Gain Access to Awards & Scholarships with Student Competitions!

What is Student Competitions.com?

StudentCompetitions.com was founded in 2009 by students who wanted to save time searching the globe for student challenges.  The website is a gathering point for events and challenges targeting students and young professionals. It is the only platform where students, regardless of field and level of studies, can find major competitions all in one place.  These competitions are broken down into five main categories:  Business, Arts & Design, Social Sciences, Tech & Engineering and Natural Sciences & Math.

Competitions are ways to get involved in your field of interest and to compete with other students to gain awards, scholarships and exposure to employers. Competitions can be used to drive change, spur innovation, identify excellence or promote a cause – globally and locally.

Participating in competitions gives you the edge:

·      Provides recruitment opportunities by getting your name and skills in front of employers

·      Challenge yourself to apply your education to real-world problems

·      And, prizes, of course!

Check out some of the exciting competitions currently on StudentCompetitions.com:

·      Global Design Competition of Seattle: The Global Design Competition of Seattle calls for entries of integrated function, high efficiency, low carbon restaurant designs.  Help grow a new sustainability resource in Seattle, WA and compete for a $10,000 prize!

·      Google Data Viz Challenge: Visualize how your individual federal income taxes are spent.  Google challenges you to create a data visualization that will make it easier for U.S. citizens to understand how the government spends our tax money.  The jury will be awarding $10,000, including $5,000 for the top submission. 

·      Microsoft Imagine Cup 2011: The Software Design competition is all about you (yes you!) creating real-world applications and solutions that can help people and communities around the globe. 

Get a Head Start, Read the Wall Street Journal

Take Advantage of the Wall Street Journal-in-Education Program!

Did you know that the Wall Street Journal offers students a 75% discount?

As a college student, you have access to the Wall Street Journal (print, online and mobile editions) for just $29.95 for 15 weeks (a whole semester!) or $99.95 for one year (52 weeks).  Some of the benefits of this subscription include:

·      Get the latest national and international news, career information, life and style updates, personal finance tools and much more.

·      Special time saving features allow you to choose the news you need with personalization tools, keyword alerts, apps for your Blackberry or Iphone, podcasts, etc.

Why should you subscribe? Staying up-to-date on what is going on in the world can help you be better prepared for interviews and impress interviewers with your knowledge of current events and company information. It can also help you in the classroom by increasing your comprehension of coursework and giving you more confidence.

For more information and to subscribe, check out http://wsjstudent.com/

Practice With Our Mock Interview Program

Are you nervous about the job interview process?  Then take advantage of Career & Academic Planning’s Mock Interview Program!   This gives you a chance to practice interviewing without the “pressure” of getting the job! 

Mock Interviews are offered on campus and help to maximize your skills by offering you the opportunity  to practice interviewing with an employer.  The interviews last 30 minutes total, with 20 minutes allotted for the interview and 10 minutes for the interviewer to provide feedback.  All Mock Interviews are held in the Sonner Hall Interview Center (Lower Level).

Mock Interviews include behavioral interview questions, which are open-ended asking you about past work or life experiences. Learn more about behavioral interviewing, to know what to expect.  Check out the Interviewing portion of the Career & Academic Planning website for more information.

To participate in a Mock Interview you must first view the online Recruit-A-Duke Tutorial, if you haven’t already done so.  After viewing the tutorial, you will be able to sign up for a Mock Interview on Recruit-A-Duke!  Each student is allowed one Mock Interview per semester, due to high demand.
 

To sign up, log into Recruit-A-Duke and click on the “Job Opportunities” tab at the top of the page, then click on “On-Campus Recruiting – Job Opportunities for JMU Students.” Next, type in “Mock” in the Keyword Search field and proceed to “Apply” for the interview you would like to participate in.  You do not need have a desire to work for the particular company you sign up for, as the interview is more focused on your benefit, not about the company or industry. 

Spring 2011 Mock Interview Schedule:

·       February 24^th – Dr. Elizabeth Swallow, MD

·       February 28^th – Fairfield Inn & Suites

·       March 1^st – BDO USA, LLP

·       March 21^st – The Rockingham Group

·       March 22^nd & 23^rd – Genesis Healthcare

·       March 24^th – Wintergreen Resort and Revolution Cycles, Inc.

·       March 28^th – Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

·       March 29^th – Primerica Financial Services

·       March 30^th – Vocus

·       April 1^st – Belmont, Inc.

