Resume Building Experience
One of the best
ways to find out if a particular type of work is suited to you is to do
it. There are several ways: part-time or full-time paid work, short-term
or long-term volunteer work. The auspices can be through co-operative
education, casual, summer, contract, on-going (permanent), work study,
internship, or volunteer positions. In addition to the job content
knowledge you gain, there are extra benefits:
-
referrals for future
jobs through a network that you build
-
knowledge of the
strengths and weaknesses of your work related skills
-
development of
communication, leadership, analytical, organizational, problem
solving and creative skills
-
demonstration of
your initiative, and establishment of a track record, for potential employers.
Whatever your job
is, take time to reflect on your experiences. Write your thoughts
in a journal to keep a permanent record. What is the work being done,
how is the work being done, when, how quickly, by whom, using what technology
tools. What interpersonal relationships are there that help or impede
progress, what are you having fun doing, what do you find boring.
Are your surroundings and interactions typical of the workplace you want
for your career related job or has this work experience raised a question
about your program of academic studies. When it comes
time to choose
your next series of courses, broaden your investigation into what's available.
Is there something even more suited to your present needs and the direction
you are choosing to go.
With a complete
analysis of your experiential learning, you will have data and examples
for your next resume, portfolio, and job interview.
Community
Service
Civic and social
organizations, whether local, national or international in scope, provide
opportunities for individuals to give back something to society.
You are able to support a community service compatible with your beliefs
and geared toward your leisure needs. It is important that you make
the same type of commitment to the organization as you would to your employer.
The organization will be counting on you to do the job as conscientiously
as a paid employee. Determine what would you like to contribute
to the organization and what knowledge and skills you want to gain.
List 3-5 organizations
or community needs that you are interested in helping. Interview
the person in charge to determine if your goals and theirs are compatible,
and if working together will meet both your needs. When you have
made a decision on where you would like to volunteer, agree upon the number
of hours, the times you will be available, your specific duties and responsibilities,
any training you require, and your out-of-pocket expenses. Having
a written, signed contract will alleviate any misunderstandings which might
jeopardize your reputation in the future and impact being able to earn
good references.
Co-operative
Education
Co-operative
education provides you with the opportunity to have paid employment in
positions that complement your academic program. Alternating
work and study terms takes somewhat longer than the traditional method
of study with a summer break. Co-op positions are full-time, usually
for 4-8 months, or 1 year. The advantage for you is in having a formal
structure through which you can try out different jobs to see what you
like and are good at. With regular performance evaluations by your
supervisors, you can acquire an employer's perspective on how well you
measure up to the quality of other people working in that position.
You can begin to see your competitive advantage. By taking positions
with increasing levels of responsibility, you will have a solid resume
with which to approach the job market for a full-time position.
Summer, Contract,
On-going (Permanent)
Jobs in these
categories usually are offered on a full-time basis, ranging from 25-30
hours or more a week. Seen as building blocks to lay the foundation
for your career, working in a diversity of settings will enable you to
experience personally, as well as observe, aspects of employment.
By testing, you will come to know what you like and don't like, what you're
good at and what areas you need to develop expertise. For those of
you in an academic program that is not specifically preparing you for employment
as does mechanical engineering, health promotion, or accounting, you are
receiving the added benefits of gaining work related skills that employers
are seeking.
Work Study
Within an academic
environment, there may be positions funded by governments, for up to 10
hours a week over the term, to help students finance their education.
Carefully read the job notices. If the information is vague, phone
the person who would be hiring for the position for more details.
Work study can be an good way to apply your knowledge in different settings.
In addition to helping you clarify your career goals and secure references,
you can end up with excellent transferable skills.
Internship
An internship
gives you an opportunity to have a structured experience combining work
and learning in a field you are considering for your career. The
work is usually unpaid, although you may find some positions with a stipend
or an hourly rate typical for that kind of job. The work can be part-time
during an academic term, a full-time block during the weeks between terms,
full-time for an academic term or longer. A professor from your faculty
may oversee the work in conjunction with your employer so that appropriate
academic credit can be given. Even if you succeed in obtaining an
internship that will not result in academic credit, the experience is invaluable
in exploring career possibilities, gaining work skills valued in the marketplace,
and obtaining references.
Volunteer
Volunteering
allows you to check out many types of work. Some examples are: animal
care, environmental preservation, health education, marketing, computer
programming. You may want to undertake a special project as a class
assignment in a course. Rather than proceeding only through the theoretical
perspective to obtain your academic grade, perhaps you could locate a group
who could benefit from your work.
Anyone can volunteer
in practically any organization. Look through the files and directories
in the Career Center. The two questions you need to answer for yourself
are: what would you like to give to the community, and what would
you like to get back in return. For anyone not able to obtain paid
employment to learn about the work world and expand employable skills,
volunteering is beneficial.
Links to
More Information
Internships:
Internships
http://www.eweek.com/
Search on "internships"
Interships Abroad
http://intern.studyabroad.com/
The Orange County Ad Club
A professional organization comprised of advertising industry practitioners -
top advertisers, agencies, media companies and suppliers. Its Student
Relations & Education Committee supports students seeking mentors, "real world"
experience, networking opportunities and potential internship and employment
positions.
Add Club: (949) 387-1721
http://www.ocadclub.org
Post resumes:
http://www.ocadclub.org/jobs/students.asp
Certificates:
Skills Certification
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,496363,00.asp
IBM rolls out free pre-assessment tests for
qualifying individuals who want to score themselves on one of two updated
WebSphere Commerce certifications.
Novell Inc. has chopped in half the number of exams
needed to upgrade a CNE title to that of Master CNE.
Cisco Optical Specialist 1 certification will
validate the knowledge and expertise required to design, install, operate and
maintain Cisco optical networking systems.
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