Career Shift – An Interesting Tool

A short time back, I was asked to test out a  job search service that Career Development had bought a subscription to on a trial basis. The website named, Career Shift, promises to help job seekers “successfully navigate the published and hidden job market to find gainful employment.” Of course, the first thing I did upon being asked to try out Career Shift was to find out what made this website service better than the numerous others which are also available. On their “about us” section Career Shift is cites the fact that they use ” an exclusively licensed, patent-pending set of integrated tools, job seekers are able to find employment more easily and conveniently.”  With that in mind, I delved into using Career Shift and finding out if this job search tool would be useful to the fine students of Chestnut Hill College.

What I found was quite encouraging. The first thing I want to talk about is the ease with which you can navigate the job search on Career Shift. You just need to add in the name of the profession that you seek and the results will appear as long as there are openings for your desired job. What also makes the search engine a pleasure to use is the fact that your search can be narrowed down to area of the country that you are seeking to work in. For instance, I have lived in Philadelphia for the past 10 years and I don’t have the intent of moving anytime soon so I don’t need to look at jobs in other areas. On the other hand, if you are someone who is not from the Philadelphia area and is going to back to their state of residence, you can find jobs in that region too.

Another aspect of Career Shift that is remarkable is saving your job searches. As someone who has used other job search websites, I cannot truly express just how happy it makes me that Career Shift allows you to save the jobs that you are interested in. Furthermore, Career Shift allows you to have a calendar which allows you to save appointments or plans on a particular day. I will freely admit that I’m not the most organized person so for Career Shift to include this kind of tool in quite beneficial for me. Now, I can have my job searches, my interview dates among other plans to all be saved in one place.

After my experience on Career Shift, my answer to Career Development was a resounding yes. Chestnut Hill should indeed use Career Shift as a job search tool for current students because Career Shit is in unique, easy and comprehensive which is what I want from my job search website. However, if you don’t believe me — Chestnut Hill College students are free to try for themselves.  

Law School: Is it for You?

On Wednesday January 30th, I had the opportunity to attend the law school admissions panel, held by Drexel University in their beautiful research center named after Edmund D. Bossone. The purpose of the panel was to give students, who are interested in attending law school, as much information as possible on the subject.  To accomplish this, representatives from various colleges across the region were invited so prospective law students could ask the questions they deemed to be most significant. Represented in the affair were the law schools from Villanova, Temple, Drexel, Penn, Rutgers, Duquesne, and Widener.

One of the most important questions which was on the mind of attendees the declining number of jobs being offered to law school graduates.  It is a query which shouldn’t come as a surprise to representatives of law school since the number of applications they have received are set to be the lowest in the past 30 years.  The reason that law school applications have been declining can largely be attributed to the fact that only “55 percent of 2011 law graduates had found permanent, full-time jobs that required bar passage within nine months.” Acknowledging the situation, one of the panelists said that it was important for prospective students to consider whether law school truly is the direction they are looking for in life. Another panelist chimed in, stating that if a prospective student is only looking at law school because they don’t know what else to do with themselves, it’s a massive mistake.

From the above responses/information,  it may seem as if it’s all doom and gloom for prospective law students but that is not the case. There was some positive news to go around as well. For instance, the dwindling number of applications means that those who maybe on the borderline or cusp of making it into law school have a better chance of getting into the law school of their choice. Furthermore, the students who do get in have the advantage of receiving more scholarship money that colleges set aside for law school students that they were expecting to get.

As for the actual admissions process, nothing has been significantly altered. Law schools still put a lot of emphasis on your cumulative GPA and the score that you receive on the LSAT. However, if you are on the borderline (your chances have already exponentially improved because of the decreased number of applicants) a strong personal statement maybe what pushed you over the person you are competing with. Last but certainly not the least is the significance that your experience plays into acceptance. Some colleges (in this case Duquesne University) really look at the real work experience in your application. This gives them an idea of the sort of connections you have already made in the real world.

If you are looking to apply to law school, hopefully this article. If you have any more question, do not hesitate to e-mail us or comment below and we would be happy to answer any questions for you.

A Career in Public Relations

Unfortunately, for us at Career Development it has been a while since Senior Jessica O’Neil posted one of her “A Career in” posts. However, those posts continue to be one of the highlights of ourblog which is why I decided to revive an age old tradition just in time for the holidays.

So, before we get any farther, people always ask regarding the definition of Public Relations. Having taken a course on the subject, it was defined as “Public Relations is a leadership and management function that helps achieve organizational objectives, define philosophy, and facilitate organizational change. PR practioners communicate with all relevant external and internal publics to develop and maintain positive relationships.”

There is also the fact that Public Relation industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the nation. In fact, here are some statistics on how much PR is growing.

