SUNY Orange, "If you have the dream, we have the way!"SUNY Orange

What's New

OUR NEW ONLINE JOB BANK - CAREER PORTAL*

Our Career Portal* an online job bank available to employers, students, alumni and community members.

Employers:

  • Use the Career Portal* to register with our office online

  • Post job vacancy notices

  • Renew job vacancy notices

  • Search the database for qualified candidates

  • Download resumes

  • There is no fee to use this service

Students, alumni and community members:

  • Use the Career Portal* to register with our office online

  • Search for jobs

  • Upload your resume

  • Contact employers

  • There is no fee to use this service

This online job bank service is available 24/7 and can be accessed from any computer with internet capability. Take advantage of this service at no cost to you and visit often as new jobs are added daily.

* Career Portal is hosted by College Central Network

JOB SEARCH STRATEGIES -
THE CAREER CENTER: YOUR BEST RESOURCE

An advantage that you can give yourself is to start early. If you don't know what you would like to do for a career, go to the career center on your campus. Career counselors there can give you assessment tests and guidance to help you determine which careers you might like to pursue. If you have a good idea about industries or organizations you might want to work in or for, career counselors can help you research more efficiently and make valuable connections.

"I cannot impress upon you enough the importance of working through your career centers during your job search," says Jeff Goodman, university programs manager at Raytheon. "It is likely that your career services director has specific educational background and years of experience in counseling students in career development and search. You must consider the career center as a tool that you cannot afford to leave out of your job-search toolkit."

Your campus career center is an unmatched clearinghouse of career and job-search information, where you can receive expert advice and guidance. Career counselors there can help you explore career options (what majors you might want to consider or what jobs your degree qualifies you for), create your resume, develop career fair strategies, prepare for interviews, identify experiential education assignments, and assess full-time job offers.

"The career center works if you use it," says Hardy Brown, director of cooperative education and professional services at Wilberforce University. "And if you don't, you better have another source. The career center is there for students to be able to connect with the companies and organizations that come to campus. It is the primary place that companies and organizations are going to use in looking for students, and it's our job to facilitate these connections."

Many employers work directly with the career center to find potential employees. Check with your career center about resume referral services, job listings, and on-campus interview schedules --all of which can help you put you and your qualifications in front of employers.

Since career counselors work directly with employers, they know recruiters' preferences and desires. This is valuable information as you press forward with your job search. In fact, this is part of the research you need to conduct in order to be considered an ideal candidate.

SOURCE: National Association of Colleges and Employers, Job Choices for Science, Engineering, & Technology Students: 2008, 51st Edition.

WHAT TO INCLUDE AS PART OF YOUR ON-THE-JOB WARDROBE

INVEST IN AT LEAST ONE DARK-COLORED, GOOD QUALITY SUIT.

If you're working in a business environment, you'll need a few more-- and dark colors help make you look older and more authoritative. But even if your company culture is casual, you never know when you might need to "suit up" to meet an important client.

BUY SIMPLE, WELL-MADE SHIRTS OR BLOUSES.

These can be worn under a suit or with pants or a skirt, depending on the company culture and situation. Save time on ironing by buying wrinkle-free varieties.

BUY A VARIETY OF GOOD-QUALITY PANTS OR SKIRTS AND JACKETS.

These pieces can be worn alone with a shirt or blouse, mixed and matched with each other, or with pieces of a suit. In addition, if you choose well, you can wear them on weekends to stretch your clothing budget dollars.

MAKE SURE YOUR CLOTHING FITS WELL.

Too-tight or too-loose clothing simply looks unprofessional.

DON'T WEAR CLOTHING THAT'S FRAYED OR HAS HOLES.

Again, you'll look unprofessional.

COORDINATE YOUR SHOES, HOSIERY, AND BELT WITH YOUR CLOTHING.

In addition, your belt color should match or coordinate with your shoe color.

GET A GOOD HAIRCUT.

Keep it simple. Maintain a style that helps you look neat and professional. If your hair is long, pull it back into a ponytail.

