What to do With Your Old Course Syllabi

How does the saying go? Time flies when you're having fun, right? Well, I think time flies either way because one of my biggest problems is procrastination. I've been known to say, "Oh, I have weeks until that paper is due" and then I'm scrambling to finish researching, writing and editing that same paper by the deadline. I was much worse about this as an undergraduate though.

One nice thing about being a graduate student is that I've already completed so much research (and printed most of it out, too) that I can just reach over to my filing cabinet rather than running to the library. Yes, I'm a nerd who keeps all of my old research organized in a filing cabinet, but it comes in handy! My suggestion is that others pick up this dorky habit as well. In addition, students should always keep syllabi, handouts, notes and essays from previous courses. These will definitely come in handy. I don't mean that you should re-use a paper or anything! That'd be plagiarism. But, I do think that students can and should use information from old classes as a reference or starting point for current projects. The Works Cited page of my old papers really helps point me in the right direction to find pertinent research. Of course, looking at a published article's bibliography is even more helpful. Plus, if you plan to attend graduate school, you may be teaching some of those lessons in the future!

If not as a reference or starting point, why else should people keep their old class notes and whatnot? Well, what if you want or have to transfer to a new college? The syllabi from the classes you took are extremely important to this process. The new college will peruse the syllabus for each class and decide whether the topics discussed in that course matches the necessary curriculum. If so, the class is accepted as transfer credit. Without the syllabi though, the new college won't know if any of the classes match up.

Do you know how to safely post a resume online?

Although posting an online résumé is a good way to attract attention, actively job searching will increase your possibilities. Networking is a vital part of the active search. This allows for inside knowledge of openings. Talk to your friends, family, past and current colleagues, and alumni through Career Connection to actively promote your availability. Participate in clubs, internships, and volunteer positions in order to increase your network. Take advantage of Career Services: have your résumé reviewed, attend job fairs, and peruse JobShop.

If you still want to post your résumé online while actively searching, here are some safety tips:

Step One: Research job sites and choose the one that best fits your needs.
First of all, don’t post on every job site in hopes that more people will see your résumé. This will look desperate and/or indecisive. Besides, some sites are geared specifically toward certain fields. Next, make sure to read privacy policies; sites that offer to “blast” or sell your résumé should immediately be crossed off your list of potentials. Any sites that ask for social security numbers or bank information can be ruled out as well. Furthermore, don’t trust a site that asks for information prior to looking at the possible job openings.

Step Two: Replace convenience with safety.
Create a new e-mail address that is professional, but not connected to personal information. For example, AOL users have profiles including their personal information, whereas Hotmail or Yahoo do not. This not only helps to protect your identity, it may also prevent the employers from learning too much about you, such as political or religious views. Also, remove any other contact information before posting. This may be inconvenient for the employer, but safety is more important and will hopefully be seen as cautious rather than careless. If you are currently employed but searching for something new, you might also modify your employment history. For example, tweak your existing job title and place of employment to be more generic: “major cable provider” instead of Time Warner Cable. This will protect your current job and, again, protect from identity theft.

If right now you’re thinking that these steps seem unnecessary, consider that although employers have to pay some sites to see your résumé, once it is downloaded onto their computers, they can do whatever they want with it. This should not deter you from using online résumé sites because they could be phenomenal for your job search; however, it is important to know and something people don’t always think about.

Step Three: Regulate your résumé over time.
Update your résumé biweekly. This will ensure that it continues to show up at the top of the list. Furthermore, if you have no responses after two months, the site is clearly not beneficial for you and a different site may yield better results. (Or, perhaps your career field may not advertise openings online as these positions are mostly technology-based.) Finally, delete all résumés you have posted online when your job search is over. Your new employer would not be happy if they saw your résumé still attracting offers online!

Job Fair Nerves

I had never attended a job fair until I worked for Career Services.

I was a junior when I started working here, but I had already completed an internship and found jobs through networking – I guess I didn’t realize how much help the office would have been until after I learned about all of its services.

Anyway, the job fair was approaching and I was scheduled to work it. I had been helping with the preparations – creating signs, marketing, etc. – but I still couldn’t prepare properly because it was unknown to me, other. I had never experienced anything like it and therefore had no idea what to expect.

I realized that a lot of other students might feel this way so I decided to post these pictures of previous job fairs we’ve held. This way, students can see both the layout and proper attire in an effort to be better prepared. There are also workshops on the Career Services website that provide tips for attending job fairs.

