Still looking for your summer internship? AT&T is looking for summer interns in Tucson, AZ to help with research programs similar to the direction the company is taking as a whole. If you're looking for a summer with a different climate than the currently rainy St. Louis, and are interested in working on and researching technology, you should definitely check out this opportunity. Previous examples of work can be found here: http://www.research.att.com/index.cfm?portal=23


For those of you who have interviews coming up, remember to brush up on your interviewing skills. This is especially important if you haven’t interviewed in a while, or if this is your first ever interview. Think about questions the company may want to know (who are you? why do you want to work here?) as well as questions about yourself (what makes you tick? what other activities do you enjoy?). Scheduling a mock interview can also be extremely helpful as you also get feedback on how to improve your interview. One technique for interviewing is the STAR method. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Results. Following this method, you can be sure your answer is a strong and confident one that covers all of the important material for the recruiter. Finally, remember that interviewers can ask many types of questions, not necessarily only those related to the internship you're applying for.

Finding that job or internship that is a little Atypical

Interested in fields that are not so common, a little atypical?
Or maybe you are looking for a job or internship in your hometown,
which isn’t LA or NYC. The search process can be a little, well, tough and frustrating.

I am experiencing a little bit of this as a senior looking for work in the environmental non-profit field in Florida. It’s quite ironic. There are many environmental campaign canvassing positions available, but really, that’s not what I am looking for.

So what can you do?
To find positions in locations that are a little more obscure, here are some ideas-
1. Search E-Recruiting by location, searching for your town and the nearest big city
2. Non-profit? Search Idealist.org and sign up for the email alerts. They send jobs that are specific to your interests.
3. Looked on Monster or Craig’s List recently?
4. Talk about what you want… to any and everyone. Talk to your parents, friends, and anyone who asks you what you are doing/want to be doing. You never know who or what they know.

Upcoming Deadlines for the less common JOB locations
From eRecruiting

AT&T- Entry Level IT Position
Locations- San Ramon, CA; Hoffman Estates, IL; Middletown, NJ; Alpharetta, GA; Richardson, TX

Altec- Associate Engineer
Locations- Asheville, Charlotte, & Raleigh, NC; Louisville, KY; Roanoke, VA

Upcoming Deadlines for the less common INTERNSHIP locations
From eRecruiting

Arlington Park- Marketing Internship
Location- Arlington Heights, IL

Hedrick Smith Productions- Documentary Intern
Location- Chevy Chase, MD

Abiomed- Software Engineer Remote Monitoring Co-Op and more
Location- Danvers, MA

Senioritis

As we seniors come back from spring break--the lucky ones with tans, the unlucky ones (me) with sunburns--we find ourselves with only about 8 weeks until graduation. This point in our lives is pretty friggin' important as we set the stage for the rest of our lives. With May 16th bearing down, the stress can easily build up.

For some of us, the Career Center can be a great resource to help out. Counselors here know tons about what to do after graduation; be it a full time job, a year working internationally, or a longer stint with the Peace Corps. The counselors won't do all the work for you, but they will guide you to great ideas and resources.

One of the resources I recommend is wustl.erecruiting.com with its large number of job and internship spots, some specifically tailored for WashU students. Just a glance, and you can find some interesting jobs (among the standard ones) like being a camp counselor at Camp Eureka in Puerto Rico.

Spring Break!

Whether you believe it or not with all of the snow on the ground, spring break is right around the corner. Depending on your plans for the week, it can be a tremendously productive time in any job search.

If you are going home, use this week to make a target list of some companies. Get in touch with them and explore the possibility of meeting for an informational interview at some point during the break.

If you are not going to be in a position to visit with professionals or potential employers, take advantage of some free time and make sure that your materials are in order. Compose a resume that you are happy with. Start practicing cover letter writing.

Many positions, including Procurement positions with Boeing, have deadlines within the next two weeks. Capitalize on some free time over the break as well as the lull in coursework that many students experience after the midterm rush and make sure that you are presenting yourself as the best candidate possible.

Come in for QQ or an appointment with a Career Advisor for help!

cover letter tip

Hey Reader,

If you are at all interested in a job or internship by the time May rolls around you probably have at least absentmindedly thought about getting together a resume and cover letter. While resumes are more or less straightforward in their format and subject, cover letters can be really challenging or worse yet, really obnoxious to write. Remember, it can be hard to extol all of your amazing traits in three short paragraphs but as long as the information you give is relative to the organization and the skills that you bring to it, you are on the right track.

