Annual Career & Internship Fair brings opportunities to WSU Vancouver students

By Kelsea Rothaus
SRC Visual Marketing Intern

 The Career & Internship Fair is an event that rolls around once a year at the WSU Vancouver campus and lasts three days. Each day has a specific set of employers that are hand-picked by Career Services staff in the Student Resource Center. This year the employers were dispersed as follows:

 Day 1- General Busines

Day 2- Engineering & Computer Science

Day 3- Non-profit, Government & Sciences

Over the course of three days, there were over 80 employers who attended the Career & Internship Fair and the FSC building was packed with employers’ tables and eager students. There were a variety of career fields represented at the event and many students attended more than one day of the Fair because they learned that their major could open doors to a variety of career paths and fields they hadn’t considered before. One student, majoring in Digital Technology & Culture, was enthused to learn they could not only apply their skills to Web Development, but also to positions like Graphic Coordinating.

The event was a success as over 160 students attended each of the three days with resumes and business cards in hand. For some, it was a great chance to practice networking and communication skills. For others, it was an opportunity to see what jobs and internships were available.

Prior to the Career & Internship Fair, Students were encouraged to attend workshops hosted by staff members in the Student Resource Center. Workshops like “Making the Most of the Career & Internship Fair” and Resumes and LinkedIn Labs helped WSUV Cougar students and alumni alike prepare for the event.

An important facet of preparation for the fair was an Online Resume Book. The e-resume book was hosted though an online site called CougLink that students use to create a professional profile and search for career and internship opportunities. Employers that attended the Career & Internship Fair were given access to the student resumes that were submitted to the Online Resume Book.

The Student Resource Center’s Career Services staff is looking forward to planning the 2016 Career & Internship Fair event, which continues to brighten the future of Cougar students and alumni year after year.

 

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Successful Networking: A Student’s Experience

By Scarlett Hernandez

Career Services Assistant; WSUV Student

 

 Networking you say? Yesterday I went to the Civic Leadership Development Forum. I was personally invited by Diana Perez, the President of the Southwest Washington LULAC Council, which just so happens to be the organization I want to work for.

I was already nervous as I ran from the parking garage, into the pouring rain, to Vancouver City Hall. When I got to the forum I was expecting other students like myself, but other than a few of us, there were some really important people like Supreme Court Justice Steven Gonzalez and former state representative Phyllis Gutiérrez Kenney. Imagine how surprised I was when I walked into the room drenched and Justice Gonzalez was immediately there shaking my hand. As I went to take seat I saw Diana Perez and Phyllis Gutierrez-Kenny heading my way. At this point I was feeling beyond nervous and all I could hear my brain saying was “NETWORK!” I made eye contact and attempted to properly greet everyone. I somehow made my way to the lunch counter and was stirring a cup of coffee when Eulalia Soto, an immigration attorney, came and greeted me. I had actually met Eulalia once before at the LULAC summit earlier this year and told her I was studying to become a lawyer as well. Eulalia and I got to talking and she said I could job shadow her sometime. In fact, we are getting lunch next week! I also had the pleasure of meeting the President of the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber, Gale Castillo, and discussing scholarships with her. Honestly, the Leadership Forum was pretty much a dream come true and I made so many great connections. How did I make these connections?

Oh yeah—Networking!

Next semester, there will be an opportunity on campus for students to learn more about Networking in the Professional Development Workshops—namely the “Networking 101 Workshop” which will be held on Thursday, April 23^rd from 4:30pm to 5:30pm. Save the date on your calendar and we will make a location announcement as the workshop approaches.

Also, we would like to wish everyone a healthy and successful finals week and a safe, joyous, winter break. See you next Semester!

Additionally we have great options for examples on the WSU Vancouver Career Services site at www.vancouver.wsu.edu/career. Call the Student Resource Center for more information or appointments- 360-546-9155

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3 Ways to Build a Better Resume

By Heather Chase

Getting ready to graduate and feeling stumped about how to get the process started? Here are some tips and tricks to creating a polished resume:

1. Create your own style & format:

It’s easy to start with a template in Word, however, once you start rocking and rolling on a resume that fits your experiences it becomes more challenging to move around your information and make that resume fit for you. Start fresh with a blank word document; we’ve got lots of template examples on our Career Services page to start the process!

 2.Class projects:

Have you had a relevant class project that can highlight your hands on experience in a particular field? Did you write policy, create a web design, work in group projects, shadow or work with a company for audits/marketing plans…etc? Add that to your resume, this gives employers a chance to see your skills and experience in action if you do not have a lot of paid work experience in your career field of interest.

3. Proofread:

Have a second set of eyes check over your resume (and cover letter) before you click send or submit. When you have another person review your information, it helps to check out the little pieces that you know so well. Check it over for yourself too, one tip is to read your information backwards- it helps your brain catch the easy errors that we often skip right over! Always proofread and edit, it’s the essential extra step that can make a difference in your materials.

