THANK YOU LETTERS!!!

Thank you letters! How important do you think they are? To be honest, they are extremely important and believe it or not most people never think of writing a thank you letter after an interview. There are a couple of reasons why they are so important. First, it is a great way to show gratitude and thank the employer/recruiter for taking the time out of his or her day to meet with you. Second, which is the most important reason, is a thank you letter puts your name and face back into their minds when they are trying to make a decision on who to choose for the vacant position. Third, it shows you want the job while giving you a last chance to say a few things that you might not have mentioned in the interview. Lastly, if the position comes down to two people that have the same qualifications and one wrote a thank you letter and the other did not, most times than none the applicant with the thank you letter will receive the job.  

When writing a thank you letter you want to write it as soon as possible after your interview. It might also be smart to send them a thank you email as well the day after the interview just in case your letter gets lost. In the thank you letter you want to include when your interview was, what you talked about, something you never mentioned, and that you are still interested in the position. 

After thinking about what you need in your thank you letter, the question now becomes should I hand write it or type it. This is a very controversial issue. It honestly depends on the employer and what they like. I personally will always send hand written thank you cards because it is more personal and that’s who I want them to remember me by. For me the hand written thank you letter has helped me numerous of times in getting jobs and internships because the employer liked how personal I made them. But on the other hand some people like the professional thank you letter, typed and printed on resume paper. So when it comes down to it, it is ultimately up to you unless you are in KO's Hospitality class where it is required to type your professional thank you letters for the class. So ultimately decide depending on the situation you are in and no matter what you choose your thoughts and considerations in writing the thank you letter is more than enough! If you need some help writing them or want us to look over your thank you letters bring them in to drop in hours Monday-Friday 11am-2pm located on the 5th floor! 

Aloha- Nate

ELEVATOR PITCH!!!

Have you ever wanted to approach someone and talk to them at a career fair, group networking event, or even at a random venue like an elevator but did not know what to say? Or even what to do? Do not worry you're not the only one; this is one of the toughest things to do. Everyone has some kind of problem when they are trying to pull words out of thin air, while feeling comfortable when introducing and talking to their ideal employer or business partner. The perfect way to solve this problem is to create an elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is normally a 15 to 30 second speech or pitch of who you are, what you do, why you're the best, and your call to action. This short summary speech of who you are will help break the ice and start communication in the lines of a possible job opportunity or future business endeavors.

The elevator pitch got its name because individuals who were seeking a job or future business endeavors would try and get into an elevator with a executive. In doing so they had a opportunity to talk to the executive from the first floor to the ideal top floor with no interruptions and no possible way for the executive to get out of the conversation. The elevator pitch can be used whenever you are meeting anyone but was ideally to get your foot in the door and land yourself a job. It is a great way to introduce yourself and give a summary of who you are. So if want to create one but do not know where to begin, this website will help. It is a basic template where you answer questions and it formats your elevator pitch for you. Website: http://www.15secondpitch.com/new/index.asp But it is essential to be prepared before attending an event and you should practice your elevator pitch now because you never know when it might become useful. So if you need any help creating your specialized elevator pitch, come into our office on the UC 5th floor during drop in hours which are 11am to 2pm Monday through Friday. Your elevator pitch could possibly land you a job that you could never imagine! 

Aloha- Nate

The Arts!

        Three years into my college career and I have seen peers drastically change their majors countless times because of the inner fight between their interest and what they think they should do for the rest of their life. Sure, we’ve heard all of the sayings about the need to love our careers, but at the end of the month the rent  still needs to be paid. So, why not have both? Are you looking for a career in the fine arts but don’t really know what goes into getting started? The Career Services Center is hosting an event that you might be interested in attending!

          This Wednesday, April 6th, from 5pm-6:30pm, in McLaren 252, there will be a photographer, videographer, actor, and writer speaking about how they broke into their fields and grew their careers. Here’s the opportunity to get real answers and see if a career in the arts is something you see yourself doing. Bring questions  or just come to listen! Who knows? Maybe this night will inspire your inner artist!

               Be informed!   Click here to see the calendar for all CSC events                                                    

Career Planning Plans

Hello! And the countdown begins! Only 7 more weeks of school left! I have a feeling these weeks will go by extremely fast...

 

Recently, our office has been working really hard to modify and update our 4-year plan that is intended to guide our students to creating an organized approach to a career path in their 4 years of college. This is a great tool because it encourages time management within a wide spectrum of time and relieves common stressful factors that surface towards the end of your college career.

