Peer Corner

Introducing.....the 2008-2009 Career Center Peer Advisors!

  Hello Fellow Cal Students!  Welcome back to the 2008-2009 academic year - we hope you all had a fantastic summer!

We are excited to serve you, our fellow Peers, through drop-in appointments at the Career Center and during customized workshops for your student organizations and departments.  We anticipate that these services will begin about the 3rd week of classes, one we've all settled into the new semester.

So keep checking back for updates and announcements - we will begin writing regular blog posts once the semester is underway.

Cheers,

-The Career Center Peer Advisors!

Enjoy your summer! The Peer Blog will return in Fall 2008......

Thank you for your interest in Peer Corner!  The Career Center Peers do not work during the summer months, but we'll return in early September 2008 with new informative and interesting blog articles and stories from our summer adventures!

Stay tuned......

How to go about getting that Letter of Recommendation

Just realized that you are going to need a letter of recommendation? Or are you anticipating that a graduate school or job will ask you for one down the road? No Problem!  First thing’s first – you will need to become informed about what the program expects and hopes to learn from your letters of recommendation. This can vary depending on if it is a grad school application, a scholarship, or maybe a job application.

There are generally 3 different types of Letter of Recommendations:

Employment recommendation: Usually from a past supervisor or a professional acquaintance for a particular job

 Academic recommendation: From a teacher or professor when applying to a college or graduate school, or receiving a scholarship or fellowship

 Character reference: An assessment of your personality and character from a friend or relative when applying for a job, winning an award, child adoption, a court hearing, etc.

Now remember that when choosing the individual to write your letter, you might want to reflect on a few things first.  Here are a few key factors to assess in determining if the letter writer is a fit:

· Is the person comfortable writing a letter for you?

· Can they write well and write easily?

· Do they have experience writing letters of recommendation?

· Is she/he familiar with your work, and YOU?

· Do they know you well enough to be able to include personal anecdotes or specifics in the letter?

· Do they have the highest and/or most relevant job title?

Being a college student, your options for letter writers may revolve around asking a Professor, a GSI, or your current employer/supervisor. One key tip is to remember to attend your professor’s office hours and build a strong student-teacher relationship. This will allow your letter of recommendation may reflect who you are as a student and as a unique individual, not simply as a letter grade. If you choose to go with your GSI, your professor does have the option of co-signing the letter.

When approaching your letter writer, it is best if you first ask them whether they would feel comfortable writing you a letter. You should also attempt to ask your letter writer to write you a recommendation 2-3 months in advance if possible (at least one month!). You never know how busy they might be, and similarly you always want to give them a reasonable deadline.

After choosing your letter writer, you should provide him or her with as much information about yourself as possible. You definitely want to give them a brief description of the organization, group, individual, or cause to whom they are writing to, i.e. a website or program/company description. Also be sure to include your resume, possibly a short summary about yourself and your goals (or a draft of your personal statement or application essay). If approaching a professor, it is also helpful to give them a copy of your transcripts and a sample of high quality work that you completed in their class, i.e. a research paper, assignment, or midterm that you scored well on. Basically, provide them with any information that could assist them writing a strong letter that properly matches your personality and experiences to the context of the program or position you are applying to. Last but not least, don’t forget to thank your letter writer for their precious time!

Check out more tips at the Career Center Website Here!

By Peer: Ariana Torres: 2nd Year, Interdisiplenary Studies Field and Dance

Evaluating your Skills

One of the best ways to seek different career options is by assessing and evaluating  your own skills. By doing so one can explore various careers while at the same time learning more about yourself. You may be surprised when you realize that you actually have developed certain skills which you didn’t know you already possessed! These surprising discoveries can open the door to different industries and jobs.

There are a few ways to begin assessing yourself. One of the first is to:

**Identify Accomplishments
We all have numerous accomplishments which we have gained through jobs, clubs, hobbies and even classes. Do not forget that these accomplishments can be both educational and extracurricular. Reflecting on our accomplishments allows us to possibly see where we were headed and where we might want to go. When attempting to find these accomplishments one should also list responsibilities, identify tasks, and mention awards. If you are not satisfied with your initial list, think of opportunities where you can gain new accomplishments. It is never too late to join an on-campus club, begin a project at work, apply for a conference, or find other opportunities which will allow you to develop skills and enhance your resume.

