Newspapers / North Carolina Wesleyan University … / Feb. 18, 1994, edition 1 / Page 7
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FEBRUARY 18,1994 — THE DECREE — PAGE 7 Good resume essential for good jobs Volunteer work and graduate school are viable options for those who, for whatever reason, want to put off diving into the job mar ket. However, not everyone can get into graduate school, and many volunteer organizations can be as selective in choosing candi dates for positions as corporate employers. So, many are forced to dive right into the job application pool fresh out of college. But without a graduate degree or a year of volunteer service under their belts, how can these candidates compete? Beverly Stennett, a counselor at the career development center at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., says career develop ment centers at most schools of fer free services such as resume critiques, workshops on inter viewing skills, networking, and more. Knowing where to start look ing for a job is the first step. The employment section of the news paper seems like the most logical A Yale University economist has discovered what you knew all along — that bug-ugly sweater Aunt Eunice gave you for Christ mas was a total waste of money. In a recent article titled ‘The Deadweight Loss of Christmas” in the December issue of The American Economic Review, Professor Joe Waldfogel calcu lated that between 10 percent and 35 percent of the value of all holi day gifts is destroyed, which amounted to $4 billion last year. “That’s a lot of fruitcake and knick-knacks,” he said. “And the figure could easily top $10 bil lion if we include gift-giving at Hanukkah, birthdays, bar mitz- vahs, and weddings.” Waldfogel, who specializes in law and economics, got interested in the subject after he inventoried his personal stash of unusable gifts: two cribbage boards (he doesn’t play); an array of fiizzy slippers (he doesn’t wear them), and several “perfectly horrible” sweaters. Waldfogel based his research on a survey of 75 Yale under place to start, however, Stennett said that most emphasis should be placed on networking. “Consider everyone a poten tial contact for you,” she said. Friends who have graduated, rela tives, professors, and your friends’ parents are all potential networking opportunities. Many professional associations have college chapters. These provide excellent networking oppor tunities as well. However, Stennett said, do not ignore published ads. “About 20 percent of your emphasis should be on the classifieds,” she said. According to Stennett, both the cover letter and the resume should match what the employer wants. By this point in the job search, everyone should have a resume, which should include: • Education — List, in reverse chronological order, colleges at tended and their location, your major or degree, and your GPA if it is above a 3.2. • Work Experience — List, again in reverse chronological or- graduates in his class last year. The students were asked to list 246 non-cash gifts they had re ceived for Christmas, the esti mated cost of the item, and how much the student valued the present. The economist said the pur pose of the survey wasn’t to play Scrooge with the spirit of Christ mas, but to point out that a lot of money goes to waste in bad gift choices. “My gripe with Christ mas is not the excess of gifts ex changed, but rather that the gifts are often mismatched with their recipients’ preferences,” he said. Waldfogel notes that the sur vey doesn’t accurately assess one important factor — how much pleasure the gift-giver gets out of the process even if the recipient thinks the present is a dud. One interesting trend noted: Immediate family members and close friends tended to give each other gifts that were more highly valued than presents firom ex tended family members and ac quaintances. der, any jobs or internships, even if they were unpaid. Explain your duties at these jobs and accentu ate the positive, but don’t be too creative. Employers know that “custodial engineers” are janitors. • Activities — List extracurricular, sports, and com munity activities, which can be great places to develop valuable leadership skills. Be sure your prospective employer knows about them. • Don’t include personal information such as height, weight, hair color, or other irrel evant facts. They’re likely to get more laughs than telephone calls. There are dozens of books on how to write a good resume. Many are worth the investment. You can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can judge a re sume by its cover letter. Employ ers do. A good one can get you a job. A cover letter should tell the reader that you wish to apply for a job, how you heard about the job, and why he or she should bother to look at your resume. It should be short, flawlessly writ ten, unique, to the point, bold, yet conservative. Impossible? Neariy, but it can be done. Again, see your career counselor and buy a good book. The North Carolina Wesleyan Student Services Center offers help to students interested in pre paring a resume. Pamela Fairchild is the contact person in the SSC for resume information. Fairchild says that the job search now takes an average of six to eight months. Resumes can play an important part in the job search. “The more resumes you send the more interviews and more job offers you can receive,” Fairchild said. The see offers workshops for students interested in Resume and other job search information. Fairchild mentioned that the pro cess should begin when the stu dent is a junior. Intramural update Feb. 21 — 5 on 5 basket ball Championship. Come join the fiin. Halftime show and more! Indoor Volleyball regis tration closes Feb. 25 at 5 p.m. Call 5226 or pick up a ros ter the Student Union for more information. The following are the remain ing dates of job search informa tion seminars by the SSC: (AH programs are held in Rm. 276) • Feb. 28 — Job Search 1994, 10:30 a.m. Writing, 4:30 p.m. • March 22, 29 — Interview Techniques, 4:30 p.m. • April 4 — Mini-Resume Writing, 10:30 a.m. Those with other questions concerning resumes and other job search information may contact Pamela Fairchild at the SSC. • March 3 — Resume Writ ing, 4:30 p.m. • March 17 — Mini-Resume POETIC JUSTICE Stoning Janet Jackson LEAP OF FAITH Staring Steve Martin & DebraWUtger Fehrtuay 26 9:30pm THE FIRM Suaing Tom Cndse, Holty Huntffr & GeneHachnan arch 19 9:30pm IN THE LINE OF FIRE Starring CUnt Eastwood Rene Russo March 26 9:30pm Some Christmas gifts actually more humbug than useful, study finds
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