·       April 4^th – United States Secret Service

·       April 5^th – United Bank

Up Next: Spring Career Fair 2011

Don’t Miss the Spring Career, Internship & Service Fair 2011!

Date:               Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Time:              12:00 – 4:00pm
Location:       Festival Ballroom

The Spring Career, Internship & Service Fair is less than a week away!  Are you ready? This Career Fair will provide full-time, service and internship opportunities to a variety of majors. The Spring Fair is now combined with the Service Fair!  This event is co-sponsored by Career & Academic Planning and Community Service Learning. Students attending the Career Fair who are returning to JMU for the Fall 2011 semester, will be eligible for a $1,000 scholarship drawing. Your response to the survey after the Fair will enter your name into a drawing to win the scholarship! Make sure you are prepared for the fair!  Remember to dress professionally, research employers of interest, and bring copies of your resume. While the event is open until 4:00pm, be sure to allow ample time to meet the employers attending!  Read more on How to Prepare for a Career Fair . A list of employers attending the fair is available on Recruit-A-Duke.  Some companies will use major categories to describe students of interest.  To view companies attending a Career Fair, log into Recruit-A-Duke and click on the “Fairs, Info Sessions, Workshops” tab at the top of the page. From there click on the Career Fair you are interested in to view a list of the employers, their positions and the majors they are recruiting. You can also access a list of Employers Attending by Major (as of 2/7/11) Parking will be available in Convo lots A, E, B, or F. Shuttles will be running from Convo Lot A (look for a tent in Lot A for the event) to Festival throughout the day.

JMU hosts several career fairs during the year. See our JMU Career Fairs page for more information.

Learn About Recruit-A-Duke: JMU's Own Job Search Site

What Is Recruit-A-Duke?

Recruit-A-Duke is James Madison University’s online On-Campus Recruiting and job posting system for JMU students and alumni. Through Recruit-A-Duke, you are able to participate in the Recruiting Services program.  This means that employers sign-up to come to campus to interview JMU students for open positions they have.  They post their positions on Recruit-A-Duke and you, as a JMU student, can log-in to the system and apply for these jobs!  Once you have applied for these positions by uploading your resume on the system and applying for the ones that interest you, you will be notified if you are selected to interview with the employer.  If you are selected for an interview, you can sign-up through Recruit-A-Duke.  After you sign-up for an interview, come to the Sonner Hall Interview Center (on the lower level) to participate in your interview at your scheduled date and time. 

The first step to participate in this program is to watch the online Recruit-A-Duke tutorial and take the short quiz at the end.  Please allow 24 business hours after you complete the tutorial for your account to be updated.  Once you have received your confirmation email, you will have access to On-Campus Recruiting, including the following:

• Access to over 500 job postings just for JMU students! (these include both on-campus recruiting (ocr) positions and non-ocr positions)
• View the companies scheduled to recruit at JMU.
• Submit a resume online to employers to be considered for internships and full-time positions.
• Select and confirm interview times with companies who have selected you.
• Participate in a Mock Interview to practice your interviewing skills.
• Research companies attending the Spring Career, Internship and Service Fair
• To view companies attending a Career Fair, log into Recruit-A-Duke and click on the “Fairs, Info Sessions, Workshops” tab at the top of the page. From there click on the Career Fair you are interested in to view a list of the employers, their positions and the majors they are recruiting. You can also do an advanced search by clicking the “Advanced Search” tab to see which are specifically looking for your major.
• View and RSVP for upcoming Information Sessions held by employers on-campus and workshops hosted by Career & Academic Planning.
• With an updated resume on the system, employers will be able to view your resume through the Resume Book Program (which you can choose to opt in or out of) and contact you if they have a position that would be a good fit for you.
• Sign up to receive targeted emails with job listings that meet your criteria through the Job Search Agent.
  
  

*Important Note* - If you forget your password and click the “Need A Password?” link on the Recruit-A-Duke log-in page, be sure to check your JMU email account Junk Mail folder for your new password, as with any type of emails, sometimes they accidentally end up in this folder.

Any Questions About Recruit-A-Duke?
Email us at recruitaduke@jmu.edu.

No Responses? What to Do When You Don't Get a Call Back

We all know how easy it is to electronically send a resume.  With the click of a button, we feel like we have accomplished something, and put our name out to help our job search process.


In reality, many applicants send their information often with no response back.  While we think we're doing all that we can, an article by Dave Ellis tells us there is a alot more that you can do to improve your chance of landing an interview.


