tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5941404459775865392024-02-08T10:57:55.363-08:00Management Job SearchManagement Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-87525383714374007672009-04-22T09:02:00.000-07:002009-04-30T12:11:40.416-07:00So where do I go from here?Lucky for me everything seems to be falling into place: I found a job, I found roommates and an apartment, and when things go as planned, I'm graduating on May 16<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span>. So now what do I do?<br /><br />It's really weird that I will be staying around Worcester once I graduate. I've loved being here the past 4 years and I have made some great memories but it's really not going to be the same since most of the people I've made those memories with are going to be gone. It will be quite an experience to figure out what to do with my time once I start working.<br /><br />It has been a long 4 years here but the last couple months have gone by so fast. Each year has brought up a new <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">challenge</span> for me and has made this experience great. Freshman year was the challenge of finally being away from home and needing to make new friends. Lucky for me I had a great group of women on the field hockey team to learn the ropes of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">WPI</span> from and I had a great group of women on my floor freshman year. By November I was a part of a Greek organization and things just kept getting better. I learned so much about myself and even though adjusting to school was hard in the beginning, by the end of the year I didn't want to go home.<br /><br />Sophomore year was when I started to take on a lot more responsibilities in my organizations. I held a few positions in my sorority, I was helping out with Relay for Life, and I still had a lot of work to do for my classes. I was living with 20 women which was quite the learning experience (always fun but difficult at times) and I became a pro at time management.<br /><br />Junior year was quite the ride. This was the time where everyone leaves...if you are a sophomore now you don't quite get it (I thought I did but once junior year rolled around it was much different). My classes were harder, people kept leaving the country to go on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">IQP</span>, and since I went away D term there were people I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">didn't</span> see from December until the middle of the summer.<br /><br />As bad as I just made junior year sound, it was by far the most fun I had. I really was getting involved in my chapter and meeting a lot of great people in Greek Life and then I got to spend a term in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Puerto</span> Rico which was amazing! Going away really gave me the chance to live on my own. At the start of the trip I really only knew 1 person going. In those 2 month I made a lot of great friends, went on some really cool trips, and just had an all around great time. As tough as junior year was, I wouldn't change it for anything and sometimes wish I could go back and continue having that much fun...<br /><br />And well, now its senior year and almost time to pack it up and move. This year has really been a great way to wrap up my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">WPI</span> experience. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">MQP</span> finished up well and gave me some good work experience, my organization responsibilities slowly went away as the year came to an end, and I have really enjoyed the time I've spent with friends during the last couple of months. I am still adjusting to the fact that I have 3 more days of classes left and I am trying really hard to not be too scared : )<br /><br />So where do I go from here? I am still mapping that one out but hopefully I am able to take what <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">WPI</span> has given me, apply it to my job, and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">eventually</span> give back to the school. This 4 year journey has been quite the ride and I didn't realize it was going by so fast until I finally reached the end. Enjoy your time here and know that there are always people around to give you a hand: whether its someone to talk to if you feel like everyone has a job but you (yes, i was there at one point too), or if you need help figuring out what to do.<br /><br />Thanks to everyone who has been a part of my WPI experience...it has been a fun one and it's all because of you guys :) Good luck next year and enjoy the last couple of weeks here!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-31672906079259821902009-04-16T11:36:00.000-07:002009-04-16T12:12:46.981-07:00Finding an Apartment and Project Presentation DayNow that I know where I will be staying, it is time to find somewhere to live. This is turning out to be a lot more difficult that I thought...<br /><br />First step was to see if there was anyone staying around Worcester that I could live with. Good news, I found someone. My <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">IQP</span> partner from last year is staying to get her masters at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">WPI</span> and when we found out that we were both staying in the area it made sense to go on the apt hunt together.