Resume and LinkedIn workshop TONIGHT

Hey everyone,

As we all know in our technological age the job hunt and networking process are inevitably becoming more and more digital. This is why we're combining two crucial concepts - resume writing and online networking - into one jam-packed information rich workshop. Don't know what LinkedIn is? Never had your resume critiqued by anyone else? This workshop is for you!

Don't forget: Tonight, 2/10/11, at 5pm in Fromm Hall, Maier Room. 

Learn how to write and properly format your own winning resume, and then learn how to best used LinkedIn to your career advantage (including information on the new 6,000+ member USF LinkedIn group - helloo networking!)

Be LinkedIN or LeftOUT.

See you there,
Sarah

Be a S-T-A-R Resume Writer

Hello All!

My name is Rosie Ceja and I am a Sophomore Nursing major. I have been working at the Career Services Center as a student assistant for the past 3 semesters. Towards the end of last semester I was presented with the opportunity to become a Career Planning Peer (CPP) and I am super excited to be in training this semester for this awesome position!!

As part of my training process I have been shadowing a few drop ins and counseling appointments. The most common reason for drop ins is to have a resume looked over and reviewed. In the sessions I have shadowed, I have noticed a few reoccurring topics when it comes to resumes that I would like to address in hopes of making the resume writing process a little easier. 

One of the most important (if not THE most important) components of a resume are the accomplishment statements. These are meant to be a detailed explanation of what you accomplished for the company or how you made a difference in your position. There are a few things to remember about writing a strong accomplishment statement. You may want to keep the S-T-A-R format in mind:

S - Situation: define the general context

T - Task: identify the key objective

A - Action: describe the action you took or initiated and emphasize the skills you incorporated.

R - Result: Summarize the outcome; QUANTIFY as much, and whenever possible. 

- With every accomplishment statement you should start with an ACTION VERB and avoid starting with "responsible for" or "duties included"'

- Recall and incorporate specific and unique examples

- Write your accomplishments as concise bullet points (not paragraphs)

- You should write about 2-3 statements per position

- Quantify whenever possible and use numerical digits

Once you have your accomplishments set, the rest should be easy! Focus on format and consistency with every aspect of your resume. 

Hope these tips helped and good luck to you all this semester!

Rosie

Back in the 5-o-o

Hello Everyone!

Let me be the first to apologize that we haven’t made a post since… um… November?! Holy cow, it HAS been a while. We’ve had a lot of changes going on in the Career Services Center and the Career Planning Peer program in general, which definitely accounts for some of that. Let me get everyone up to speed:

In December we said goodbye to CPP Seghel (whose posts you’ve seen quite frequently on this site), as she graduated a semester early with a degree in Psychology. She continued working with us throughout the winter break, however, as she and I were furiously compiling our first complete and official CPP training manual. January 20^th was her last day at the CSC, and while we were all sad to see her go (she and I had been working together for over three years on this program, since we were Freshman!) she’s going off to do some pretty neat things in the world, so I guess it evens out a bit.  

Seghel’s departure, however, ushered in a new era of the CPP program. Right now we are currently training three, that’s right three, brand new CPPs. Can you say exciting? If you show up to drop-ins any time in the next few months chances are you’ll see them shadowing and get a chance to say hi. As I’ll be graduating in May, this can only mean good things and more growth for the program as a whole.

I won’t write too much about the new CPPs yet (I’m going to give each of them a chance to introduce themselves on this blog instead), but I will say we are fully back in the swing of things. So, make sure to keep an eye out for a bunch of new and interesting blog posts from a bunch of new and interesting voices. And me too, of course (I mean, I’m certainly not new but I am still interesting. Or at least that’s what my mom tells me. See? I made a funny).

I can’t wait.

-Sarah

Nursing Panel - Wednesday November 10, 2010

Hello all you future nurses of America!!

Earlier this month we had a Nursing Panel which many of you attended. We had a great variety of speakers participate in the panel from professional recruiters to a recent alumna of USF. It was a huge success and the students left with a lot of helpful information regarding a future career in nursing.

Here are a few helpful and interesting notes I was able to jot down after having attended the event myself:

Child Family Health International

Representative: Rebecca Lubitz, Senior Program Coordinator

• Non-profit organization
• Time: 4 to 8 weeks commitment
• Work under the supervision of a preceptor
• Cost: approx. $2,000 for 4 week program (scholarships available)
• Hands-on experience based on preceptor and clinical level
• Application: Online (comes with a fee)
• Looking for flexible, open minded people
• Provide references
• Must be 21+
• For more information contact Rebecca Lubitz at rlubitz@cfhi.org

Kaiser Permanente and St. Mary’s Medical Center

Representatives: Roy Hernandez, Expert Recruiter and Consultant, Nursing, Kaiser-SF

   Robert Andersen, Senior Recruiter, St. Mary’s

• Kaiser focuses on transitions within hospital
• On resume/interview: elaborate on clinical rotations (ie. size of facility, kind of patients)
• 2-page resume for nurses is ok and sometimes necessary
• Interviews: asked behavioral type questions and about clinical rotations
• Volunteer at medical centers à this will help networking and you learn the system of the hospital/clinic
• Preceptor work is important
• Customer service skills related to nursing
• Network, Robert Andersen often eats at Market Cafe

USF RN Transition Program in Ambulatory Care

Representative: USF Instructor, Jessie Jones-Bell RN, MS, PHN

University of San Francisco, School of Nursing

• For students who have passed NCLEX but cannot find jobs
• Had 50% success rate in the last class
• For more information contact Jessie Jones-Bell
• ljjonesbell@usfca.edu, Office (415) 422-2018

MSN over BSN?