Daily Quote Promotes Thought

Yesterday's Daily Quote (found in the right toolbar) was from Francis Bacon:

"By far the best proof is experience"

Bacon's succinct statement is pretty much the Career Services motto. We strive to let our students in on the secret that the more experience you have in your given career field, the better odds are that you'll find a job! Okay, so it's not a secret, but it seems that a lot of our students either don't know this or simply disregard it.

Here are two ways to get career-related experience while going to college:

1. Internships
2. Student Employment

Internships are great because they give you hands-on experience in your career field. Unfortunately, internships are usually unpaid. That's why student employment is another, maybe more feasible, option. If the job closely relates to your career, it'll be a great experience. If the job doesn't relate closely to your career, it'll still be a good experience but may need more effort to market it to future employers. Either way, internships and student employment are key to gaining the professional experience necessary to land a job in your preferred career field some day.

How do you go about finding these opportunities? Well, Career Services has a multiple ways to help:

• JobShop - This is an online database advertising on-campus employment (both work study and non-work study), off-campus employment, internships, and career positions. Click on the job titles to read the job descriptions, then contact the employers to apply!
  
• Optimal Resume - Once you find a job or internship of interest, this online resume builder can help format your previous work experience. It provides sample resumes, examples for each section of the resume, and the ability to research what employers look for in specific career fields.
• Career Counselors - During drop-in hours, every Monday through Friday from noon to 2pm, a career advisor is available to help students. These same professionals are also available for appointments during the week. If students are unable to come to campus for whatever reason, they can email their resumes to csresume@brockport.edu. A professional will send it back with comments and suggestions.
  
• Events! - Check out the Career Services calendar to find out about upcoming events. For example, we have a Jobs & Internship Fair next week on Wednesday, 11/4. Come prepared with a resume!

Grad Studies

Phew. I was accepted, finally, into the Brockport graduate program for English at the start of this semester. In the Spring, I was taking classes as a non-matriculated student (simply meaning I wasn't formally admitted into the program yet) because I didn't want to take a semester off between my undergraduate work and graduate work. Non-matriculation is tricky though, let me tell you! I couldn't take on a graduate assistantship or receive financial aid, except from a private bank. It was frustrating, but worth the wait to gain admission into the program. Now I'm working towards my Master's with nine credits tucked under my belt. Hopefully I'll keep up the good momentum I've started - nine credits per semester is ambitious. The only trouble I'm having now is trying to decide what to focus on. I'm leaning towards Medieval British Literature or at least Linguistics. However, because I plan on moving to Alaska (crazy, I know) at the beginning of 2011, I want to finish my Master's before then. This means I need to choose a focus quickly and take all of the courses necessary as soon as possible. The crazyness never ends.

While this is my personal graduate studies story, other people have been going through similar things in their own fields. I'm finding that the best way to learn how to navigate the graduate program here at Brockport is to ask other grad students who have already made these decisions. They have so many pointers! Just chatting before class is really helping me. It's scary to think that these people will be my professional colleagues in just a few years, but I'm happy to be networking with them now when I have the chance.

What about the decisions you have to make BEFORE coming to graduate school? Which program do you choose? What school do you choose? How do you finance it? There's an easy way to find these things out: the Graduate School Fair. On Wednesday, October 21st Career Services has scheduled representatives from about 75 graduate schools to meet in the Union Ballroom. They'll be there to answer questions about their colleges, graduate programs, etc. It'll give you a chance to compare 75 colleges at once! This is a great start for students early in the planning process, but it's also a great opportunity for students who already know which graduate school they want to attend. Find out what applicants need to stand out. If you have any questions, call 395-2159 to learn more about the event. Or, stop by to pick up a list of prospective graduate schools that will be attending!

Did You Miss Career Connection?

We recently held an event in the Union called Career Connection. Alumni and friends of Brockport sat on panels discussing their careers then met in the Ballroom for some networking. It was a great success.

Oh, you missed it?

That's okay, it's online! We actually have a database that houses contact information for many of our participating alumni. You can log into your Banner account, click on Career Services then Career Connection and BAM! you can search for alumni in your future career field.

While perusing the list of alumni, check out some of the suggestions they make. They talk about general topics such as networking, interviewing, resumes, etc. to more specific tips relating only to their career fields. Either way, these suggestions can benefit you.

Once you've looked through the list, you should have found at least one person worth speaking to about your future career. Each person provides his/her contact information as well as what he/she would be willing to discuss. Most are pretty open about their career paths and happy to share their stories and insights with you.

You may feel nervous, as I would, about contacting this stranger, but they provide their contact information willingly and in the hopes of helping current students. They know how you feel picking up the phone to call a stranger because they've probably had to do it many times in their careers. They also know how nerve-wracking and difficult it is to jump into a career, so please utilize their expertise!

