JOB SEARCH for CIT SENIORS

1
JOB SEARCH for CIT SENIORS GRADUATING STUDENTS

• Presented by
• Lisa Dickter, dickter_at_andrew
• Carol Young, caroly_at_andrew
• CIT Career Consultants
• Carnegie Mellon, UC-Lower Level
• [phone]
• bboard cmu.cit.career
• www.cmu.edu/career

2
TOP 5 Successful Job Search Strategies for CIT
Graduates

• TartanTRAK
• Networking
• Self-Directed Search (combination of calls,
  emails, websites, contacts, etc.)
• TOC
• Previous Internship

3
KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCH

• Start early
• Have Lisa or Carol review your resume
• Start checking TartanTRAK now
• Must have EXCELLENT interviewing skills
• Treat your job search like a 9 unit course
• Get a notebook, stay organized, give yourself
  homework assignments
• Plan on sending out more than 100 resumes (use
  many different strategies-alumni, TartanTRAK,
  TOC, etc.)
• Learn to network with everyone you know
• Persistence

4
What is the Current Situation for CIT Students?

• Students are generally getting 1-3 offers
• Companies vary on when they make offers
  (November - April)
• Number of companies for Fall 05 is greater than
  Fall 04
• The TOC job fair is booked
• On-campus recruiting is overbooked

5
Last Fall Semester SCENARIO 1

• You submitted 20 resumes in TartanTRAK
• You were preselected for 5 interviews
• You liked/had a good fit with 3 of those
• 2 of the ones you liked, asked you for site
  visits
• You liked 1 of the site visits
• YOU GET ONE OFFER (from the site visit you didnt
  like!!)

6
Last Fall Semester SCENARIO 2

• You submitted 20 resumes in TartanTRAK
• You were preselected for 2 interviews
• You were offered NO site visits

7
Fall Semester Do NOT Be Picky BE
Proactive

• Submit your resume for many interviews in TTRAK
• Pursue many companies on your own through
  contacts
• Make personal contacts rather than computer
  contacts
• Do not wait until March to ask Carol/Lisa why you
  didnt get any job offers..ask in November

PURSUE LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES
8
Job Search Checklist

• Update your resume and cover letter
• Practice interviewing
• Schedule a meeting with Carol or Lisa (8-2064)
• Visit the Career Center Library and website
• Develop a huge list of potential employers
• Figure out the best way to send your resume to
  employers (networking, U.S. mail, email, hand
  deliver, job fairs, TartanTRAK, alumni contact)
• Follow-up two weeks later with each employer
• Start a notebook and stay organized
• Schedule times for your job search
• BE PERSISTENT and BE PROACTIVE!

9
Get Ready for Job SearchDecisions Decisions

• Values/Priorities
• What kind of employer/industry?
• Geographic location?
• Type of work/projects?
• Atmosphere?
• Be as flexible as possible

10
Prepare for Interviews

• Wear a professional business suit
• Practice your answers
• Research the company
• STAR (Situation, Task Action, Result)
• Write a thank you letter/email after each
  interview and site visit
• Did you know that employers may evaluate your
  campus interview? See Carol or Lisa to review
  your interview evaluations

11
Practice Your Interviewing Skills

• If the company can only offer ONE site visit, you
  have to be THE best interview out of 12 students!
• Think of the interview as a final exam-if you
  dont do well, you wont graduate or in this
  case, you wont get a job.so STUDY!!

12
Schedule a Mock Interview

• Two options (can choose both)
• Real recruiter (starting Sept. 5)
• Sign-up on TartanTRAK, Interview Connect with
  Employers, Event Type is open
• Receive interview feedback
• Your Career Consultant
• Can be videotaped
• Receive interview feedback
• Sign up by calling 412-268-2064

13
Be Prepared for All Job Fairs

• Prepare
• Resume critiqued
• Write and practice your personal commercial
• Research the companies on the job fair websites
• Tech Sunday September 25, 11am 3pm (UC)
• www.cmu.edu/techsunday
• Job Fairs
• Technical Opportunities Conference (TOC)
  September 29 (UC) www.cmu.edu/toc
• Business Opportunities Conference (BOC)
  September 30 (UC) www.cmu.edu/boc
• WestPACS November 10 (Monroeville Expomart)
• www.westpacs.org

14
Attend Workshops

• You are not born knowing how to have a successful
  interview

• These skills are learned
• We offer many workshops on career-related topics
• See new schedule at the beginning of each
  semester

15
Use TartanTRAK Effectively

• Update and upload your resume
• BEWARE even if you choose the option allow
  employers to search online in the M-TRAK resume
  database you still have to submit your resume
  to each position
• There are TWO databases
• 1st is Search Jobs Internships
• 2nd is Interview Connect with Employers
• Search Jobs Internships
• National classified ads
• Not campus interviews
• Submit your resume for each position