He stresses the importance of professional critiquing, expanding your geographic options, and of course, networking.  The article goes into more depth on how these will help you improve your resume and gain more contacts. 

Check it out!

Live from New York: A JMU Alum Question & Answer

WHO:        Kristen Malzone

JOB:         Social Media Analyst

WHERE:   HENRY SCHEIN, Melville, NY
                  www.henryschein.com

TWEET:   @kzone7

1.     Can you describe what your role and responsibilities are as a Social Media Analyst?

The Social Media Analyst position at Henry Schein is brand new, therefore, my roles and responsibilities change frequently to adapt to the needs of each department. I work for the corporate office and I am responsible for implementing social media strategy into our marketing and communications plans. As the internal social media expert, I am also responsible for training TSMs (Team Schein Members) who are incorporating social media into their own jobs. This channel of communication is unchartered territory for many businesses today, especially business to business corporations like us, and it is my job to navigate.

2.     How did your academics and experiences at JMU prepare you for your   current role?

As a COB graduate, I am able to apply the knowledge I obtained at JMU to my current job responsibilities. For example, it is important to continually perform “SWOT” analyses, identifying opportunities on the social web and monitoring our competitors’ activity on Facebook and Twitter. I learned about social media specifically after taking an Internet Marketing course during my senior year. The professor covered social media briefly, and that was the first time I learned about Twitter. It opened my eyes to the social media revolution and inspired me to explore opportunities these platforms presented to businesses of all scales. As an undergrad, I was actively involved in 1787 Orientation and SafeRides. My relationships with both organizations presented me with the opportunity to communicate with the student body via social media on a larger scale. I did not realize it at the time, but those experiences provided me with the knowledge and understanding to break into the social media industry post-graduation.

3.     Social media plays a large part in both the personal and professional lives of students.  What recommendations do you have for students using social media in the job search process and also in their personal lives?

Do you have a secret, hidden profile on Facebook? Think again. There are multiple ways that recruiters can find you on Facebook. Searching for your name is just one of the ways. Did you suspend your Facebook account in order to save face during your job search? Bad idea. You would be hard pressed to find a college student in the United States who has never maintained a profile on Facebook. If a recruiter cannot find you on Facebook, they might assume you are hiding something. My advice is put yourself out there, but be an active filter. Here are some tips:

1.     Think twice before you post a status update. Is this something you would want a recruiter to read? If you hesitate at all, just do not post it.

2.     Go through your photo albums and tagged photos. Delete/untag photos that might hurt your professional image. Facebook now gives you the option to download all of your information (photos and videos included) to your computer. Do this before you start deleting/untagging, so that you have those precious college memories saved somewhere more secure.

3.     Create secret groups on Facebook for friends and family. Groups are more secure than your wall and you can easily control who sees what; whether it’s a photo from last night’s beer pong tournament or 10 reasons why you hate Aunt Sally’s new boyfriend.

4.     After taking these measures, open up your profile a little bit under your privacy settings. Use your Facebook profile as a personal resume. When a company hires you, they are not hiring your resume; they are hiring YOU! Facebook shows them who you really are.

4.     What social media tools would you recommend to students for networking?

If you are looking for a job, GET ON TWITTER! It is the most powerful networking tool ever created. In a nutshell, Twitter breaks down communication barriers that other channels have yet to hurdle; even Facebook. I landed my first job after graduation from JMU because of Twitter. It’s a long story, but it involves a great non-profit (www.DoSomething.org), a celebrity (Ashton Kutcher), and a CEO (my former boss). Tweet me (@kzone7) if you want to learn more! Without Twitter, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Reach out to CEOs, celebrities, recruiters, industry leaders, bloggers...anyone! You never know which connection might lead to your dream job.

5.     What are your recommendations to students who wish to pursue a career in the field of social media?

Social media is changing every day and keeping up is a full-time job, in itself. Follow the blogs (Mashable, TechCrunch, All Facebook, etc.) and comment on topics of interest. Follow your favorite brands, celebrities, and musicians and engage in their communities. Start a blog focused around a few of your interests. I recommend Tumblr. It’s simple and growing rapidly. Also, get some experience. If you can’t find a social media internship, volunteer to help a local charity set up a Facebook Page or a Twitter account. This will help you start building a social media portfolio. It is a fast-paced industry to get into, but as college students, you have the upper-hand. Facebook, in the earlier days, was made for you. College students just “get it.” Social media expertise is an extremely valuable skill in today’s job market. If you dedicate yourself to it, you will succeed.