Monthly Archives: January 2012

The CV vs. the Resume: Which should you use?

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By Rosanne Ecker, Associate Director

At least once a week, I get asked the question, “What’s the difference between a resume and a CV?” It’s a great question!  Keep in mind that my answer is specific to the United States, because it’s different in other countries. Here are three key differences between a CV and a resume:

1. The purpose
A resume is designed to show that you have the skills and experience necessary to succeed in a job or an internship, that you are well-matched for the job opportunity and that you are able to hit the ground running.

A CV is designed to show that you are a scholar who has conducted research, presented your work at conferences, taught, and published articles. A CV is used to showcase your academic achievements and scholarly potential.

2. The use
A resume is used to apply to most non-academic jobs including consultant, engineer, IT specialist, accountant, jobs in marketing, communications and more. A resume is the usual document used to apply to any job where your skills are the main reason that the employer would hire you.

CVs are mostly used when applying for faculty positions, for grants or fellowships or for research positions in industry, academia or government. Whenever your research productivity and teaching experience would be valued, a CV is the way to go.

3. The length
A resume is usually one to two pages at most (with less than 3 years of full-time post-graduate experience).  It’s likely that the employer will receive many resumes for any particular position and will scan them quickly (by eye or machine) to pick out the most outstanding candidates and eliminate those that are not specifically relevant to the advertised opportunity.

On the other hand, a CV can get quite long and that’s OK.  You can use a CV to showcase all of your academic achievements, including honors and awards, teaching experience, grants you’ve received and research you’ve done, if you’re applying to a college faculty position.

Is there any time you would use elements of each in a “blended” document?
Yes! A research lab would be interested both in your research techniques, computer skills and your ability to use specific equipment, as well as the papers you presented and articles you published. In this case, you’ll be presenting both your skills which are relevant to the job as well as your scholarly accomplishments.

When should you think about “converting” your CV to a resume?
If you’ve been geared toward a college teaching position or a research role and are now considering doing something more applied, you might want to have your CV focus more on your skills than your scholarly accomplishments. You will have to eliminate some of your accomplishments in order to spotlight your skills and this can be painful!

What is the main thing that CVs and resumes have in common?
Crafting a clearly formatted document, whether a CV or a resume, is your first step in getting an interview. That’s why people put so much work into the document. It may be the first glimpse of you that an employer gets. Of course, in addition to the CV and the resume, it’s useful to have an online presence on LinkedIn or a web page where you can feature your strengths and accomplishments. It would be ideal to have connected with someone at your potential employer so that they’re expecting your resume or CV.

Should I include references on either the CV or the resume?
It ‘s not usual to include references on a resume. The employer will request them if you make the next cut or the cut after that. You also do not need to write, “references on request.” It’s better to use that space to tell the employer something more about your skills and accomplishments.

On a CV, however, it’s usual to include, or add a page, listing your references with their full title and contact information.

Where can I get someone to help me figure out which document is best for me and to review my CV or resume?
Our office! Career Services, located at 235 Schine Student Center, has drop-in hours Monday through Friday (check our website for current drop-in hours), during which a career consultant will meet with you for 15 minutes to review your document. Please bring a paper copy with you.

If you are a PhD student or an undergraduate with a CV that needs to be reviewed, please set up an appointment by calling 315-443-3616, since a CV will require more than 15 minutes.

Sales: So Much More Than Cold-Calling

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By Shannon Feeney

Cold-calling is so last century! (flickr / zigazou76)

There seems to be a stigma around the word “sales” when it comes to job seekers.  The images that come to mind are of cold-calling for new clients, salaries based solely on commission, and forcing people to buy something they don’t want.  I am hoping this blog post will help debunk some myths and shed some light on why you shouldn’t shut the door on a career in sales.

1)      Let’s consider sales for what it really is – account management, relationship building, and business development.  If you have a knack for working with people, love the idea of not being at a desk 24/7 and might want to own your own business, then maybe sales is for you.  Take a look at the job descriptions for sales positions in OrangeLink see if they are a fit for you!

2)      Not ALL sales positions are commission-based!  This is why it is so important to do your research into company-specific sales postings.  Many employers will offer their staff starting salaries with the potential to earn more.  Even starting salaries for entry-level sales positions are higher than perceived – according to Indeed.com’s salary calculator, the average salary for an entry-level sales representative in New York City is $59,000.

3)      The job outlook is good!  A recent article from US News listed sales manager and representative as one of the “hot jobs” that will be hiring this year. (We can’t disagree either – look at the positions employers are hiring for at the upcoming Spring Career Expo!)   This isn’t a new trend either; CNBC reported that sales was one of ‘The 10 Jobs Most in Demand in 2011.’