If you're uncomfortable calling an alum right off the bat, try an email. Just remember to keep it professional. Make sure to introduce yourself as a student at Brockport who retrieved his/her name and contact information from the College's Career Connection database. Also, make sure to sign your full name. It's very frustrating to receive an email from a Jen when you know multiple girls with that name and spelling.

What if you already know quite a bit about your career field and find talking to someone about their time in the field as completely pointless? Well first, kudos to you for researching your career field! But, keep in mind that while these alumni may not be as helpful for you in continuing research about your intended field, they are still people in your network that you can utilize. Getting to know alumni is an excellent step into your career field. They may know of companies hiring for interns or full-time employees. They may also be able to give you invaluable insights into a company's inner-workings. These types of connections are more important than some people think.

Okay, so I know you are all going to visit the Career Connection database now so here is the link to Banner. Here is another link to an article discussing Informational Interviewing techniques and etiquette. You should look it over prior to meeting with an alum. Good luck!

Rochester Networking Group

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, you should check out the events calendar for Rochester Young Professionals (RYP). It's a local group that gets together every now and then to network, give back to the community, or just hang out at a cool new restaurant in the city. It's comprised of college students, recent grads, and young professionals (hence the name) who recently entered the workforce.

Visit the link above to find out about specific events, such as wine and food tastings, benefit walks, and conferences. These are all excellent opportunities to network with the up and coming individuals of Rochester as well as some seasoned business professionals. While becoming a member of RYP is free, the events may cost a fee for admission - some events provide a discount for RYP members though!

If nothing else, joining in some of these events will get you off your couch. But try to take advantage of all the possibilities that come out of professional networking.

Welcome back!

Welcome back! Now that the first couple hectic weeks are over, I finally have time to update my blog. I find that coming back to school is always extremely busy in the first week: purchasing a parking pass, buying books, remembering how long it takes to find a parking spot (if you're a commuter) or remembering how long it takes to walk from the high-rises to Hartwell. Plus, there's the added excitement of seeing friends again after months of being away.

In addition to all of that, I've been celebrating my birthday for almost a week straight with family and friends. It's been a blast, but I guess it's time to get back to work. I'll be posting some new stuff soon! In the meantime, you could take the new networking poll.

Have a great semester!

Motivation

"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." Aristotle

Interviewing!

Tips:
1. Research a company PRIOR to the interview. The person interviewing you will appreciate that you've already put work into learning about the company. You should try to get a sense of the hierarchy (organizational chart) before the interview so you know where the person interviewing you lands as well as where you would land if hired. Find out if the company has been in the press lately. Those articles will probably give you an updated look at the products and services as well as any drama you may want to avoid discussing. At the same time, you may discover the company's competition. Other information to find out prior to the interview should include the size of the company, location, and other open positions that you may be interested in.

To find this information, look at the company's website. Talk to friends and family that may already work there or who have worked there in the past. They may have information you'll never find on the web! You can also, like I mentioned above, look through newspapers and news sites for the most recent media coverage.

2. Come prepared with questions for the employer. Of course most questions will be answered during the interview. Appropriate questions will clarify something about the position, company, or specific tasks and responsibilities. For example, To whom would I report? How often? What are the most important tasks/issues of this position? What percentage of time would you like devoted to each of the key tasks? How many people would I oversee? What does this involve? What's gotten in the way of achieving your office's goals in the past? What will training entail? Don't bring up compensation during the interview. If the employer mentions it, that's fine. However, it's a sticky subject and usually avoided. An employer wants to know you're interested in the position and company, not the money.

3. You should bring some important things with you to the interview, other than questions, like a copy of your resume. Sometimes you'll be meeting with a panel. If you have turned in one copy of your resume, other panel members may not have a copy. They'll appreciate that you thought ahead. Also, if you have access to it, bring a copy of the job description. This will be helpful for personalizing answers. It'll also be helpful when the employer begins discussing the position.

4. Dress professionally. Kate's blog discussed this in more detail if you're interested in knowing what "professional dress" entails.

5. During the interview, don't fidget too much. If you tend to play with your hair a lot, try wearing it up or out of your face to decrease twirling. Take notes because you may want some of that information after the interview, but may not remember it all. Make eye contact. It's a sign of respect and confidence. Get the names of the people you've been interviewed by. This will be helpful for the next tip...