By reviewing your resume you may be able to discover many of these accomplishments. If you do not have a resume, list your volunteer and community involvement in reverse chronological order, starting from your most recent job and working backwards.After composing this list one can log onto the Career Center website  and take one of our very own Self-Assessments. Keep in mind that these resources are not “tests” with right or wrong answers, and they are not meant to tell you what you should be or what career you would be “good” at. However, they are meant to give you some direction, to narrow down your choices, and to help you explore different career options. These assessments include:

Interests - Strong Interest Inventory
The Strong Interest Inventory measures your interests in a wide range of jobs, work tasks, leisure activities and school subjects. It includes information on how your interests can be linked to majors, campus activities, internships, and part-time jobs. It also provides tips for choosing a:

• Major
• Graduate program
• First job out of college

Skills - SkillScan
SkillScan helps you identify your inherent strengths and skills that are transferable across careers. It will help you to:

• Identify career options that utilize your skills and talents.
• Prepare strategies to move your career in the right direction.
• Gain a skill-based language that will help you market your strengths on a resume and in interviews.

Values - Career Values
Career Values enables you to explore factors that are important to you in your work life. Working in a career field that conforms to your preferences for such things as time freedom, prestige, service to others, etc. will increase the likelihood of satisfaction with your job. Career Values will help you:

• Identify your work values
• Explore the intensity of your feelings about some values
• Determine if there are any conflicts between your values that make career choices difficult

These Self-Assessments will help you think about your interests and skills, some of which you may not have thought about before. These assessments can allow you to consider new goals which will ultimately broaden your career opportunities. When you begin to think about new occupations, you might want to begin researching them and further exploring different positions along with the skills and tasks provided in the job description. One great place to start is O*Net, a career information database managed by the US Department of Labor. Experiment with different options before settling down with just one career goal. Remember that the best way to familiarize yourself with a profession or career is by taking a class, job shadowing, volunteering, or setting up an informational meeting, or even interning!

By Peer: Ariana Torres: 2nd Year, Interdisiplenary Studies Field and Dance

Work-Life Balance

Now, let’s take a minute to review your day-to-day schedule.  Does it involve class, studying into the wee hours of the morning, tons of meetings, work, and maybe a few hours of sleep? Despite the fact that this schedule looks like the ordinary college student schedule, its time to reflect on whether or not this type of lifestyle is balanced and healthy. Have you ever heard of the term “work-life balance”?

First let’s define what work-life balance is NOT.  Work-life balance does not necessarily mean that you MUST try to maintain an equal balance at all times between all of the many parts of your life; this may be impossible. Attempting to have an equal amount of time for each of your daily activities is unrealistic and may actually increase your stress.

However, what you must do is realize that we are all unique individuals whose work-life balance is and should be different. We each have distinct forms of relaxation which may require different amounts of time. Now keep in mind that our schedules and ability to “relax” and have a clear balance can change from week to week depending on events, projects, etc. The purpose of an effective work-life balance is to seek a balance in your daily “achievement and enjoyment”, which leads to a sense of overall well-being and happiness.

Finding work-life balance is vital to any college student’s career. Work-life balance allows us to gain a clear mind and reduce stress.  If your personal life and your work life are not balanced, you may be headed towards a high-stressed life which may interfere with your ability to work up to your potential. Although some of us may be engulfed with school work because it remains one of our top priorities, you may want to reflect on whether it is invading in your social/personal life. Whether your problem is too much work, or too much of a personal life, finding a balance can be negotiable.

Let’s take control of the situation and reevaluate our lives. What is it that we need in our lives and what we are avoiding can allow us to develop options for a healthy balance.

Here are 5 easy steps we can follow to seek this mental and physical balance that is critical to any college student’s fast paced life:

1) Figure out what really matters in your day/life (i.e. your personal VALUES): Personal coach Laura Berman Fortgang, author of NOWWHAT? 90 Days to a New Life Direction, says getting your priorities clear is the first and most essential step toward achieving a well-balanced life. Fortgang says a typical top-five list might include some of the following:
Children
Boyfriend/Girlfriend
Satisfying career goal
Community service
Religion/spirituality
Health
Sports
Art
Hobbies
Adventure/travel

2) Drop any activities that are unnecessary such as those that may not be career related, those which are not enhancing your personal growth, or those that do not serve as a form of relaxation. By reviewing your last list you may notice that you are making certain activities your priority despite the fact that they are not promoting a healthy and balanced life which may be keeping you away form things that actually do matter the most to you.

3) Respect your “me time”: Do not let your work life interfere with your personal life and vice versa.  Maintain your boundaries and realize that both are equally important and deserve your respect and attention. You will feel a greater satisfaction if you know that you have satisfied both of these elements. A healthy mind equals a Healthy body!