So before you completely shut out an opportunity in sales, I encourage you to do some more research.  Talk to the employers at the Career Fair hiring for sales positions, connect with alumni on ‘CuseConnect (through LinkedIn) who have started their careers in sales, and attend Career Services events such as ‘Sales Forecast: Successful’ on February 23 (6 p.m., Hall of Languages Room 114) to hear what working in sales is REALLY all about from the people who know best.

Perfecting Your Career Expo Resume

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By Chuck Reutlinger

Our Career Expo is Wednesday, February 8, from 11:00 a.m to 3:00 p.m. in Schine’s Goldstein Auditorium. In this blog post, Career Services’ Associate Director Chuck Reutlinger shares his advice on making your resume stand out from the crowd.

First impressions count!

Creating a positive impression at a career expo starts with a good visual impression and is frequently followed by your presentation of your resume to an employer.  Most employer representatives will likely skim the document quickly and then either ask you some questions or wait for you to carry the conversation further.  Naturally, the easier they grasp your qualifications and selling points, the more they will focus on your specific interests and their specific opportunities.

5 tips to help you maximize the impact of your resume:

  1. Make sure it is easy to read.  Don’t use fonts that are too small, e.g. less than 10, or too decorative.
  2. Make sure you present your sections of information in the order of their likely importance to the employer.  Not sure what will be important?  Research the positions they may be seeking to fill by reading OrangeLink profiles or using other career information resources.
  3. Take a broad view of experience and don’t arbitrarily position voluntary roles to a section down the resume if they really allowed your selling points to be revealed better than some miscellaneous job you had just to make pocket money.  Integrate them instead into your Experience section and make sure your wording conveys the right message.
  4. Consider starting with a Qualifications Summary right after your contact information wherein you place 3 or 4 bullets under this heading and briefly capture skills, experiences and traits that relate to their needs.  It can alert skimmers to what is found below and thereby encourage their closer inspection.  It might also be all they use to then engage you in a more focused conversation. You might alter your summary for employers of different types if you mean to explore different career paths.
  5. Choose your words calculatedly as you describe experiences and activities so that the lead verbs in a phrase convey the skills you used to accomplish a result.  Don’t use “helped” or “assisted” or similar lead verbs since these don’t convey skills; focus on how you assisted or helped.

Recognize that your interactions with employers may be brief and that your resume may trigger a positive experience.  Note as well that your resume will remain with an employer after you have moved on to another employer, so attention to its construction can help them specifically remember you among all the students they may see.

Good luck!

For last minute assistance with your resume from employers, visit us during Resumania in 235 Schine, on Tuesday 2/7 from 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. First come, first served!

Network with SU alumni! Check out our Spring 2012 Alumni Speaker Series

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By Kim Brown

I am SO excited about this semester’s line-up for the Alumni Speaker Series. Along with the Office of Alumni Relations, Career Services invites successful SU alumni to share their career stories with you and to offer you some incredible connections in the fields you’re interested in after you leave SU. After a fantastic fall, we are getting ready to kick off our spring edition of the Series. Our first event is Friday, January 27th! These events are free and open to all.

Next Friday, we’ll welcome Marco Forte, ’95 and Mitch Messinger, ’92 G ’93.

Marco Forte studied Consumer Studies, when it was a major in the college we now know as Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. He’s now Vice President of Primetime Sales for ABC Television, handling national advertisers such as Apple, McDonald’s, J.C. Penney, Visa and PepsiCo.

Mitch Messinger is Publicity Director for ABC Daytime and Soapnet, overseeing national publicity campaigns including those for the multi-Emmy Award-winning drama “General Hospital.” Mitch’s undergrad major was in American Studies, then he went on to receive his Master’s Degree in TRF from Newhouse. Mitch bleeds orange; in fact, he was an Otto when he was a student here!

Meet Marco and Mitch at 1:30 p.m., January 27th, in Newhouse 3′s Hergenhan Auditorium. They will share their stories, offer advice for those of you seeking similar career paths, then leave plenty of time for Q-and-A. After the event, join us for an hors d’oeuvres reception in the lobby and a chance to network with Marco and Mitch one-on-one.

As for the rest of the Series, here’s who we have on tap!

Lindsay Adler, ’08
Tuesday, February 7th
7:30 p.m., Watson Theater
If you follow fashion photography, you know the name Lindsay Adler. We are THRILLED to welcome the very successful NYC fashion photographer back for this lecture on 2/7 and several class visits on 2/8. You can check out her website to learn more about her and to see some examples of her incredible work. Follow her on Twitter at @LindsayAdler!

