UCSB Q & A about what to expect at the Career Fair

UCSB Daria Baxter, a UCSB senior, gets the lowdown on what the Career Fair is all about. These were her own questions for our fearless leader Ignacio Gallardo. Perhaps you have some questions of your own…feel free to ask us right here, or stop by Bldg. 599
The Career Fair is Next Tuesday 1/24!

Do you know how to prepare for a Career Fair?

Benefits of an Internship

• Increased Experience and Confidence 

Studying a major is one thing, applying that knowledge to “real world” situations is entirely another. In an internship, you learn to back up your smarts

with action

• Résumé Builder

Relevant work experience is the first thing employers look for when recruiting. For certain industries, such as media and entertainment, internships are essential.

• Focused Career Direction

Explore what you like and don’t like.

• Contacts

Tap into a network of professionals that can offer references, advice, and information about new job opportunities.

• Future Job Offers

Many companies use internship programs for their recruitment efforts. Working with interns gives them the chance to try out motivated, ambitious students before employing them. If the intern makes the grade, the company may make a permanent job offer.

• Types of Internships

Local
Find local, part-time (10 to 15 hours per week), paid or unpaid internships by applying through GauchoLink. More than 200 different internship opportunities in government, non-profit, media, and business-related organizations can be found throughout the academic year. Don’t overlook on-campus peer advising, leadership, and student affairs
internships. On-campus positions can offer valuable career-related skills as well. See student positions at www.sa.ucsb.edu. Recruitment for these positions is typically early Winter quarter for the following academic year.

International
Many study abroad programs offer field research or internship options as part of their course offerings. Students are then able to transfer units back to campus. Or you can do a combination of travel, short-term work, and/or teaching in more than one country. Here are some places to start: www.internabroad.com  www.bunac.org www.hiusa.org

Summer (National)
Typically, full-time, paid programs are used by companies to recruit future employees. Therefore, they can be quite competitive. A cover letter and résumé are mandatory for all national internship programs. For summer research positions, recommendation
letters and a short essay are also required. Seasonal and/or camp or park related positions may also enhance one’s confidence and skill development.

Post-BA Internships                                                                                                       These highly competitive, and often times year-long, programs can be found primarily in the government or non-profit sectors. Business or private sector companies can no longer hire you as an unpaid intern once you graduate.

Career Services offers many resources regarding internships. Drop into our Career Resource Room for more information and to find the right internship for you. Also, check out internshipratings.com to rate, research and compare internships in various industries across the United States. While not endorsed by Career Services, we think this is a valuable tool in your internship search..

My First Internship

By Erin Doherty

I found my first internship in a Daily Nexus advertisement.  It was a marketing position for a sports team and as a freshman I was so excited to get my first internship.  I couldn’t wait to start.

The reality was slightly less exhilarating.  I stuffed envelopes during the first month of my internship.  No joke.  My supervisor would put on MTV to entertain us, and we would fill envelopes or alphabetize lists for 2-3 hours after class everyday.  Hardly the ideal situation I had been hoping for.  Nevertheless, as a freshman I figure I didn’t have much else to do, especially since I was taking only 12 units at the time, so I stuck with it.  Two years later, I had planned multiple events and created an entire email marketing campaign for them.  I became Mac proficient (I’m a PC girl), wrote and designed multiple newsletters and even trained new incoming interns.  Better yet, it helped me tremendously in obtaining my next job.  I’d say it was worth it that first month of stuffing envelopes.

There are two bits of advice I would pass on to hopeful internship applicants.  First, don’t begrudge the grunt work.  It is a necessary part of the job.  I didn’t want to stuff envelopes for hours on end, but it did help.  Showing up day after day to perform mundane tasks showed my employers that I was ready and willing to be a part of their organization, regardless of the duties.

At the same time, don’t be afraid to be vocal about what you want from the position.  I told my supervisor on the second day of the internship that I would love to help out with creating a newsletter for the team.  I was eager to be involved in a more creative, marketing oriented role.  By the end of my internship, I had created an entire email marketing campaign for the team.  I learned how to use new software programs, trained new interns, interviewed players, wrote articles, and even did the graphic design work for the newsletters.  Even after I moved on from my internship, I still stayed on as a consultant, coming back periodically to train the new interns.