 4) Seek others to assist you in creating a greater balance your life: Getting a friend or family member’s opinion and allowing someone to help you reevaluate your schedule and various time commitments can allow you to view things from another perspective. We tend to overlook things and may need a second opinion to help us realize what other alternatives and options exist in order to restore or enhance our work-life balance.

 5) RELAX! This is an essential part of living a healthy well-balanced life. Whether your form of relaxation is going to the gym, taking a yoga class, going on a date or having a night out with some friends, you can ALWAYS seek out activities which allow you some work-free time. Realize that the most important thing in college is to be happy! So make it a habit to stop, think and ensure yourself that you are making time to participate in some stress-free, enjoyable activities.

 Lastly, remember that YOU are the only individual that has total control of your own schedule—it is all entirely up to you to take initiative and implement necessary changes to help you achieve work-life balance!

By Peer: Ariana Torres: 2nd Year, Interdisiplenary Studies Field and Dance

Why Being a Peer Advisor is the Best Job on Campus!

As I finish my third year of working as a Career Center Peer Advisor, I have decided to return to the Peer program for my 4th year in 2008-2009!  I know that to some that may seem like a long time to stay at one campus job, but I am so happy that I became a Peer Advisor and I wouldn’t want to leave!  Serving as a Peer has helped me to develop a wide range of skills and talents, as well as given me the opportunity to help out my fellow peers.
Here are the top three reasons why I love being a Career Center Peer Advisor:

1) Knowledge!!!
As a Peer you learn so much about career-related resources, as well as how to put together and conduct professional presentations. I definitely benefit from the all the knowledge that I have to learn in training and through my position. You not only get to help students, but you help yourself in the process! I am happy that I know how to use important resources such as Cal Jobs, OCR, and the Letter Service.

2) Building great relationships/Great Recommendations
My supervisors are very supportive and knowledgeable. I get to build great relationships with them and thus in return they have no problem writing me letters or recommendations or serving as a reference when I apply for internships, scholarships, and jobs.

3) Flexible Hours
You pretty much get to set your own hours here at the Career Center , and the schedule is very flexible every week. You only have to sign up for assignments and presentations that you are able to do, and you are rarely forced to work at a specific time. Since this is a Work Study position, the Career Center is very understanding of that fact that we are students who have demanding schedules and shifting priorities.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg! Stay tuned for more reasons why you should apply to become a Career Center Peer Advisor…..

by Peer: Erica McClanahan: 3rd Year, American Studies

Looking for a Great Job: Career Center Hiring!!!

 

CAREER
CENTER

NOW HIRING PEER ADVISORS!

 

+ Earn $12.50/hour

+ Create your own work schedule

+ Receive training on career exploration and job search techniques

+ Conduct presentations and advise other students on career-related topics

 

See the job listing at

career.berkeley.edu/Jobs/CalJobs.stm 

or workstudy.berkeley.edu

 

This is a work study position. To learn more about the

Career Center, please visit: career.berkeley.edu

 

 

Weighing Your Options…

With summer quickly approaching, many students are now thinking about what they are going to do with their break.  For some summer will be a time to travel abroad, for others it means hanging out with family or friends, and with others it means summer school.  However, for a large amount of Cal students, summer equals internships.  Yet a common question that the Career Center Peer Advisors here is that students never know where to start looking.  Well I’m here to tell you that there are many options out there (Yes, there really are!), one of which is interning with the Department of State.

When I started looking for internships I never considered working for the Department of State.  I wanted to go abroad and besides that I thought I wasn’t interested in government or public policy.  However, I soon learned that working with the State is a great way to get an internship!  I started looking up more information and discovered that the Department of State offers an internship to Africa, which is completely paid for!  This fact surprised me (probably like it just surprised you!) and I started to do more investigation.  I found out that UC Berkeley is the only other school besides UCLA in California that has a Diplomat in Residence at our local university.  Our Diplomat’s name is Anne O’Leary and she knows a vast amount of information about careers with the Department of State, specializing in the Middle East.  With Anne’s help I was able to learn more information about the summer internships with the Department of State, and working with her I eventually got an internship at a US Embassy in Pretoria, one of South Africa’s capitals.  Ultimately what I learned is to never overlook any opportunities based on face value – if you dig deeper you just might be surprised to learn about the plethora of options out there, just like how I discovered all that the Department of State has to offer.

by Peer: Kimeshia Thomas, 3rd Year, Interdisciplinary Field Studies

Negotiating with a New Employer:

We’ve probably all been there - the phone rings, we hear a voice tell us that we got “the job”, and we automatically want to say “YES!” and accept the position. Often we don’t even listen to the details (i.e. the start date, the hours, the pay, etc.), but instead we just want to say “yes” as quickly as possible to seal the deal. Our instinct is to secure that job/internship we’ve been searching for and to get the uncertainty and the hours of worrying about never getting a decent position out of our heads. However, the important thing to remember during these great moments of joy is to slow down, pay attention, and to be prepared before giving a final answer to the employer.

