What is Your Body Language Saying?

June 11, 2014

Does body language talk? You bet it does. What do you want to say?

Confidence Looks Like:

Eye contact: The confident person looks you in the eye when addressing or meeting you. Their eyes are wide, bright and happy. The eyebrows match this by being raised and open.

Posture: The confident person knows to point their belly button towards you when they’re addressing you. This shows you are the center of their attention! Even in group scenarios, confident body language includes relaxed but squared-off shoulders, arms at your side (except when illustrating a point and gesturing appropriately), and the stance is solid and stable, instead of overly wide (as an aggressive posture would be).

Handshake: A confident handshake is solid and firm but doesn’t leave you feeling crushed. The handshake is matched by maybe one or two “pumps” to indicate pleasure in meeting you, and then the grips are released. A confident handshake is consistently matched with the other body language to reveal the person as in control of their feelings and able to communicate with directness and authenticity.

Read Lida Citroen’s article in the Career Advice section of Career Attraction’s article to find out more about what your body language is saying about you.  http://www.careerattraction.com/body-language-giving-people-wrong-impression/

Practice Interviewing on Inteview Stream

September 4, 2013  Tagged

Ever wonder how you would perform on a Skype or other webcam interview? Or, how you would do in person? Did you know that you can do practice interviewing from your dorm room and then watch and critique yourself? We all know practice improves performance. Your CofC Career Center has a tool and all you need is your computer and a webcam. Just go to our website, careercenter.cofc.edu, and scroll down to Quick Links to find Interview Stream: Online Practice Interviews. After registering, you can take any of the practice interviews.

Prepare first: Go to the Students link (on left if Career Center site) and then select Interviewing and improve your interview skills. After completing one or more practice interviews, you can still set up an apppointment to come to the Career Center for a mock interview. But you might be so good after Interview Stream you don’t to!

6 Ways New Grads Can Stand Out in an Interview

June 25, 2012

By Sonia Acosta, CareerBuilder Writer
From CareerRookie.com

As a recent college graduate, you’re probably not a stranger to competition.  College acceptance, scholarships, internships and leadership positions within student organizations can all be significantly challenging to attain with dozens, hundreds or even thousands of students vying for the same spots.  The job market, however, is a different kind of race, and probably one of the most competitive environments a recent graduate has ever faced.

While you might not have years of experience, tightly specialized skills or industry expertise right out of college, you still have a great deal to offer.  There are many effective ways to impress an employer, stand out from the crowd and make the cut.

Here are six ways to set yourself apart, make an impression and secure the offer letter despite a highly competitive job market.

How Your Job Search Is Like March Madness

March 26, 2012

by Kevin Flynn, Director of Recruitment and Candidate Services
From CommonGoodCareers.com

Another season of March Madness is upon us. Since I’ve spent the majority of the last week either watching tournament games or interviewing candidates, I’ve started thinking how the March Madness is a lot like a job search.

What can jobseekers learn from March Madness? Here are a few thoughts:

You’re up against a large playing field. In the NCAA, 68 teams compete in the tournament. In today’s nonprofit job market, there may be up to 500 candidates applying to one job (depending on the level and functional area of the position). In the same way Gonzaga, Creighton and VCU have come out of nowhere to take the tournament by storm in recent years, there are amazingly talented candidates flooding the market today, and it’s not just the traditional profiles. These are talented for-profit leaders looking for “Encore Careers” in the nonprofit sector, or graduates of the new crop of amazing nonprofit-focused MBA programs that have taken off over the past few years. Add the fact that there are fewer AmeriCorps positions for recent college graduates, and fewer retirement age professionals actually retiring, and you’re looking at a pretty large – not to mention diverse and competitive – playing field.

The best teams have great coaches. It starts with the X’s and O’s. When the players are on the court, they’re listening to the direction of a head coach and a couple assistants- they’re NOT going around to every fan in the stadium asking them for their advice on the next play. In your job search, seek out a couple experts to be your coaches. These should be people with a depth of experience with the current job market and hiring trends in the sector. Everyone will have an opinion on your job search, but soliciting advice from this dozens of people will slow you down and leave your head spinning. Cultivate as many fans and supporters as possible (they’re VERY important) . These are folks that can introduce you to the right people, put in a good word on your behalf and cheer you on when the going gets tough. However when it comes to the hard skills of planning and navigating a strategic job search, focus on finding 1 or 2 experts to be your coaches. If you’re looking for some professional coaching in your own search, check out our Commongood Careers’ advising services. Learn more here.

Buzzer beaters do happen (but please focus on the high-percentage shots)! Yes, we’ve all sat in our driveways practicing the crazy half-court last-second shot pretending we’re Christian Laettner or Tate George or Bryce Drew. We’ve all also applied for some jobs we knew were a big stretch. Sure, go for that long shot now and then. If it looks like your dream job and your “One Shining Moment,” let it fly. Remember though: you need to be spending the majority of your time on creating the high-percentage opportunities- those that are a solid fit for your work experience and background. Also, keep in mind you can turn those long shots into layups by networking your way in the door, getting to know team members and having solid recommendations coming from inside and outside the organization.