I gained invaluable experience from my first internship.  Most importantly, I learned to be vocal and ask for what I wanted.  I don’t mean that a first time intern should begrudge running errands and getting coffee, because everyone has to start somewhere.  But you should talk to your employers; tell them your interests and strengths, and what you hope to gain from your experiences.  And now, time for my shameless plug.  Go to Career Services.  Get your resume critiqued.  Go to drop-in hours and ask the Career Counselors how to get the most out of your internship.  They can help you brainstorm ways to approach your employer and get the best experience possible.  Good luck and go Gauchos!

What NOT To Do

By Annika Rittenhouse

I have now told you a lot of things I recommend that you do, but here are some things I would say NOT to do:

* Do not forget about your grades- it will come back to bite you and it would be unfortunate to be ineligible because your grades were too low.

* Do not assume internships will find you- they won’t. You need to actively seek them out and it can take a lot of work sometimes, but in the end it will be worth it.

* Do not get down on yourself for not finding jobs/getting call backs- You are going to need to apply to hundreds of jobs before you get a call back sometimes. It may feel bleak but at some point you will find a job that suites you and it may take some time, be patient and start early!

* Do not wait until your senior year to do an internship- this can work, but in most cases having multiple internships is what is going to give you the experience and skills you need for the real world.

* Do not get stuck in the stereotype of what your major says you should do. Your major does not have to dictate the type of job that you apply to or choose. Choose something you are interested, even if it is not something that relates to your major.

* Do not let opportunities pass you by- they may not come around all that often, and you have 4 years in college, take some time to do something different!

* Do not do the same thing for all 4 years of college. Take risks, try new things, otherwise you will never know what you enjoy, hate and have a passion for.

What I didn’t do that you should:
I did not start early when it came to looking for internships. I had done a great job of taking opportunities when they came to me, but I was a step behind when it came to internships. Lucky for me I had that extra quarter to fit in exactly the kind of experience that got me to where I am today- so starting early is key! I also didn’t look for jobs early enough (again had I not had that extra quarter I would have been way behind). A lot of companies hire fall of senior year and I had not even started looking at that point in college. So make sure you are prepared early! Most of the most useful things I did, I took advantage of in those extra few months I got because I extended. Such as my internship with the State Department, working at the Career Center, and applying to big companies in the fall all of which I should have done early in my senior year had I not extended. There are a lot of things I did well and a lot of things I could have done better, but these are just some of the suggestions I can give based upon what worked and did not work for me and the people around me. I hope you find them helpful and if nothing else make you think about some of these topics in deeper sense.

Visit Annika’s Blog at https://sites.google.com/site/annikaadvice/about-me

Walk In Stupid Everyday

By Cody Corona

The darkest of times – the times when you’ve not a clue what’s going on, you don’t have the answers, anyone to talk to – those are the times you’re most the creative. The most innovative. You feel stupid, but, really, things will never be clearer.

Imagine this: there’s a problem to solve, but there’s no clear way to solve it. Or, a deadline’s looming, but there’s tons left to do. There’s something to erect, but you’ve no resources. There are people watching, but you’ve no idea why, or how, or when. You’re confused.

The problem needs to be solved, though, and you do it by all means necessary. Your method, and your end result, is something that no one’s done before. By being absolutely strapped for resources (or time, or information, or contacts) you’ve gained access to the raw aquifers of human ingenuity, and scraped up a bit of genius.

Watch any episode of McGyver and you’ll understand.

So, students, this year challenge yourself to attack every problem, every project, every internship, every new job, every day with a fresh mindset. Be a blank slate. Start from scratch. Every day.

Or, as Dan Wieden, the most innovative and successful creative director in the world, puts it: “Walk in Stupid.”

On my first day at Wieden+Kennedy, Dan Wieden’s advertising shop inPortland,Oregon, those words greeted me – “Walk in Stupid” – and they’ll stick with me forever. It’s a mentality that I’ve adopted and one that you, too, should implement every day.

