Career Development Center

Nancy Stubblefield, Career Coordinator

Bragg Mass Communication, Room 130

www.mtsu.edu/~career New CDC Mission (Fall 2008)

 The mission of the Career Development Center is to prepare and engage students in a comprehensive career development process with a focus on lifelong learning. This is accomplished by providing innovative resources and integrated technology, which will assist students to effectively transition from an academic setting into their career field. 

Registration with LJS

Open an account at: www.mtsu.edu/~career

Click on red “register now” under LJS logo.

Fill out the form. Read the Use Statement.

After submitting, the CDC will confirm your academic information and send an email with your username and password. 

Please allow 1-2 business days for this to occur!

Tools for Success

www.mtsu.edu/~career  

Six Steps to Career Success

1. Assessing

• What are my strengths?• What do I like to do?• Why am I in this major? • What are my work interests?• What is my personality?• What are my skills?

If you don’t know what you’re selling, you can’t expect anyone to buy it!

Check out the sample portfolio on Focus 2

2. Exploring

• Researching job industries 

• Researching job functions• Majors Fair• Focus II

CDC Internet Resourceshttp://career.web.mtsu.edu/resources.htm

What can I do with my skills, ability, interests, and major?(If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?)

3. Building

• CDC Resume Guide• Perfect Interview • JobChoices Magazine (free copy available in CDC)

• Critique of resumes & cover letters by staff

• CDC Internet resources list – for detailed list of resources

Building your job-search skills  – writing resumes /cover letters and interviewing effectively.  It is not the best candidate that gets the internship or job, but the best prepared!

Career TV selections :•Tips for Keeping Resume Out of the Trash (1:37)•Cover Letters-Right Way/Wrong Way (1:44)•Employer Voice Mail (1:09)

Resumes Types

Three Basic Styles

Chronological Functional Hybrid

Resumes that REACH

• Readable• Emphasize strengths• Applicable experience

• Consistent• Hire me!

Objective/Profile/Summary

• One or two sentences about the kind of job you want and what you can contribute to the company in return

• Get the reader’s attention quickly

BAD OBJECTIVE:• “Desire a position where skills are utilized.”

How could this objective be improved?

Be specific!GOOD OBJECTIVES:• Recording Industry candidate with Spanish minor and 

customer service experience seeks career in record promotions.

• Public Relations candidate with experience in event planning, advertising and sales seeks internship with a  non-profit agency.

• Electronic Media degreed candidate with experience in television writing, editing and production seeks career in news industry.   An ideal candidate for position as a Production Assistant.

Objectives

Education

• Know your degree!• EDUCATION

Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN May 2010Bachelor of Science in Mass CommunicationConcentration: Electronic Media CommunicationMinor: Information Systems and Political ScienceGPA: 3.3 Specialized Coursework: Sports Writing Computer Science Business CommunicationMedia Writing Media Law Media Design

Subjective Skills/Hard Skills

• Friendly and helpful• Hard Worker• Dependable• People Person• Fast Learner

• Microsoft Office: Excel, Word, Powerpoint and Publisher• Writing News Releases, Public

Speaking, Leadership• Familiar with InDesign and

Photoshop

Experience….Create Depth

• Begin bullet with action word• Start each bullet with a different action word to show

creativity• Go the distance……think of situations which show an

action and result• Examples:

– Promoted new menu items to customers to improve sales and meet weekly goals

– Answered customer questions and resolved complaints to improve customer satisfaction

– Developed a promotional fund raising campaign which resulted in pledges of over 30K

Key Word Searches

• Create a five star resume!• List relevant skills and key words • Coursework/Professional Training• Accreditations and Licenses

Cover Letter

• Copy your resume header to compliment• Use proper business letter formatting• Like an objective, the cover letter should be specific to the position  - if known• These are some of the tips I give students when reviewing a cover letter:•  • Be creative, don’t start every sentence with I• Use your previous job experience to show how you could be effective in their job opening

• Don’t use too many clichés from online sources and books• Consider the marketing appeal of your format

• Traditional format letter - job openings where you know the contact and are familiar with the company

• Cold lead format – sent to companies in hope of job opportunity• Networking format – Referred to company by a friend

References

• References available upon request• Portfolio available upon request• References and portfolio available at www.mywebpage.com

• Create new page with matching header• Include three to five contacts and their title, organization, address, phone number, and email

• Check with your contacts before using them

Portfolio – Electronic or Paper?

• Showcase, but don’t show too much of one type• Cover letter/Bio about yourself• Graphic experience• Demos of recordings• Jump drives, CD’s or hard copies• Refer to website using personal web page – be careful not to include address and personal information

Practice makes 

Interactive mock interview program

Web cam in Career Development Center

Records answers

Review yourself and send to your professor or career coordinator for comments

Check out a sample interview  video (Requires Internet Explorer Browser)! 

4. Experimenting

After developing or building job search skills, it is important to get practical information and experience.

1. Lightning JobSource2. Cooperative Education Program3. University Internship Program4. Academic Internship Programs5. EXL Program6. Service Learning Program7. Student Employment Program8. Career Fairs – Internship, Summer 

Jobs, Fall, Spring, etc. 

5. Implementing

Implementing Your PlanJob Search or Graduate/Professional School

• UPDATE your Lightning JobSource account• Campus Recruiting Program • MTSU Fall & Spring Fairs• MTSU Alumni Association• Networking (see CTV video; 2:44)• Faculty & Academic Advisors for GPS• Joining Professional and Student 

OrganizationsCTV : Job Hunting-Hitting the Streets (:29)

6. Practicing

Life-long Career Management

How many jobs will the average person have between the ages of 18 and 42?

Your first job out of college is the first of many experiences you will have.  

In a recent longitudinal study by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, individuals held an average of 10.8 jobs from ages 18 to 42, with the majority of the jobs being held before age 27. 

Practicing Tip

Leave Gracefully

•Give notice – 2 weeks or more•Leave on good terms•Offer to assist with transition period•Build your last employer up!

Networking

Alumni Informational Interviews – Coming Soon in iModules

MTSU Alumni Events – Join Linked In and Alumni Facebook

I’m sure Mom’s proud. . . 

Social Networking video on CTV (1:47) 

Questions?