Seniors
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Readers Question: What should I do about my tattoo?
Our question for today comes from Reuben, a college senior ramping up his final semester job search.
Dear Aunt Bonnie--
I am a business major and would like to work in banking, eventually commercial loans. I can pull off the neat and tidy look with one possible problem. A few years ago I got a tattoo of an eagle on my upper back. At the time I thought it was really cool. Sort of a ‘born to fly’ type of persona I wanted to express. But now I’m totally sick of it and find it comes up higher than a lot of my shirts, or at least the eagle’s head makes it past the t-shirt line. So, here’s my question, how will my potential employer react and will my tattoo nix my chances of being hired?
Dear Reuben-
You raise an excellent question. How do most employers respond to tattoos?
Monday, January 23, 2006
New Years, Aunt Bonnie style….
With all the schedule-destroying intrusions which have happened this past month, my actual Aunt Bonnie’s New Year’s celebration day this year is going to occur on Feb. 1. Yup. The New Years resolutions, fresh starts. All that stuff begins on my very own, personally declared “new year.”
I’ve been known to do this sort of thing in the past. Move a scheduled date to one which works better. So, for instance, if my birthday comes on a Monday, or some other “dull” day, I might move it to a Friday for that year. Given that my birthday falls on Sept. 11, I had a few years where I celebrated on every good day for a whole month.
Okay, so where’s this heading??? It’s actually more than sheer babble, as it has job search implications as well.
If you’re one of those moderately to very frustrated job searchers, someone whose job search is lasting way longer than planned, why not look at the calendar and choose a new DAY ONE? Make it at least a week away to allow yourself time to reassess what you’ve been doing and why you’ve not achieved results (the most common cause being too much time spent on Internet job boards). Revise your plan and re-launch. Fresh-spirited and enthused.
So Happy New Years...on whichever day you choose.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Passion
There’s a little plaque which graces my wall. It’s rather crude and obviously made by hand. But I picked it up from a street vendor a number of years ago because of the saying, “Do your homework and know your facts. But remember, it’s passion that persuades.”
I’ve posted a number of blogs over the last few months on choosing a major and career decision making but not much about passion, most likely because there’s a part of me that thinks passion, in the sense of “do what you totally love”, is over rated. There are few people indeed who remain passionate about their careers. Reality sets in sooner or later. Hopefully, what they do day to day will hold a core of meaningful activity amidst the minutia of seemingly irrelevant details.
But when you connect passion--defined here as what keeps you up at night; what you long to see righted, fixed or restored; or, more positively perhaps, what brings you joy--with life calling, the two concepts help set life direction which transcends specific jobs or careers.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Talking turkey at Christmas time….or, some thoughts for parents
So, did “the topic” come up over Thanksgiving break? If you have an underclassman in the family, the question might have run something like this: so, have you decided on a major yet? Taken any courses which look interesting and might lead to something? For parents of seniors, the tactful, roundabout approach may have been abandoned for something more direct like--so, what are you planning on doing after gradutation?
In case your questions ended in a very short conversation, Johnson and Schelhas-Miller in their recent book, Don’t Tell Me What to Do, Just Send Money The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years, include some very helpful advice.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Key liberal arts skill hits media coverage
Key Liberal Arts Skill Rates Major Media Coverage. Well, that’s not exactly the intended point of today’s NY Times article on gaming design and academia but it certainly illustrates a crucial point, namely how liberal arts skills build fascile minds, ready to meet present and future challenges over a wide spectrum of issues. Of particular interest to today’s blog--critical thinking skills.
Note the following quote by Bob Kerrey, better known as the former Nebraska senator, who now finds himself in the role of academic president:
“...if you just look at the surface of people playing games, you are missing the point, which is that games are all about managing and manipulating information,” Mr. Kerrey said. “A lot of students that come out of this program may not go to work for Electronic Arts. They may go to Wall Street. Because to me, there is no significant difference - except for clothing preference - between people who are making games and people who are manipulating huge database systems to try to figure out where the markets are headed. It’s largely the same skill set, the critical thinking. Games are becoming a major part of our lives, and there is actually good news in that.”
There you have it. Critical thinking skills. Add that to the rest of what’s mastered at Calvin and you end up with a skill set for life.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Alternative careers for teachers
I presented on this topic a few years ago at a conference for student teachers. The room was so packed that I had students floor-sitting the parameter of the room. In Michigan, at least, teaching jobs are in short supply. And, let’s face it, the average number of years spent in teaching nationwide averages out to just 5 years. Five years and then people are out looking for the next career.