<br /><br />Next step was to begin searching...and this step seems to be never ending. We looked at 3 apartments so far and two of them have been pretty good, one of them was not good at all. I personally have never had to look for an apartment which is making this whole thing even more new to me. I have lived in my sororities house for the past 3 years so this is a big learning process for me as well. Now I know things to ask...like what is included in the rent/will the utilities be covered, if they aren't covered how much do they usually run, etc. It is all actually a really huge headache.<br /><br />I am really hoping we find something within the next week or so because as much as we love emailing and calling landlords, it would be so much nicer to know we have some place to live next year.<br /><br />Besides my never ending search for an apartment we are in the homestretch for project presentation day. My group is submitting our poster tomorrow to be printed. We have yet to receive the schedule for the day so hopefully the department sends that out soon so my group can mentally prepare for next Thursday. I have actually never gone to see the posters on project presentation day and I am wishing that I had now so I had an idea of what was going to happen.<br /><br />If you are presenting your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">MQP</span> next week good luck and if not I suggest you stop by and see the projects that people have completed. Some of my friends covered some pretty interesting topics this year so go have a look :)Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-53291399943120618312009-04-07T09:51:00.000-07:002009-04-07T10:27:32.204-07:00Here comes Project Presentation Day...As you probably read a while back at the end of C term, my MQP group finished up our MQP on time, handed it in and did our final presentation on site. That was awesome and we have had a nice little MQP vacation for about 3 or 4 weeks. Now its that wonderful time to get ready for Project Presentation Day...<br /><br />We have just over 2 weeks until project presentation day (it is April 23rd...what an awesome birthday gift) and our group is meeting this week to finalize our poster we created for poster presentation and work on the logistics for the day. Everyone in the management department (IE, ME, MGE, and MIS) is required to create a poster for poster presentations in the morning and is also required to create a powerpoint presentation in case they are one of the top 3 projects picked to present in the afternoon. The top three are picked after the poster presentation in the morning and those 3 compete for the Provost's MQP Award. Should be a fun filled day of presenting and talking about my project.<br /><br />Once that is done my group will be completely done with MQP!!! We already have our grade since our project work was completed last week but we are still going to try to put together a good poster/presentation and go for the Provost's MQP Award...we will see how that goes. <br /><br />All and all my MQP went well. There were a lot of up's and down's (and I mean A LOT!) and my group started out not completely knowing each other too well which made the first week or 2 interesting. In the end I really enjoyed working with my group and having our weekly Wednesday trips to Boston at 6:30am to go to our site. There were a lot of meetings and a lot of sitting around wondering what we were doing but my group worked well and I enjoyed it! :)Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-87157652457382238572009-04-03T09:24:00.000-07:002009-04-03T09:47:23.808-07:00Officially Hired!After going through the packet that the company sent me (it took a long time, it was huge!), I called on Monday and officially accepted my offer! The whole year of searching, interviewing, and all the ups and downs has finally paid off. I confirmed my start date over the phone and I'm pretty excited for the events that they are holding for the new hires in the next month or so. <br /><br />It hasn't quite set in that I have a job and that graduation is quickly approaching. We just had our 50 days til graduation celebration at Mohegan Sun (and yes I came out a winner) and I am excited for the events in the future for the senior class! I checked the other day to make sure all my cdr's (completion of degree requirement form that you turn in for your projects) were all set and good news they were :)<br /><br />Nice weather is here and well, senioritis is starting to set in for some people. Just got to finish up the term and we are all set!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-5675031746970845482009-03-27T09:07:00.000-07:002009-03-27T10:32:56.872-07:00Good News!!!Great news this week, I got a job offer!!!! I completed my second interview the middle of last week and heard back early this week and I was very excited! I received all my information in the mail yesterday and started to look through it. This weekend I will spend more time going through it and talking about it with a couple of people. My start day is in the middle of June which gives me some time off after graduation (which is very exciting!).<br /><br />Next step is to figure out where I am going to live! I know some people that will either be working/going to school around the area next year so I already connected with them and will continue to in the upcoming weeks. I am really excited that I will still be relatively close to my family and a few people that I know.<br /><br />This is a huge weight off my shoulders and was great news to hear this week. Now I get to focus on finishing up my classes and enjoying my last couple weeks with my friends on campus : )Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-85338522301426394542009-03-17T10:30:00.001-07:002009-03-17T10:39:15.170-07:00My Relaxing Spring Break!This was the first year I went away for spring break and it was so nice to get out of the cold and into the sun! I spent most of the week down in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Puerto</span> Rico and it was just as beautiful as I remember it. It was really great to get to go back there after living there for two months last year!