Email Etiquette

When sending your resume off in an email to a potential employer, it is imperative that your email sound professional and courteous. Cara Scharf's article on wetfeet.com summarizes the do's and don't's of email etiquette:

Make a good first impression:
Always include a subject - but keep it simple. Make it easy for the reader to know the exact purpose of your email by including your name and job title in the subject heading.

Be concise and polite:
No one wants to read a massive block of text. Try including a space between ideas or topics in the body of the email (every 2-3 sentences or so) so your email is easier to read. Also, never be pushy or assuming in your email...you want to convey a professional and polite tone.

Emails are not text messages:
Never use abbreviations or emoticons in emails to hiring managers or potential employers. Think of your email as an actual letter with a heading, greeting, body, and signature. Using complete sentences is a must!

Always read-over before clicking "Send":
Make sure you have the correct email address and name of the person you are sending your resume to (FYI - also make sure you know the reader's gender so you can properly address them as Mr., Ms., Dr., in the greeting). And of course, check for spelling and grammar errors and don't forget to attach your resume!

To read more about writing professional emails, read Cara Scharf's article on wetfeet.com: e-Etiquette

How to Make Your Holiday Party Pay

By Steve Fretzin

The holiday season is upon us, and that means it’s time to sort through all of your party invitations. While you may be grumbling about having to go to them at all, you can make the best of it by turning these parties into networking opportunities. Steve Fretzin, Founder and President of Sales Results, Inc., put together a list of the six tips that will ensure you’re making the most of your networking efforts:

1. Do Some Research Ahead of Time.

Try to obtain a guest list or find out who will be in attendance. This way, you can do some research to find out who the best people to meet will be. “It’s key to talk to the person who is running the party, don’t just wing it,” says Fretzin. “I went to a holiday party at a law firm client, and beforehand I met with the client, asked who they thought would be a good lead for me at the party, and then they introduced me when we were there.” This not only helps you spend your time at the party more effectively, but also helps you prepare for conversations with these connections.

2. Maintain Your Professionalism.

Even though it’s a celebratory event, refrain from over-drinking and make sure not to under dress if you want to make a good impression. Fretzin says to also avoid being a “one-upper”—don’t try to constantly tell a better story than the person you’re with. First impressions are still important—holiday party or not! Also be sure to keep plenty of business cards handy.

To read more of this article, please go to: http://wetfeet.com/Experienced-Hire/On-the-job/Articles/How-to-Make-Your-Holiday-Party-Pay.aspx

Choosing a College Major:

by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

The most important piece of advice in this article follows this sentence, so please make note of it and repeat it to yourself as often as you need as you read this article and make decisions regarding choosing a major in college. Are you ready for it? The advice: Don't panic.
I know it's easier said than done, but I can't tell you how many students I have advised since the time that I have been a professor that seem in a state of panic if they are uncertain of their major, let alone a career.

Choosing a major, thinking about a career, getting an education -– these are the things college is all about. Yes, there are some students who arrive on campus and know exactly their major and career ambitions, but the majority of students do not, thus there is no need to rush into a decision about your major as soon as you step on campus.


And guess what? A majority of students in all colleges and universities change their major at least once in their college careers; and many change their major several times over the course of their college career.

To read the rest of this article, please go to: http://www.quintcareers.com/choosing_major.html

Do Majors Really Matter?

By Selena Welz

More than a few college students have experienced the stress of selecting their all-important major. After all, isn’t what you focus on in school going to make—or break—you once you’ve graduated and entered the working world? This belief, which prevails across many undergraduate institutions, brings up the oft-voiced question: Does the major you choose need to have a direct connection with what you do after graduation? The answer is no.

Majors: Predetermining Your Life Path?
“People think that a major chooses a career, but that’s just not the case,” says Rosanne Lurie, a career counselor who has worked both at the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, San Francisco. “Your interests and abilities lead to the decision of a major and a career after that, but there isn’t always a direct relation between the two. A major doesn’t predetermine what you end up doing.”

The fact of the matter is that most majors will qualify you for just about anything. The skills employers are looking for are developed and refined by the college experience in general, regardless of particular areas of study. According to an annual survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), communication skills ranked as the number-one qualifier on employers’ lists for the past five years. Honesty and integrity, teamwork, interpersonal skills, and motivation followed in rank, none of which directly relate to a specific major.

Even higher education degrees that lead to specific careers allow for plenty of flexibility. Engineering, medicine, and law careers all require specialized and specific knowledge, along with a degree to show for it. But even so, the degree does not dictate a lifelong career: An engineer could go on to an executive position at a technology company; a doctor could become a research physician; a lawyer could go into consulting or teaching.

To view more of this article, please go to: http://www.wetfeet.com/Undergrad/Finding-the-job/Articles/Do-Majors-Really-Matter-.aspx

Confessions of an Intern

By Liz Seasholtz


When you’re new to the cubicle world, mistakes are bound to happen. It’s all about taking your gaffes stride, learning a lesson, and chuckling about it in retrospect.

“When I was a college intern at a radio station, I worked for a not-so-nice marketing director. One afternoon, I made the comment to one of the radio personalities that she was a ‘witch.’ I later found out that they were dating!”Lesson: Avoid workplace comments about your boss. Period.“Although I had held many internships, I had gotten away with not making coffee, ever. Then my supervisor asked me to make some, and I pressed the wrong button on the coffee machine. Water started spewing everywhere and I flooded the entire break room.”Lesson: Ask if you have no idea how to complete a task.

To read more of these stories, please go to: http://wetfeet.com/Undergrad/Internships/Articles/Confessions-of-an-Intern.aspx