• Almost $4.3 billion spent each year in the U.S
• Approximately $3 billion spent each year in Europe
• Approximately $1.8 billion spent by 2010 in China

What sort of work do you do in the Public Relations industry?

“Public relations specialists handle organizational functions such as media, community, consumer, and governmental relations; political campaigns; interest-group representation; conflict mediation; or employee and investor relations. However, public relations is not only telling the organizations story. Understanding the attitudes and concerns of consumers, employees, and various other groups is also a vital part of the job. To improve communications, public relations specialists establish and maintain cooperative relationships with representatives of community, consumer, employee, and public interest groups and those in print and broadcast journalism.” College Grad.com

According to a salary survey conducted for the Public Relations Society of America, the overall median salary in public relations was about $49,100.  However, salaries in the field could range from $22,800 to $141,000. Obviously, that is a large difference but it shows that in this ever growing field there is room to climb up and make more money.

Public Relations is a growing field and it will always need people who are creative, hard-working, ethical, and can be strategic. If you possess those qualities, Public Relations will always be interested in hiring you.

Also, Happy Holidays to everyone out there from Career Development!

KAPLAN Applying to Graduate Schools Seminar: How to Become a Successful Applicant.

We all remember the process we went through when applying to colleges: personal essays, countless letters of recommendations, SAT scores, academic grades and extracurricular activities were all vital in getting into our “dream” school. If you’re thinking about applying to graduate school after your undergraduate studies, the process will seem all too familiar. On October 24^th, Chestnut Hill College invited a Kaplan specialist to speak to students on the ins-and-outs of how to prepare a sterling application. Like undergraduate applications, the graduate school or schools look at all the required statistical information (grade point average, as well as GRE/GMAT or LSAT test scores) but take more time assessing your qualitative attributes, or who you are as an individual. Essentially, as the speaker emphasized, it is more about who you are and how well you can convince them that they would benefit from your enrollment.

One of the common misconceptions when applying to a graduate program is that the test score and GPA speak for themselves. This is not true!  Your test score and GPA not only needs to match the criteria of the program but is pretty much the “key” to unlocking the door to having your application considered. This is where your personal experiences, letters of recommendation, resume and any other unique information come into play. How well you did on the test will not secure you a spot.

However, on the other hand, thinking that your “awesomeness” will guarantee you a spot (especially if your grades don’t match their requirements) is not a sure shot either. Your experiences, recommendations and other character enhancing materials, although important, will not be enough to grant you consideration—and that is if your application even gets glanced at. The numbers are what get you into the right hands in the first place.

The main factor to think about before you even begin compiling your application is money. As if undergrad hasn’t put you in enough debt, you have to really decide if the money you shell out for the program is going to ensure you a better career. But before you can even decide if you can afford it, make sure grad school is right for you. Think about where you want to be, research that title and what the benefits are if you decide to complete a graduate program. The test alone costs a few hundred dollars to take each time, especially if you have to retake it.  Not to mention the cost of attending grad school is often times paid for by you, out of pocket (which is definitely not cheap).

So if you’re thinking about furthering your education, consider these tips beforehand:

Is this particular program/school the right fit? Research your choices and narrow down what school has the most to offer.

Can you afford it? If you are already in the workplace, some companies offer to pay for it if it is a requirement for your field.

Make your experience (personal and professional) work for you. Graduate schools are looking for well-rounded individuals so the more multi-faceted you seem the better chance you have of catching their eye.

Study, study, study for the test! As mentioned before, it costs several hundred dollars to take it each time and you can only take it a certain amount of times in a five-year span so a bad score can hurt your chances.

If grad school is your next stop, be sure to be prepared. And remember to treat your application as though it is a snapshot: you want the most flattering (and honest!) image portrayed that will be guaranteed to stand out from the rest.

*This blog post was written by Griselle Rodriguez

The LSAT

According to the United States department bureau of labor statistics, the average lawyer makes approximately  $112,760 per year which translates to $54.21 per hour. If you are anything similar to your typical college, those numbers seem as appealing as a Steve’s cheese steak. However, becoming a lawyer is a tough task. Not only is the journey to get there an arduous one with 4 years of undergraduate college followed by another 3 years of law school. 

Once you get over the additional schooling, it’s time to consider the competitive environment to get into law school. Law schools have notoriously low acceptance rates. For instance, in 2009 Yale University (considered by many to be the premier law school in the nation) had an acceptance rate of a mere 7%, Stanford University was slightly better with 9%  while Harvard accepted 11.8% of its applicants. Despite those numbers, potential applicants have not stopped applying as 129, 414 people took the LSAT’s in December of 2010.  With that much competition, it’s important to find a way to distinguish yourself from the rest of the ”pack”. That’s where your LSAT performance comes in. With a strong showing at the LSAT’S, you can increase your chances at being accepted by your law school of choice.