<br /><br />The best part of spring break was relaxing after such a long and cold C term in Worcester. It was really nice to wake up and spend the day in the sun not having to worry about much else besides putting sunscreen on.<br /><br />I went back home for a few days at the end of the week and it was great to see my family and do some more relaxing. It was really weird going through the commencement packet that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">WPI</span> sent home and having a serious conversation with my family about plans for the week and then for after I graduate. Only a couple more weeks until I get to walk across the stage and get my diploma!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-73467333011643666242009-03-17T10:16:00.000-07:002009-03-17T10:29:57.645-07:00Last Term at WPIThe reality of my last term at WPI is finally here! It is a little scary but still really exciting. The end of C term was the busiest I have been in a long time. I had my last task to do for my sorority, finish up a term long project for one of my classes, and most importantly finish up MQP! Good news, everything was finished (including MQP!!!).<br /><br />My final presentation for MQP was at our project sponsors site and we had a great crowd at the presentation and got great feedback. Hearing all of the managers give us praise for our work and tell us their plans for our work was great, it really made all the hard work worth while. After the presentation, the printing of our very large document, and the signing of the CDRs my group was officially done with MQP and so excited!<br /><br />This term I have two MIS classes that I am taking that should be pretty interesting. All the other time I will be spending working on my chair position on Senior Board and enjoying the activities for seniors this term :)Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-35036097386296613882009-02-23T06:35:00.000-08:002009-02-23T06:53:20.434-08:00On Campus Interview and End of the Term!Last week I was able to register for an on campus interview with a company in Worcester. I have the interview Tuesday at the CDC for a leadership program within the company. I scheduled my interview for first thing in the morning so hopefully everything goes well! I looked into the same company in the fall and hopefully this time around things work out for the better. Tonight representatives from the company are coming to campus for a meeting and greet so I will be stopping by that too so I can see the interviewers before tomorrow morning!<br /><br />Since the end of the term is coming everyone seems to be getting a little stressed out, including myself. We have a week of classes left and my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">MQP</span> is also ending this term which is great, but also a lot of work at the same time. Our final presentation is a week from today and our paper is due the middle of next week.Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-45336293946274400922009-02-09T07:17:00.000-08:002009-02-09T08:16:32.277-08:00Career Fair!Last week we had our career fair on campus and it was pretty successful! I had my resume all squared away and researched the companies beforehand. I was up at the career fair for most of the morning and had a great opportunity to talk to employers before the career fair even started.<br />I mainly talked to 4 or 5 companies when I was at the career fair and gave out a handful of resumes. I was able to get an interview with one company and we will see if I hear anything back from anyone else. I have to take the time now to follow up with contacts I made and apply for any positions that were suggested to me via companies websites. <br />The next thing I will need to do is prepare for my on campus interview and continue to research job options. We just had our 100 days to graduation celebration and its a little scary that graduation is really just around the corner! Time is just flying by so hopefully something works out for me in the job market : )Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-80797936827950559642009-01-23T09:29:00.000-08:002009-01-23T10:36:51.278-08:00Off-Campus and Life After CollegeLast year I was able to go away for my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">IQP</span> and had a great experience! My project actual helped me get my internship this past summer with a Civil company. This term I am taking a senior seminar to finish my international studies minor and one of the topics that we cover is how to market your off campus experience. It has been great to be able to talk about my experience and learn how I should market my experience overseas.<br /><br />Last night I was able to attend one of the sessions that Andy Masters did about Life after College. The CDC along with many other organizations worked together to bring him on campus to do two different presentations: Life after College and also Greek to Great. The Life after College presentation really made me stop and think about what I really want to do and what I might be happy doing. It also really motivated me to start a business, write a book, or become a motivational speaker but that is besides the point :)<br /><br />The pep talk really gave me a kick to start looking at different businesses and field that I might not think of. That what the plan for next week it: look for different companies and figure out how I can market myself to them!