Here’s why:

1. Leaving your pre-suppositions at the door, focusing on the important details and nothing else, and checking your ego with your jacket (i.e., “Walking in Stupid”) will grant you access to your pure creative potential. A great company, group or school will foster an environment that will allow you to do that, so find that place. Wieden+Kennedy, for example, doesn’t hold an “orientation” or “training-day” for new interns, as I was in 2010. You’re expected, as an intern, to walk in the first day and immediately be productive. To figure things out as you go. To solve on the fly. To give yourself a tour of the building and, on your own, find the right people to talk to. Imagine if UCSB refused to give a freshman orientation. Classes start the same day you show up, you move in to the dorms between lectures (assuming you signed up for the right courses that morning, on your own) and, oh yeah, there’s a quiz in the evening. Did you study? Fifty percent of incoming freshmen would drop out day one. But the ones who creatively solved and survived, they’ll be the stronger ones, the most innovative, and the most proud of their accomplishment. Walk in stupid. Be confused. You’ll win.
2. Walking in stupid will check your ego. When you finally land that big internship or that sweet job after graduation, you’re going to feel pretty good. You’re going to think to yourself: “Let’s get this paper.” You’re going to feel on top of the world. I did. Everyone has an ego – it might not be the size of Kanye West’s, but you have one. The very reason you’ve landed a sweet job is due to your ego. Your self-promotion. Your personal branding. Getting your name out there and telling everyone how awesome you are. Later, yes, your work “will speak for itself.” But right now, you’re no Don Draper… no one knows who you are, and there’s no “work” to judge you on. So you have to be loud to get noticed. That’s fine. But in the “real world” you’re walking with the big dogs. And big dogs don’t like know-it-alls. They respect drive, ambition and hunger. I’ve seen interns start day one as though they’re taking over the company, ready to impress everyone with the knowledge they’ve gained in college. It never turns out well. People at Wieden+Kennedy, for example, are especially good in seeing through crap. They can spot fake people. Soulless talent. They want none of that. One of their mottos is “Don’t Act Big” – and trust me, you’re graded on how thoroughly you meet that criteria. Walk in stupid.
3. Walking in stupid helps you make friends. It’ll help you find reliable teammates. At the workplace, you’ll be seen as trustworthy, and people will want to help you.Too often, people think they have a problem solved before they know what the problem is. This, of course, isn’t a good problem-solving process. Don’t be that person. In fact, you, with your team, should go in the reverse direction. Instead of belittling a task with pre-conceived solutions, make the problem bigger than it actually is. Give your team an arbitrary deadline that’s sooner than the real one. Give the team fake consequences, like: “If we don’t have a brief written by noon, Brian has to ask out the barista at Starbucks.” Again, the right workplace will foster a healthy sense of urgency and creativity, but if not, do it on your own. Don’t overly stress yourself out – I’m not saying that. But make the problem a bit more challenging, and you’ll see, the task will be a bit more fun, and your results will be a bit more genius.

And finally, being stupid allows you to learn more. It only makes sense. Act as though you don’t know anything, and nothing will hold back your learning. Your development won’t be blocked by anything. You’ll do the impossible because you didn’t know it was impossible.

Walk in stupid every day – no matter what – and you’ll enjoy yourself more, be less stressed, and be smarter and more creative than everyone else.

 

 

 

 

 

Cody Corona has helped craft brand strategy and manage client relationships for some of the world’s largest companies, including Old Spice and Denny’s. He graduated from UC Santa Barbara in 2010 and currently lives in New York City. For more information, visit his website at codycorona.com or follow him on Twitter:twitter.com/codycorona

Advice for College Juniors- Go Abroad!

By Annika Rittenhouse If I had one piece of advice for juniors it would be GO ABROAD!!!!! * Seriously- go abroad if you can. Do a year if you are brave enough, but at least do a quarter or semester. It will give you so much experience and a foot up when it comes to talking points and resumes. Even if you have a tough major like Bio or Chem, plan your classes so that you have an easier semester/quarter and can take your GEs while abroad. * If you decide not to go abroad- do something different! You have been at school for 2 years now, and you still have one more after this, so do something comepletley different than the other years! Take a year off,  join a volunteer group, run for student body- do something that will give you a different experience than you have already gotten. * If nothing else- start doing internships. It is so important to start early so that you can get as many experiences as possible. You are going to want to know what you like as well as what you don’t like and you will find that out by doing multiple internships. – You also want some experience by the time you start applying to jobs your senior year. * Look at big company’s internship pages, because many of them take summer interns and you will want to do that the summer before your senior year if you can. * Make sure you are on course with your major- check the units and requirements to make sure that you graduate when you are hoping to. For more College advice from Annika visit https://sites.google.com/site/annikaadvice/juniors

