Business Professional versus Viral Sensation

May I be the first to say that I can do a total of 0 proper pull-ups? So, naturally, I would choose not to include this in my resume. One would assume that one would not include certain things in a cover letter or resume if they did not sound professional or relevant to the job description. Well, apparently one junior at NYU completely missed the memo about how one should not include the number of pull-ups they can do or appear over-confident to the point of arrogance. In case you would like to see how cover letters and resumes should be done properly, you can download our resource guide FREE.

Do NOT make the same mistakes that this student made hoping for a summer position at J.P. Morgan. He sent in a resume and a cover letter chalk full of examples of what NOT to put in a cover letter.
Enjoy and Learn!

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1/23/2012
J.P. Morgan
Dear Sir or Madame:
I am an ambitious undergraduate at NYU triple majoring in Mathematics, Economics, and Computer Science. I am a punctual, personable, and shrewd individual, yet I have a quality which I pride myself on more than any of these.
I am unequivocally the most unflaggingly hard worker I know, and I love self-improvement. I have always felt that my time should be spent wisely, so I continuously challenge myself; I left Villanova because the work was too easy. Once I realized I could achieve a perfect GPA while holding a part-time job at NYU, I decided to redouble my effort by placing out of two classes, taking two honors classes, and holding two part-time jobs. That semester I achieved a 3.93, and in the same time I managed to bench double my bodyweight and do 35 pull-ups.
I say these things only because solid evidence is more convincing than unverifiable statements, and I want to demonstrate that I am a hard worker. J.P. Morgan is a firm with a reputation that precedes itself and employees who represent only the best and rightest in finance. I know that the employees in this firm will push me to excellence, especially within the Investment Banking division. In fact, one of the supporting reasons I chose Investment Banking over any other division was that I know it is difficult. I hope to augment my character by diligently working for the professionals at Morgan Stanley, and I feel I have much to offer in return.
I am proficient in several programming languages, and I can pick up a new one very quickly. For instance, I learned a years worth of Java from NYU in 27 days on my own; this is how I placed out of two including: Money and Banking, Analysis, Game Theory, Probability and Statistics. Even further, I am taking Machine Learning and Probabilistic Graphical Modeling currently, two programming courses offered by Stanford, so that I may truly offer the most if I am accepted. I am proficient with Bloomberg terminals, excellent with excel, and can perform basic office functions with terrifying efficiency. I have plenty of experience in the professional world through my internship at Merrill Lynch, and my research assistant position at NYU. In fact, my most recent employer has found me so useful that he promoted me to a Research Assistant and an official CTED intern. This role is usually reserved for Masters students, but my employer gave the title to me so that he could give me more work.
Please realize that I am not a braggart or conceited, I just want to outline my usefulness. Egos can be a huge liability, and I try not to have one.
Thank you so much for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
Mark
[Article can be found at: http://digitaljournal.com/article/319375#ixzz1n3qvvpSj]
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Don’t let this be you! Stop by drop-ins and let us help!

--Victoria

P.S. Don’t forget our CAREER FAIR is THIS FRIDAY! Get your resume touched up just in time to meet potential employers!

University of San Francisco
Career Services UC 5th floor
FB: USF Career Services
Twitter: @USFcareer
usfca.edu/csc

Remember: Rome wasn't built in a day.

What do you do when in your searching of even the darkest corners of every possible job posting site imaginable you do not find even one job that suits your interests?  

What do you do when you have been applying for jobs without end and receive no answer from any of them? 

What do you do when you never hear back from that DREAM job you have been longing for? 

You remember that Rome wasn't built in a day and you DON'T GIVE UP.

This is very common for many undergraduates and recent grads. It is hard to stay focused in your searching for the perfect job and it is too easy to get discouraged after your first rejection. Our generation, especially, expects immediate gratification and immediate responses to any of our demands/requests. We must sit back, relax, breathe and realize that when one door closes, others open. 

