The Freshman Experience
Exploring Your Options
Shannon Beeman
shannon.beeman@vanderbilt.edu
Vanderbilt Career Center
www.vanderbilt.edu/career
615/322-2750
Student Life Center, Suite 220
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Discussion
“Find Your Fit” in Engineering
 Self Assessment
 Career Exploration
 Internships
 Know how to find them
 Know how to get them
 What to do if you can’t get one (yet)
 Career Center Resources
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Know Yourself
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Values: The standards by which we live our lives
 What do you need from a job/your life to feel happy/successful?
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Interests: What we enjoy doing or do just for fun
 How can your interests be incorporated into your job search?
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Personality: Combination of traits that make us who we are
 Jobs have “personalities” too
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Skills: What we’re good at
 What skills/abilities do you have? Need to develop?
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Geography: Where we want to live and work
 Consider cost of living and working in your chosen area
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Working Conditions: Our everyday surroundings and nature of the job
 Indoors/outdoors? Fancy office/trailer on a job site? Lots of travel?
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Goals: The difference between where we are and where we want to be
 How do your career choices move you toward achieving your goals?
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Let’s Party!
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R: People who are stable, frank, and active, like athletics or
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I:
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A:
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S:
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E:
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C:
mechanical activities, who prefer to work with things
People who are intellectual and introverted, like to observe,
learn, investigate, analyze, solve complex puzzles and do
analytical work
People who are individualistic, imaginative, and impulsive, like
to work in unstructured situations using imagination and
creativity
People who are friendly and skilled with words, like to work
with others to inform, enlighten, help, train, develop, or cure
People who are extroverted and sociable, like to work with
people to influence, persuade, lead, or manage them for
organizational or economic gain
People who are neat, orderly, and practical, like to work with
data in structured settings, and who are good at carrying out
details or following through on others’ instructions
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7 Career Clusters
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Public Service, Government, Law
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Engineering, Information Technology
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Finance, Real Estate, Insurance
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Consulting, Management, Human Resources, and Sales
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Arts, Communications, and Media
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Education and Social Services
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Health and Science
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Not All Engineers Are Alike
Investigative
Realistic
Supporting manufacturing
Installations
hands-on
Conventional
Researching materials
Developing components
explore
6 types of
Engineers
details
Test Analysis
Quality Control
lead
Enterprising
Selling
Consulting
create
Artistic
Designing structures
or Applications
help
Social
Teaching
Training
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RIASEC – What’s your type?
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It’s about FIT: what best fits you?
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Career Exploration
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Reading Research (Jobs, Industries/Fields, Companies)
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Vault Online Library
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Career Search (client referral = vandy04)
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Occupational Outlook Handbook
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Professional Association Websites
Talking Research
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Informational Interviewing: Professors, Alumni, Professionals
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Employer Information Sessions, Career Fairs, Total Access
Experiential Research
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Internships
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Summer jobs
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Volunteer Work
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Class and/or Research Projects
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Job Shadowing
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Why are Internships Important?
EXP

