Career Connections Newsletter • March 2009

Career Topic of the Month: Informational Interviews
Career Resource of the Month: Graduates' To-Do List
Spotlight on Success: SNC Alumni Profile
Career Tip of the Month: CNN - How to Land 'Green' Jobs
Financial Literacy Tip of the Month: 25 Tips to Stretch Your Dollars
Internship of the Month
Upcoming Events

Career Topic of the Month: Informational Interviews

One of the best ways to learn about a particular career field is to talk with people in careers you are considering. No one else can give you a better sense of the real life experiences, the challenges/opportunities, and the drawbacks and limitations of the career field. 

Benefits of Informational Interviews:

• Discover the “realities” of a particular career field and what is it really like to work in a given industry.
• Determine a fit between your personality, interests, skills, and values in relation to a specific occupation
• Develop confidence in interviewing and meet people in your field in a low risk, non-threatening situation.
• Expand your network of contacts and gain referrals to other contacts for future networking opportunities.
• Find out about career paths you did not know existed.
• Improve your communication skills by talking informally with an interested professional.
• Hear an insider’s opinions of the career field and see the work environment.
• Gain job searching advice from someone in your field.

How to Locate Contacts for Informational Interviews:

• Utilize the Career Contact Program. Career Contacts (friends and alumni of SNC) provides students and alumni the opportunity to interact with professionals from a variety of career fields. To gain access to the Career Contacts, you must login or register for Career Connections.
• Increase your network through people you know formally and informally. Consider the following:parents/siblings, extended family, friends, professors, coaches, advisors, mentors, colleagues, supervisors,neighbors, contacts from professional organizations.

Do’s & Don’ts for Informational Interviews:
1.  DO assume that most people in responsible positions will be willing to talk with others who are
enthusiastic and interested in them, what they are doing, their job and their organization.
2. DON’T confuse it with a job interview: be clear, honest, and unambiguous about your motive or
agenda, and stick to the agenda of just getting career information, not fishing for a job opening.
3. DO make an explicit appointment for a short period of time (say 20 minutes); be on time, and leave on
time.
4. DON’T ignore the preparation process. Arrive thoroughly prepared with the questions you want
answered. See the list below for sample interview questions.
5. DO talk about (or demonstrate) your skills: know what your strengths are; be articulate, she/he
cannot help you effectively if you do not explain (or show) what you can do.
6. DO leave with at least two referrals to other people in the field that you can talk to in the same way.
7. DO take down notes immediately after the interview, recording everything you learned.
8. DO send a thank you note right away.
9. DO keep well-organized records of your informational interviewing process.

For a list of sample questions, please see our Informational Interview Guide.  

Please contact Career Services for further assistance in preparing for Informational Interviews. 

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Career Resource of the Month: Graduates' To-Do List

For many college seniors, graduation is right around the corner. Here's a checklist of things to take care of before stepping out into the real world, courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.  

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Spotlight on Success: SNC Alumni Profile

Elizabeth Colletti, Math and Computer Science, 2008
Technology Center Manager, De La Salle Institute, Chicago, IL

Click here to learn about the work experience and career path of this successful SNC alum.

Check out our growing list of Alumni Profiles to learn more about their career paths, experience and to envision what you can do with a degree from St. Norbert College. 

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Career Tip of the Month: How to Land 'Green Jobs'

Check out this video, courtesy of CNN, on the topic of finding 'green' jobs.

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Financial Literacy Tip of the Month: 25 Tips to Stretch Your Dollars

Don’t let student loans and credit card debt weigh you down after graduation. The less you borrow during your college years, the less you have to pay back! Click the following link for 25 quick tips to help you stretch your money and leave college with manageable debt.  25 Tips

For more information on Financial Literacy, please visit: http://www.snc.edu/career/planning/finlit/

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Internship of the Month: Intern

Why intern? Internships are a great opportunity to apply classroom theory to real life work and to acquire experience to make yourself more marketable for future employment. It can also be one way to "test" your chosen career area to determine if it is a good fit for you.

Intern, Capital Asset Management Group, De Pere, WI

• Position Description: The Intern/Expeditor will provide extra help in taking care of administrative and marketing jobs. He/She will also help the team to operate smoothly on a day-to-day basis.
  Primary Duties:
  1. Handles overflow of Administrative duties
  2. Assists with assembling mail campaigns
  3. Attends Staff Meetings if schedule permits
  4. Assists at outside functions, such as setting up and breaking down meeting rooms used for seminars.
  5. Following up with clients and prospects from previous calls, setting up appointments and birthday lunches
  
  
• Qualifications: Must be a Junior or Senior
  
  
• Contact: If you are interested in this unique internship opportunity, contact Kim Fuerst at kimberly.fuerst@siionline.com 

For more information on this internship and to search for additional internships, please login to Career Connections.

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Upcoming Events

To register for an event or workshop, login to Career Connections and click on Career Events. 
Click here for the complete Spring 2009 Calendar of Events. 

Midwest Conference Virtual Job Fair
March 30-April 30

Resume and Cover Letter Writing
Wed., April 8, 6-7 p.m
Cofrin 15

It's Not Too Late! Job Search for Seniors
Wed., April 22, 5-8 p.m.
Cofrin 15

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