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-46715772430932897362009-01-22T09:03:00.000-08:002009-01-22T09:11:54.651-08:00What I did over winter breakAs always, I could not wait to go home and relax for the holidays! It was great to get back home and spend time with my family. While at home I did manage to get quite a few things accomplished in regards to my job search.<br /><br />First thing, I talked to a lot of family members about <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">potential</span> careers I might want to have down the road. My major really allows me to be flexible in the type of industry that I can work in. Two of the big industries that I decided I want to get into eventually are either the medical field (working with hospitals information systems) or the education field (again, working with schools information systems or eventually teaching applications). A family member offered to have me come to the school district he works for over my spring break to see what he does and how things run. I will <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">definitely</span> go by because in the long run that may be something I am interested in.<br /><br />For right now I am looking for something to get experience in. I apply for a few jobs right near the end of break for a few hospital sites in MA. Its about that time to start preparing for the career fair as well and I am hoping something works out for me this spring. It has finally hit that I am graduating in about 4 months and its a little scary but still exciting!<br /><br />Hope your break went well and that your job search is going great!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-57806105542601255802008-12-12T09:21:00.001-08:002008-12-12T09:32:16.411-08:00Making ConnectionsThis past week I really focused on talking with people I know in the working world, in particular alumni that I know. Everyone always says to keep good relations with people because you never know what will come in the future. I always took that as keep in contact with alumni in your field, which I found out is good, but not the only thing you need. I personally have a lot more contacts outside of the field of management information systems and never really thought they would come in handy until now.<br /><br />A couple of alumni in particular have been really helpful in just talking about job opportunities that are out there. It has really given me the opportunity to look into fields that I <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">wouldn't</span> necessarily consider and give me an outlook on career paths out there.<br /><br />Besides that, I applied to a few more positions this week and I will see what will come! Hope the job search is going well for you!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-32460043563484799822008-12-04T07:37:00.000-08:002008-12-04T08:00:28.120-08:00High Hopes!So I got myself back out there and started applying to jobs and opening up to different areas that I didn't expect I would be looking. I had a couple of conversations with employers in the past week and will <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">pursue</span> those more in the upcoming week. Many of the companies I have started to look at know are medical companies (mostly hospitals for their information systems) and also education institutes (school districts and so on).<br /><br />After talking to more place and people in different industries I am feeling more confident that I am going to find <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">something</span> that I like and get an offer by the spring (hopefully!). Phone interviews and conversations were really big for me this past week. Here are a couple of things I try to do beforehand and then during the conversation:<br /><br /><strong>Beforehand:</strong><br /><ul><li>Research the company just like you would for a face to face interview. Jot down notes but remember to keep them organized.</li><li>Have a copy of your resume with you. By now I have looked at mine so many time that I think I could recite it top to bottom by memory but it is good to have one in front of you <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">in case</span> the employer references it.</li><li>Find an area that is quiet and that you will not be disturbed in/distracted. </li><li>If you are using a cell phone make sure it is charged/you have service. This seems obvious but you really <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">don't</span> want to lose the call with a potential <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">employer</span> right?</li><li>Confirm the phone number that they will be calling you at. Many times people will have a home phone number and a campus/cell phone number. Confirm beforehand so there is no confusion.</li></ul><p><strong>During:</strong></p><ul><li>Turn off anything around you that may be distracting to you...a computer, a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">TV</span>, the radio. You want to focus on the person who is calling you.</li><li>Speak clearly on the phone and try not to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">interrupt</span> the person on the other side. Sometimes that can be difficult via phone but if you are having a good conversation it will start to come easy.</li><li>Have a blank piece of paper and a pen with you. Since they won't be handing you any information in person or giving you a business card it is essential that you write down important information (especially future contact information!).