6. After the interview, you should send Thank You notes to those people who interviewed you. Make sure you have their names and hopefully their titles. Send a professional letter thanking them for their time. Highlight anything mentioned in the interview that will help you get the job. Also, if there was anything you were uncomfortable about during the interview (for example, you answered a question very poorly) feel free to explain that more thoroughly. A great tool for writing an outstanding thank you letter is OptimalResume. This will walk you through each paragraph of the letter as well as format it for you. It also has great examples to help guide you through the process. These examples are vague though and should be personalized!

I hope these tips help you with your next interview. There are many other tips out there if you're still worried. The Career Resource Room (in the Career Services office in Rakov) has some excellent books on interviewing. They will help with behavioral interviews, which can be tough, by providing example questions and corresponding answers. If you're not sure what a behavioral interview is, please stop by and ask!

Get Lost In Books (But Don't Bite People!)

I consider myself to be a reading fanatic, not because I've read everything there is to read (I have a ways to go!), but because I constantly find myself getting lost in a story. I'm still able to decipher between reality and fiction - unlike the boy in Des Moines who bit eleven female peers after reading Twilight - but I have a tendency to get more wrapped up in the fictional world only reluctantly returning to reality. A suggestion by two authors in a guide for teachers reminds me of myself (Jennifer Serravallo and Gravity Goldberg published Conferring with Readers: Supporting Each Student's Growth & Independence). The first paragraph says:

"Stop for a minute and let your mind drift back to the times in your life when reading mattered, the times when you were so totally engrossed in a book that it was more important than the phone ringing, the hungry grumbles in your stomach, or your favorite TV show starting. Remember a time when you were so lost in a book, you stayed up all night long to finish it. Remember a time you cheered out loud for a character. Remember a time you and your son fell asleep in bed while you were reading to him; you awoke several hours later with the book squished in between the two of you."

I do almost all of those things on a regular basis, with the exception of reading to my non-existent son. The most recent book that made me actually jump up out of my comfy seat, to the point where I was standing on my bed reading furiously, was Elizabeth Flock's Me & Emma about an eight-year old girl named Carrie who deals with an overactive younger sister, an absent neglectful mother, and a gruesome stepfather. Her past and present mix as she narrates the tale leading up to her hospitalization. Yes I just told you that she's hospitalized in the end, but trust me I haven't given anything away. If you read this book, I hope you find yourself getting lost in Carrie's powerless situation.

You may be wondering why this career-related blog is discussing reading and great books. Well, I'm an English major. Reading and great books are pretty much always on my mind. Besides gaining knowledge of up-and-coming authors, I'm extending my favorite genres so I'm more able to talk to almost anybody about literature. But after you jump into books, you should still be able to differentiate between reality and fiction. (You should not bite your peers, but you should read!)

Are You Friends With Your Boss on Facebook?

I just presented this information at Scholars Day last week. The topic was very well received. Students and parents had a lot of questions about it. A lot of my paper concerned the information I posted a couple weeks ago about the laws concerning hiring and firing employees. But, I'm adding some other important info so students really know how much employers use Facebook and other social networking sites (SNSs) as tools to learn more about job applicants.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) conducted a study of 257 employers. Over 11% of those 257 confirmed that they use SNSs to investigate job candidates, while over 40% were undecided whether to use them or not. Keep in mind that any survey asking for self-report may be skewed. More employers may be using SNSs as a research tool than they claim. Why would they lie about this? Well, the legalities of researching applicants are very sticky. If an employer sees the applicant's religion on Facebook, does the employer judge the applicant by that even on a subconscious level? We'll never TRULY know, but you can see that it's a possible issue. A lot of employers don't dare tell the world that they use Facebook because they can't risk being sued for prejudice or breaking the law concerning equal opportunity employment.

Similar to NACE's research, CareerBuilder.com surveyed 3,169 employers and 8,785 employees in 2008. Their study showed that 22% of employers use SNSs to check up on job applicants. This survey asked participants what the most inappropriate information is on SNSs. 41% of employers agreed that drug- and alcohol-related comments or photos on Facebook would discourage them from hiring someone. Offensive and improper photos were second on the list. The other seven items labeled inappropriate were related to professionalism, unlawful behavior, and discrepancies on resumes. For instance, the work history I proudly display on my Facebook Info may say that I work at Career Services. However, if I then bash the office or down-play my role, I'd be deemed unprofessional.

You should also know that Facebook photos have caused a lot of negative consequences. A woman named Stacy Snyder attended Millersville University of Pennsylvania. She was working towards her certification in Secondary Education with a focus in English. However, photos of her dressed as a pirate and consuming alcohol emerged on her Facebook profile. The college denied her the certificate, only allowing her a degree in English instead. This is not the only example. Another woman, Tamara Hoover, taught Art in high school. She was fired for behavior unbecoming of a teacher when nude photos of her appeared on her partner's website. Keep in mind, the photos were taken by a professional photographer. However, the material is inappropriate for students to see of their teacher. Obviously pictures aren't the only issue on SNSs, but they do have negative consequences. Please keep this in mind when uploading that picture of you (or your friend) doing a keg stand at last weekend's party. You and your friend will be happy later on if that photo is deleted forever.

