FOCUS Part-Time Job Fair, Sept. 21, 6 – 7:30pm

13517497_1042158995820602_4150202462305579136_oIf you’re looking for part-time work on or around campus that will help you to build your professional skills, this is your job fair.

It’s a good idea to register first on I-Link, but you can attend even if you don’t register. To register, log into I-Link, click the “events” tab on the left-hand side of the page, then scroll down to “FOCUS: The Job Fair for Career-Focused Paid Campus Work.”  Click on that link and then on the box marked “RSVP.”

How to Prepare

You’ll need a resume. If you’ve never written one before, the Career Center has lots of helpful advice. Walk-in resume review is available tomorrow, Sept. 20, between 4 and 5 in 2040 Lincoln Hall.

You should plan to dress professionally. Don’t stress if you don’t have a suit–just wear nice slacks or a skirt with an appropriate shirt, blouse, or sweater, preferably with shoes that aren’t athletic shoes or flip-flops. Avoid tank tops, jeans, shorts, sweats, and anything with a logo.

Whom Will You Talk To?

On I-Link you can find information about the employers who will be coming to the FOCUS part-time job fair and the jobs they are seeking to fill. Of particular interest to English and CW majors are Gaggle (they are VERY keen to meet English majors), Human Kinetics (a local publishing house), the University of Illinois Foundation, and FAA Advancement. But check the list for yourself.

What Do You Do at a Job Fair?

You introduce yourself to employers, ask an intelligent question about the positions they have advertised, and offer a resume that spells out your qualifications in greater detail.

If It Matters for Your Life, It Can Matter for Your Career

Is volunteering part of your life? Have you always sought out service opportunities? Are you hoping to make it a part of your routine if it hasn’t been before?

Service can be a way of life, not just an extracurricular activity. A great way to explore careers in the nonprofit sector, jobs that involve making positive change in the world is to get involved. Here are some ways to do it.

  1. TOMORROW, Sept. 15, 10:30 – 1:30 in the Illini Union, the Community Service and Volunteer Fair will give you a chance to find out about the wealth of opportunities available on this campus and in this area.

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2.  Every semester, The Community Learning Lab in the School of Social work identifies projects that draw on the communication, research, and problem-solving skills of English/CW/ToE majors and matches those projects to interested students.

 Projects often include tasks like grant-writing, information gathering, web content development, marketing and outreach, event planning, and assessment.

Students should expect to spend no more than 25 hours over the course of the semester completing the project, which will include a brief self-assessment and reflection at the end.

To take part in this opportunity, send an email ssw-cll@illinois.edu, explaining that you are an English department major interested in working with Community Learning Lab partners.

You will receive a list of available projects and a link for signing up for the projects that interest you most.

3. The upcoming LAS in CU Internship Fair offers a wide range of internship opportunities for the spring and summer, many of them with local nonprofit agencies.

 

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Fall Career Fairs: Which One? How?

Business Career FairThe Fall 2016 career fair season is about to get underway. Now is the time to figure out which fairs you want to attend and to plot your strategy.

  • Start getting your resume ready. Yes, you will need one–come talk to Kirstin Wilcox, kwilcox@illinois.edu, if you’d like help.
  • Learn more about how to find success at a career fair by reading our English//CW Majors’ Guide to Career Fairs.
  • Attend the LAS and Career Center workshop: How to Sell Your LAS Degree at the Business Career Fair. Monday, September 12, 4:50 p.m., 319 Gregory Hall

You have a lot of choices!

Looking for part-time work on or around campus?

FOCUS:The Part-Time Job Fair for Career-Focused, Paid Campus Work takes place September 21 from 6pm to 7:30pm in the Illini Union Ballrooms A and B.  You can find out more about the employers who will be there on I-Link (find “Career Fairs” under “Events” in the left-hand tab).

Looking for a spring or summer internship on campus or around Champaign-Urbana?

The LAS in CU Internship Fair features local employers looking for interns for spring and summer. Many of the positions are unpaid, but they will give you opportunities to explore career options and build your professional skills. This fair is NOT listed on I-Link, but you can find a list of the organizations who will be attending at LAS in CU on the web page for the fair.

Looking for a paid summer internship for next summer OR a job after you graduate?

The Illini Career and Internship Fair has a number of employers coming who are specifically interested in liberal arts majors with strong communications skills. It takes place on October 26, from noon to 4pm at the ARC. You can find information about the employers who are coming on I-Link (find “Career Fairs” under “Events” in the left-hand tab). You should review all the entries and click through to find out specifically the positions they seek to fill, but some companies of particular interest to English and Creative Writing majors are Cintas, City Year, Epic, Hartford, Jellyvision, Mindshare, and the Peace Corps.

The Business Career Fair is NOT just for business majors: 64 of the 190 employers are looking for students in all majors. It’s coming up FAST (September 14 and 15, 2pm to 7pm at the ARC). It’s HUGE and the key to success is winnowing out the jobs that interest you. Go on I-Link and click “Events” in the lefthand tab. It will be in “Career Fairs.” Click on the number of employers to bring up a search screen. Use the pull-down menu under “Advanced Search” to isolate the employers seeking “all majors.” A few that caught my eye were Cambridge Publishing, Huron Consulting, Signature Consulting, Teach for America, and Wells Fargo.  They provide links to give you information about the positions they’re specifically recruiting for at the career fair, as well as other openings in the company. Note that the fair runs for two days and companies only attend for one of those, so make note of when the companies you want to talk to will be there.