These tips are just a few quick tips for getting started with your resume journey. Join us for workshops and walk in hours, follow us on Twitter for more tips @VanCougCareer. Additionally we have great options for examples on the WSU Vancouver Career Services site at www.vancouver.wsu.edu/career. Call the Student Resource Center for more information or appointments- 360-546-9155

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Review of the Annual Etiquette Dinner

Students and Alumni enjoying the Etiquette Dinner

By Kelsea Rothaus

Last week marked the date of the Annual Etiquette Dinner hosted on campus at WSU Vancouver. The event was a success! The room was filled with students and alumni taking advantage of the opportunity to practice networking skills and formal dining. The dinner featured a four-course meal and a presentation by corporate etiquette and protocol expert, Lori Hennessey who told us:

“Your event is one of my absolute favorites and your students are always respectful and engaged…the best.”

            -Lori Hennessey

In the future, students might find themselves in an unfamiliar situation, such as, being interviewed, spending time in a new culture or being invited to a company dinner. It is helpful to have prior experience with formal dining and networking to develop poise and professionalism.Sometimes interviewees are invited to a dinner during the interview process. The proper dining situation will give the supervisors more information about the potential employee. The interviewer might observe the way the employee candidate conducts them-selves around higher-up colleagues or how they might act around new clients.

 

Student Interview

We interviewed student, Scarlett Hernandez to see what she had to say about the event!

 What is your major?

I am a Public Affairs major. I just switched to this major and haven’t got that far into it yet, but I like the political science class that I am taking for it. I am focusing on Justice Studies and I was looking at some of the other classes I will be taking and I am super excited!

What motivated you to attend the Etiquette Dinner?

As a Public Affairs major I know that I will need to learn how to be professional and be around people. I figured that the etiquette dinner would be a great head start.

In what ways do you think etiquette can benefit future plans for students?

I think formal etiquette is necessary for honestly everyone. We are in a very professional world and have to interact with many people. It is important to have proper manners and social skills.

 What would be your super-power for professional situations?

I would like to be a people reader, not like a mind reader, but someone that knows who is easy to talk to and who is a good connection.

 Is there anything you learned about yourself during the event you’d like to share?

I learned that when I talk to people or shake hands I tend to tilt my head and lower myself, which was something mentioned at the dinner. I was very much aware that I was doing it and tried to stop.

 What did you enjoy most about the networking aspect?

I really enjoyed meeting new people. Also, I do the interviews for Cougar Career Spotlights and I actually got to meet some of the alumni I had interviewed, which was super cool!

Are there any interesting or funny situations you have witnessed at a formal dinner?

I had never really been to a formal dinner, but at the etiquette dinner when I went to shake hands with someone I dumped a whole glass of water on myself.

How would you convince a student on campus to attend the next Etiquette Dinner?

Going to any event provides a fun learning experience and it’s a great way to meet people you wouldn’t necessarily talk to on a regular day.

 

The next Etiquette Dinner will be during Fall semester of 2015 but not to worry, there are many other great events and workshops that are hosted by the SRC on a weekly basis.

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Making Connections: Retrospective Advice

Krista Griffin – SRC Program Assistant

By Krista Griffin

 

Getting involved on campus can positively influence the experience a student has in college; this might be joining a club, participating in student government, working with faculty on research, or even getting connected with an internship opportunity. Sometimes the best opportunities are not necessarily obvious, or right in front of you, but rather you have to create them yourself.

 

I graduated from WSU Vancouver in 2012, and during my last semester as an undergraduate I served as the intern for the Student Resource Center. I created my own internship opportunity by connecting with my former academic advisor who worked with me to provide an internship experience that fit my areas of interests. I was interested in working with professionals in higher education, and was able to learn a little bit about each department within Student Affairs. I collaborated with advisors to present success workshops, helped at the FAFSA Feed, Career Fair, Involvement Fair, as well as events that admissions put on for prospective students. While my internship was not paid, I did receive credit towards graduation, had the opportunity to network with professionals in the field of work I was pursuing, and not to mention got some great work experience to add to my resume. For the past year I have been working full time in the SRC as the front desk Program Assistant, and feel fortunate that I landed a job so quickly after I graduated.

I often think about where I would be if I didn’t get involved, because I truly believe the experience I gained from my internship helped me succeed in getting hired in my current job position.

 

My advice for all students, whether you’re just starting out in your college career or getting ready to graduate, not only think about what opportunities this campus has to offer you, but also be thinking about how you ultimately create your own college experience and have the power to generate your own opportunities. Make sure you utilize faculty and advisors, attend networking events like the Career Fair and stop in at Office of Student Involvement to find out about ways to get involved. If you find yourself stuck, you can always contact the SRC to make an appointment with our career counselor to get help polishing up your cover letter and resume and even go over job/internship searching strategies. We want to help students succeed by giving them the tools and resources to support a positive college experience!

The New Alumni Job Search Seminar

The New Alumni Job Search Seminar is coming up May 21st. We’ll see all you new grads there, go cougs! http://ow.ly/d/1cUa