Tips for College Sophomores

By Annika Rittenhouse

Sophomore year you are more comfortable with your surroundings and have started to feel like you belong and here are some thoughts on this point of college: * Do something a little more outside of what you would normaly do- join a club, sport or group that you have never tried before- you may learn something new about yourself! * Start thinking about the classes you have enjoyed taking and look into different majors. Check pre-requisites, gpa requirements and units when looking at majors because it could influence what major you decide you want to choose. * A note here- look at what jobs that type of major feeds in to- it can give you a sense of the skills and classes you will need, but don’t think that because you choose a certain major you can’t do a specific job. * Start thinking about programs that you might want to do your junior year. Many times bigger programs require applications that need to be turned in your sophmore year. Visit UCSB Alumni Aninika Rittenhouse’s website for more great college advice. https://sites.google.com/site/annikaadvice/about-me

Interview tips for getting the Job you REALLY want!

 

By Annika Rittenhouse

Interviewing is scary. However, it won’t be as intimidating if you consider these pieces of advice:

* RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH! There is nothing worse than going into an interview unprepared. The more you know the less stressed you will feel going in to the interview. Research things like who are the top executives, what is/are the product(s), who are their users/audience, how do they market? Tailor the research based upon the role you are interviewing for but it is always good to have background knowledge on the company in general.

* Take as many interviews as you can. Practice may not make perfect but it will definitely improve your skills and confidence. You will learn from each interview so when you finally get to that really important one you know what the process is like (side note- if you are completely uninterested in the position don’t waste the interviewers time, just decline politely).

* Search interview questions either online or from your career center- yours may not be exactly the same but it can get you in the right frame of mind.

* Write down your questions you have before you go in. Spontaneous questions can be good and insightful but it is also helpful to have questions you have thought through- it will let the interviewer know you put effort into preparing for the interview.

*Bring extra resumes just in case. Usually they will ask for you resume pre-interview but always be prepared.

* Dress professionally. Even if they say it is a casual place figure out what is one step above their dress code and do that, you never want to be under-dressed.

* Send a thank you note after your interview, either by email or snail mail. It will leave a good impression and keep you at the top of their mind.

What I did:

I prepared prepared prepared! You are bound to be nervous about an interview but it will seriously help if you aren’t nervous about not knowing about the company. The interview that gave me perspective on how to prepare correctly for interviews was actually my bartending interview to work at Joe’s Cafe in Santa Barbara. I had gone in assuming I did not need to prepare much, just my resume and my bartending experience- but boy was I wrong! I was asked a list of 15 questions with things like: Who owns this bar? What other bars does he own? Why did you choose this bar over others? Why would you be good for this bar specifically? What are your strengths and weaknesses? How do you handle criticism? And on and on…. I never went into another interview unprepared.

I researched not only the company, but their products, history, competitors and how they earned their revenue. This took weeks for me to do, but gave me much more confidence when going in to the interview and in every interview I learned something new. I practiced interviewing with friends who gave me questions I hadn’t considered and helped me prepare for spontaneous answers.

I interviewed in LA for a sales job that after the interview I realized was not for me, but it gave me practice in how to answer tough questions about myself and again how to make it personal to the company.

I would say the interview that helped me the most was my interview at VISA Inc. I had prepared for weeks/months for this interview and felt confident I had done everything I could do to prepare. I went in to the interview and was immediately met with a stone cold interviewer. She had no facial expressions and after every answer would go on to the next question. I got questions about every internship I had held and school work I had done. Luckily I had thought about all of these types of questions before hand and was not totally blindsided. I even had prepared questions for them before hand so that I didn’t have to stress about thinking of them on the spot.

I realized here that you have to be prepared for any type of interviewer and you cannot let it influence your confidence. I left the interview a little bit concerned but again knew I had done everything I could. I ended up not getting the job and in hindsite honestly know it was for the best and I know I was not the best person for the job. I had wanted the job so badly I did not consider the job responsibilities very carefully- many responsibilities included financial/economic knowledge but because it was labelled marketing I didn’t consider the specific responsibilities.

