Summer Internship

Hi Everyone!

I hope everyone had a great summer, got some work experience (internship/jobs) and had the opportunity to expand their network. I personally had a amazing, stressful and intense summer. I was looking for something not too intense or difficult,... but received the opportunity to work at Bank of Hawaii, ranked #1 in "Americas Best Banks" by Forbes. I worked in the Hawaii Branch and Business Banking Division for the bank as a summer intern. This was a great learning experience where the bank spent a lot of time and money on us interns with high expectations. The bank flew in many people from around the world to talk to us about different things including "managing younger people" and explaining the importance of lending. But with these great experience came long, 10-12 hour days and a lot of time outside of work to complete task and prepare for the next day. Competition was also high between the interns, who came from very prestigious college/universities. I would highly recommend this internship to anyone from Hawaii looking to go back home for a summer, who is looking to challenge themselves but also foresees that the opportunities could be endless. Overall it was an amazing summer networking with many different people and expanding both my knowledge and personal skills. 

Tell us about your summer and email us at: careerplanningpeer@usfca.edu 

We would love to post more experiences of other students and their accomplishments!

Aloha, 

Nate

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to school!

I hope everyone had a great first week and is ready for an amazing semester. We have a lot going on this semester, from On Campus Interviews to the Non-profit Expo. Below is a listing of the many activities we will have this semester. 

Career Fairs:

- Non-profit Expo; Thursday September 6th, 2012, 11:30am-2:00pm, Gleeson Plaza

- Fall Career Fair (Career/Grad Fair); Tuesday October 16th, 2012, 11:00am-2:00pm, Gleeson Plaza

Info Sessions & Tables: 

- Peace Corps; Tuesday September 18^th, Wednesday, October 17th; Wednesday November 7th, and Thursday November 8th, all on the UC 5th Floor

- Across the Pond; Tuesday October 2nd, 2012 10:30am - 2:30pm, UC 2nd Floor Market Cafe

- Aspire Public Schools; Wednesday October 3rd, 2012, 12:00pm-1:00pm, UC 503

- FactSet Research; Thursday October 4th, 2012, 6:00pm-7:00p, UC 503

On-Campus Interviews: 

- Deloitte - resume due Sept. 19th, 2012; Wednesday October 3rd, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- Burson - Marstellar - resume due Sept. 4; Tuesday September 18th, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- KPMG - resume due Sept. 17; Monday October 1st, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- Deloitte - resume due Sept. 19; Wednesday October 3rd, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- Rothstein Kass & Co. - resume due Sept. 20; Thursday October 4th, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- FactSet Research - resume due Sept. 21; Friday October 5th, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- Sensiba San Filippo - resume due Sept. 25; Wednesday October 10th, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- Armanino McKenna - resume due Sept. 27; Thursday October 11th, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- Hood & Strong - resume due Sept. 28; Friday October 12th, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- Novogradic & Company LLP- resume due Oct. 1; Monday October 15th, 2012, 9:00am-     

  5:00pm

- Grant Thornton - resume due Oct. 3; Wednesday October 17th, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- Consolidated Electrical Distributor - Stop by their table at the Fall Career Fair on Oct. 16th

  for a chance to interview on Thursday October 18th, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- OUM and Co. LLP - resume due Oct. 4; Thursday October 18th, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- Pricewaterhouse Coopers - resume due Oct. 2; Friday October 19th, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- EisnerAmper LLP - resume due Oct. 8; Monday October 22nd, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

- Seiler & Company - resume due Oct. 10; Wednesday, October 24th, 9:00am-5:00pm

- DZH Phillips - resume due Oct. 11; Thursday October 25th, 9:00am-5:00pm

- The Travelers Companies Inc. - resume due Oct. 15; Monday October 29th, 9:00am-5:00pm

- AT&T - resume due Oct. 25; Thursday November 8th, 2012, 9:00am-5:00pm

Workshops Events: 

- Resume and Cover Letter Workshops; Tuesday September 18th, 2012, 5:00pm-6:00pm,

   Fromm Hall Maier Room

- Resume Review Day; 12:00pm-1:30pm, UC 1st Floor 

     Thursday October 11, 2012 

     Friday October 12, 2012 

     Monday October 15, 2012 

     Tuesday February 26, 2013

     Wednesday February 27, 2013

     Thursday February 28, 2012 

- Career in Finance; Wednesday November 7th, 2012, 5:30pm-7:00pm, Fromm Hall Berman  

  Room

- Job Search and LinkedIn Workshop; Wednesday November 14th, 2012, 5:00pm-6:00pm,

  Fromm Hall Maier Room

To find more details click the link Career Services Website and then click the Events tab. 

