Spring Break 2016 Bucket List: What Should You Add to Your List?

Are you ready for Spring Break yet? 

I know many of you have lots of tests or midterms to get through the week before you leave. As you make your final preparations for your Spring Break, do you have some things you want to accomplish during your week away? If you haven't thought about your "to do" list yet, check out our Spring Break Bucket List below. Which of these items do you need to mark off your list while you're gone on Spring Break?

Come see us in Career Services before you leave town if we can help you design some plans to get you on the right track to

• explore a new major, 
• look for a summer job or internship, 
• prepare for interviews for your first full-time job or 
• research graduate schools.

You can walk in to see us Monday through Friday for 10 Minute Walk-In Advising from 12 - 3pm, or call 540-231-6241 to make an appointment with a career advisor.

Let us help you launch your career plans! Now see how many of these you can check off during your Spring Break! Can you do all 26?

10 Things you want to know about RESUMES

A question that we all face during our college career is: “What do I put on my resume?” Building a resume can be complicated and confusing. We want students to be able to create strong resumes in order to really emphasize who they are, their skills and overall experiences. 

Below we have identified 10 tips and how to’s for your resume building skills.

1. One Page, No Problem - Your resume should be a concise and succinct document that summarizes your background and experiences. Most undergraduate resumes should be no longer than a page, but it also depends on your application. A curriculum vital can be used to help describe expansive detail on research or publications, which can allow you to use multi-pages. Additionally, federal job application resumes are expected to be longer than one page.

2. Who Are YOU? - The header of your resume should include your full name large and in bold so that it stands out. Additionally you want to include your contact information, consisting of your phone number, email address, current and permanent addresses. 

3. Let’s get to the Point - Your resume should be tailored towards the purpose of your application, whether you are applying for internships, scholarships or full time jobs. The objective of your resume can be stated at the top of the document, below your name, in which you identify the purpose of your resume. For example your resume objective might state, “To obtain a summer 2016 internship within the field of Psychology.”

4. Too cool for SCHOOL - You want to include your major(s), minor(s), list your school name (Virginia Tech or Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University), city and state, and expected graduation date. If you plan to list multiple schools, be sure to put them in reverse chronological. Typically, you want to include a GPA. Additionally, you can include study abroad experiences in your education section as well.

5. Remember When? - You want to format each of your experiences in the same way; try to always include your title, the company or organization name, the location, and the dates you were employed. Be sure to always list your experiences in reverse chronological order. You also want to utilize bullet points to describe the skills and responsibilities you gained during the experience. Additionally, do not forget to use present tense verbs for current positions and past tense verbs for prior experiences. Your experiences do not need to just be a paid job position; you can include class projects, volunteer work, internships, externships, part time jobs, and more.

6. Getting ACTIVE with Activities - In addition to your academics and job experiences, you may also want to include your other campus involvement. These could range from being a team captain for the Big Event, or playing for the club soccer team. Be sure to include any positions you have held, as well as the dates you have been a part of the organization.

7. Got SKILLS? - If applicable, you may want to list a variety of skills that you have gained from your experiences inside or outside the classroom. Avoid listing soft skills, like listening or communication skills. You should list language skills and technical skills, which would include computer programs or laboratory procedures.

8. References: Yes or No? - You do not need to include references or write “references upon request” on your resume. A reference list should be on a separate document and would be asked for by your inquiring employer.

9. Tips ‘n’ Tricks - Be sure to use italics, bold and underlining to emphasize specific details on your resume. Use font that is easy to read and stick to between 10-12 point fonts. Additionally, be sure to stay consistent with punctuation and formatting throughout the resume.

10. Brag about, YOU! - Utilize your resume to share with employers the skills and strengths you have to offer them. It can be difficult to include everything on one page, or you may have a hard time thinking of things to include. It is always helpful to have someone else look at your resume before submitting it to a professional to help you with those issues.

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Your resume can open the door for interviews, but it is just one tool and one part of the internship or job search process. Be sure to use these tips as a starting point for building your resume. After you have begun the process, stop by Career Services during walk-in advising hours for additional help on your resume, including: critiques, grammatical editing, and answering any other questions you may have. Walk-in advising is Monday-Friday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and there is no appointment necessary. If you need extra tips on building a resume before you come in, be sure to visit our website. We can’t wait to see where your resume takes you!

The Ideal Candidate? Is it YOU?

Lately I've been doing a lot of mock interviews. During these practice sessions, I ask students to share with me the questions they plan to ask during an interview. After all, an interview is a two-sided conversation, where you should have some questions prepared to ask as well as the interviewer.

No, I don't have the answers to students' questions, but I can evaluate their queries, letting the student know if each question is one that should or should not be asked. As we consider their questions, I am often asked about my favorite question to ask in an interview. My go to question is some sort of variation of this one (I've used it more than once, and I've gotten the job):

Would you please describe the ideal candidate for this position?

Or some variation of this like What does it take for an employee to be successful in this position? How would you describe an ideal employee? Questions like these let you know what it is that the employer is seeking...what fits.

I've been on hiring committees for lots of positions in the over 25 years of my professional career. I can count on one hand though, and it's less than five, the candidates who have used this question and the employer's response to their advantage. For, after the employer answers your ideal candidate question, then it's your turn to sell yourself. Let's say a recruiter replies she seeks a skilled problem solver, a strong communicator, a team player and someone with leadership experience.

When the hiring manager finishes this description, you reply, "You mentioned you are looking for a problem solver. Just last week in a group project, I had to put my problem solving skills to work,.."(going on to describe what you did). "I feel like I've been able to develop my communication skills this year in my senior design project where we have to make presentations at least every 3 weeks. And, for the entire time I've been at Virginia Tech, I've played on intramural teams, where I currently serve as the captain of my basketball team..." and go on and share what that involves. You get the picture. Demonstrate to the employer how you fit the ideal. That's what they want to know. Who fits what we are looking for the best?

If the employer shares an ideal quality or experience that you don't have, you just don't mention it, or you can talk about what a quick learner you are with a specific example where you had to understand something at a fast pace.

Another good strategy with a question is to let an employer know you've done research in your question. "I read about your new office in Raleigh, NC. Would I have the opportunity to work in this position there? What are your plans for that location?" This proves to the employer you are genuinely interested in the opportunity and in the organization.

If you need more ideas for questions to ask in an interview, visit our website. Be sure you have a fair amount of questions to ask, as some may be answered by a recruiter as they describe a position and the organization before you have a chance to ask them.

In your next interview, go prove how you fit by discovering the employer's ideal.

What's your go to question in an interview? Let us know if you have a new one to add to our list.