Personal Statements

Kate Nagle-Caraluzzo wrote an exceptional how-to guide to writing personal statements which was published in The Stylus as a Career Corner article. To view the article, click here. I won't step on her toes by providing more tips. I'm simply going to discuss my experience writing a personal statement for a graduate school application.

Prior to sitting down at a computer to write my personal statement, I read every how-to guide, tips sheet, and "what is a personal statement?" website I could find. I scared myself by thinking that I couldn't be creative enough to write a good hook (to catch the reviewer's attention). I scared myself into thinking that I wasn't even good enough for graduate school and that my experiences didn't coincide with my future career goals. Needless to say, it took all my efforts to finally write the 2 page statement. I was writing about myself but found nothing to say.

I started with the usual "I love English because..." then morphed into a Career Services-based paper on the importance of finding the right career that fits my personal needs. I gave up on those tracks really quickly because they were boring and impersonal (the exact opposite of my goal).

Finally, I just wrote about the time I realized just how passionate I am about literature and the written word. A few years ago, my professor wrote a Mark Twain quote on the white board:

The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter - it is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.

I found myself scribbling furiously to get this gem written down on my notebook. For some reason, a feverish quality struck me. I desperately needed to have this quote ingrained in my memory, or at least on my notebook to look back upon in the future.

Throughout the semester I would trace the words with my pen until the quote was quite literally etched into the plastic. I still have that binder with the bright blue ink spelling out that wonderful quote. I still think of how the words affected me. That's how I know I'll make a great graduate student. And, that's the point I had to convey in my personal statement.

To all those writing personal statements, the tip sheets all say to make it personal. I cannot stress that point enough. Use specific details from your personal experiences to make your statement stand out. If you think you've written a stellar statement, you should still get it reviewed by others. Anybody can help with this, but if you'd like a professional you can visit Career Services during drop-in hours between noon and 2pm.

Internships Lunch & Learn

Career Services is hosting a Lunch & Learn about our four internship programs:

America Reads

Brockport Career Exploration Course

Disney College Program

Albany Semester Program

The event will take place on Tuesday, April 28th from noon to 1pm in Union room 228. If you're interested in finding out more about internships, please RSVP to 395-2159.

Pizza and soda will be provided as well.

Surprise: English Major Suggests Reading!

Reading has plenty of benefits. The usual list includes the expansion of your vocabulary, spelling and grammar; improved fluency, comprehension, and communication; broadening your knowledge of content areas; and of course providing you with opportunities to discuss literature!

My favorite part about reading is the reputation I've gained for it. No, I don't mean people call me a nerd (that I know of). I'm talking about people knowing that I love to read anything and everything. Therefore, friends and family are constantly recommending new books and authors to me.

Over the weekend, a fifteen-year old friend of the family suggested a new series of books to me. She's not your normal fifteen year old when it comes to her reading list, which includes everything from Dante's Inferno to Portuguese poetry to the trendy Twilight saga. Nonetheless, the books she offered were of the young adult genre. While some haughty college students - especially us English majors - would think, "Um, that's below me" with our noses stuck in the air, I know her taste is usually good and gave her suggestions a try.

I read both books in the series on Saturday. (That's something I love about young adult novels: quick and easy.) I actually liked them which opened my eyes; I shouldn't just work off of the college professors' list of suggested reading.

I've branched out to experience genres I'd never dreamed about reading: vampires, ghost hunting, poetry (ugh!), and mystery. None of these genres interested me in the past, but this attitude towards reading everything recommended to me has really opened my eyes. I have to admit that I got swept up in the Twilight craze, but at the same time I could read Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in Middle English all night!

What have you read lately that isn't a clunky textbook or a novel on your syllabus?
Side note: I was asked this question during an interview for my internship last summer. It's a good thing my leisure time is dedicated to reading or I would have been stumped!

Be Aware of Discrimination in Interviews

Kate's Blog has an interesting post about the dangers of Facebook - and other social networking sites - which may help you prevent employers from seeing too much information. But if you aren't sure what information an employer SHOULD see, I'd like to help. This entry will discuss some legalities of hiring people, including what aspects of you are legally protected from discrimination as well as the unprotected information, and how this effects you, the interviewee.

