Daily Career Connection

Article Contributed By CareerAlley

“Are you goin’ to Scarborough Fair?” - Simon & Garfunkel

If you’ve ever been to a job fair, you will know that it’s more like a circus. Incredibly long lines, so many people and so few jobs! But, it is another avenue you must travel in your quest for a job. There are many types of job fairs these days. Some are virtual, some are just or college grads and the list goes on.

Today’s post will focus on some career fair strategies and a few links to “where to find the fairs”. Some of the tips are fairly basic (like bring copies of your resume) and some are a little out there (like don’t be afraid of recruiters). In any event, the links to the lists follow below. You may also want to look at some previous posts:

• Who’s Hiring at your Job Fair?
• College Career Fairs – Are You Prepared?

• Tips to Get the Most Out of Career Fairs - This article, provided by Berkeley University’s Career Center, provides a number of good tips which will help you with your career job fair quest. Some are fairly basic, but there are a few that are not so obvious. In addition to this article, there is a link on the top right hand side of the page for an article on “Career Fairs: Myths & Strategies”. Additionally, on the left hand side of the page there are additional links with helpful information. Last, but not least, click the “Back to Career Fairs Home” and click the Online Workshop link in the top right hand corner to see a 5 minute video on workshops.

• The Ten Keys to Success at Job and Career Fairs - This article, from Quintcareers.com, provides some additional tips like: Attire, Resumes, Research and more. Throughout the article there are additional links to related information like Guide to Researching Companies, Dress for Success and many more. At the bottom of the article is an additional link for Job Expo and Career Fair Resources.

• Monster - Job Fairs in Your Area - This is an additional service from Monster.com which provides additional resources for finding and registering for Job fairs. The site has “Find a Job Fair” in the middle of the page, followed by additional sections in the middle of the page for Job Fair Registration, Job Fair Tips and a video from a recent job fair. The “Find a Job Fair” link shows upcoming fairs with “Register Now” links. There is another link for a complete tour calendar.

• National Career Fairs - This site is dedicated to career fairs (in case you could not tell by the title). You can enter your zip code from the center of the page and do a search. The top of the page has a calendar tab, register tab, advice and more. Upcoming Career Fairs are listed on the right hand side of the page. There is also a section in the middle of the page where you can search for job fairs by region.

• Targeted Job Fairs - Another job site dedicated to job fairs, the top of the main page has tabs for Career Fair Types, Job Seekers and Upcoming Career Fairs. The middle left of the page has a section where you can search with filters for cities, states and career fair type. The middle of the page has three sections for Upcoming Fairs, Job Seeker and more. You can sign up to receive a notice of events.

Good luck in your search.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Article Contributed by Candice Arnold

Because the current job market is filled to overflowing with talented entry level job seekers, it has become increasingly necessary for candidates to find ways to stand out in a positive way from their competition. One way to do that is by participating in an international internship.

Organizations like AIESEC (pronounced eye-sik) can facilitate a student’s efforts to find an internship oversees. Though not the only one of its kind, AIESEC is the largest student-run global internship organization with 35,000 student members in 107 countries, including the United States.

Established in 1948, AIESEC, which was once an anagram of a French phrase that roughly translated into International Association of Students in Economics and Commerce, believed that helping people from different cultures to gain a better understanding of each other would decrease the likelihood of the recurrence of world war.

Unlike other international internship programs, AIESEC allows students to become fully immersed in the culture of their host country, learning not only the language, but the customs and business practices as well.

“The internship program is only one stage of the development process they’re trying to take students through,” said Andrew King, an alumnus of the AIESEC program who works full time in the organization’s business development office. King works with companies to create internship programs for AIESEC’s student members.

Some of the companies that currently participate in AIESEC are Microsoft, DHL, UBS, HSBC and InBev, the international beverage company that recently acquired Anheuser-Busch.

There are two primary benefits for students who participate in programs like AIESEC, says King, and they are:

1. Membership in AIESEC helps develop skills like

• leadership
• ethics
• accountability

It encourages students to become “change agents,” to “make a positive impact on society,” said King, who spent a year in Beijing, China, during what would have been his junior year of college, in 2006.

2. Because the program is structured, students receive a higher level of service than they might if they found their international internship through their campus career services office.

For example, when King went to China, his counterparts in Beijing had been responsible for developing his internship, meeting him at the airport when he arrived, showing him around the city and helping him to gain a better understanding of Chinese people, their culture and their society.

“There’s worry about our place in the global competitiveness and economy, that we’re falling behind,” explained King, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison earlier this year. “[So], not only does [AIESEC membership] have the social benefits of promoting world peace, but it will also make U.S. students more competitive. Students need to know how business is conducted in other countries.”

Of course, there are other pluses to an AIESEC international internship. Students who speak more than one language are more valuable because they can not only communicate with colleagues, but with customers and clients, too.

The only criteria for membership in AIESEC are open mindedness, willingness to learn about another country and an understanding that culture shock is inevitable. Students who join AIESEC are also expected to be “self starters with entrepreneurial spirits, who will be good ambassadors for the United States,” said King.

Membership isn’t limited to business or international relations majors. It’s open to students of all majors who are curious about how business in other countries is conducted and how the people live and work on a day-to-day basis.

“There’s something about going to another country and meeting the people that lessens the chance of future conflict and promotes personal development as students learn to cope with the difficulties of adjusting to a different culture,” King concluded.

Finding the right entry level job after graduation is tough for many recent graduates, primarily because the competition is so tough. Participation in an international internship program through organizations like AIESEC could be what sets 2010 graduates apart. They will have experienced other cultures and, like King, they will also have matured beyond their years, which will definitely make them stand out during interviews.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

With the current uncertain state of the economy, seeking career management services is more important now than ever. Whether you’ve lost your job or you’re simply wanting to figure out how to position yourself for success in today’s highly competitive job market, seeking professional assistance may be the right option for you. After all, with unemployment at the highest level it’s been in years, there are many highly qualified people seeking jobs and advancement opportunities at the same time as you. It’s certainly in your best interest to figure out how to truly differentiate yourself from the competition.

Working with a group of professional outplacement consultants is something that many people who are looking for ways to get ahead in the job market find to be very helpful. It simply makes sense to seek assistance from individuals who can help you figure out how to align and clearly articulate your career goals as well as to provide you with interview coaching, resume assistance, and even help put you in touch with companies that may be hiring people who have your skill sets. Why try to navigate the jungle of the job market on your own when it’s possible to work with skilled experts who can help you accomplish your goals?

©Copyright, 2009, Nicole Dukehart, All rights reserved. Used with Permission.

SLOTH -

Are you being proactive in searching out new opportunities which might be the best next step for your career? Are you surprised that you are still stuck under the fluorescent light in your sad little cubical? What is your plan? THE AWFUL TRUTH is, a successful career does not just happen. You need to have a long term career plan. Like with any long term goal, you will need to create a plan, be diligent and work hard. You will want to begin by doing research in your industry and specifically for the position you desire. You will want to find out who you should be networking with, and find out what steps they took to achieve the success they have obtained. Even if you are not actively looking, always be open-minded to opportunities you hear about. Exploring an opportunity is not a commitment that you will take a new job, but by failing to evaluate new scenarios you’ll never know what you might have missed. THE AWFUL TRUTH is, that any sloth can probably keep the job they have with minimal effort, but taking your career to the next level will require effort.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.