Hope you are all excited about this new semester! 

Aloha, 

Nate  

Who do you want to be?

This past week I attended a 6 day long leadership institute in Los Angeles hosted by the Association of Fraternal Leadership & Values (AFLV) Conference. Needless to say, I learned A LOT, and as cheesy as it sounds, it changed my life. :)

One of the things that continues to resonate with me (maybe because it is imprinted on the back of the shirt we got...) is a very simple and yet complex question, "Who do you want to be?"

Prior to this institute, you asked me this question and I would quickly reply with a long confusing roundabout answer of where I've always pictured myself career-wise and why but how that's changing and now I don't know... -_-

But as we began the discussion of deciphering the question I realized there was more to this question than the simple WHO you want to be and answering with a possible career choice. The concept of integrity and being true to our core values continued to emerge time and time again. (Integrity we then defined as when your values, thoughts and behaviors are in alignment. The topic of values is another complex conversation we will leave for another blog post...) By the end of the conversation and with the clearer concept of what the question was actually asking we all discovered who we wanted to be as individuals and how we wanted to be remembered: as people and leaders who lived out our values in everything we did, living with integrity in our leadership positions, future careers, with friends and family, etc.

Reflecting on this question more I thought it appropriate as career advice and wanted to share with you guys because we often get caught up on on being who someone else wants us to be or living out someone else's values.

I challenge each one of you to decipher this question for yourself taking into consideration what your core values are and how you can represent them with integrity. This will also help you whether you are still questioning your career choice, considering a change in career or simply need a morale/energy boost in the career you've had for years now.

Don't be afraid to think about it... ;)

~Rosie

Top Tips for 2012 Graduates To Find Jobs

Hey recent grads! How's your first summer as an alum feeling?? ;)

If you are still having a hard time finding a job, here are some interesting tips Ron McGowan, author of the international bestseller “How to Find WORK in the 21st Century,” offers:

Clean up your online presence.
The first thing employers will do is to see what they can find out about you on the Internet. Are you ready for that? They may look at your Facebook page during the interview. Are you ready for that?
 
Think.
Put yourself in the shoes of any employer you plan to contact. Why would they be interested in you? What exactly do you have to offer them? Show them in your first contact with them that you know about them, the type of work they do and the industry they’re in. NEVER send out lots of resumes in a shotgun fashion.

Why should we hire you?
Assume you’ll be asked this question during the interview and be ready to answer it. Focus on the key points you made in the material you sent to them. Those are what got you the interview.

Bite your tongue.
Talking too much in the interview is among the biggest mistakes graduates make according to employers and recruiters. The more prepared you are for the interview, the less inclined you’ll be to ramble on.

Do your homework.
There’s a wealth of information available on the employer’s web site. Amazingly, many graduates never take the time to thoroughly analyze this information and be ready to answer questions about it in the interview. It will also help if you can talk about some of the key issues going on in their industry.
 
Create your own job.
Instead of waiting for someone to offer you a job, consider what millions of graduates around the world have been doing for years; i.e. operate as a freelancer. The following will give you an overview of the world of freelancing: http://www.elance.com http://www.odesk.com http://www.vworker.com 
Finally, you may get some business ideas at: http://www.springwise.com




And of course, use our resources! You have access to unlimited Career Services Center resources for your whole first year after graduation.


Take advantage of it!

~Rosie~

Detours on Campus

Our staff will be in planning meetings all day today and tomorrow... making the office even more quiet right now during the summer. However, the construction happening outside for the new CSI building is definitely making up for the quiet! They are making tremendous progress though and I look forward to seeing the work once it's done.