Truth is, the job market is actually getting a lot better and this is the best its been in the recession. Take advantage of this wisely seniors! As for the rest of you, I can reassure you that you will eventually find a job that fits your interests. It may take a few trials and errors, but it's just a matter of being patient and retaining hope.

Si se puede!

~ Rosie ~ 

Um, Like, Whatever... So yeah.

Okay so, you know, we are all guilty of, like, using filler words. If only, we could, like, train ourselves, you know? Um, we would get to the point faster, and, oh, sound a bit more confident.

Everyday we get questions about what one should do to prepare for an interview. Usually, we will help students with their resumes/cover letters and go over a few practice questions. Also, we recommend that students take advantage of our services and sign up for a mock interview!

I am adding something to the list, here... *drum roll* … a filler counter. “Filler” being words we often use to stuff our sentences, words that don’t hold any real meaning in the context of your sentence [i.e. like, whatever, you know, um...etc.].
    Often we want to appear as if we are not struggling with a question by answering as quickly as possible. Often, the first words to jumble out of one’s mouth are filler words.

EXAMPLE:
Employer: So, what brings you here today?
Student: Oh! Um, well, I have always, um, wanted to work with a company in this, uh, industry.

The use of filler words not only makes the student look unprepared, but it also makes him or her sound like they don’t  believe their own answer either.

Quick Tips to AVOID speaking in FILLER:
*Observe others around you. Count how many times someone in your class or work will say a filler word (i.e. "like").
*Pay attention to what you are saying. It’s OKAY to take a second to think about a question. No need to let filler words make an impression for you.
*Record yourself. You might be shocked to find out just how many times you can say “you know?” in 3 minutes.
*Schedule a Mock Interview! Practice, Practice, Practice!

Don’t let your words lose meaning!

--Victoria
University of San Francisco
Career Services UC 5th floor
FB: USF Career Services
Twitter: @USFcareer

"What would you do?"

Aloha Everyone,

I hope everyone had a great winter break. Today I wanted to talk to you guys about an interesting question I received during drop-ins. That question was, “What would you do if in the middle of your interview, you didn't want the job anymore?” This is a tough question and could reasonably happen to anyone.
It could happen for many reasons, including deciding you don’t like the company, believing you have a better offer, or even having a revelation of not wanting to work in the industry.
A good way to deal with this, “What would you do?” question would be to finish the rest of the interview just as you normally would. It is important to be respectful and end on a positive note. By finishing the interview you have a fair chance to fully think over whether you want to further the interview process. When you’ve made your decision, you should write a letter or email regarding interview process withdrawal, basically stating that you are no longer interested or available to meet the qualification that the job demands.  It is important to write this letter or email and to be professional, because you never know what may happen in the future.
I hope this may help you!
So “What would you do if you were in the middle of your interview and didn't want the job anymore?”
-Aloha Nate

 RESUME AND COVER LETTER WORKSHOP

WHEN: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 07, 2012 5:00 PM- 6:00 PM
WHERE: FROMM HALL, BERMAN ROOM

Unsure of how to write a resume that will get noticed? Confused about what a cover letter is and how to get started writing it? If you answered "yes" to either of these questions, then this workshop if for you! Come and get excellent tips and tricks for effective resume and cover letters.

HIRE ME!

     Welcome back to the Spring Semester everyone! Hope you had a relaxing break. It’s now time to get back to work.
 

     Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a network of people to reach out to when you are looking for employment? Don’t be on the outside looking in! Get an internship, get EXPERIENCE, get to know real people in the industries you see yourself working in.
No experience making a resume? No problem! Check out our resource guide online at our website to see examples and start creating your resume! Next, stop by DROP-IN hours (11am-2pm, M-F) to get your resume and cover letter looked over.

*There is still time to get an internship for Spring (if you hurry!)
*If you want to get a Summer Internship, start looking NOW and this semester!


  See you at drop-ins!


--Victoria

University of San Francisco
Career Services UC 5th floor
FB: USF Career Services
Twitter: @USFcareer