Having gone through a tough and intense set of interviews at VISA I was so much more comfortable when I went to Google. Again I prepared before I went in and was confident that I knew the basics I needed to know. These interviews (5) went so much better than the others because I was passionate about the work and could show how my experience in college related to what the job was asking of me. I was asked the same question in one interview as I had been asked at VISA and thank goodness for having already had the question, and now knew I could answer it confidently. So even though I did not get the VISA job and rejected the other jobs I had interviewed for, those interviews ended up preparing me very well for my final interview(s) at Google where I ended up finding my home.

For more great college advice from Annika visit her website:

 https://sites.google.com/site/annikaadvice/interviews

Job Hunting

By Annika Rittenhouse

Finding a job is going to be the most frustrating and exciting thing you do while in college. Here is where your internships become your core for knowing your skill base, what jobs interest you, what jobs you do not want to do and what you really qualify for. Some tips for Job Hunting are:

* Search EARLY and by early I mean before your senior year! Many big companies recruit during fall of your senior year and you do not want to miss out on an opportunity because you didn’t know it existed.

* Search company websites- there are so many more jobs than the basic doctor, lawyer, nurse, teacher stereotypes. See what jobs there actually are out there.

* Know what you enjoy, either in classes, internships or your everyday life. If you do not like a strict schedule and long working hours do not search for jobs being a lawyer or high level consultant, you will not be happy if you end up with that type of job.

* Figure out what you are passionate about. Even if it is something little. If you can find part of that in a job you are much more likely to A) get the job B) enjoy the job and C) be good at the job.

*Take Breaks! This can be hard when you feel like you are in a time crunch and you need a job NOW but you will get burnt out if you do not take a break from the job hunting.

* Sign up for recommendations from sites such as Monster, Linkedin, CareerBuilder etc they will help give you job postings based on your interests.

* Send personalized and specified resumes to every job application. This may seem tedious but it will give you a much better chance at getting a call back.

* Do not get down on yourself if you aren’t getting call backs. It only takes one call back and a lot of the time if they don’t want you, you probably don’t want them.

* Apply to lots of jobs! You will not get called back for all of them (or any) so cast a wide net when job searching.

* Keep a folder on you computer of companies or jobs you are interested in for you to come back to- also note which companies you have already applied for because after awhile they might start to blend together and if you get a call back you want to be able to pull up that specific resume and cover letter when talking with them.

* Always send a cover letter. This will give them a better sense of why you are good for the job  Make sure each cover letter is company specific- describe why you want to work for them specifically- it will definitely let them know you are serious and put in the effort.

What I did:

I got to watch all of my friends and roommates do the whole job search and interview thing before I really had to start and in a way it helped me be a better job hunter.

I had started putting feelers out in the job world about April of my Senior Year (although I still had that extra quarter in the Fall) just to see what was out there and what I had experience for. At the time I had only done two internships and was not finding much that I had enough experience for. So I put my searching on hold until after I came back fromWashingtonD.C.and had more internship experience.

When I came back I started searching for jobs right away. I put my resume in Monster and had jobs sent to me from multiple job search sites. This was very helpful because when I did not feel like searching, my email would give me recommendations. I actually got calls from recruiters because they saw my resume on Monster including Youtube and Sales companies inNew York. I got call backs and went to interviews but I did not settle for a job just because it was a job, I wanted to do something I at least had some interest in. I began to get extremely frustrated with looking for jobs because I felt like I had sent out a million resumes and cover letters and wasn’t getting the responses I wanted. So I took a few days off of looking and tried not to even think about it. That ended up being very helpful because when I would come back to it I felt energized and ready to go again.

Even on the days I did not feel like writing a cover letter or resume I would have a folder in my favorites for sites that I wanted to send my resume to later so that I didn’t have to search from scratch every time.  When I started getting call backs was when I would write a cover letter very specific to the company and job I was looking for. The generic cover letter never gave me a follow up. I started to get annoyed- hadn’t I done all of these internships so that I could get a job when I graduated? Hadn’t I gotten good grades all four years? I didn’t understand why I wasn’t get more calls for jobs I really wanted, until I realized it was because I was applying to things I was not very interested in. I thought I should apply to jobs only my majors directed me towards and I got stuck searching for the basic job titles that everyone else always searches for. When I got my email about the job at Google in Career Development I also realized that I got it because I loved what that job required and had some experience actually doing it. I did not find out about my Google opportunity until December (during finals) which goes to show its not a good idea to take a mediocre job just because you want one. That is not to say you need to wait for the job of your dreams, but at least give yourself some time to find something you truly enjoy.