16
Use TartanTRAK Effectively (contd)

• Interview Connect with Employers
• Resume Drops resume collection
• Event type is resume drop
• Mock Interviews practice interview with employer
• Event type is open
• Campus Interviews in the Career Center
• Event Type is preselect
• Submit your resume for each position you are
  interested in
• Notice the many deadlines
• Write down the preselect sign up date

17
TartanTRAK (continued)

• Continually monitor Personal Dates to see if
  you were chosen for an interview
• If you were preselected, then sign up for a
  specific interview time
• Must cancel before 24 hours or TartanTRAK
  privileges will be revoked
• Use an active strategy
• Information sessions
• Contact information
• On-line CIT Resume Books
• (in TT-Interviews a resume drop)
• Dont use TartanTRAK as your only job search
  strategy

18
Gather Your People NetworkTHE most powerful
job search strategy!

• Family members
• Faculty
• Past supervisors
• Alumni (use _at_the fence)
• Colleagues
• Tell everyone that you are job searching

19
SUPER Additional Resources

• Career Search Database
  
• 1.8 million potential employers---not job
  openings
• Enter the url below and sign in with your andrew
  id and password
• Then create your own username and password for
  careersearch
• Able to save and download searches
• Can limit search by location, industry and
  keyword
• www.studentaffairs.cmu.edu/career/careersearch

20
SUPER Additional Resources

• Alumni Database
• www.cmu.edu/alumni
• - click on _at_ the Fence
• - click on New User and obtain a username
  and password (it is NOT your andrew id)
• - click on Alumni Directory
• - type username and password
• - click on Custom Search

21
Use Career Centers Web Pagehttp//www.cmu.edu/ca
reer

• Employer websites
• -Click Info. for Students---Click Employment
  Assistance--
• -Click employer name
• Salary statistics
• Calendar of upcoming events

• Career Quick Tips
• Tips on career-related topics
• Sample resumes, cover letters, how to interview,
  cost of living index, how to negotiate,
  networking
• On-line career library- Vault.com and Wetfeet for
  company research
• TartanTRAK

22
CAREER CENTERLibrary Resources

• Dont need an appointment to use the library

• Access to over 400 books on interviewing, company
  profiles, graduate schools, and resumes
• Most books can be borrowed

23
Career Counseling

• Meet with CIT Career Consultant
• Discuss your specific career plans/ideas/wishes
• Get advice on the graduate school decision
• Learn how to negotiate
• how to juggle deadlines
• Have your resume and cover letter reviewed
• Help you stay focused

24
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT with Your CIT Career
Consultant

• Carol Young
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Engineering and Public Policy
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Call [phone] for an appointment
• caroly_at_andrew.cmu.edu

• Lisa Dickter
• Biomedical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Civil Environmental Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Call [phone] for an appointment
• dickter_at_andrew.cmu.edu

25
Job Search Ethics for Interviewing, Site Visits
and Job Offers

• You are expected to --
• Attend all scheduled campus interviews
• Be on-time for campus interviews and site visits
• Present your qualifications in a truthful manner
• Honor all agreements made with recruiters. This
  is especially true with site visits.
• Honor all agreements made with recruiters. This
  is especially true of accepting a job offer
• Cease interviewing upon your acceptance of a job
  offer

26
Start Early

• September
• Keep using TT-Interviews
• Attend information sessions
• Sign-up for mock interview
• Attend Tech Sunday
• Attend job fairs TOC, BOC
• Attend workshops
• October
• Keep using TT-Interviews
• Follow-up with job fair contacts
• Pursue list of potential employers
• Start interviewing

• August
• Update resume and have it reviewed by Lisa or
  Carol
• Upload new resume into TartanTRAK
• Submit resume to specific positions on
  TT-Interviews
• Create your list of potential employers
• Gather your network

27
Timeline-continued

• December
• Like November
• May start getting job offers
• January
• Like December
• Negotiate and juggle
• February
• Like January
• Make decision(s)
• March
• Like February

• November
• If you arent getting site visits, super charge
  your independent job search and visit Lisa or
  Carol
• Continue interviewing
• Start site visits
• Send out more resumes
• Follow-up more

28
Job Search Checklist

• Review your resume and cover letter
• Practice interviewing
• Schedule a meeting with Carol or Lisa (8-2064)
• Visit the Career Center Library and website
• Develop a huge list of potential employers
• Figure out the best way to send your resume to
  employers (networking, U.S. mail, email, hand
  deliver, job fairs, TartanTRAK, alumni contact)
• Follow-up two weeks later with each employer
• Start a notebook and stay organized
• Schedule times for your job search
• BE PERSISTENT and BE PROACTIVE!

29
NEXT STEPS(when you leave here)

• Update your resume by September 9
• Update your TartanTRAK resume and user profile
  by September 9
• Start submitting your resume in TT-Interview
  Connect with Employers for campus interviews
  (2nd database) by September 9
• Have resume reviewed by Lisa or Carol at resume
  reviews by September 16
• Schedule a mock interview by October 1