</li><li>Relax...talking on the phone isn't really for everyone. Many times the phone conversation that you have is your first impression so make it a good one!</li></ul><p>Talking on the phone wasn't really my thing either but I have been getting better at it over time. Be confident on the phone because that comes across to the employer through your voice and also be respectful like you would in person!</p><p>Hope the job searches continue to go well for you all!</p>Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-90361745146935405362008-11-18T07:35:00.000-08:002008-11-18T07:38:11.939-08:00Getting a jump on restarting my job searchSo after some not so good news from some places I interviewed with phase 2 of the job search will be starting this week. That is, I'm starting from the top with a positive attitude determined to find a job that suits me : )<br /><br />I was feeling a little down last week with the lack of responses I was getting from interviews and people at the CDC suggested that I should just take a new look at things and get the ball rolling on a new search. Today and tomorrow I will spend some time looking for positions to apply to and I will let you all know how that goes!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-78146482492678075302008-11-13T07:06:00.000-08:002008-11-13T07:17:26.670-08:00still waiting...After a couple of busy weeks of interviews I have now entered the waiting period...which is not too exciting and a little nerve racking at times. After my interviews I was able to to confirm when I should be hearing back from them. I was also able to confirm in follow-up emails. Besides waiting I went on another On Campus interview with a company located near WPI. The conversation went really well and I was able to make a lot of connections with the interviewer (we had similar activities/organizations from college which made for great conversation).<br /><br />It is becoming more evident that the economy is not doing so great. Many places have put a freeze on hiring and there is a lot of discussion as to if companies are willing to take on new employees. There are also many layoffs that are happening now too which is a little scary to someone who will be jumping into the job force relatively soon. I am really trying to keep options open and look at everything positively but every now and then I wonder how finding a job in the current economic state is going to go.Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-3830976411473026082008-10-30T07:08:00.000-07:002008-10-30T07:26:39.181-07:00Making the best use of my timeFall break was a busy but at the same time pretty relaxing. I was able to finally sit down without a worry of course work and look at careers and employers more carefully. One of the main things I used break for was scheduling interviews. I was able to complete a half day interview at the beginning of break and also at the end of break for two <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">separate</span> companies. Both interviews went very well but the second one really caught my attention as somewhere I could see myself working.<br /><br />Each of those interviews last about a half a day. The first company I met with 4 individuals that each had about an hour with me. There was a good mix of behavioral and technical questions and there was an opportunity to learn about the company throughout. The second company I met with 7 people that day. Each person had about 30 minutes and all made great use of the time trying to get important information about my background and more importantly what I want to see myself doing. I was happy with my performance in each of the interviews and was given dates on when I should be hearing back from each place.<br /><br />Another great part about break was being able to go home. This really gave me an opportunity to talk with my family about my career outlook and about the worries I may have during the process. It was good a reminder for me that not every position is for everyone. In the past week or so many of my friends and classmates have been receiving there very nice offers from big companies which can become slightly frustrating to someone who is still up in the air about what they plan to do. I really just need to focus on myself and look for a job that I want to do, will be able to contribute a lot to, and hopefully that I will get a lot out of. Focusing on factors like this rather than an offer from a company that would be impressive to my peers is really important for me :)<br /><br />As B term begins I have 1 or 2 more companies that I am interviewing with wrapping up the month of interviewing. Soon I will be hearing back from the companies that I met with and hopefully sometime this winter season I will be making a decision on where I will be once I graduate!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-88086712910652103032008-10-16T05:32:00.000-07:002008-10-16T05:44:45.096-07:00Time is flying!It is hard to believe that I will be taking my last final of A term in about 3 hours, that I will be handing in my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">MQP</span> proposal to be graded in about a day, and that I am that much closer to graduating.<br /><br />The game plan for break is to get some job search/interviews done. I have two interviews scheduled over break. Both are approximately 3-4 hours long because I will be meeting with numerous people on site. Having fall break right about now is very <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">convenient</span> to be able to interview and not be stressing out about school.