And you thought you were done with homework…

Before sending out resumes, going to career fairs, or contacting potential employers, do your homework. The majority of complaints we hear from employers stem from students’ lack of basic knowledge about the company and the services it provides. Nothing brings the conversation to a halt like silence in response to being asked, “What do you know about our company?” If you can’t take the time to do some basic investigating, why should the employer take the time to talk to you? To prevent awkward situations like this from happening to you, arm yourself with an arsenal of research on the company’s mission, values, services, and clientele. Along with valuable information that (if used wisely) can help you tailor your resume to target the company’s specific needs, possessing just a little bit of extra knowledge can give you a big leg up on the competition.

Waiting until the end of an interview to begin gathering company information is too late. Most basic company information is available with some quick and easy digging, and with the internet on your side, you can uncover almost anything. To make a short list of potential employers, sites such as Wetfeet and CareerShift (available to Auburn students and Alumni here) are great resources equipped with thousands of company profile snapshots. Use these sites to gain a basic understanding of what the company does and who they employ along with general contact information. From there you can visit specific company websites that interest you most and gather more detailed information such as mission statements, values, and company history. With the facts and figures gained through research, you are now ready to customize your resume and begin making important contacts.

1. Identify common strengths and values: Highlight ways in which you will fit the company and show employers how you will contribute to their bottom line.
2. Understand what services/products the company provides: Knowing exactly what products the company provides its clientele and specific services performed will help you clearly express your relevant skills and abilities.
3. Don’t exaggerate: Be authentic and honest. If the employer values attention to detail and you routinely overlook spelling and grammatical errors in your essays and emails, you may not want to extol your deep devotion to details.

So, as you prepare for your job search or the next Career Services Expo (hint hint: September 2009), check out the list of employers attending (http://jobs.auburn.edu) and do your homework. It just might be the difference between nabbing your dream job or internship and remaining unemployed.

By Meaghan Lee

Phrases to Avoid on Resumes/Cover Letters

If you ask your parents to help with your resume or cover letter, you will likely hear them suggest some or all of the following phrases that were once considered savvy:

• Results-oriented professional
• Cross-functional teams
• More than [x] years of progressively responsible experience
• Superior (or excellent) communication skills
• Strong work ethic
• Met or exceeded expectations
• Proven track record of success
• Works well with all levels of staff
• Team player
• Bottom-line orientation

According to an article posted on HotJobs.com (http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-experts-10_boilerplate_phrases_that_kill_resumes-97), the truth is…these phrases sound stodgy and generic. (Come on…you have at least one on your resume or cover letter right now, don’t you?)

The author suggested striving to make your resume and cover letter sound like they were actually written by a human and gave the following example as a more effective way of marketing your skill set:

"I'm a Marketing Researcher who's driven by curiosity about why people buy what they do. At XYZ Industries, I used consumer surveys and online-forum analysis to uncover the reasons why consumers chose our competitors over us; our sales grew twenty percent over the next six months as a result. I'm equally at home on sales calls or analyzing data in seclusion, and up to speed on traditional and new-millennium research tools and approaches. I'm fanatical about understanding our marketplace better every day, week and month -- and have helped my employers' brands grow dramatically as a result."

Something to think about…what are your thoughts?!

Top Intern Employers of 2009

Check out the Top Intern Employers of 2009

Walgreens, Southwestern Publishing, General Electric, Deloitte & Touche and PriceWaterhouseCoopers top the list.

No Cover Letter: It’s like a PB&J without the Peanut Butter!

According to counselor coach Robyn Ryan, the absence of a cover letter is a deal breaker for many recruiting companies. And unfortunately, many applicants skip this vital step. Here are cover letter writing tips for today’s job market:

• Unlike the typical advice to state why you are applying in the first sentence, Ryan suggests jumping into sharing your amount of relevant experience, skills and personal qualities.
• “Use short powerful evidence detailing past achievements, skills, experience and results you've achieved.” Employers don’t want to read job descriptions. They want to know if you can be successful in the job you are seeking.
• Make sure you are demonstrating your writing skills as many recruiters view the cover letter as a writing sample, a succinct one. Your letter should never be more than one page.
• Address how you can perform the requested qualifications. Though you may think it will catch their attention to share that you can stand on your head for an hour, if you fail to list that you can do the job, you become an interesting and unemployed person. Don’t make them think. Tell them you meet their needs through past experiences.
• Avoid typos and have a strong layout that is easy to read. If you are faxing your information, Arial is a good font that doesn’t blur as badly as a serif font. Do not use a font size smaller than 10 and 10.5 or 11 in many cases.
• Make sure your contact information is on your cover letter. Creating a header that appears on your cover letter, resume and reference page is a good idea as it makes things look like a professional information package.

Career Development Services can help you with your cover letter. Check out our handbook and get feedback via email or face-to-face during walk-in hours or via an appointment.

Resource: http://www.robinryan.com/

Foreign Languages…do you need one?

We live in a global society, and you are a more competitive candidate if you know more than one language. Many government, teaching, social services, tourism and hospitality jobs need multilingual candidates. Sales and marketing, law enforcement medical fields, banking and insurance industries also need people who speak more than one language.*

According to YoungMoney.com the top five languages to know are English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). You don’t have to major or minor in a language. In fact, you may be better served to immerse yourself in the culture and language through a personally paced program or better yet, study abroad.

Check out study and internship abroad opportunities with the Office of International Education.

* Resource: Youngmoney.com