Mock Interview Madness

Ever since mid-September, recruiting season has turned the first floor of Sonner Hall into a bustling congregation of employers who are overly excited to network with JMU students. While many of these employers made the treck to JMU in hopes of adding Dukes to their staff, others came as volunteers participating in the Mock Interviews that have been taking place in Sonner throughout the semester.

For those of you who haven't heard the buzz, Mock Interviews are part of a program developed by CAP that provide students with the opportunity to practice interviewing with employers. Students can recieve valuable and professional feedback to help them with interviews in the future. You can find more information about the program here.

So far this semester the following orgaizations have visited JMU to participate in Mock Interviews:

• Johnson Lambert
• Grant Thornton
• McGladrey
• Deloitte
• Adecco
• City of Roanoke
• Time Warner Cable
• Aramark
• Northrop Grumman
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car

City Year and American Woodmark Corporation will be our last two Mock Interview companies to visit this semester. There are still openings to interview with American Woodmark, so sign up on Recruit-A-Duke by Tuesday, October 23rd for your last chance!

Important Note: You must have On-Campus Interviewing rights to participate in interviewing on campus/mock interviews. If you do not already have OCR rights you can obtain them by completing this Recruit-A-Duke Online Workshop!

Still not entirely convinced that participating in Mock Interviews is a good idea? Check out these testimonials from fellow JMU students:

"I felt relaxed at the interview and the interviewer did a good job of providing a professional, non-intimidating environment. I enjoyed the experience and it was good to interview in a setting that I wasn't nervous about messing up in. Sonner Hall staff and CAP have been great resources to me, and I am grateful that JMU is so dedicated to providing students with career opportunities."

"I thought the Mock Interview exprience was a great stepping stone to prepare for a real interview."

"The interview experience was very beneficial because it taught me how to improve on areas in the interview process. I will be sure to use these new techniques during my next internship."

"I enjoyed the interview and the ability to ask the interviewer questions very candidly after the interview. I could tell my interviewer was giving me sincere responses which I greatly appreciated."

"This experience was very helpful - I feel more confident with the real interviews I hopefully have, in the upcoming weeks."


Sign up for your Mock Interview today!

By: Kelly Gooch
contact: goochke@jmu.edu

Ever Wondered What Employers Are Looking For?

This infographic gives some ideas, and lists them in order of importance!

Resume Tips and No-Gos

When writing a resume, what should be left off and what should be emphasized?

 Many people currently believe that the more information they provide, the better. In fact, this is not the case at all. Jobs & Hire suggests that we keep it simple and leave out the information that tends to "bloat" a resume. It is important that recruiters and potential employers are able to pick out the key facts and are not overwhelmed with all of the filler information.

Recently, PR Daily wrote an article discussing the 10 words and phrases that should be left off a resume to avoid this issue. Here are just a few examples:

- "References available upon request."

- Experience with Microsoft Office (that is expected nearly everywhere)

- Anything "high school"

Your resume serves as the appetizer of the meal- you don't want to leave the reader so overwhelmingly full that they don't want the actual meal (the interview). Include the most important and relevant parts, and leave the details for explanation later on during the interview.

By: Melissa Peale
Contact: pealeml@dukes.jmu.edu

Are you LinkedIn?

Social media is all the rave now a days, isn't it? It is safe to say that most college students are involved in at least one form of social media, whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, watching YouTube videos, or writing a blog. While all of these tools may be key for communication with friends and those with similar interests to ours, what are these profiles actually doing for our careers? With a LinkedIn account, the benefits for your future are very clear.

What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is your own, individualized (by you!) online resume. The main focus of a LinkedIn profile is to highlight your work experience and to sell yourself to others (possibly employers!) who are also using it. Through LinkedIn, you can connect with other individuals in your field. For example, say you are a COB (College of Business) student at JMU and you wanted to network with a JMU alumni that currently works at your dream company; through LinkedIn you can connect with one another, and at the same time, share your resume with that alumni (who can then share it with anyone in his network). You can also join groups that suit your interests- there are JMU groups, on and off-campus organization groups and most importantly, professional association groups.

HerCampus.com recently reported about 7 tips for getting the most out of your LinkedIn account. Some no-brainers include keeping information up-to-date and making sure you have a professional profile photo (not one with you at a bar with your friends); a nice head shot shows that you are professional and approachable. Make sure that your profile is tailored to the person and employee that you are; remember, it is a dog-eat-dog world, and to get ahead you have to stand out from the competition. LinkedIn will not only help you stand out by looking professional and prepared, it will also give you a leg up on the competition by networking and creating a 100% complete profile. Imagine, if you put just a quarter of the effort in to LinkedIn that you put in to Facebook and Twitter, you can easily get on the path to a brighter future and leave a more memorable digital trail.

Are you a JMU student and need a head shot for your LinkedIn profile? Make sure you come out to the Fall Career and Internship Fair on Monday, October 1, 2012 from 12-4 PM in the Festival Ballroom to take one at our Photobooth! There will also be more information about LinkedIn at the Photobooth!

By: Melissa Peale
Contact: pealeml@dukes.jmu.edu

On Campus Recruiting: The Scoop

Did you know that at JMU you do not even have to step foot off the campus in order to interview with employers?

That's right! JMU students are so elite that employers actually travel to Harrisonburg seeking to hire Dukes. So how do you get in on this On Campus Recruiting action? Just follow these simple steps and you will be on your way!

