Tag: career

 

 

Out of all the clubs and events I have gone to as a Freshman at Baruch, I realized the only thing I have not attended was any career type event. I knew I would have to go to something in order to fulfill my requirement for Freshman Seminar and that’s how I ended up at South Asian Student Association(SASA). They were going over resume’s, taking head shots, and teaching students how to use LinkedIn.

I opted for the resume review and I got a lot of great tips in what seemed like less than 10 minutes. One of the seniors at the club Lav, really gave me a better insight into how to improve my resume. One of the biggest shocks that I had was when he told us that recruiters take approximately 6 seconds to read through your resume. Therefore, it is important that your resume grabs the readers attention and enables you to get hired. I think personally the most crucial piece of information was to quantify your bullet points. Every bullet should have a number and some kind of powerful/action verb. I was surprised that the easiest way to improve your resume was to add in specific details. Instead of writing “helped tutored kids” as a bullet point, a much better way to convey that same thing would be to write “assisted in teaching 50 kindergarten-high school students in Mathematics”. Something so simple can really be the difference between being considered for the position or not. Besides that, the other tips were mainly about the aesthetic appeal of the resume. It had to have the dates on the right side, contain as little white space as possible, have your name bigger than everything else, etc. All things that I wouldn’t consider to be of value, yet they can make all the difference in the recruitment process.

Lav taught me and my friends a lot about how to improve our resumes and I was very thankful for the opportunity.  I definitely look forward to attending another career orientated workshop as they do help in preparing me for my future, and especially since they come at no extra cost.

 

With friends, I went to a Starr Career Development Center workshop. This event was about the on campus recruiting that happens at Baruch College. It was targeted mostly towards juniors and seniors, but we decided to go anyways to see what it was about. We decided to go to the on campus recruiting workshop because we didn’t want to be stressed about going to one the week of enrolling into classes. We were nervous that because the event was mostly hosted for junior and seniors, we would be the only first years there so we tried to stay inconspicuous and not look so out of place.

The whole workshop covered three different topics; the resume, the on campus recruitment, and the interview. I found the parts about the resume and interview part the most helpful to me now because I would most likely be using those skills soon rather than the on campus recruiting that would happen in a couple years. For the on campus recruiting section of the info session, the presenter explained how to use and navigate the website the Starr Career Development Center uses to keep track of the students going through on campus recruiting. She explained how to set up our profiles and what should and shouldn’t be on it. She went through the do’s and don’ts for interviews and what you should do after and during an interview. At the beginning of the event, a manual book was passed out to everyone attending, explaining everything in greater detail that the presenter talked about. Overall, I thought that this event was helpful in that it prepared me a little bit of what to expect in the future. Going to this specific event makes us eligible for on campus recruiting for when we do actually decide to do it, so we won’t have to worry about going to the event again in the future since it is only available twice a year.

On October 25, 2017, I walked into the Starr Career Development Center during the resume walk in hours. I did not know what kind of feedback to expect, but I was hoping it would be useful. Shocking – it turns out the Career Development Center is a helpful resource.

Although I had to wait awhile because I did not have an appointment, it was worthwhile. By the time it was my turn I met with a student advisor who gave me detailed feedback. We talked about the different ways to format a professional resume and how to use power adjectives to enhance one’s accomplishments. Before the session, I was not aware of what power adjectives even were; if I ever used any in the past I did so either because it sounded right or it was what was listed on Thesaurus.com.

One of the few problems I had with the Starr Career Development Center was that it was so business oriented that there was not much information about how to format a resume intended for a company other than a business company. I am a Cinematographic Production and Investment Major who would most likely be applying to production companies. The industries are different and require different formatting. Business resume’s are more likely to be structured and formal whereas depending on what one is applying for in the film industry the format of the resume could be very different; the resume could be more creative, colorful, or less formal.

Although there was small discrepancy, I still learned a lot about resume building. There are rules that are uniform throughout the industries such as consistency, chronological formatting, and bullet points. Oh yes – the bullet points are very important. The bullet points are utilized to describe what one learned and accomplished through their experiences. Overall, I am glad I walked into Starr and I will most certainly do so again.

