Best Places to Work

By E. W., 5/24/13

If you are thinking about a career as a civil servant, there is a website that you might want to check out. Devoted to providing accurate and useful information, the Partnership for Public Service created the website Best Places to Work that offers rankings of “employee satisfaction and commitment across 362 federal agencies and subcomponents.” Spending some time looking over the data will hopefully provide some insight that might otherwise not be gained until several weeks or months into the actual job.

As a job-hunter, this site offers valuable information that you might want to consider. For example, if you are considering a job in the Bureau of the Census, you would find that the overall job satisfaction rating was 63.6 out of 100. From there, you would see that the lowest scores are due to a perceived lack of effective leadership. Although not all of the categories and sub-categories provide the same information, for many of the different jobs you can find data results based on the replies of women, men, workers over and under 40, veterans, various minority groups, and more.

This site also serves as a great indicator to employers. Through the data, they can determine the health of their organization and begin to make changes should they detect that the organization is in trouble. As an employee, this means that there is a check system in place to protect and hopefully improve the quality of your work environment.

If you are interested in the information that can be found on this website, simply copy and paste http://bestplacestowork.org in to your search bar to get started.

Happy Reading Day!

Happy Last Day of Classes!

5 Mistakes College Kids Make

By E.W., 5/21/13

In an interview in Forbes Magazine, Dan Schawbel, founder of Millennial Branding, a consulting firm with clients such as American Express and NBCUniversal, states that there are five things that college kids are (and are not) doing that are holding them back from landing a job out of college.

1. Students are not applying for enough jobs. Instead of applying to one or two companies, hoping for a response, send out your resume to a couple dozen. According to Schawbel, job-hunting is a full time job. Be prepared to send hours looking and preparing. It may be that the ones who reply back are not the ones you really wanted; nevertheless, you can always take it as an opportunity to learn and to get closer to your dream career.
2. Students do not do enough of their own networking. While many students feel that their school did not provide adequate opportunities to connect with employers and alumni, Schawbel says that it ultimately falls on students to get their name out. Starting with the CSL on campus, Gusties can easily take advantage of all the resources available to them. There are also numerous job and internships fairs that the Gustavus hosts or supports. Take every chance to get to these events.
3. Students do not use LinkedIn. Don’t wait until you’re in the middle of your job search to create a LinkedIn profile. If you don’t already have one, make one. If you do have one, be sure to keep it updated with your latest resume, cover letter, and job status. Also, use LinkedIn to expand your network.
4. Don’t think that applying through an employer’s website is enough. Just because you uploaded your resume and cover letter doesn’t mean you’re done. Make sure that you follow through on the status of your application. It is also a good idea to see if you have any connections in the company. Let them know that you are applying and see if they will put a good word in for you.
5. Giving up when you get no response. According to Schawbel, not hearing back from an employer should not be taken as a no. Instead, use it as an opportunity to reach out to find a connection in the company. Be an advocate for yourself: follow through. If you haven’t heard back, chances are others haven’t either. Stand above the competition by not giving up. 

Why do we have a blog?

By E.W., 5/20/13

The Career Development blog is for any Gustavus student who is unsure about the world after college. Looking for a job, creating a résumé and cover letter, and preparing for an interview are stressful and time consuming tasks, and they aren’t even all of what goes into finding the perfect job.

This blog is meant to help sort out and answer some questions that new and even experienced job hunters might have. By reading, researching, and testing various job hunting tools and websites, this blog hopes to save Gusties valuable time and take off some of the stress that comes with looking for a job. We know that Gusties are busy, so we sum up what’s out there so you can decide for yourself whether or not it is worth your time.

This blog is also meant to keep students up to date on important trends and news. By maintaining a current understanding of what employers want, we are able to pass that information on to you so that you can have the largest possible advantage entering your job hunt. Reading this blog will give you information on what jobs are most in demand, what the average salary is for a graduate, and how best to format your résumé to get an employer’s attention, among other things.

When it comes to finding a career, there are so many tricks to know and nuances to understand that it is nearly impossible for an already busy job hunter to master them all. Yet, hopefully with the help of this blog, you will be able to gain a firm enough grasp to be confident in your first steps after Gustavus.

Prescreening Interviews Tips

By E.W., 5/17/13

According to ISEEK’s blog, the prescreening interview is becoming an increasingly common tool for employers to shorten their list of potential employers. For those of you have yet to experience a prescreening interview, and for those who need a little help, here is some advice that ISEEK gives.

First, to make sure we’re on the same page, let’s go over what a prescreening interview is. Usually conducted over the phone, the interview often lasts less than half an hour. The main purpose is to determine whether or not you meet the minimum requirements for the available position. In other words, they want to know if you are worth their time to go through the formal interview process.

Because it is unlikely that the prescreening interview will take place in person, have your resume and cover letter out might help to calm any nerves. It will also help you answer questions in a quick and concise manner. ISEEK also recommends that you be prepared for the salary question. Along with confirming that you are qualified for the job, the recruiter will also want to know if the company can afford you. Make sure you know what you are worth and what the company is willing to pay you before you give a number.

As with any interview, make sure you know the name and email address of the person you talked to so you can follow-up. Also, sending a thank you note might be a good idea.