• “All applicants are treated the same as long as they meet minimum requirements.”
• Essentially, both are new grads at entry level.
• MSN gives more room for career growth in future

From Student to Nurse Tips

Speaker: Kelly Glynn, Registered Nurse and USF alum at CPMC

• “Making decision for own patients is most drastic change.”
• Keep in contact with preceptor
• Be aware of who you are talking to at all times

WellCall (A Nationwide Health and Wellness Service)

Representative: Melissa Showalter, RN and Director of On-Site Events

• Looking for personality and to represent the company well
• Seeking recent Nurse graduates year round to conduct health screenings for Employer Groups, like USF
• For more information contact Melissa Showalter, mshowalter@wellcall.com

Other Helpful Tips:

• Look on craigslist for job postings
• Be flexible with schedule and learning and settings
• Get ER 2 year experience
• Write thank you notes after interview
• Do research and pay attention to detail when addressing letters

Hope this was helpful! 

Nonprofit Panel in Review

Hey all,


So I had the opportunity to sit in on the nonprofit panel last evening and learned a lot of really insightful tips. For those of you who couldn't attend the event, I've outline below some of what I think were the most important points made by the nonprofit panelists. Hopefully this information will benefit you as much as it did me! 

• It's all about networking. The best way to break into the nonprofit world is by using the time you have now, while in school, to volunteer or intern, gain experience, and most importantly build connections. Nonprofit organizations (as do most any organization in general) usually pull from their pool of interns/volunteers first when a job opens up before turning to the general public. As one panelist said: 
• When you volunteer you get to network. I can’t stress enough how important that is. You’re volunteering for a cause that you’re passionate about, and also making a connection that could lead into something bigger in the future. Relationships are very important in the nonprofit world. 
• Nonprofits can use people from every field of study and with any major, it's just a matter of finding the organization that fits your unique talents.  
• Nonprofits can, if you desire, become a career. Don't shy away from them based on the false assumption that you won't be able to make it financially or grow over time as a skilled worker. There's usually always room for growth, for moving up, and for living comfortable financially through a nonprofit organization. Also it's always important to look at the whole package nonprofits provide for you (better work/life balance, more control, more vacations, better benefits, etc.)
•  Nonprofit Organizations should pay you – they need to pay people a livable wage because they need you to stick around and do the work to keep the organization afloat. They will make it happen.
• The biggest needs in every nonprofit organization are with fundraising. Grant writing abilities, organizational skills, event planning, administration, management knowledge, financial planning and data collection, program operation knowledge, people skills, technical skills: all crucial and highly desirable in this field. 

Basically, don't let the stereotypes fool you! Nonprofits are an amazing venue to use the skills you have to perform crucial services needed in the world. If you find yourself in the right place, you'll be able to do things you're good at, work towards something you're passionate about, and make a living for yourself in the process. 

So don't wait. Get out there and volunteer now, build up your connections, test out the waters with different organizations to see where you fit, and in no time you too could find yourself doing something you love (and getting paid for it!) What's better than that? 

-Sarah

Careers in Nonprofits Workshop

I must be honest - when asked what I plan to do after graduation my go-to response has become "Nonprofit work". What does that mean exactly? I don't know. Which organization am I thinking about? No idea. But the thought of being in the Nonprofit sector has always thrilled me.

Which is why I'm definitely looking forward to our Careers in Nonprofits Workshop, coming up October 21, 2010 from 5:00PM - 6:30PM in the UC 4th Floor Main Student Lounge.


Whether Nonprofits have been something you've always thought about, or you've never even considered them before, this workshop will be a great place to get more information on this dynamic field, and potentially open you up to a whole new world of career opportunities.

It's an interactive panel discussion featuring a variety of professionals from the Nonprofit world, here to discuss career options, practical strategies, and tips for succeeding in preparing and searching for careers in this field.  With a generous question-and-answer period, this workshop promises to be both informative and a good networking event.

Anyway, I'll definitely be there. Hopefully I'll see you too!

-Sarah

Internship Opportunity

Attention all you people out there looking for an internship, we've got plenty of them! 


Just to prove it, here's a sample of what we've got on our Internship Exchange Website (which if you haven't registered for yet, what are you waiting for? It's our online Internship database, shared with universities all over the country like Pepperdine and Princeton, where we put up every internship that's sent to us, and where you can view every internship that's sent to those schools too.) 


Art Gallery Intern Position:


We are currently looking for a student to fill an intern position at our gallery in SOMA, 12 Gallagher Lane — A Hunt Slonem Gallery.12 Gallagher Lane is a permanent exhibition of the prolific and iconic American artist Hunt Slonem, and has just introduced a Visiting Artists Program. Interning with us would include researching new Visiting Artists to join the program, and to provide support with the current visiting artist. Other duties include assisting with administrative tasks, updating inventory, installation of works, sales support for consultants, event assistance, and research. The intern would work between 10-20 hours per week, unpaid (must be for academic credit), for the rest of the fall semester.


For more info and to apply, get on Internship Exchange! 


-Sarah