Exposure and Experiment

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Reality test
Experience
Gain a competitive edge – skills & knowledge
 Make professional contacts
 Possibly establish a job lead in a company
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Conducting a Search
The steps in the search are:
•
•
•
•
to learn
new skills
to experience
types of
assignments
• with whom
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Complete self-assessment
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Develop Your Internship Goals
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Determine the Right Experience for You
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Prepare a Resume and Learn to Write Cover Letters
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Use Multiple Resources to Identify Internships
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Interview
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Decide on a Position
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Make the Most of Your Internship Experience
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Evaluate the Experience
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Follow Up With the Career Center
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Areas of Focus: What, Where, How
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WHAT (job functions, departments)
WHERE (industries/fields, companies, locations)
HOW
 Promote yourself (resumes, cover letters, contacts,
interviews)
 Search Steps
20%
Posted Positions
Focus
Identify targets
Apply
Interview
Offer
80%
Non-Posted Positions
Focus
Identify targets
Find Connections
Make Contacts
Apply
Interview
Offer
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Know How to Find Positions
The Visible Job Market (20%)
 Career Center Listings (CareerLink)
 Newspapers (print and online)
 The Internet
 Engineering Central http://www.engcen.com
 DICE – Tech Jobs http://www.dice.com
 Engineering Jobs http://www.engineeringjobs.com
 Career Builder http://www.careerbuilder.com
 Job and Internship Directories
 www.internships-usa.com (intern08; work)
 UCAN
 Networking (professors, employers, alumni)
 Dore2Dore
 Job Listings on Company Websites
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Vanderbilt Career Center
Campus Recruiting Programs
1) Industry Career Days
4) On-Campus Interviews
2) Total Access Programs
5) Job Postings
3) Information Sessions
6) Resumé books
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Engineering Companies Recruiting
Microsoft
Manhattan
Associates
Tritek
Brasfield
& Gorrie
Blackbaud
Google
Humana
Schlumberger
McKesson
Chevron
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More Companies Recruiting at
Vanderbilt
Abercrombie & Fitch
Accenture
Accredited Home Lenders
ACNielsen BASES
AIG VALIC
AlixPartners, LLC
Ameriprise Financial Services
AmSouth Bank
Avondale Partners, LLC
Bain & Company
Bank of America
Barclays Capital
Brentwood Capital Advisors LLC
Brooksource
Capital One
Carney Sandoe & Associates
Carreker Corporation
Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation
Caterpillar, Inc.
Cintas Corporation
Clark Construction Group, LLC
College Directory Publishing
Computer Technology Solutions, Inc.
(CTS)
Corporate Executive Board
Cumberland Consulting Group
Cytec Industries
Dean & Company
Dell Computer Corporation
Deloitte Consulting
Deutsche Bank
Eaton Electrical
EcoStar
Educational Resources Group (ERG)
Goldman Sachs
Harrah's
Harris Williams & Co.
HonorGuard
Infosys Technologies Ltd.
InfoWorks
Intuit
JPMorgan
JPMorgan Chase
Kimley-Horn and Associates
Kingston
Lehman Brothers
Louis Dreyfus Corp.
Memphis Light, Gas, and Water
Mercer Capital Management Inc.
Merrill Lynch & Co.
Michael Kors
Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc.
Morgan Stanley
Nathan Associates, Inc.
Pfizer, Inc.
PharmaSys, Inc.
Pharos Capital Group, LLC
Polo Ralph Lauren
Robert W. Baird & Co.
Southern Teachers Agency
Southwestern Co.
Starcom
Stockamp & Associates, Inc.
Strand Associates, Inc.
Strategic Financial Partners
Stryker Corporation
SunTrust Bank
Synovus Financial Corp.
Teach for America
Towers Perrin
Turner Construction
UBS
Wachovia Securities
Wells Fargo
William Blair & Company, L.L.C.
Yahoo
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Know How to Find Positions
The Hidden Job Market (80%)
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80% of jobs are found through “non-postings”
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Identify companies that may be hiring
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Magazines and trade journals
Business Directories
Books of Lists
Professional Associations
Chambers of Commerce
Volunteer, temporary, or part-time work
The Internet (Career Search, Vault, Dore2Dore)
Networking! (club members, mentors, relatives)
Telephone Directories (www.yellowpages.com)
Computerized mailing lists
Social events
Use your network to find contacts within the company
Apply directly to the company AND to the person who does the hiring
Get creative
Be Sherlock Holmes
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Networking is Key!
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Personal and Professional Contacts
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Friends, Family, Neighbors, Community Members
Professors, Current/Former Employers, Mentors, Advisers
Anyone you meet!
Contact Names Listed in Career Search
Keep records and follow-up
Alumni
 Dore2Dore.net (Commodore Career Connection)
 Search for Alumni based on
 Occupation (not major), Employer, Location
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Cold Calling

Contacting companies where you don’t know anyone

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The easier way
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Use contact names you’ve found
The funky way
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It still works
Pick up the phone
Three approaches
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Ask for an informational interview
Ask for a summer job
Ask to job shadow
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Ask:
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
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
Have you ever thought about bringing in a college student for the
summer?
Any projects or assignments that you need extra help with?
I’m open to help out in any way. I’m just interested in getting some
experience in your industry and particularly your company.
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Know How to Get Hired
Resumes and Cover Letters
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Promote skills, knowledge, experience
 Target documents to company and position
 Only include information that will help you get the job
you want
Watch formatting
 In resumes, use bullet statements, not paragraphs!
 In cover letters, stick to standard business format (block
style)
Check, double check, and re-check for spelling and
grammatical errors
Use Optimal Resume – link on VCC homepage
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Know How to Get Hired
Interviewing
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Promote skills, knowledge, experience
 Target to the company and position
Practice
Dress for Success
Be able to tell your story
First impression is everything
Be ready with examples (CAR Method)
Send a Thank You note within 24 hours
Mock Interview with InterviewStream
Know the employer (research!)
Interviews provide an opportunity to turn a job possibility into a job offer.
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Company Research
Learning about a company in order to prepare for an interview
 Why it’s important
 Reflects your work ethic
 Shows employers you really want the job
 Provides an example of how you would prepare for
assignments
 Determines Fit: Are you a staunch environmentalist?
Research will help you learn if a company’s values are in
line with your own.
 Some avenues for company research
 Company websites (press releases, About Us)
 Vault: www.vault.com (link from the VCC homepage)
 Hoovers: www.hoovers.com
 Wetfeet : www.wetfeet.com
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What if I just can’t get an internship yet?
Summer Job
 Volunteer Work
 Informational Interviewing
 Job Shadowing
 Other?
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Getting Started
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Coaching Assessment times – bring resume with you
 Bring ICAP form
 MWF 1-3pm, VCC
 TTh 12-2pm, VCC
 On day of ICDs, no coaching assessments
Resume Drop:
 Drop off Mondays by 4pm; Pick up Thursdays after 9am
 1:1 Resume Critiques: Fridays in the VCC – must make appt.
Set up CareerLink Account
 Complete Profile
 Upload Resume – find out if meets minimum standards in 3
business days
 RSVP to attend workshops and events
 Submit resumes and cover letters for on-campus interviews
Schedule individual appointments as needed
Featheringill Walk-in Hours: Tues & Wed, 11am – 1pm
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