Lan Luan, G ’04
Tuesday, February 21st
Time/Location TBA
Lan is Senior Product Manager focusing on International Marketing for Microsoft’s Bing. We’re welcoming her back to campus during National Engineers Week, which is very exciting. Lan was born and raised in China and received her Master’s Degree from the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science. She will share advice on working for one of the world’s most recognizable companies, and will offer a unique perspective for our international students interesting in following her career path.

Theo Moll, ’90
Tuesday, March 27th
Time/Location TBA
Theo is Vice President of Keppler Speakers’ College and University Diversion. Keppler’s exclusive roster of national and international celebrities and experts represents many of the most in-demand speakers on the lecture circuit today. Theo should really appeal to members of University Union and all students interested in representing professional and celebrity speakers.

Brian Tarrant, ’96
Wednesday, April 4th
Time/Location TBA
Brian is a Vice President at MC2 Events, Exhibits and Environments. He started his career in sales. It was his company, MC2, that designed the Melo Center’s Hall of Fame that greets visitors. We are hoping to hold his event in the Melo Center, to give students a rare opportunity to see it. You can read more about Brian in this feature article from SU Magazine.

Stay tuned as we finalize details on all of our alumni speakers. If you have any questions about these events, please don’t hesitate to ask! Hope to see you at some or all of them!

Top ways to highlight leadership skills in an interview

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Many students take advantage of internships, clubs, student government, sports and other opportunities to build leadership skills. The question is, how do you demonstrate and articulate your experiences to a potential employer?

In this guest blog post, GEICO shares the following steps that could help you to showcase your leadership skills for your next interview.

Who are you?
When you are looking for a job, you’ve got to tell interviewers who you are and what you can do for their company. No one knows you, and no one knows your skills unless you tell them. You have to show the value of your skills and experiences. You need to be able to show a potential employer that the time and money they’ll invest in training you will not be wasted because you already have what it takes to contribute to the organization and climb up the ladder of success.

What have you done?
Consider what skills are important to you and to the job you are applying for. Then think about the times in the past when you have used these skills in your job or at school. Be able to explain, in one or two sentences, how you used this skill to accomplish something that was beneficial to your employer or student organization. Just make sure the skills you choose are applicable to the job for which you are applying.

Talk about real examples
When focusing on leadership, talk about the experiences you’ve had in building or leading a team; include how you motivated the team and even what tasks you delegated. Results are what matters here. Focus on them. What was the group able to accomplish under your charge? Be able to talk about a problem that the organization had and how you were able to lead the group in solving it. Know when to say “we” and when to say “I” when giving examples. Using “we” implies teamwork, whereas the use of “I” denotes leadership.

Look your best and show your confidence
Keep in mind that, as a candidate, it’s not just the answers to the questions that you’re judged on, but also the way you present yourself. If you want to be regarded as a leader, you have to act like a leader.  Sitting up straight, walking to the interview room and shaking hands with confidence and answering questions without any hint of doubt are key ways to show that you are indeed a leader. Don’t forget to maintain eye contact and act professionally, but not stiff. Know the business that you are interviewing for and dress appropriately.

Exuding confidence will greatly boost your chances of being regarded as a potential great leader. A leader knows how to react to certain situations and will not hesitate to stick with what he or she believes in. If you are a leader, it will naturally show in how you carry yourself during the interview.

Practice, practice, practice
Take the time before your interview to hone what you want to say on any number of key subjects. Practice questions and answers with a friend, and then practice some more. You will be much better prepared for a smooth interview.

At GEICO, we have two selective leadership programs that target graduating seniors who excel academically, possess leadership experience and demonstrate the desire to one day manage a team. These positions put successful participants on the fast track to higher-level positions. You will learn the business from the ground up through mentoring and learning to mentor others. When GEICO interviews candidates for these jobs, it’s important that those who go on to the next steps have relevant experience as well as a strong desire to manage people.

Interested in learning more about careers at GEICO? 

Visit www.geico.jobs or connect with GEICO’s national college recruiter, Debra Mienke-Pence, on Facebook and LinkedIn.

The 5W’s of SU Career Services: What YOU Can Expect

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Carol Hornstein's friendly face will greet you when you visit our office!

By Carol Hornstein

SPRING COMES WITH GREAT EXPECTATIONS!

SO DOES CAREER SERVICES!