LIMIT YOUR ACCESSORIES.

Too much or too-large jewelry sends an unprofessional message and can be distracting. Heavy perfume does the same thing.

TAKE OUT ANY NOSE AND TONGUE RINGS - AT LEAST AT FIRST.

Even if your company culture allows pierced body parts, play it safe at first, until you get to know your supervisor better.

COVER ANY TATTOOS - AT LEAST AT FIRST.

Again, even if your company permits tattoos, it's best to err on the side of caution at first.

LEAVE YOUR FLIP-FLOPS AND STILETTO HEELS AT HOME.

No matter how casual the work environment, most employers regard flip-flops and stilettos as hazardous.

SOURCE: National Association of Colleges and Employers; Job Choices for Science, Engineering, & Technology Students: 2008, 51st Edition.

PREP FOR YOUR JOB SEARCH NOW: ADVICE FOR FRESHMEN, SOPHOMORES, AND JUNIORS.

Yes, it's never too late to start looking for a job, but you'll do yourself a huge favor by preparing for your job search early, before your senior year.

An early start means you can take advantage of lots of career-building events and options open to you, and put yourself on the map with potential employers. ("Some students have interned wth a Fortune 500 company even before they stepped on the college campus as a freshman. Companies are observant about when students get into the process," says [Harold J. Bell, director of career planning and development at Spelman College].)

Here are some tips:

  • Use the resources and services available to you through your campus career center.
  • Seek out opportunities to build skills employers value, including communications, leadership, interpersonal, teamwork, and so forth. For example, join student organizations available on your campus, and make an impact on them. While you're organizing a fundraiser, playing on a winning team, or giving time tutoring high school students, you are learning valuable skills that you can add to your resume.
  • Gain relevant work experience through internship or co-op experiences. Employers prize relevant work experience, so go out and get it! Internships or co-op positions will give you a number of advantages, including a preview of your life in the work force after college. (Hint: If you don't like the work, you have time to change your major.) Employers look for work experience on your resume and the more closely it is related to your field, the more qualified you appear. Plus, many employers look first at their own interns and co-op students when they have job openings. Many students have gotten their first job out of college at the very organization where they served their internship/co-op.
  • Build your professional network as you go about your daily business.

SOURCE: National Association of Colleges and Employers; Job Choices, Diversity Edition 2008, 51st Edition.

YOUR ONLINE PROFILE AND YOUR JOB SEARCH

Would you let your grandmother see your online profile? If not, you don't want a potential employer to see it, either.

If you are like many students, you have a profile on Facebook or MySpace or one of the many social networking sites out there. And, if you're like many students, you may not have considered the potential damage your profile could do to your job search.

Because social networking sites are designed for social, not professional, purposes, many students mistakenly believe that employers can't or won't look at their online profile. Wrong. Legally, if you've put it out there for the world to see, the world--and potential employers--can see it. Second, some employers do check out such sites to find out about candidates they are considering. In fact, a recent survey found that one in 10 employers expected to look at profiles on social networking sites when considering potential employees. (Maybe a bigger issue: Nearly half of the employers in the survey said they weren't reviewing online profiles yet, but were considering it.)

Anything out there is fair game, and if your profile casts you in the wrong light, that could spell trouble. Advertising yourself as a "party animal" may enhance your image among some people, but most employers are going to be put off. Similarly, be careful that what others are posting about you doesn't reflect badly on you and that photos don't show you in questionable situations.

Many social networking sites allow you to limit who can have access to your profile, so take that step. But even with that security, it's a good idea to review your profiles and postings. Are you comfortable with the image they portray of you to potential employers? Use the grandma test: Would you let your grandmother see your online profile? If not, clean it up.

After all the time and effort you've put into crafting a resume, polishing your interviewing skills, and marketing yourself as the best candidate for the job, don't let your online profile undo your hard work. Check out your profile today!

SOURCE: National Association of Colleges and Employers; Job Choices, Diversity Edition 2008, 51st Edition.