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Name
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Country
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Program and Graduation Date
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What you hope to gain from today?
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Current state of job search
•Resume Writing
•Networking
• Effective Interviewing
•Additional Resources
•
The purpose of the resume and cover letter is to get
you an interview.
•
When it comes to resumes, think “personal marketing
tool.”
•
If you were given one minute of your prospective
employer’s time, what would you want to tell that
person?
Highlighting your Attributes
• Your resume provides the first impression of your
skills and accomplishments.
• It should read like an executive summary highlighting
your relevant skills and accomplishments.
• Qualities of a Good Resume:
• Concise
• Well Written
• Quantifies Accomplishments
• Easy to read and understand
• Spell check
• Contact Information
• name, address, phone number, email address
• Education
• reverse chronological order, GPA included if above
3.0
• Experience
• reverse chronological order, describe duties and
achievements in quantifiable terms, action verbs
• Additional Information/Other Sections
• activities, languages, community service etc.
Tips:
• Microsoft Word:
• Times New Roman, 10-12 point range
• Limit bold, italics, CAPITAL LETTERS and underling
to delineating organizations, titles etc.
• Balance use of blank space and text.
• Do not simply rely on spell-check, revise manually as
well.
Trimming Techniques:
• Modify Margins
• Limit to one page (suggested)
• Standard Font type (11 point suggested)
• Neutral colored résumé paper
• Remove Articles (a, an, the)
• Be selective and reduce duplicative information
What to Avoid:
• Personal pronouns (I, you, we);
• Cluttered resumes;
• Listing references on the resume;
• Too much information (personal opinions and data);
• Using abbreviations, jargon and slang; and
• Incorrect verb tense
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Practice of gathering contacts
• Meeting and talking to people about your interests
• Contacting people to find out more information
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Building a database of people
• Developing a professional connection
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Benefits:
• Connect you to internships and full-time opportunities
• Sharing of knowledge and resources
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Seek out contacts
• Faculty
• Alumni
• SPPD Alumni LinkedIn Group
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Join professional and SPPD organizations
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Attend networking events
1. Set your goals
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What do you have to offer?
•
What do you want to get?
2. Do your homework
3. Arrive on time and dress appropriately
4. Handshake
5. Introduce yourself
6. Prepare conversation starters
7. Act like a host
8. Keep it short
9. Business card exchange
10. Graceful exits
11. Follow up
12. Reciprocal relationship
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Develop a system to maintain contacts
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Use software programs
• ACT!
• Microsoft Access or Excel
• Microsoft Outlook
 Do some initial research
 Plan open ended questions
 Develop a short overview of yourself
 Be sure to confirm your appointment
 Dress appropriately
 Create rapport with your interviewer
 Allow interviewer to guide discussion
 Listen carefully to interview questions
 Be concise with your responses
 Respect the interviewer’s time
Sample Traditional
Interview Questions
An interview in which the interviewer …
• Focuses on skills and traits that are critical to
success on the job
• Focuses on how the candidate has demonstrated
these skills in the past
• Past behavior is the best indicator of future
behavior
A candidate is asked to describe …
• An Overview of the Situation
• Details of a Specific Situation or Event
• Outcome of a Situation
• Builds Relationships
• Communication
• Team Commitment
• Initiative
• Problem Solving
• Adaptability
• Client Service
• What did you do?
• What did you say?
• What was your role?
• What was going through your mind?
• Can you give me an example
Situation
•A Project, Event or Situation
Tasks
•What Led to it
Actions
•What actions were taken
Result
•What the actions led to
• Formulate answers to elicit examples of the skills,
abilities, and characteristics being evaluated
• Incorporate the elements of a complete response
• Be aware that the interviewer may probe for
additional information
 Summarize notes from the interview
 Send a thank you note
 Follow up (7-10 day rule of thumb)
 Keep in touch
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Weekly Career Services Newsletter
Advising Appointments
SPPD Job, Internship, and Fellowship Database
• www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/careers/jobs/index.html
• User ID: sppd
• Password: career
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Career Workshops
Networking Nights
SPPD Business Cards
Programming
• Mentor Program
• Externship Program
Location
USC Student Union 300
Phone: (213) 740-2666
Fax: (213) 740-5194
http://usc.edu/ois
Email: ois@usc.edu
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Office Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday: 10:00am - 4:30pm
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Call to make an appointment with an immigration
advisor or counselor
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ConnectSC
Mock Interviews
Workshops
• Job Search Strategies for International Students
• Careers@4
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On Campus Recruiting
Career Fairs
Internship Week
Podcasts
Career Interest Inventories
http://ceo.lacounty.gov/pdf/LosAngelesConsularCor
psRoster.pdf
 Consists of 99 consulates
 Career consular officers are appointed by their Head
of State or Foreign Minister
 Full-time servants of their government
 Contacts for your home country consulars to pursue
interests in government opportunities
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QUESTIONS?