There are always Cinderellas (and they never win it all!): Fans love a good Cinderella story of an up-and-comer team making it deep in the tournament. Remember Butler as an 8 seed facing VCU as an 11 seed in the final four last year? Well neither of them won a thing. Cinderallas advance, grab a lot of attention and have the fans pulling for them, but they almost never win it all. Same is true in the finalist stage of a job search. Hiring organizations will often fill out the group of finalists for a position with some candidates that are the exact target they’re looking for and 1 or 2 that represent a different or nontraditional candidate-model (maybe earlier in their career, maybe switching sectors, etc.). It’s a common practice. When push comes to shove, however, they’re usually going to hire the target candidate who presents less of a gamble. So does that mean the Cinderellas wasted their time and you should never apply to any position you’re not perfect for? Absolutely not. Every time you advance in an interview process you have the opportunity to impress the leadership at a hiring organization, and only good things can come from that. Maybe the next job that opens at that organization is a better fit for you. Maybe they recommend you for a similar role at a partner organization. Rather than being a waste of time, getting to the finalist stage can be a door-opener for your next opportunity. If you’re nontraditional, under-qualified, over-qualified, etc. for a particular role, remember: Cinderellas almost never win in the end, but ask Butler and VCU- it’s still great to be one.

Finally, every good player knows that it takes a lot of hard work to land on top. Just like making it to the Dance, a successful job search requires focus and perseverance, a winning attitude, and strong conviction. Have a solid game plan that starts with the X’s and O’s, surround yourself with good coaches, take high percentage shots, and, once in a while, trust yourself to sink a buzzer beater here and there.

Top 10 Internship-Ready Majors

March 12, 2012

From Internships.com

It’s that time of the year. 68 college basketball teams have made it to the NCAA Tournament – the “big dance.” Rankings, seedings, and brackets are top of mind.

But there’s another competition launching today, too – a competition for career readiness and ambition, for bragging rights based on majors. Today we released The “Top 10 Internship-Ready Majors,” based on a comprehensive list of college majors analyzed by our Internships.com Ambition Index.

Which majors made the final cut? Click here to see the Top 10 ranking.

Once you check out where your major ranks, or (womp-womp) doesn’t rank, make the case on Facebook and Twitter – share why your major is the most deserving of a Top 10 ranking.

5 Things I Look for in a Great Job Interview

January 23, 2012

By Matthew SwyersFounder – The Trademark Company
From Inc.com

In my career I have reviewed thousands of resumes and conducted hundreds of employment interviews for both The Trademark Company and other businesses for which I have worked. In doing so, I got to see the good, the bad, and the downright ugly in terms of resumes, interviewing skills, and the like. For other CEOs looking to hire, here’s what I think makes a great candidate stand out from the good ones.

Final Cut: Words to Strike from Your Resume

November 22, 2011

From Forbes.com
by Daily Muse, Contributor

If you’ve applied for a job recently, you’ve probably looked over that 8½ x 11” summary of your career more times than you can count—and tweaked it just as often—in pursuit of the perfect resume.

But before you add another bullet point, consider this: It’s not always about what you add in—the best changes you can make may lie in what you take out.

The average resume is chock-full of sorely outdated, essentially meaningless phrases that take up valuable space on the page. Eliminate them, and you’ll come off as a better, more substantial candidate—and your resume won’t smack of that same generic, mind-numbing quality found on everyone else’s.

Every word—yes, every word—on that page should be working hard to highlight your talents and skills. If it’s not, it shouldn’t be on there. So grab a red pen, and banish these words from your resume for good.

10 commandments of dressing for work

September 26, 2011

By Beth Braccio Hering
From CNN Living / CareerBuilder.com

In a 2010 national poll conducted by the Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania, “appearance” ranked second only to “communication skills” when respondents named qualities most often associated with professionalism. Universal dress rules can’t be set in stone, because what is considered appropriate varies by workplace, field and what is happening on a given day. But if such a tablet were to be created, there’s a good chance it would include the following.

Interested in learning more about workplace etiquette and how to dress for success. Come by the Workplace Etiquette workshop this Thursday, September 29th at 5:30 in the Career Center. For more information, contact the Career Center at 953-5692 / careercenter@cofc.edu.

Cougar Career Workshop Series – Fall 2011

September 5, 2011

Due to the popularity we saw in the Spring semester, the Career Center will be bringing back it’s Thursday night Cougar Career Workshop Series. In an effort to try and reach out to students and alumni that may not be able to access the Career Center during the day, the Career Center will be hosting workshops that focus on a different topic each week, including new topics not offered during the Spring.

Below is a list of the Fall 2011 workshops along with a flyer with more information on each. All workshops will be held in the Career Center (Lightsey Building, Room 216) from 5:30 – 6:30pm. For those workshops requiring registration, you can sign up for them by viewing the Events Calendar in CISTERNonline, and if you should have any questions about them, please contact Eric Anderson, Career Center Advisor, at 953-5693 / andersone@cofc.edu or Katie Smith, Internship Coordinator at 953-5694 / smithkl@cofc.edu.

Flyer: Fall 2011 Cougar Career Workshop Series

Fall Schedule

September 8th – Resume and Cover Letter 101

September 15th – Experience Matters – Internships

September 22nd – Is Graduate School Right for Me?: Preparing for Admission*

September 29th – Workplace Etiquette and Professional Image*

October 6th – What Employers are Saying about your Resume *

October 13th – How to Land a Great Job*

October 20th – Preparing for the Career Fair

October 27th – Recruiters Tell All – Panel*

November 3rd – Linked In: What Is it & How To Utilize it for Career Networking

November 10th – Tips for Sealing the Deal in a Big Interview

November 17th – Taking a Year off between School and Work: Pros & Cons

December 1st – Working for a Nonprofit: Dispelling the Myths*
In conjunction with the College of Charleston Center for Civic Engagement

*Workshop space is limited and requires pre-registration.

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