan, NJ

1998 Responsibilities: Generated enthusiasm and ambition in campers. Taught children fundamental basketball skills. Implemented and demonstrated various techniques to enhance basketball skills.

July-August Day Camp Counselor: Winfield Scott School, Elizabeth, NJ

1997 Established excellent rapport with underprivileged children. Served as a mentor to inner city youth. Advised and counseled campers.

ACTIVITIES Member of men's varsity basketball team; referee for community basketball league, Linden, NJ

REFERENCES Available upon request.

Sample Interview Questions

These are questions a potential employer might ask you.

Personal Assessment and Career Direction

1. How would you describe yourself?

2. What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?

3. In what kind of work environment are you most comfortable?

4. What do you consider to be your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

5. How well do you work under pressure?

6. What qualifications do you have that make you think you will be successful in this career?

7. Why should I hire you?

Academic Assessment

1. Why did you select your college or university?

2. What led you to choose your major?

3. What subjects do you like best and least? Why?

4. Describe your most rewarding college experience.

5. How has your college experience prepared you for this career?

6. Do you think that your grades are a good indication of your ability to succeed with this organization?

Knowledge of Employer

1. What do you think it takes to be successful in an organization like ours?

2. In what ways do you think you can make a contribution to our organization?

3. Why did you choose to seek a position with this organization?

CSC1 a:\assess.wp

Sample Questions to Ask a Prospective Employer

Do your research on the company.

Prepared two to five questions you may want to ask.

1. How would you describe the organization’s general character?

2. What is the organization’s history? What is its future direction?

3. Could you describe the ideal candidate for this position?

4. What are the most important skills and attributes you are looking for in filling this position?

5. What would a typical working day be in this position?

6. What is your vision for your department over the next two to three years?

7. Can you describe your management style?

8. What has been your career path within the organization?

9. What type of internal and external training do you provide?

10. What will be the candidate’s first priorities in this position?

11. What can I do to make the organization more successful?

12. What will be the measurements of my success in this position?

13. May I provide any additional information?

14. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. When may I follow up with you?

Special thanks to Career Services at Ramapo College of New Jersey and Seton Hall University School of Law for part of the information.

Sample Thank You Letter

This is about “what you can do for the company, not what the company can do for you. It’s all about them, all the time.”

“Write a value-added thank-you note within twenty-four hours. As you know, thank-you notes are positively essential for any people who interview you for a job (if there are four people in the room, then you should write four separate thank-you notes). In your thank-you note, don’t just express your gratitude for the interview; reiterate that you really want the job and that you are eager to contribute to the organization immediately:

Hello, [Name],

I wanted to thank you again for interviewing me for the ________________________ position last week. I just wanted to check in and say again that I’m very interested in the job and I would love to join your team. I’m particularly interested in ________________________. [Specifically mention a job or project to show that you were listening!]

After the interview I’ve thought more about the issues we discussed and I wanted to share some thoughts about how I can add value to the company: [Then list some ideas you’ve had based on what you learned about the job that the company needs to fill.]

I’m sure that you’re very busy; I just wanted to check in, thank you again, and say that I look forward to hearing back from you and possible next steps.

Best regards,

[Your full name]”¹

You can use common language but also make each letter unique. Include a copy of your resume.

By taking the extra time in doing this step, you will leave a final positive impression.

1 Pollak, Lindsey. Getting from College to Career: 90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2007: pp 272-273.