One of the key points in writing a successful cover letter is showing that your previous experiences and the skills you have gained in those experiences make you a good candidate for the position. Tip: make sure to stay away from language concerning how the position will benefit you. Instead, focus on the skills, the experience, and the passion you would bring to the organization.

If you have any questions about how to write a successful cover letter check the Career Center’s website or stop in for quick questions!

Cool Job Opportunity! Perfect for those thinking about policy or going into law school!

Hey, everybody! Came across this job opportunity, and thought I would share. This employer is specifically interested in (and targeting!) WashU students, so go onto eRecruiting and send a resume and cover letter if you're interested!

Employer: Children’s Rights
Recruiting for: Paralegal (RESUME DROP)
Majors: All
Locations: New York, NY Apply by: 3/1

PROOFREAD!!!

Always, always, always proofread anything you submit in writing. Cover letters, thank you notes, and many other kind of business correspondence are important documents that you will generate during any job or internship search. And because you'll most likely be hedging your bets and applying to multiple positions you'll be have quite a paper trail.

Business correspondence isn't fun but it is important and it can be tremendously beneficial. Even a quick letter can tell a person about your maturity, professionalism, and interest in a position. Don't allow the monotony of replicating the process hinder your chances by lulling you into making a typo.

Many documents will assume a similar form, but each document should be personalized. For example, cater your skills to a particular employer in a cover letter or draw from a specific topic of interview conversation in a thank you. One simple way to avoid making errors is to avoid the temptation to copy and paste information. Recreating each new document will force you to actively move through each step of the creative process and improve the continuity in general. Of course, proofread no matter what!

Success tips for the Co-op or Internship Search

Carrie, a Junior in Biomedical Engineering wanted to do a co-op during her spring semester, but wanted to stay in St. Louis. She went through the search process and was successful in finding a co-op with Stereotaxis. Here’s what she did, along with some tips.

The Search

-She found out about one particular company from her engineering class
-students had to interview someone from an engineering firm and one student’s presentation sparked her interest
LESSON- You never know where or how you can learn of an organization that interests you!

-She found another organization on The Career Center website and then was able to meet the company at the Job and Internship Fair sponsored by The Career Center.
LESSON- Whenever possible it is always best to meet a representative of a company in person. This gives them a face to put with the name and a feel for how well you would fit with their company.

-A former member of a student group Carrie is in sent out a group email telling that the engineering company he works for is hiring. Carrie applied for a position.
LESSON- Don’t forget to let your friends and family know what types of internships you are interested in (ex. Art, architecture, being a camp counselor…)

Carrie applied and got an interview with Stereotaxis, the company she met at the Career Fair. After several more interviews, she received an offer and accepted!

Common Cover Letter Mistakes

Cover letters can be a very hard task to do. Often it can take more time than the resume itself. If writing a cover letter is necessary for a job application, as it is frequently required on E-recruiting, here are some common mistakes to avoid before sending it out:

1.) All about me: Don't focus on how the job will be beneficial to you such as "This job is very interesting to me" and "I want more experience in this field." Most employers don't care about your needs and are looking for what you can do for them.

2.) Resume regurgitation: The cover letter shouldn't be a paragraph form of your resume. You may want to focus on a few accomplishments and talk about how those experiences can contribute to the business. You can also highlight things not in your resume.

3.) Carbon Copies: The main goal of a cover letter is to show how enthusiastic you are about the position and what you know about the company. This can't be done with a generic cover letter. Also, many recuriters can tell when they have recieved an impersonalized cover letter.

4.) Self-esteem: As students, we may feel inadequate at times since we don't have that much work experience. Don't use the cover letters to highlight your lack of work experience. Instead talk up your great activities that you have done and how those skills can be useful for their business.

5.) To whom it may concern: Try very hard to personalize the cover letter. If using E recruiting, use the employers search function to see who is the recruiter if it is not listed on the individual job posting. Also, look into calling the company and finding out who to send your job application materials to. If all else fails, Dear Hiring Manager will have to suffice.