Career News
From the Parkland College Career Center, serving more than 15,000
students, employers, and District 505 residents each year.
217.351.2536 ▪ www.parkland.edu/careercenter
October 2008
Offbeat Majors Help CEOs Think Outside the Box
George W. Bush may be the first president
with an MBA degree, but U.S. business is
run by CEOs with a hodgepodge of degrees
in everything from atmospheric physics to
French literature.
In this issue:
Career Guidance…
―Offbeat Majors Help
CEOs Think Outside the
Box‖
1
Employment/Job
1
Search…―Minor JobSearch Missteps Can
Have Big Consequences‖
Other News…―Site
Helps Students Picture
Careers in Interior
Design‖
1
―Forbes List: Houston,
Dallas, and Austin are
Good to Grads‖
2
Resume Tip of the
Month…―How Long
Should It Be‖
2
Interview Tip of the
2
Month…―Be Prepared to
Talk Salary (but don’t
bring it up first)‖
Job Hunting Tip:
Address your cover
letter to the person
hiring, not to a
generic ―Dear Sir or
Madam.‖ A little
research will
impress your
potential boss.
Walt Disney CEO, Michael Eisner, never
took a single business course, getting a
double major in English and theater.
―Literature is unbelievably helpful,
because no matter what business you are
in, you are dealing with interpersonal
relationships,‖ Eisner says. ―It gives you
an appreciation of what makes people
tick.‖
Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell
Computer, was a pre-med biology major
at the University of Texas. ―I took one
course that was remotely related to
business: macroeconomics,‖ Dell says.
―One of the things that really helped me
is not approaching the world in a
conventional sense. There are plenty of
conventional thinkers out there.‖
Sue Kronick, now group president of
Federated Department Stores, was an
Asian studies major. Her rise from a
Bloomingdale’s buyer was helped by
understanding India’s economic system so
well that she found ways to slash the cost
of imports.
There are several reasons Uniscape CEO
Steve Adams, who has a Ph.D. in 20 thCentury British Literature, quit a college
teaching job at the University of Louisiana
at Monroe. One was a 50% pay raise to
become an entry-level technical writer.
―Not long ago, I thought a chip was
something you had with dip,‖ says Adams,
who runs a company that helps global
companies with Web sites that must reach
out to a variety of languages and cultures.
Source: USA Today
Minor Job-Search Missteps Can Have Big
Consequences
A recent Yahoo! HotJobs article – ―7 JobSearch Mistakes That New Grads Make‖ –
doesn’t necessarily cover anything
groundbreaking. But it does clearly and
concisely outline blunders that are
surefire ways for your students/grads to
hamper their job searches.
Caroline Potter. ―A weak economy means
fewer opportunities – and greater
competition for every single opening.‖
Read the article at: hotjobs.yahoo.com/
c a r e e r - a r t i c l e s 7_job_search_mistakes_new_grads_make399.
Today’s students/grads are ―graduating
into a soft job market,‖ notes writer
Site Helps Students Picture Careers In Interior Design
Developed by several different professional organizations in the field,
the ―Careers in Interior Design‖ web site addresses subjects and issues
that most college students wouldn’t even know they should consider.
From a brief questionnaire to determine if interior design is the right
career path to information on educational and licensure requirements,
the site will appeal to any student who is interested in mixing aesthetics and creativity in a future career.
Check out the site at: www.careersininteriordesign.com .
www.parkland.edu/careercenter
“Mary Ann was
extremely
helpful in
providing ideas
for employment
and ways to
network.
I would
recommend
her services
highly.”
- Career Center
Client
October 2008
Forbes List: Houston, Dallas, and Austin are
Good to Grads
Three Texas cities – Houston,
Dallas, and Austin – are the best
cities in America for recent college graduates, according to a
recently released list compiled
by Forbes magazine.
Why? For starters, the cities offer a comparatively low cost of
living combined with thriving energy and technology industries.
Moreover, salaries are good –
particularly in Houston, where
the average starting salary for a
new bachelor’s degree grad is
$44,100.
Source: Forbes, June 26, 2008
R e s u m e Ti p o f t h e M o n t h . . .
―How long should my resume be?‖ is one
of our most commonly asked questions.
Not too long ago job seekers were told
that a resume should never exceed one
page. Times have changed however, and
so has the criteria for resume length.
that justifies a two page resume.
Consider a two page resume if you have
ten or more years of experience related
to your goal or if you’re a senior-level
manager with a track record of
leadership experience. If you are in an
academic or scientific field with a list of
publications, speaking engagements,
licenses or patents, a three page resume
may be appropriate.
The new guideline is: Your resume
should be long enough to entice
employers to call you for a job
interview. That may sound vague, but
there’s no hard and fast rule that works
for everyone.
In general, one page So at the risk of sounding somewhat coy,
resumes are most appropriate for college our answer is this: Your resume should be
students and new graduates, unless the as long as it needs to be….and no longer.
graduate has a lot of relevant experience
I n t e r v i e w Ti p o f t h e M o n t h . . .
“Be Prepared to Talk Salary (but don’t bring it up first)”
We don’t recommend asking about salary or benefits in your first interview but if
asked, you should be ready to address the question, ―What salary are you expecting?‖
Before the interview, do your homework and know what salaries are being offered in
similar positions in your geographical area. By knowing the rate beforehand, you can
be realistic in your negotiations. You can give a salary range, or respond by saying
something like, ―I have over three years of experience in this field so I would like at
least 35,000/yr…but I’m sure we can agree on a fair salary.‖ Websites that provide
salary information include www.salary.com, www.salary.monster.com, and
www.bls.gov/oco.
The Career Center
We’re on the Web!
www.parkland.edu/careercenter
Room A175
2400 W. Bradley Ave. Champaign, IL 61821
Staff:
Sandy Spencer—Director
Mary Ann Tiedemann—Career Specialist
Kristin Bluhm—Administrative Assistant
Tel: 217.351.2536
Fax: 217.351.2882
E-mail: careercenter@parkland.edu