 

Over the next couple days I will go into each year with detail. Let's start out with the newly admitted Dons, the Freshman. As your second semester of your first year comes to an end I hope you have built relationships that have made you feel at home here at USF. Before the stress of finals comes around I also encourage you to go down the checklist below and make sure you've completed the following:

• Visit the Career Services Center and find out what services are available for you. We are located in University Center 5th Floor.
• Meet with a career counselor during our drop-in hours to begin to explore career options.
• Discuss career interests with a faculty advisor to plan relevant course work.
• Take a Career Assessment.
• Read "What can you do with this major?" Handout.
• Strengthen personal development by volunteering for community service.
• See DonsCareers for part-time jobs off-campus
  
• Get involved with student groups related to your major and/or career interests.
• Login to DonsCareers and sign up to receive announcements about career events
  
• Keep informed about CSC programs and career ideas through our events calendar. 

Don't worry if you haven't been keeping up Freshman, the Summer may be a great time to catch up on your career planning.

The above pointers are simple suggestions targeted for first year student but I highly encourage ALL of you to check out the steps for your corresponding year at our home page - www.usfca.edu/career and (I will cover each year later on...)

1. Create your own yearly action plan specific to your major and include what classes you are planning to take each semester along with your career planning strategies, and

2. Stop by our office to talk to a counselor about your yearly action plan to receive more pointers on how to obtain your DREAM JOB!


Best of Luck!
Rosie

Its A Plan!

            I have officially been working here at the CSC for almost 2 months this April. Woohoo! I honestly never thought I could have learned so much in so little time. I have been working during Drop-in hours (which are Monday-Friday, 11-2), helping people perfect their resumes for Summer internships and for the “real world”. These Drop-in hours have inspired me to look at internships myself and think about my own future. A year from this May, I will be graduating (hopefully) from USF. That is a scary and exciting thought, all at once.

   So, for the heck of it, I went looked up internships and jobs in DonsCareers. I looked through the amazing opportunities I could possibly apply for and it made me optimistic. I could teach in another country, at a “real” company, or in another state. The more and more I looked at these listings, the more I thought, “what if?”. These thoughts were lingering in my mind for a few days making me truly think about what I wanted to DO after graduation. I am very goal-oriented. At times, like all students, I get lazy and forget what I’m working towards here at USF. It’s important to take a step back every once in a while and look at the bigger picture. Maybe I need to start saving more money so that I can teach in Africa for a year? Or perhaps I need to do more internships in [insert field here] to get this certain job. Whatever it is, you’re going to need a plan at some point.

All it takes is one idea to get you going, and checking out DonsCareers might be just the site to inspire you.

          

:]  Victoria

   

INTERNSHIP EXCHANGE

Are you looking for a summer internship but want to go home or see a new city like Boston or Los Angeles? Well we have something that could possible help you find a summer internship in those different regions. It is called Internship Exchange. Internship Exchange is a internship data base that is shared with many different colleges from different regions including Harvard University, University of Miami, Brown University, Boston College, Princeton University, Pepperdine University, and etc... Due to being a shared internship data base, Internship Exchange has two major benefits. The first benefit is that you will be able to see internships not only in the area of your current school but within the area of the schools you share data base with. Giving you the opportunity to travel for a summer internship or possibly go home for the summer and find an internship. Another great benefit is that some employers are specifically looking for interns from a specific school but must post on internship exchange and when doing so, it gives our students from the University of San Francisco a chance to apply to internship that are meant for students attending Harvard. So go on to our websiteusfca.edu/career and sign up for Internship Exchange and start searching for those internships in other cities. You're also welcome to stop by our office located on the UC 5th floor if you need any help with resume, cover letters, or interviewing help.

- Aloha Nate  

BSN or MSN ??

Hello!

I think we can all agree that spring break came and went too fast!! Can you believe there are only a few weeks left until the end of the school year?! Many of you will be graduating this May with a Bachelor's degree in your major while some of you are still considering continuing your education for a Masters degree or even Doctorate. Power to you! As a nursing student, I have a few friends who are 100% determined to earn their Masters in the Science of Nursing (MSN), and I have also encountered those who ask me what the advantages of an MSN are and the difference between a BSN and MSN. There are a few main points to consider when making the decision of what degree to pursue. First and foremost, recruiters have stated that having an MSN does not give you any advantage in a hiring pool of RNs with only a BSN. The only thing recruiters do say is that an MSN gives you more room for career advancement once you are hired to work in a hospital, but does not necessarily mean you will be hired in a higher position right off the bat. As far as pay rate goes, there is also not much more significance for someone who has their MSN over someone who has their BSN since they are all considered equally in the same pool.

Ultimately, the decision to pursue a higher degree should come from the desire to pursue a higher education and be more knowledgeable in your field of study. Doing more research on your own before making the final decision is always helpful as well. Also remember that you are highly encouraged to discuss your plans with a career counselor in our office. Good luck to you all in whatever you decide to pursue in life! 

Rosie Ceja