The Civil Rights Act was created in 1964 and revised in 1991. This protects six groups of people from discrimination under the following criteria:

1. Race
2. Gender
3. National origin
4. Religion
5. Age
6. Disabilities
   

Other groups that are protected through different laws in the US (depending on state) include: pregnant women, Vietnam veterans, and members of the gay, straight, or bisexual communities.

So if those things are protected, what isn't? Well, depending on the state, some important non-protected information includes: marital/family status, transgender status, political beliefs, criminal conviction, social origin/status, etc. I think, for college students, political affiliations are an important aspect that is not protected. Facebook asks where you place yourself in the grand scheme of politics. If you're willing to answer this question on your profile, be aware that employers may see this along with any of the other unprotected aspects.

Now that you know some of the important laws regarding hiring/firing people, you should also know what this means for you. When interviewing with a company, there are some illegal questions you should be aware of. Anything pertaining to the protected criteria listed above, for example, is off limits. Some less experienced interviewers may fall prey to asking about these things on accident, while others are clearly digging for the information. Be careful to side-step these questions even if the person intends no harm.

An example would be an employer saying, "Wow, you look really young. What's your secret?" This could be a completely innocent way of asking another woman about her skin care line. But it may also be a way to probe for the applicant's age. A more blatant attempt to break the law would be, "You look too young to want a full-time job. How old are you exactly?" This is clearly an illegal question.

You have a few different options for answering illegal questions. Using the same age example as above, you could say,

"I may look young, but I'm more than capable of handling the position."

This is a good way of avoiding a direct answer, while still being polite. If you'd like, you could say outright that the question is illegal and you'd prefer to move on to another topic. However, this may offend the interviewer. If you're really interested in the job, that's not something you'd want to do.

Now, I've only scratched the surface of the sticky subject of hiring/firing people. This topic has a lot of grey areas that I have no time to cover and no way of knowing every little detail, exception, and example. I simply want people to be aware of this information when entering into the job search.

Graphic Novelist to Visit Campus!

Okay, I'm sure you've heard of The Simpsons....

You have? Good!

Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) was college buddies with graphic novelist, Lynda Barry at Evergreen State College in Washington. He actually got her career started by publishing, without her consent I believe, a comic called "Ernie Pooks Comeek" in their college newspaper! Now she has written a number of books incorporating graphics, collages, and the written word into one big mish-mash of creativity. She calls her work "autobifictionalography" which is to say that the stories are both true and false about her childhood and adolescence.

In One! Hundred! Demons!, Barry devotes each chapter to a different problem she faced growing up and even in adulthood. For instance, she loved to dance as a kid, until the fateful day when a friend told her that she wasn't very good. (Leave it to our peers to stamp the creativity out of us!) At the end of this book, Barry gives a brief tutorial on how to paint your demons. She believes that anybody can write or paint. She explains that we should all give it a try and see what demons we unearth.

While these graphic novels look like kid stuff, I wouldn't suggest passing them on to your youngsters just yet. Some of the topics are not kid-safe.

If you'd like to hear her speak, she'll be in the NY Room in Cooper Hall TODAY March 25th at 8pm.

Voicemails, Emails, and Ringbacks! Oh my!

Once upon a time, one of the secretaries at Career Services called a student about an internship position he had applied for. She heard his voicemail message and promptly hung up. He had composed a lovely rap song. It did not have vulgar language or inuendos. It was simply a rap song.

Is this an appropriate thing to have as your voicemail message?

The correct answer is no. If you are conducting a job/internship search, you will inevitably provide your phone number. Usually college students list their cell phones because it's much easier to reach them. However, many college students also have silly or inappropriate voicemail messages as well. Employers don't like this. The most annoying, in my opinion, are listed below.

"Hello? ... Hello? ... I can't hear you. ... Leave a message!" -- This is rude, annoying, and about one hundred other synonyms for rude and annoying. When my friends have this voicemail message, I stop calling them. This is childish and thoroughly frustrating when you truly want to contact the person. Employers will feel stupid if they fall for this trick (as do I) and judge the applicant before ever meeting him/her. While this is amusing to you and maybe some of your buddies, this is not professional.

"WHASSUP?" -- Does this need an explanation for why this is inappropriate? Really? Okay, well let's start with the fact that a lot of people yell this tag line. Employers, especially those in a cubicle or close quarters, do not want colleagues hearing this coming out of their receivers when they call to schedule an interview. Secondly, this provides no information for callers. Did they reach the right person? They'll never know. Third, the beep will come pretty quickly after this greeting. Callers may not be ready and may feel uncomfortable leaving a message, but equally uncomfortable calling back after quickly hanging up. I implore you: don't do this!