<br /><br />Looking back, I am pretty impressed on what I have managed to accomplish job search wise in A term. I created a solid resume, attended the career fair and made some contacts, had 4 interviews (2 phone and 2 in person), and all and all feel pretty good about where I stand. The interviews are helping me figuring out where I want to end up and I am starting to narrow done what I think I want to do.<br /><br />The best thing I learned this term is that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">everyones</span> job search is different. It is easy to compare your job search to your friends and feel like you don't compare or that you are behind. Everyone goes at their own pace and makes different decisions along the way. Some people are looking to continue their education, others are looking to make bank at a huge firm, and some still are just keeping options open and going with the flow. Whichever way you decide to do your job search don't get frustrated if it seems like you are getting no results. It is a process and some go a little faster than others, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">that's</span> all.<br /><br />Over break I will be going to my two interviews and taking some time to get a jump on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">MQP</span> so next term goes as smoothly as possible. Best of luck on finals and enjoy the break!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-91179669993567800192008-10-06T05:14:00.000-07:002008-10-06T05:23:30.770-07:00Interview seasonI had my first experience of on campus recruiting for my first interview. For past interviews for summer internships I had always gone to the company to interview. Having the interview on campus made it much easier to get to obviously and made me slightly more relaxed.<br /><br />In case you do not know, the CDC supplies potential employers with rooms in the building that they can use to interview students. This is a great service that the CDC offers and many employers take advantage of it. Check out the CDC website and your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">JobFinder</span> account to see what companies will be on campus in the future.<br /><br />The interview I had on campus went pretty well. It was the first round of interviews for the company and I learned a lot about the program I am applying for and also got to inform the employer about my past experiences. Good news, I got called back for a second interview which I will be going to in the next couple of weeks!<br /><br />As I mentioned before I had another interview this past week. This time I went out to interview at the company which had its perks. I got to see the workstations and really understand the processes of the company. We sat, we chatted, asked some questions, and then took a tour of the building. That interview went well too and hopefully the ones in the future do as well.<br /><br />For now I am still not set on where I want to work or what exactly I want to be doing. I am going to continue to look into different companies and see what they have to offer until I can make a well informed decision on where I want to end up. That is the plan for now, we will have to see how it goes!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-64054841977738541822008-09-29T08:04:00.000-07:002008-10-02T06:24:42.726-07:00Sometimes I don't have a lot of time...To be quite honest with you, sometimes looking for a real job can be kinda scary or be thrown on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">back burner</span> because of everything else that is going on. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">With</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">MQP</span>, organization responsibilities and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">other</span> classwork, I have no energy or motivation to be on the job hunt 24/7.<br /><br />Like anything else though I try to make some time every now and then to go through jobfinder and look for future employers. Another thing I try to do is respond back (either via email or phone) to employers that contact me within a reasonable amount of time. After about a day it will slip my mind and losing that contact is not good.<br /><br />Besides those little things I have been preparing for interviews. This past week I had my first interview for a full time position. A little scary to be honest but all and all it went well. I reviewed the materials the company had given me previously and also reviewed my own resume. Once I felt comfortable talking about my experiences and had knowledge of the company I just tried to relax...which almost happened.<br /><br />Having that first interview under my belt is a big relief. I have another interview this upcoming week and I hope to keep improving with my interview skills. Besides that I will be focusing on my school work and just getting some things done around campus for my organizations. Good luck on any interviews you have coming up!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-76604532752122607482008-09-22T13:10:00.001-07:002008-09-23T10:53:06.043-07:00Looking back on the Career and Graduate School FairIt has been a couple days since the Career and Graduate school fair and it worked out really well for me this time around! I got to have some great conversations with companies and was able to distribute a good amount of resumes.<br /><br />One of my big improvements this year was my ability to hold good conversations with people and make some good connections. I spent a good deal of time with a handful of companies, got contact information, and gave out resumes. Some of the representatives instructed me to apply for a job online and I did so when I returned home from the fair.