 

1. Take the Recruit-A-Duke tutorial. It is fairly short and is vital in knowing how to navigate the website, as well as all of the features it has for you to use. Not a big enough incentive? Without completing this step, you will be unable to access the OCR benefits.

2. Log on to Recruit-A-Duke. Click on Job Opportunities, then On Campus Recruiting and Job Postings for JMU Students. You will then see a bunch of job listings. Browse and see if there are any positions you might be interested in and are eligible to apply for. If you find one you like, submit your resume (for some great resume tips, see the CAP website). From this point, employers will select students who they would like to interview. If you are contacted by an employer, you will be able to sign up for interview time slots on Recruit-A-Duke.

3. Score the interview? Great! Now you need to prepare yourself for it. You can find specific instructions on how to get ready for your OCR interview, as well as tips about interview etiquette and terms you should know on the Student OCR portion of the CAP website.

Note: If you are not contacted for an interview, don't get discouraged! There are plenty of opportunities available on Recruit-A-Duke, so keep checking back! Use this time to take another look at your resume and work on your interviewing skills. Sign up for a mock interview on Recruit-A-Duke or use our new practice tool, InterviewStream from the comfort of your room!

Fall recruiting season ends on November 9th, so get your resume together and hop on Recruit-A-Duke today!

Attention: All PR and Communications Students! Get Ahead of your Competition Before you Graduate!

Just because you are still in college does not mean that you cannot build your resume. Some of the most important learning experiences happen when students are still in school and are given responsibility, or strive beyond what is expected by professors. PR Daily has recently discussed 10 different tips to help Public Relations students get ahead of their competition before they even graduate! Whether you are a senior, or a freshman just starting out, and regardless of major, these points can be very useful and can put you on the path to success!

1. Designate a homework schedule so that you can manage your time properly and keep up with readings. It is also very beneficial to follow PR-related blogs and websites, such as PR Daily. This will help you stay up-to-date with the current topics in your field.

2. Organization is key! When your books and papers are in a clutter, how are you to keep track of things and study? As mentioned in the article, personal planners or Google Calendar are a great way to stay organized.

3. Use disgression when it comes to social media. It is better to be safe than sorry when posting on social media- almost anything can be tracked down these days. The last thing you want to do is leave a digital trail that will harm your chances of landing a job post-graduation.

4. Take a break and network! Everyone needs a study break; a great way to utilize this time is to get involved with social media networking tools such as LinkedIn, Google+ hangouts and Twitter chats. Anything and anyone whom relate to your area of study can be useful!

5. Visit professors during office hours. Professors make themselves available to answer any questions you may have about course material, so definitely make use of it! A professor is more likely to positively remember a face that comes in to their office asking for help as opposed to a last-minute email the night before a test.

6. Join PRSSA or another major-related organization. Many campuses, including JMU, have a Public Relations Student Society of America chapter, or another organization that is applicable to your major and intended field of employment. These types of groups will help you network, gain experience in the field, and to become more involved on your campus!

7. Intern! With the cut-throat competition and suffering economy today, the more experience an individual has, the better they look in the eyes of the employer. If you are ever searching for a job or internship, please consider visiting the JMU Recruit-A-Duke website.

8. Build media awareness. With all of the resources we currently have access to, it is important, and valuable, to research bloggers, important personnel in that particular field, and read up or different organizations. The more you know, the more impressed an employer will be!

9. Start a blog. Everyone has something that they are interested in or passionate about, and blogging is a great way to express those thoughts and feelings. At the same time, you will be creating a portfolio for future employers and tuning your online voice.

10. Learn software. Again, the more you know, the better! Familiarize yourself with any and every tool that is applicable to your field; this will make you a more versatile and knowledgeable employee.


By: Melissa Peale
contact: pealeml@dukes.jmu.edu

Acing the Interview

With recruiting season quickly approaching at JMU, students will have the opportunity to meet with employers and take part in on campus interviews. Participating in interviews may seem a bit intimidating, but there are ways to eliminate a lot of those nerves. Whether it be on the phone, via web chat or in person, the best way to be confident in an interview is to make sure that you're fully prepared. Here are some steps to take to make sure you are more than ready to ace that interview:

1. Check out the interviewing portion of the Career and Academic Planning website. Here you will find steps to take prior to the interview, different types and styles of interviews, what to talk about during the interview, what to do when it's over, and basic interviewing skills. You can find all of these things here: http://www.jmu.edu/cap/job_intern_search/job_interviewing.htm .

2. Sign up for a mock interview on campus. Practice your interviewing skills with real employers without the concern of impressing or disappointing. Get useful feedback for when you do the real thing. Sign up for mock interviews ahead of time on Recruit-A-Duke (https://jmu-csm.symplicity.com/students). Students are each allowed one mock interview per semester.

3. Practice with your friends! Often times employers will ask at least a few standard questions during interviews, so coming up with answers to these ahead of time will be highly beneficial. You can find a list of frequently asked interview questions here: http://www.jmu.edu/cap/job_intern_search/job_inter_employerquestions.htm.

4. Try out Interview Stream, a program newly featured on Recruit-A-Duke that allows students to practice interviews online and share with friends, family, professors, etc. The program allows viewers to leave feedback that can be very useful for students.

There are so many tools and outlets students can use to perfect their interviewing skills. If you put any or all of these to use, you'll be well on your way to becoming an expert interviewee!

By: Kelly Gooch
contact: goochke@jmu.edu