"You know what to do." -- This is not rude or filled with inappropriate language. In fact, it's not terrible. But, the employer may be bewildered about whether he/she is leaving a message for the correct person.

The best type of voicemail provides the caller with your name. If you'd like, you could also list your phone number so wrong callers will know they made a mistake. Next, ask the caller to leave a message with important information, such as a number to reach him/her, a good time to call, the reason for the message, and any other pertinent information.

Hello! This is John Smith's phone, but I'm unavailable at the moment. Please leave your name and number with a short message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks!

Of course there are variations to this. If you're wondering what a good voicemail should sound like, call any employer and listen to his/her professional messages at the office.

If your voicemail message is adequate, what about your email address? Is it something silly like JohnnyAppleseed@gmail.com? Or is it something inappropriate like 2cute4u@yahoo.com? How about this: does your email link to your Facebook profile so employers could easily search for you? Does your email (like AOL) have a profile connected to it? These are all valid questions to think about when providing an employer with your email address.

I'm not suggesting you simply leave your email address off your resume. Create a new email account that's appropriate and used for professional correspondence. Your Brockport email address will do temporarily, but remember that you no longer have access to this account about 3 months after graduation.

Now, the most interesting topic of all: ringbacks! Did you recently purchase Katy Perry's song to occupy your callers while waiting for you to answer? I'm sure they appreciate that, but employers don't. Many of these downloads are harmless, but anything inappropriate is obviously something to avoid. My friend had the Barney theme song as his ringback for a time simply to annoy his friends, but changed it as soon as he was interested in finding an internship. He was right to revert back to the old-fashioned ring, and you should too if you're like him! Please, please don't lose an opportunity just because you absolutely had to have the new J-Tim song! You don't even get to listen to it, so why bother?

Marge Piercy Came to Brockport!

Marge Piercy - author of over thirty novels and books of poetry, one memoir, and countless other influential writings - visited Cooper Hall last night! She and her husband, Ira Wood, drove here from Cape Cod yesterday with plans to drive all the way back today. She first sat with my Writer's Craft class to answer questions about her writing techniques as well as projects she is working on at the moment.We should expect the history of roses from her soon. At first this topic sounded extremely boring, but she wove a tale about wild roses that quickly stimulated my interest.

Woman on the Edge of Time is written in the 70s about a woman named Connie who travels (from her mental hospital) to the futuristic village of Mattapoisett. While most of you are probably thinking that this will be a book with robots and clones, you're mistaken (for the most part). Connie's vision of the future is far from what I've seen in other movies, books, or even cartoons. I couldn't set this book down and finished the few hundred pages in record time!

New Resume Tool!

OptimalResume is the office's new-ish résume building tool. Only students affiliated with The College at Brockport may use it - we're lucky! - so take advantage. It'll still be available to alumni after graduation as well.

Just log-in to your Banner account. Click on the tab labeled "Career Services" and find the OptimalResume link. You can also find this tool on the Career Services website, but the link will simply direct you to your Banner account.

After a quick and painless registration for which you need an email address (does not have to be your college address), log-in for easy access to the best résumé builder I've ever used. This tool will not only format your résumé (which, let's face it, Microsoft Word is too time-consuming for this process), but also provides sample résumés, suggestions for each section, and action words for your bullets. You can even research careers on *ONET through OptimalResume.

Résumés are not the only necessity when applying for jobs. Most of the time you will need a cover letter as well to show your interest in the position and catch the employer's eye. Luckily, OptimalResume has a tool for letters as well, including:

• Cover letters
• Thank you letters
• Broadcast letters
• Employer inquiries
• Networking letters
• Reminders
• Follow-up letters
• Acceptance letters
• and, Reference letters

This tool is especially helpful because it provides information on what to include in each paragraph for each type of letter. It also provides examples that you can add right into your letter. Just don't forget to personalize it once you've added these examples. Some leave spaces for specific information. For instance:

I am writing to apply for the [position name] position listed in [publication/website name]. I am interested in contributing my experience in [career field] to [company name].

Notice how the tool encourages users to incorporate specific details about a company. This will personalize the letter so employers feel that you are writing directly to them instead of sending mass letters to any company you can find. It shows you're interested in working for their company and their company only.