Last Thursday my friends and I attended a resume building workshop hosted by the South Asian Student Association (SASA). This workshop was comprised of three different stations. The first was meeting with some upperclassmen to discuss the importance of your resume. The second was learning how to make and maintain a LinkedIn profile and the third was a professional headshot station. I had a copy of my resume with me so I was able to share it with a member of the club who is a senior. Lav was able to give me tips on how to make my resume appear better and how to possibly add more content to it. Some of the tips he gave me included: making your name the biggest thing on the page, getting rid of the white space, have consistency with the spacing, use aggressive verbs, and use a higher level of vocabulary. We were even given a statistic which said that the average amount of time that an employer spends looking at your resume is six seconds. The best piece of advice that I received was to make your resume look the best that you can because employers usually judge it with a glance.

The other station which I attended was the LinkedIn profile design. I do not have a profile yet but I know it is very important to have one. The leader of the station told us that LinkedIn is a branding tool that every person who wants to work in Corporate America needs. Also, when employers do a web search on their employees, LinkedIn profiles are often one of the first things that appear on search engines, so it is always beneficial to have all your accomplishments right there in front of your prospective employer. This workshop was very helpful in that I was able to get a lot of my questions about my future career answered. I would recommend everyone to attend some type of workshop like the one I attended just to get another pair of eyes to look over your professional plan.

On Halloween, my fellow classmates and I attended an on campus recruiting workshop presented by the Starr Career Development Center.  I’m actually glad I signed up for this workshop rather than trick or treating, because I’m more aware of what I need to do to apply for an internship or job.  Baruch’s on campus recruiting program (OCR) is similar to the traditional job search, except it makes it much more easier for you.  Various companies send recruiters to Baruch to inform students about paid, full-time job opportunities and interviews are conducted on campus.  

The workshop was mainly geared towards juniors and seniors, but the information I learned will help prepare me for future career opportunities.  Such information includes how to write a resume and cover letter, how to prepare for an interview, what to do/not do during an interview, how to network and make an impression on employers, what happens when you renege, and so on.  Since I attended the OCR workshop, I am eligible to apply to both internships and full-time positions through OCR and I won’t have to attend the workshop again as long as I’m a student at Baruch.  

I found the information I learned about resume writing to be extremely useful.  For instance, on the resume I have now, I put that I’m proficient in Excel; however, it’s not recommended that I put that down if I don’t know it very well because employers might ask questions about it.  So instead of saying I’m proficient, it’s all right to say that I’m basic or intermediate at Excel, which is better than being caught in a white lie.  Another piece of information that I found helpful was that I can practice interviews by using the Starr Search Mock Interview Module.

OCR definitely gives you an advantage when it comes to looking for a job, but it’s very competitive.  It’s recommended that you keep your options open and look outside of OCR, as well.  Though I won’t start my job search now, I’m fully equipped with the tools and resources when the time does come.

This Halloween instead of going out tricking people unless I get a treat, I attended an on-campus recruiting workshop. I know it’s lame, but hear me out. Baruch’s on-campus recruiting program (OCR) is a great opportunity for students to make connections and get interviews for a range of positions with companies all across the New York tri-state area.

OCR workshops are primarily geared towards juniors and seniors, but everyone is welcomed. The hour and a half long workshop covered topics such as general OCR information and policies, how to navigate through Starr Search, resume and cover letter writing recommendations, steps to do before an interview, what to do/not to do during the interview, what to do after the interview, and how to accept/decline job offers. Most importantly, attending and staying for the entire workshop qualifies you for OCR for two years or one semester after your graduation date, whichever comes first.

For me, this workshop was a pregame changer. OCR gives students a chance at internships and full-time positions, which most Baruch students don’t apply for until later in their college career. That means the two year certification warranty won’t last me long after I start applying for full-time positions. Although I will most likely have to return to the workshop again some time in the future to renew my certification, I am prepared in terms of what to expect when entering the work field. I can also apply the information from the presentation to apply for other positions outside of OCR, something the presenter highly recommended for us to do.

Every student will have to attend this workshop at some point during their time at Baruch. It may sound like another tedious chore in our career path, but in reality, it is a major boost.