So how does one increase their chances of mastering the LSAT’s? Preparation, lots and lots of it. The LSAT’s consist of five 35-minute multiple choice sections followed by an unscored writing sample section. The breakdown of the test is as follows:

“Logical Reasoning“

In these sections, a short paragraph is presented and you are asked a question based on its contents. You may be asked to identify the main point of the paragraph, find an answer that must be true based on the paragraph, find an answer choice that weakens the argument made in the paragraph, or find an assumption made by the paragraph. Each section of logical reasoning is 35 minutes long and contains a total of 24 to 26 questions.

“Reading Comprehension”

This section contains four longer passages of about 500 to 600 words. Each passage is accompanied by five to seven questions based on the passage. The questions ask you to identify the main point of the passage and to make reasonable inferences based on the passage. The reading comprehension section is 35 minutes long and contains a total of 26 to 28 questions.

“Analytical Reasoning”

This section contains four “games,” each accompanied by five to seven questions. Each “Game” describes a basic scenario that is accompanied by a list of rules. The questions ask examinees to identify what must be true and cannot be true based on the rules given.

 The score of a LSAT taker is determined by adding the number of questions correctly answered by the test taker and fitting them to the scale of the test. The aforementioned scale is from 120 to 180 points. Approximately 60% of test takers tend to score between 140 and 160 when they take the LSAT. Only 12% of people will end up getting between 160 and 170, a meager 3% will examinees will be fortunate enough to score a 170 or above. To increase you chances of scoring higher, make sure you answer every question even if you are guessing because the LSAT does not penalize for answering incorrectly.

The information, above, was taken from the following sites:

 http://www.admissionsconsultants.com/lsat/test.asp

http://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/index.php

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/a-sign-of-the-recovery-law-school-applications-fall//1/asc/Accept

Skype in the Workplace

 

Since its inception in the minds of creators Janus Friis (Denmark) and Niklas Zennstrom (Sweden) in 2003, the voice over Internet protocol technology known as Skype has grown exponentially. In fact, the online service had approximately 663 million registered users as of September 2011. What started as an idea has come to change technology and our everyday habits. Not only is Skype used by college students everywhere to talk to their friends and family, it has also started to be used by workplaces all around the United States. So, just how has Skype changed the workplace?

Interviews – Do you live hundreds of miles away from a potential place of employment? Years ago, you would have to pick your best suit and head to whatever city the company you were looking to be employed by was located. However, Skype has changed all of that. Now, all you have to do is sit in front of your computer or laptop and you can be talking to your potential employers. It’s important to keep in mind that the rules for an interview still apply which means that you should dress well for the interview. Moreover, make sure that the room you are sitting in is clean and organized. Whether face to face or on Skype, first impressions still do matter.   

Conference Calls – Would you like to make a presentation to a boos that’s on vacation or is overseas? Perhaps, you are in a situation where you have to taalk to several people at the same time. In either situation, Skype will be your new best friend. Skype gives office workers the capability to talk long distance or include several people in the same conversation.

Those are just two of major uses of Skype in the workplace, the creative possibilities that Skype provides are endless. If you have used Skype in a creative manner, we would love to hear from you. Let us know in the comments section!

Phone Interviews

Apart from being a Social/New Media Assistant for the office of Career development, I’m also a Resident Assistant for the Residence Life Department of Chestnut Hill College. During a meeting with my Residence Coordinator (my supervisor), we were discussing her future job options once she leaves Chestnut Hill College. She brought up the fact that she had interviewed at several places (including Penn State University) and she had a phone interview lined up in the upcoming weeks. Earlier on in the year, I had heard about phone interviews but this truly got my interest piqued regarding phone interviews. After asking some questions of other job seekers, I learned that phone interviews are quite important for job seekers With that in mind, I fully immersed myself in research and came up with some tips for those who will have to face phone interviews in their quest to locate jobs.

First, it’s important to know that employers use phone interviews as a way of  identifying and recruiting candidates for employment. Furthermore, phone interviews are often used to screen candidates in order to diminish the pool of applicants who will be invited for in-person interviews. They can also be used by companies in order to lessen the costs of interviewing a candidate who is out-of-town or out-of-state.

After figuring out what phone interviews are used for, I conducted some high-class research in order to find out some tips for a successful phone interviewing tips.