Just a heads up, there have been multiple detours on campus that will probably add a few more minutes to your travel time to and from class. It is not certain if the detours will still be in place by the time classes start in August but just in case you decide to come visit the campus this summer (maybe for a drop in to have your resume reviewed? ;) ) be sure to plan enough time around your rendezvous with friends so you can get around campus. This might also help you for when classes start also.

Hope you are all enjoying your summer! See you in August!

~Rosie~

Interviewing: What NOT to do!

I read this article recently, "Blowing the Job Interview: A How-To Guide" and thought it may be helpful for those of you who have interviews lined up, or already had an interview but it didn't go so well. I will summarize everything the article says not to do.

1. Arriving Late: Pretty self explanatory. You need to give yourself enough cushion time for any possible mishap along the way and be sure to arrive EARLY.
2. Being rude to the receptionist or assistant: Don't do it. 6 out of 10 executives seriously consider the opinion of their assistants in the hiring process and if you have been rude or condescending to them, they will tell on you.
3. Acting like you're the only person there: You very well may be the only person in the room at the moment, but you never know who is listening or how thick the walls actually are. If you get an incoming call, I would suggest to ignore it or answer and let them know you are busy and will call back later. 
4. (Which brings up another point not mentioned in the article but which I think is important to mention... make sure your phone is on SILENT! Last thing you want is your phone to go off with your Lil Wayne ringtone in a quiet waiting room or worse yet...the actual interview!)
5. Going into the interview unprepared: Do your research on the organization you are interviewing for beforehand.
6. Appearing arrogant: There is a distinct difference between confidence and arrogance. Stay humble.
7. Not asking questions: You want to ask at least 2 or 3 questions. The questions should go beyond basic information you can find on their website during your research.  A good question may be "What does a typical day in this position look like?"
8. Not following up: Send your thank you letter right after the interview. Send your thank you letter right after the interview. Send your thank you letter right after the interview. I cannot stress how important this step is! More than half of the employers consider this in the hiring process as well.
   
   

Interviewing can be scary, I understand, but practicing will also help. The Career Services Center offers great Mock Interview options just for this exact purpose. Give it a try!

Rosie

Be. Aggressive. Be. Be. Aggressive. (but courteous)

It's official. Summer 2012 has begun! It's finally okay to relax and no need to stress about papers, assignments, exams or groups projects.

Although... now you may be experiencing another type of anxiety: waiting to hear back from the internships you've applied for.

So what do you do if you've been waiting so patiently for a response for days now and you don't hear back? How aggressive can you be in demanding a response, and how do you request it? How aggressive is too aggressive?

You have to keep in mind that not many employers will notify you if you do not get chosen. So, if its been more than 2 weeks past the deadline to apply, chances are you did not get chosen.

But if your mind will not be at rest until you hear back directly from the employer, follow these tips in requesting a response:

• Be sure to wait until the deadline of the application. Most employers may review on a rolling basis but if their posting had a deadline, wait until the deadline (at least 3 days after) to contact them.
• Follow up with a phone call to the contact information provided on the application or website first to ask if they can provide any information on the decision making process (ie, ask if they know if the position has been filled, or if they have a rough estimate of when the decision will be made) You may also ask if they send out notices to those who did not receive the position.
• A nice way to phrase it might be, "Hello, I'm calling to check on the status of my application for _____ position."
• If there was no contact information on the application, do some research and call the company's general information line and nicely request the contact information of the hiring manager for the position you are interested in.
• If indeed, you find out that you did not receive the position, maintain your courtesy, professionalism and above all positivity! Don't let it get you down and begin applying for other positions.
• In some cases (like if you received a personal phone call or email notification that you did not receive the position but got as far as an interview in the application process) it may be appropriate to ask the employer for his or her feedback on your interview and certain aspects you can improve on.
• Just remember: 
• Life is a learning experience. Focus on the positive lessons. 
• Successful job search requires a delicate balance of patience and perseverance, so don't be afraid to be aggressive, but be sure to uphold professionalism at all times.

~ Rosie ~