As a new first-year college student here at Baruch College, you get bombarded almost every Tuesday and Thursday by clubs wanting to gain your interest enough that you hope to join them. Yet, there’s always that one section in the gym during club fair or that table on the second floor where people talk to you about internship opportunities- a table which is usually ignored by passing onlookers. Personally, it is something that I am interested in experiencing during my four years at Baruch. But I was still walking around clueless about how exactly I could obtain a internship and the steps that I would have to take to even just apply for one.

On October 5th, my friends and I decided to attend the Starr Career Development Center Internship Seminar at the Newman Vertical Campus, hosted by Michael Kalish. For 90 minutes, he went into very, and I mean VERY detailed information about exactly what an internship is, how they work, and the basic information about them. He also talked about the types of internships that exist, such as a paid internship and a non-paid internship and a zero-credit internship that is actually open to most freshman, something that I was not aware of. Still, Mr.Kalish even specified that no matter what type of internship you do, you have to receive some form of payment, whether it be monetary or in the form of academic credit. He even informed us to be cautious of any companies, which the exception of some non-profit organizations, who may try to take advantage of their interns by giving them meaningless tasks or trying to not pay them in some way for their services. Besides internships, Mr.Kalish even talked about the importance of resumes, which he says could be the deciding factor between you landing an internship/future job, and preparing for interviews. What surprised me to learn towards the end was the fact that Baruch offers tools to help their students and alumni obtain internships or jobs, and that Mr.Kalish’s team at SCDC even helps prepare students with mock interviews and through FOCUS. After attending this seminar, I am more confident in the various aspects of internships and knowledgable about what to do in order to obtain one, even setting a little personal goal for myself of hoping to get at least three internships by the time I graduate.

           

   

Internships are a great way to build up your resume, expose you to the working world and help you choose your career. This week my friends and I attended the Starr Career Development Center Internship. This was a very informative and interesting information session. The associate director of the Starr Career Development Center, Michael Kalish was our presenter. We discussed the different types of internships such as paid, unpaid, zero credit or credit. There are many opportunities for all the students at Baruch. One type of internship that stood out to me is the On Campus Recruiting Program or OCR. Companies come to Baruch to interview students with the intent to hire for internships and full time jobs. In my opinion, this is the best way to obtain a job. You are able to interview with a recruiter in a place you are comfortable with AKA Baruch College.

Mr. Kalish also talked about resumes, interviews and the best ways to find internships. He touched upon the importance of being confident in your resume and cover letter. He also stressed the consequences of making a silly mistake on your resume could cost you a potential full time or part time job. Baruch offers a lot of resources to better prepare you for an interview. Mock interviews and meetings with the Starr counselors will assure that your interview skills are up to par. As a freshman attending this seminar, I felt a little overwhelmed and anxious after talking about resumes. I know my resume isn’t perfect but the counselors and resume writing guides are things I’ll definitely keep in mind. Some ways to find the best internships are Starr search, indeed.com, internship fairs, SCDC bulletin boards and many more. To find out more information visit http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/careers/ or go to Starr Search to find your first internship.

-Jasmine Singh

On Thursday, October 5, my classmates and I attended the STARR Internship Seminar. It was set up to introduce the process for obtaining internships. Michael Kalish is a part of the STARR Career Development Center at Baruch and he provided us with plentiful amounts of information regarding the purpose of STARR and the resources that come with it. I had heard of it before through the many emails from Baruch I receive, but going to this seminar gave me a better understanding of what it was. There are plenty of internships available for whichever year of college you were in. I was so surprised at how easy it was to access different internship opportunities through the websites Michael provided to us. He even used a “dummy account” to show us the step by step process of finding an internship best fit for someone. The STARR Career Development Center has a counseling center with many people so you can walk in and ask for help in person. If you want assistance about an internship you had an interest in, they will guide you in seeing if it is a good fit for you or not. If that works out, they will even give you the opportunity to have a mock interview where someone from the office will interview you the way they would at a real internship. In my opinion, I think that is one of the best features for people who are planning on starting their first internship to get a feel for what to expect out of these mock interview, and even how to answer their questions strategically. I plan on interning later on and I know I will be using all the resources offered in the office as well as the website to ensure my confidence is high before I have to go in for the real interview.