• Use a landline - Although cell phones are the choice of communication for most of the younger generation, when it comes to a phone interview, you should play it safe and use a landline. Don’t allow outside noises or a choppy cell signal keep you from an awesome opportunity. Making the call from a landline leaves less room for misinterpretation and cuts the odds of disconnection to a minimum
• No pets allowed – Look everyone loves their pet but no one is going to think any less of you if you move your pet for the duration of the interview. If you conduct the phone interview from home, do it in a pet-free room. Make sure your cat, dog or bird is occupied and safe in another room, so barking and meowing is out of earshot. As cuddly as they might be, don’t give a pet the opportunity to be a distraction during this important phone call.
•  Be ready! – Prepare all of the materials you will need for the interview and be at the location of the call at least five minutes early. The interviewer can call early. In fact, some hiring agents use this as a tactic to test candidates. If you want to take it a step further, have a physical copy of your resume and the job description in front of you during the call. Type up a bulleted list of items you want to cover during the conversation.

Hopefully, now you are prepared for any future phone interviews that come your way. Good Luck, Griffins!

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs: 34 Reasons the 22nd Annual Job Fair was a Success

On March 21^st Chestnut Hill College hosted 2012’s 22^nd job fair. The fair was composed of several different types of employers from government jobs like the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support all the way to the neighborhood friendly WAWA. Sorgenti Arena was filled with Chestnut Hill undergraduates as well as many graduate students and members of other colleges.

The job fair was a great chance for students to show off their newly polished resumes and for other students it was a chance to learn what employers were looking for. Job fairs are not exactly meant to get someone a job on the spot, though eventually it may turn into an opportunity, but instead they should be used by students as confidence builders and opportunities to make connections with potential employers or someone that may lead you to employment.

So if you attended the job fair and didn’t walk away with a job don’t be discouraged. In all things you gained some experience and knowledge that will be beneficial in the future. For those that were not able to make it to the job fair do not be alarmed at all the opportunities you missed. Career Development will meet with you on the 3^rd floor of SJH – North Corridor.

If you do not have time to come see us, log into our Blackboard site.  Look under “Jobs-Full-time” of the 22^nd Annual Job Fair Directory which will show you all the employers that came to the job fair!

*This blog post was written by Aaaron Simpson’ 14

Job Hunting in an International Market

            As the world becomes more unified through globalization, many individuals’ aspirations of making a living overseas seems more feasible but in actuality it still won’t be easy.

            Most of the international jobs stem from the United States so most of the international workers come here. In order for an American citizen to go over seas and make a decent living, a good job, they must have the skills and the education. Most jobs that are available in foreign countries are low paying, low skill, and manual labor jobs but all is not lost. Search for sector-based jobs because these are the jobs that permit international work and they don’t require you to be high up executives or long-term employees. You can start by going to the Big Guide to Living and Working Overseas. They offer over 2,200 organizations that do international employment. Many international jobs are available within a 200 mile radius of your home so if you are truly serious take the first step and contact an employer, the world is yours, partly.

            For more information go to The Big Guide to Living and Working Overseas.

This Blog was written by Aaron Simpson’14

Am I Ready to go to Graduate School?

It’s your senior year of college, and so far things are looking good until one day you realize that- uh oh you don’t know what you’re going to do after graduation! Don’t panic, because the answer may be very simple. Have you ever considered graduate school?

Graduate school is a great move for college students. It can open doors to a brand new field of career options for you, and lead to a whole new level of intellectual enlightenment. But don’t apply just yet! Before you go to grad school you must ask yourself “is grad school right for me?”

If you are still unsure about your career path, grad school may not be a good idea. If this is the case you may want to work a few years in what you’re interested in before applying to a grad school. This will help you gain job experience, and help you to decide if that is what you truly want to do.

Since grad school is focused on one specific subject area, it is important to know what you are truly passionate about. An undergraduate degree is a broader field of learning, so before grad school you will have to choose at least one subject within your undergraduate field of study. For example if you are biology major, you may consider going to grad school for genetics.

Graduate school is also a lot of hard work. The only people who get through grad school successfully are those that are fully motivated. So you have to ask yourself am I motivated enough to complete graduate school, or else you may not receive the full enjoyment that grad school can bring.

Graduate school can be a very expensive, so you must make sure that you’re ready for grad school financially as well. The average master’s graduate owes about $30,000. Of course, this should not deter you from applying to grad school. There are many financial aid and scholarship options available for perspective grad students. Also graduate students make on average $53,000 a year, a $10,000 increase compared to an undergraduate student.

If you are still unsure if applying to grad school is right for you, you may want to take a year off after graduation. This can help you to assess your options, and the break may be a welcome change to the busy life of a college student. Whatever it is that you decide to do, make sure that it is what you truly want.  For more information and details on graduate school, remember to keep checking the blog!

This blog post was submitted by Laura Harris’ 12 – CDA