Before you get that phone call know what kind of “specifics” are important to you in deciding whether or not to accept a position. Do you have a certain date before which you cannot start, or before which you must finish that internship? If the position is far away, do you need financial relocation assistance? Where will you live? What kind of help can you get in financing your move and your new place? If the position is full time, what kind of benefits will you have? Are there perks that you think would be nice to have, but that aren’t offered up front such as a bonus?

For many summer internships, the questions of start/finish dates, as well as possible relocation assistance, are usually at the top of the list for many students. Salary is often not very negotiable at this point, however doing some preliminary research can let you know what your expected range can be. There are lots of discussion sites out there where college students exchange their proposed salaries and give opinions as well (just Google: “how much pay for internship?”)

For full time positions you have much more to think about salary, location, benefits, and future mobility, all negotiable items that are on the table. Check out Salary.com for possible salaries in your offered position and geographic location. The name of the game is that it never hurts to ask before accepting any offer.  If you’ll have to move, ask if there is relocation assistance. If you don’t see any talk of medical/retirement benefits, ask if they offer these to new employees. Good medical coverage and a solid 401k plan (with employers matching your contribution for example) can go a long way beyond your base salary.  If you don’t understand your vacation/sick day time, ask specifically what the policy is.  Also ask if there is some sort of a profit sharing plan available. Bonuses are always nice too, so if it’s not mentioned be sure to ask if you get an end of the year performance bonus. Promotions are even better! Ask about future common career tracks in their company, professional development opportunities, and performance evaluation procedures - these are the things that signal possible promotions.

A lot of companies start all of their new associates at a similar pay rate, so pushing hard on the employer for that extra few dollars might yield little results. If you feel you are being undervalued, do some research and see what the average industry rate for your level of education and position is.  This way you’ll have some legitimate standards to bring to the employer’s attention during the negotiation process. Just thinking that you’re worth 30k more for no apparent reason is not a convincing position; but letting them know that you have advanced skill sets or that other competitive companies in the industry pay 30k more that what they offer can make a difference.

There is a lot of information about negotiating with employers out there, check out the Career Center HERE for more info. The best thing to remember is to slow down, and take the time to think the offer over. You can even stop by the Career Center and chat with a counselor about it, and ask more questions.

by Peer: Andrew Neginskiy: 4th Year, Psychology 

 

 

Phone Interviews: Piece of cake right???

For some students, phone interviews can initially seem to be a load off your shoulders if you are worried about what nervous habits you might display during an in-person interview. Twiddling your thumbs or staring off into space is something that you definitely don’t have to worry about.  However, a phone interview carries the same weight as an in-person interview and all of the same “rules” apply. You still should spend time preparing for the phone interview ahead of time and be ready to provide specific examples of HOW and WHY you are qualified for the position. Remember, the sound of your voice is also very important. I remember when my co-worker and I conducted a phone interview for the first round screening for new peer advisor applicants. This person sounded very unenthusiastic, like they had just rolled out of bed. Their lack of excitement and professionalism gave us the impression that they did not have much interest in the job.

In order to be successful in a phone interview, one must be aware of how they are sounding to the other person. Here are a few tips to help you ace the phone interview!

1) Make sure you are awake, prepared, and focused for the phone interview. Schedule the talk for a time when you will be free of interruptions.

2) Be sure to use a land line because cell phone service can be spotty – and it would be very unprofessional to have a dropped call during an interview!

3) It can help to dress in business or business casual attire to help you get into a professional mode.

4) Stand up straight to maintain a good posture so that it will reflect in your voice. Also be sure to smile as you talk!

5) Have copies of your resume and the job description in front of you.

Just like an in-person interview, you want to leave them with a good impression of you and your abilities and talents. Be smart! Be enthused! And Prepare! Follow these tips and you will have a better shot of making a great first impression that will help you nail that phone interview! Also check out these tips from the Career Center website: CLICK HERE

by Peer: Erica McClanahan: 3rd Year, American Studies