Another useful tool is the website option. Once you've completed a résumé and/or cover letter, you may turn it into a website! This is so simple that anybody can do it. Simply click "New Website" and name your file. A new window will pop up prompting you to choose which resume and letter (if desired) you'd like to display. The next step asks for a passkey. This allows for you to choose who can see your website. Only those with a passkey (even if they have the URL) may view your site. Make sure this is appropriate and not too personalized because you will be sharing it with employers. The last step is the style of your site. While this won't be wildly personalized, colors are a good way to represent yourself. For example, people who wear red to interviews are thought to be more confident. Likewise, people who wear earth tones are thought to be more relaxed and calm.

Resume/cover letter websites are extremely beneficial in this technology age. Employers will see that you're comfortable with computers and the internet, something almost every job needs. Besides, it's an easier way to get your resume out to many employers, especially those who are anxious about opening attachments on their work computers. You can simply provide them with the link and passkey to your website!

The other nice aspect of using a website is the Infobyte. This gives you a way to advertise more about yourself without bogging down your résumé. Employers will pass the mouse over the I on the screen and a pop-up with reveal that extra information. This is useful for bragging about portfolios, details on projects, etc. again without having too many bullets on your résumé. In order to have an Infobyte on your website, you must input the information in your résumé then click save. Each time you update your résumé, the website will also be updated.

Don't forget: you may have your résumé and/or cover letter reviewed by a professional at Career Services just by emailing it to csresume@brockport.edu. Please email it as an attached Word document. This will allow the professionals to easily include comments and suggestions. They will review and critique your résumé quickly, usually returning it within 24 hours. If you'd rather work with a professional face-to-face, please drop in any weekday between noon and 2pm.

Job Search and Online Resume Tips

Some people see the title Job Search and think, "Well, that's for seniors." I disagree. People of all ages engage in job searches everyday. A 16 year old may be searching for his first job to save up for a new car. A college freshman may need a job to pay for movies, concerts, and off-campus food. The job search is not only for college seniors looking for a paycheck after graduation. Besides, I hope people understand that jobs (even as college freshmen) should pertain to their future careers in some way. For example, you may want to be a social worker. In that field you will work with kids and adults, so a good job in the meantime would be one in which you interact with many people everyday to build communication skills.

Now there are two ways to search for a job: actively or passively. Although passively searching by posting an online resume is a good way to attract attention, actively job searching will increase possibilities. Networking is a vital part of the active search. This allows for inside knowledge of openings. Talk to your friends, family, past and current colleagues, and alumni through Career Connection to actively get your availability known. Practice in clubs, internships and volunteer positions in order to increase your network. Take advantage of Career Services too: have your resume reviewed, attend job fairs and peruse JobShop.

If you still want to post your resume online while actively searching, here are some safety tips:

Step One: Research job sites and choose the one that best fits your needs.

First of all, don't post on every job site in hopes that more people will see your resume. This will look desperate and/or indecisive. It will also increase the chance for identity theft. The higher number of times you put your information on the Internet for anybody to see, the higher the chance that someone will use that information in a negative way. Besides, some sites are specifically catered towards certain career areas. Make sure you know what kind of employers will be looking at your resume. If you plan to be a teacher, you probably wouldn't want to post your resume on an automotive technicians site.

Next, make sure to read privacy policies. Sites that offer to "blast" or sell your resume should immediately send up red flags in your mind. These types of sites should be crossed off your list of potentials. ny sites that ask for social security numbers or bank information can be ruled out as well. Furthermore, don't trust a site that asks for your information prior to letting you looking at possible job openings.

Step Two: Replace convenience with safety.

Create a new email address that is professional, but not connected to personal information. For example, AOL users have profiles including their personal information, whereas Hotmail or Gmail do not. This not only helps to protect your identity (a theme I will constantly revisit), it may also prevent employers from learning too much about you, such as political views, marital status or sexual orientation.

Remove any contact information other than your email address. This may be inconvenient for the employer, but safety is more important and will hopefully be seen as cautious, not careless.

If you are currently employed, but searching for something new, you might also want to modify your employment history. For example, tweak your exisiting job title and place of employment to be more generic: "major cable provider" instead of Time Warner Cable. This will protect your current job and, again, protect from identity theft.

If right now you're thinking that these steps seem unnecessary, consider that although emploers have to pay some sites to see your resume, once it is downloaded onto their computers, they can do whatever they want with it. This should not deter you from using online resume sites because they could be phenomenal for your job search; however, it is something people don't always think about.

Step Three: Regulate your resume over time.

Update your resume biweekly. This will ensure that it continues to show up at the top of the list. Furthermore, if you have no responses after two months, the site is clearly not beneficial for you and different site may yield better results. (Or, perhaps your career field may not advertise openings online as these positions are mostly technology-based.)

Finally, delete all resumes you have posted online when your job search is over. Your new employer would not be happy if he/she say your resume still attracting offers online!