  1. Where? Schine Student Center, Suite 235. Please visit us early in your college career and often!
  2. What? We have a seating area in front of our welcome desk with a reference library, computer cluster, a variety of guides, magazines and pamphlets for you to take, as well as an exhaustive website.
  3. Who? Expect to be greeted by our friendly reception staff. We will always ask, “How can we help you today?”
  4. Why?The help we offer takes many different forms. Here’s why you should consider stopping in:
    • Critique of the following: Resume, cover letter, personal statement, CV, portfolio and LinkedIn profile.
    • Interviewing: Strategic preparation, coaching for commonly asked questions, mock interviews (calm those nerves with practice)!
    • Networking: How it’s done, social media presence, connecting with alumni thru ‘CuseConnect, relationship building, researching your future employer – since they will be researching you!
    • Career Exploration:  Connecting to resources to help you with the next step after college and taking assessments to help you understand your personal strengths in relation to career options.
    • Job and Internship Searching and Applying: What are the latest techniques? What is OrangeLink? Learn about search engines and the online process of applying to jobs.
    • Major, Grad School, PhD, and Academic Advising:  Need help with deciding your major? Do you want to go to grad school? Why? Are you ready? Where should you apply? We can assist PhD students in the academic job search as well.
    • Events:  Career Fairs, SUccess in the City, Workshops, Panel Discussions, and Etiquette Dinners – visit OrangeLink for a list of upcoming events (access it through MySlice).
  5. When? We can HELP:
    1. Hour-long appointments: can be made with our career counseling staff. Call 315-443-3616, from 8:30-5:00pm. These appointments can take place in person or over the phone or even with Skype!
    2. Thirty minute appointments: can be made with internship coordinators and our alumni programs coordinator. These appointments can also be in person or over the phone or even with Skype!
    3. 15 Minute Drop-Ins: are offered daily (hours posted on our website) and available on a first-come-first-served basis where you can meet with a counselor for a 15-minute session.

OrangeLink looks a bit different: learn about the changes!

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Have you logged into OrangeLink recently? If so, you’ll notice lots of changes. Career Services’ Assistant Director Katie Conrad walks us through them in the video below.

  1. You can now easily view OrangeLink on your phone! The mobile version allows you to apply for jobs, register for events, sign up for interviews and look up employers, and really do most of what you can regularly do within the system.  The mobile version is automatically available to access via https://syr-csm.symplicity.com/students/ on mobile devices.
  2. Look for the Resources tab, which is brand-new and includes a document library, job choices and the new career explorer feature.
  3. Career Explorer can be found within the new resources tab, and you can use this to – as the name entails – explore careers. It’s powered by the US Dept of Labor’s O*Net, and allows you to explore careers based on industry, growth, green jobs, and additional search options.  Each career gives you a look at the projected growth of this career path, a description, info on the education and knowledge needed to pursue the career, and the skills sought.
  4. Job Choices, which is similar to the Career Services office’s career guides, is now available in digital format.  You can find all three editions under the Resources tab, as well as on the Career Services website.

Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions!

The planning process: getting things ready for Spring 2012!

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Happy 2012 to all! We’re back in the Career Services office and working hard to plan great events for the spring semester.

We have several new blog posts in the works; in them, you’ll be hearing from additional members of the Career Services team. They have a lot of expertise to share with you!

We’re most excited about the events we’re planning for this coming semester. Consider this post a “Save the Date” – and remember, this list is just a small sampling of what we have up our sleeves! Check our website and OrangeLink for details on times/locations for each event.

1/31 Four Steps to Sophomore Success!
Learn how to make your internship a success.  The conference, which is sponsored by General Electric and Career Services, will provide you with advice and teach you skills that every employer wants you to know. Expect snacks and prizes! Details in OrangeLink.

2/1 Senior Sessions: Resumes, Cover Letters, and Fairs, Oh My! 
Get your resume and cover letter ready for job applications and prepare for the Spring Career Expo. Register in OrangeLink.

2/8 Spring Career Expo (check out OrangeLink to see who’s registered!)
This is a smaller-scale version of the Fall Career Fair in the Carrier Dome. Head to Goldstein Auditorium in Schine and chat with employers who are looking to hire!

2/15 Senior Sessions: Shhhh! Job Searching Secrets
Get the scoop on finding a job in your chosen field through internet searches, in-person networking events, and picking up that phone to get yourself ahead. Register in OrangeLink.

2/21 Alumni Speaker Series Presents Microsoft’s Lan Luan, G ’04
SU alumna Lan Luan will visit and share her career story as part of National Engineers Week. Lan is Senior Product Manager focusing on International Marketing for Microsoft’s Bing.

2/22 Senior Sessions: #SocialMedia Networking
We’ll help you to create a LinkedIn profile, fix up the one you have, teach you the best ways to network using social media and discuss how to make that network work for your job search! Register in OrangeLink.

2/22 Nonprofit & Government Fair (check out Orangelink to see who’s registered!)
Interested in working for the government or with a non-profit? This is the career event for you!

3/9 – Big East Career Consortium at Madison Square Garden
Check out http://www.bigeastcareerfair.org/ for more information on this event. Get your Spring Break started on the right foot!

We look forward to seeing you at some or all of these great events!