Thursday, April 19, 2012

Finding Employment

You may have heard that finding a job is a full-time job in itself. It can be. The market is very competitive for many industries and employers are searching for the "best" candidates instead of the only candidates.
What does this mean for the job seeker? First, you should make sure you are presenting yourself as a candidate who can fill the job description. Pay attention to the requirements of the position. Make sure you are clearly demonstrating your ability to perform required tasks.
Second, you should be prepared to apply for more positions than you may have anticipated. Competition is stiff and managers receive many applications/resumes for each opening. You may be qualified, but not "as qualified" as others who apply.
Third, use many methods of finding openings. On-line gives you the quickest method to find the most openings, but remember to network and use personal interaction as well. Many companies only accept resumes on-line so that should be your first resource.
Finally, do not be discouraged! It is easy to lose motivation, but your opportunity is out there. You just need to locate it. Many times you find the job you wanted in a place you didn't expect. Keep in mind that most companies need people in administration, information technology, accounting, marketing/sales, etc. Example: if you are a computer programmer, keep in mind that Food Lion has a computer network. Hidden jobs are some of the best sources of opportunity.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Verizon Wireless is back!

Sorry, but the session was canceled.  Not enough interest expressed to have them come to campus. We will try again in the summer.

Verizon Wireless is back on campus Wednesday, April 11th at 1:45.  They will be presenting their presentation called "Book bag to Briefcase".  The focus of this presentation will be on interviewing for your next position. Verizon has held many good sessions for students in the past and this one is very well timed with graduation around the corner. Plan to attend this session to help you with your next interview.

Seating is limited, so please RSVP by sending an email to the Student Employment office or registering on the Career Connection system.

Career Fair gone...What now?

If you attended the Career Fair last Wednesday, you had the opportunity to meet with over 100 employers. A lot of you did based on attendance numbers.  We had almost 900 people come through in the three hour time period!  Employers and attendees were both enthusiastic about the turnout.  Hopefully, you found a lead or two on potential employment, but what if you didn't?

A career fair is just one tool.  Do not despair if you did not find the job that fits your needs. You should be using as many search methods as possible. One possibility is Career Connection.

If you are not registered on the Student Employment Career Connection site, you are missing out on many jobs posted by local employers for TTC students and alumni. On any given day you will find between 90 - 120 active job postings.  Most of them will accept a resume submitted on-line through the system, and the few that do not give instructions on how to apply. Employers that advertise on Career Connection want TTC trained applicants.

Get your account setup today if you do not have one, upload a resume (or several versions if desired), and start searching for your opportunity.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Seeking Employment?

I am sure many of you will attend the Career Fair on Wednesday, however there is an immediate resource available to all students and alumni of TTC.  Career Connection is our on-line job posting system and is free for your use.  As of this morning, we have 158 openings advertised!  We generally average between 90 - 100 on any given day.  Why use Career Connection when there are many other sites available?
  1. The site is monitored by your Student Employment staff.  All employers are reviewed by our staff before being approved.  Each job posting is reviewed as well.
  2. Employers advertising through Career Connection are seeking TTC students or graduates.
  3. Flexibility.  You may save several versions of your resume, cover letters, documents, etc. to your account. This allows you to pick and choose what to send to each employer.
  4. Announcements and notifications.  Stay abreast of employer visits and workshops. Create a "Job Agent" to automatically notify you of positions you may be interested in.
Registration is free and you may keep your account upon graduation. There really is no reason not to register!  Registration tip:  use your personal email address rather than your TTC email. This way you will not encounter any problems once you graduate and lose your school email acount.