<br /><br />I made sure i took note of the people I talked to, their contact information, and any further instructions they told me I should do. For example, one company asked me to forward an electronic resume to an email address. I did that the following night to ensure that the employer would receive my resume while the career fair was still on their mind. If you have not gotten around to making your final connections with companies its not too late so make those connections!<br /><br />Results from the career fair have been great! I have an interview this week and another one next week. Hopefully I am able to secure 1 or 2 more interviews in the upcoming weeks. Now I need to prepare for my interviews and hope for the best!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-51076798198594991472008-09-18T11:00:00.000-07:002008-09-18T11:05:14.226-07:00Getting ready for the Career and Graduate School FairIt's time to get ready for the upcoming career and graduate school fair! Here is what is on my list of things to do before I attend:<br /><ul><li>Finish updating my resume</li><li>Get my resume critiqued</li><li>Research companies that I wish to talk to</li><li>Find an outfit to wear that I feel comfortable in and look professional</li><li>Practice speaking clearly to others in normal conversation</li></ul><p>Some of these things might sound silly (what I'm wearing and practicing talking to people) but these are little things that will calm you down if you feel good about them. The more comfortable you feel talking about yourself and your experiences the more relaxed you will feel when you enter the career fair.</p><p>I have researched a handful of companies already and plan to continue researching until the fair. Hopefully all goes well!</p>Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-50648339341825182402008-09-11T06:38:00.000-07:002008-09-11T06:45:15.694-07:00So what does an intern do?Both of my summer internships have included a lot of learning from people in the company as well as a lot of discovering things on my own. For the first couple of weeks I went through a lot of tutorials and sat through numerous meetings on how the company works, what the division does, and what are the goals for the division in the future and how my internship will play a part in that goal.<br /><br />Many of my tasks were given to me by week and I would try to problem solve on my own before reaching out to find answer. Doing a little work on your own first is always good, this way when you ask for help you have concrete questions to ask and can follow along easier. <br /><br />With the implementation group I work with test sites alongside a full time employee. I would help with moving code and setting up a site and then helped test different functions. In my IT helpdesk position I would do daily task when people called and needed help with such things as printers, network connections, and specific applications. Some of the long term task I had were improving the inventory database as well as working on a GPS database for one of the other groups at the company.<br /><br />Internships give you a great experience to figure out what you like doing and in some cases what you don't like doing. I have had two great experiences in two different fields and that will help me decide a career path in the future!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-594140445977586539.post-78555650419222597582008-08-29T06:21:00.000-07:002008-09-02T08:29:15.078-07:00How I spent my SummerWelcome!<br /><br />I am blogging for the Career Development Center on my job search. I am starting my senior year at WPI and I am a Management Information Systems (MIS) major beginning my job hunt this year. Each week I'll be writing about things that come up in my job search such as preparing for a career fair, researching jobs, and going on interviews. Hopefully reading the steps I am taking can help you with your search as well!<br /><br /><br />I began looking for a summer internship this past year over winter break. I used the JobFinder on the CDC website to research companies and to eventually see who was attending the Career Fair in C term. At the Career Fair I was able to talk with a lot of representatives from various companies and handed out many resumes. After the career fair I was able to go on two interviews and ended up securing a summer internship before the start of D term.<br /><br /><br />The internship I accepted was at a Civil Engineering company working with their IT help desk staff. It was a great opportunity to work with a company that is primarily outside of my major. Working there gave me the opportunity to work with a smaller company and also gave me the opportunity to learn a lot. My manager encouraged me to problem solve a great deal on my own which will be very valuable to me in my future career.<br /><br /><br />The previous summer I had an internship with a medical software company in their implementation group. This too was a great opportunity. This company was much larger than the Civil Engineering company I worked with and between both of these experiences I got to see the difference between small and large companies and between companies in different fields.<br /><br /><br />After my past work experiences I am still debating whether or not I want to work in a large company or a small company. I'm looking forward to the career fair this fall to get the opportunity to talk to some employers!Management Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09705812982268901214noreply@blogger.com0