So, what can you do with a teaching certificate--other than teach?
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Readers’ questions on interviewing
A recent e-newsletter published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers made the following observation: out of all the hoops job seekers jump through, they tend to make the most mistakes during the interviewing process. More than on resumes, cover letters or sceening phone calls.
So with that backdrop, I thought I’d move to some readers’ questions on the subject.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Both sides of the fence: real life interview tips from an experienced student
Today’s advice comes from someone who’s sat in both chairs--that of the interviewee and the interviewer. After being selected from a pool of internship candidates, Helga was then assigned to travel the state and search for new employees, quickly throwing her into the role of an interviewer herself--even though she’d not yet finished college. Based on her summer experiences, here’s what she has to say.....
Friday, November 04, 2005
Crucial conversations
Whether it’s an intimate conversation at home or high stakes discussion at work, everyone eventually needs a bit of advice on handling heated conversations. And that’s what I came across this week in my search for conflict management material, a nifty little web site on
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High.
You can, of course, purchase the book through this site. But they also offer free material, stuff to launch your self assessment boat as you explore your (conversational) Style Under Stress or fill in a second questionaire designed to help determine how well your family, team, and organization handle crucial confrontations.
In summary, let me close with one of the following maxims. Or rather you can close with the phrase of your own choosing (hey, it’s Friday afternoon when one cannot expect profundity or maybe even lucidity):
--a stitch in time saves nine
--to be forewarned is to be forearmed
--bad choice makers end up as wrong road takers (a rather homey aphorism I just made up upon exiting today’s blog).
Happy weekend!
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Employer comment on choosing a major….
With input too lengthy for the comment section, a local employer emailed me directly with her perspective on choosing a major. Read on for her sage advice....
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Can career counselors wave magic wands?
Envision the following scenario:
Person X wakes up full of hope. While brushing their teeth, an internal dialogue goes something like this...."ah, today’s my appointment with that career counselor. Finally. It took me three weeks to get in. But by the end of the day I’ll know (choose one) a) what I should major in
b) which career I should choose c) where there’s a decent job opening.” That kind of internal monolgue would bring a smile to anyone’s face, right?
As much as I would like to, however, I cannot do any of the above. I would love to know which major/career is perfect for every person and have a pocket full of job openings waiting to be filled. But I don’t. And sometimes people leave without the 100% clarity on the next step they were wishing for.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Cover letters: sample introductory paragraphs
Yesterday’s blog on cover letter guidelines--helpful in a general sense, right? But you may still be puzzling over ways to jump into that first paragraph. How do you start when you don’t know what to say?
To answer that question, I’ve included a number of alternative first paragraphs excerpted from
Cover Letter Magic, hopefully enough to get you started.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Cover letter tips
Though most of my appointments of late have been freshmen and sophomores seeking a suitable major, walk in traffic has been more concerned with the job search. And what stumps most people is the process of writing a cover letter.
Most cover letters follow a 3-4 paragraph format, but there are ways to make sure those brief paragraphs flow with fascinating text.
Cover Letter Magic, one of my favorites on the topic, lists the following Top 5 Cover Letter Writing Tips especially for new grads:
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
‘60’s flashback
What to do after graduation. A topic I’ve covered a few times in the past. But today’s New York Times nails what I’ve observed in my office as well, grads seeking a Fanciful Detour before the real career begins.
The author profiles a few grads working at what looks like non-traditional post-grad jobs, everything from driving a bus across country to leading tour groups to applying to the Peace Corps. The kind of thing people in the 60’s did under the rubric of expanding our life experience.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Tips on working a job fair--to the max
The first time I walked through an in-progress job fair was the spring before I started my job as a career counselor. The event was held right here on campus and I was employed, so there was no reason for my fright & flight response. What was I afraid of? A room full of strangers? Not knowing what to say? Looking foolish? Probably. Anyway, I just about ran out of the room...in a professional sort of way, of course.
I later found out that I’m not the only participant with the jitters. Which is why I’m recommending this great web site--collegegrad.com-- to help stave off some of the anxiety these events can produce. It took a bit of exploring but I finally found their golden resources on what to do while at the job fair.
And here’s one more tip I commonly pass along. As you enter the room, look for the lone and lonely booth. The one where the recruiter is standing all by him/herself and looking longingly at the other booths with long lines. That’s the place to start. Break the conversational ice with someone who’ll be genuinely glad you stopped by. Make their day and build your confidence at the same time.
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