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The Career Development Center's biweekly
student newsletter.
In this Issue:
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A
Winning Personal Statement
By: Roberta Kaskel, M.A.
Director, Career Development Center
The crafting and proper submission of a personal statement
is often the cornerstone of a graduate/professional
school, internship, or fellowship application. The personal
statement is the one document in your application package
that allows you to distinguish yourself from all the
other candidates with similar GPA and test scores that
you possess. Your personal statement is your opportunity
to win the race for a place in the program of your choice.
WHAT IS A PERSONAL STATEMENT?
There are two types of personal statements used by admissions
committees. The first is the general statement that
allows the author to determine the subject matter of
the essay. The second type of statement is written in
response to a posed question. Regardless of the type
of statement required, you need to apply certain basic
principles and rules to writing and producing your statement.
Before reviewing the dos and don'ts of composing a
winning personal statement, let's consider the different
types of statement propositions. Take a look at these
samples to begin to understand the different approaches
used by various programs.
"How would you characterize the effects of your
contributions to the groups or organizations in which
you have participated?" (Yale)
"Tell us about the significant life experiences
and models that have shaped your career choice, the
subjective meaning or impact of your clinical experiences
thus far, your special interests in the field, and your
personal goals as a practitioner, researcher and scholar.
In addition, feel free to tell us anything that you
want us to know about (e.g. leisure time pursuits, hobbies,
travel)." (Hunter College)
"When did you first become interested in this
field and what experiences have you had that have confirmed
your decision about study …..?" (Western Michigan)
"In 600 words or less, tell us why you want to
be a lawyer." (most law schools)
BASICS
Regardless of the type of question you are responding
to, there are some basic rules you should follow in
developing your statement.
- Think before you write. Choose
what you want to discuss before drafting. You must
be comfortable with your chosen topic. An admissions
committee is bound to follow-up during an interview,
so you must know your topic inside out and be very
comfortable talking about what you wrote.
Click
Here to Read More
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The
Career Development's Website
"It's like being on addictivegames.com;
once I started looking around and read the resources
available, I couldn't stop." Trei Epps, SS '09
WHAT CAN I DO WITH THIS MAJOR?
So often when we ask students why they
are majoring in their field, they respond with something
like, "Because I like it." But many students
aren't sure how they will use their majors to achieve
professional success. All majors offer numerous paths
to multiple careers. For instance, did you know that
a degree in classics could be the springboard for a
career in education, public relations, lobbying, law,
museums, and even medicine? On the CDC website is a
list of more than fifty undergraduate majors. Find yours
and click on the HTML link or the PDF link to read a
chart of commonly pursued careers with your major. This
chart will include job titles, types of employers who
hire within these job titles, and strategies for transferring
your education in your major to your career. This section
of our website also provides supplemental links with
more career-specific websites for researching your major.
Go to http://www.loyno.edu/careerservices/career/majors/default.html
and look up your major. Or click on the "Info for
Students" option on the CDC website, choose Career
Development Services, and then click on Career Exploration
Resources. This will take you to the "What Can
I Do With This Major?" options.
Once you see the vast options available
to you, visit with a career counselor in the CDC to
help put together some ideas to prepare you to compete
in your field.
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EMPLOYOLA
Tips
UPLOADING RESUMES
It's like the old joke...You can't win the lottery if
you don't buy a ticket.
Employers won't find you in EMPLOYOLA, if you don't
upload your resume.
After you've filled out your EMPLOYOLA profile…
- Click on My Documents located under
My Account on the navigation bar
of your homepage.
- Click on Upload File next to Resumes.
- Type in a name for your resume; this will be the
document name that employers see when you apply for
a position, so name it carefully.
- Use the Browse button to select the file you want
to upload.
- Click on Upload.
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Job
Spotlight
Teach For America
Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding
recent college graduates and working professionals -
of all academic majors, backgrounds, and career interests
- who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public
schools and become lifelong leaders for expanding educational
opportunity for all children.
Teach For America trains all corps members during a
pre-service summer training program, places them as
teachers with full salary and benefits in urban and
rural public schools, and continues to support them
through a two-year professional development program
to ensure their success as teachers and beyond. Visit
teachforamerica.org
to learn about their application deadlines.
More information and application instructions can be
found at EMPOLOYOLA.
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Internship
Spotlight
Shive Magazine
"Shive is a magazine for everything "Shive"
(Ebonics slang meaning the best). It's not your typical
magazine. It's not just hip-hop, it's entertainment!
Shive is a 58-page, online entertainment magazine,
based in New Orleans. Shive is informative
as well as entertaining at any level. Shive
Magazine showcases independent artists, record labels,
DJ's, producers, models, celebrity moguls, entertainment
venues and more!"
Shive is currently looking for interns in
the following postions: writers, photographers, and
graphic designers.
Visit EMPOLOYOLA
to learn more about this opportunity and to apply.
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Career
Workshops
Please plan to come to a regularly scheduled workshop
during the fall 2008 semester. All workshops are held
from 12:30 until 1:30P.M. on Tuesdays in the Monroe
Library. Here is the schedule of workshops, workshop
titles, and locations:
November 11: Job Searching/Networking,
Monroe Library, Multimedia RM 1
November 18: Interviewing, Monroe Library,
Multimedia RM 2
A complete workshop schedule can be found at:
www.loyno.edu/careerservices.
Click on "Career Workshop Schedule."
Create Your Own Workshop
If your student organization would like to schedule
a career development workshop for one of your meetings,
contact us. Request one of the topics listed above or
ask us to develop a targeted presentation of your choice.
Past presentations have included such topics as:
- The Interview from Hell
- Business Etiquette
- Preparing for MBA School
- Writing Personal Statements
- Networking
- Careers in a Major
- Professional Image
Let us help you design a presentation to fill your
organization's needs.
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Mark
Your Calendar
Teach
For America Information Session
Wednesday, November 5
LearnLab, Room 215, Danna Student Center
5:30 P.M.
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Get
To Know Us
Your Career Development Center is ready to
help you. Visit us with career-related questions and
concerns.
We can help you:
- Take career assessments in order to investigate
how your personality and interests might lead to various
careers.
- Explore different types of careers and what appeals
to you — there are more options than doctors, lawyers,
accountants, and teachers.
- Decide on a major in line with your interests.
- Find internships and gain practical experience prior
to graduation.
- Create resumes and cover letters.
- Develop job search strategies.
- Connect with employers through career fairs, workshops,
and on-campus recruiting.
- Put together graduate school applications and establish
necessary timelines for admittance.
- Create personal statements and other written materials
for graduate schools.
- Practice your interviewing skills.
- Examine your options if you change your mind about
a career path.
- Discover alternative opportunities for a "gap
year" between college graduation and finding
a first career job or enrolling in graduate school.
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