Written on 9:29 AM by Xavier Career Development
Hello
transfer students and welcome to Xavier University! I am so excited that you
made the choice to join this great community of Xavier students, faculty, and
staff! We really do live and act by the motto “All for One and One for All,” so
we are all here to embrace and welcome you into Xavier Nation. I am sure you
are trying to get settled in your dorms, figure out why there is a ton of
construction in the middle of campus, and master the fine art of eating just
enough cafeteria food so that you are full, but don’t overindulge yourself so
much that you are unable to get up and walk home. Amidst all of these mental
processes, we here at the Career Development Office just want to let you know
we are here to support you! You may find the following tips helpful through
your time here at Xavier University.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
This probably seems like common sense and something almost every
person you have met so far has advised you to do. It may be irritating to hear
repeatedly, but we express this because we all want you to succeed in every way
possible! The only way to know what resources are available to help you grow is
to reach out and seek help when you need it. There is absolutely no shame in
admitting you don’t know something and need advice- this is something I learned
on the first day and still am learning.
Set personal time aside for yourself.
It can be extremely easy to get absorbed into the everyday hustle
and bustle of campus life- class, meetings, emails, and study groups. Consistently
being involved in a routine of academics, time with roommates and friends, and
trying to keep up with laundry so you are not forced to wear the same sweatshirt for two weeks can make any person go a little stir crazy! From personal
experience, I can tell you it is so beneficial to set aside mandatory personal
time for yourself every once in a while. Whether it is just Netflix binging in
order to think about anything besides that lab report, or taking a walk and
having a beautiful view of campus and Cincinnati by standing outside the 10th
floor of Schott Hall, having a clear mind is vital to your physical and mental
health!
Immerse yourself in Xavier Athletics!
What’s a college experience if it is all work and no play? Whether
you choose to attend a men’s or women’s basketball game in Cintas Center, a
baseball game on Hayden Field, or a soccer game on the XU Soccer Complex;
attending any athletic event at Xavier is truly a fun and memorable experience,
and a great way to represent your school spirit!
So fellow Musketeers, welcome to your new home. If you see Fr. B
giving you a wave and saying “Hi, Saint!”, the smell of fresh bread being baked
at Subway, or the sound of the pep band playing the Xavier fight song, know
that these sights and sounds are all are yours to claim as part of your Xavier
experience. Let’s go X!
Your friend,
Jenny Mendoza
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Written on 1:13 PM by Xavier Career Development
“It’s
the most wonderful time of the year!” Is it really? When the month of December
rolls around for Xavier students, many of us will have had a small taste of
home over Thanksgiving break, and then return back to campus to crank out the
last few weeks of work and tremendous amounts of studying for final exams. We
can have a tendency to only focus on what is in front of us, and not what lies
ahead! Keep your eyes on the prize, Xavier students: Christmas break is not
that far away!
Christmas
break is definitely the time for enjoying, in my opinion at least, the most
wonderful time of the year. Family, friends, and food are sources for a
fantastic three weeks away from textbooks, meetings, and emails. It is
incredibly easy to spend 3 weeks wearing sweatpants as a result of the massive
amount of food you have eaten, lying on the couch both starting (and then
subsequently finishing) a Netflix series of your choice knowing you have
nothing holding you back. Although this may be the dream for a lot of us, I
have faith in you, fellow students. We are more than capable of accomplishing
some career-related goals and mindsets while we have time to kick back! Let’s
take this slowly, this is a vacation after all, right? By no means am I suggesting
we all need to spend our breaks researching internships and jobs, interviewing
for them, and finally landing those positions.
Let’s
say we are spending the day at home, checking Facebook albums, updating our
iTunes, and doing some online shopping looking for that perfect New Year’s Eve
outfit. While we are on our laptops, we can write or edit our resumes. After
having done so, we can head over to LinkedIn.com
to update our profiles after having browsed so many of our friends’ profiles on
various social media accounts. Perhaps we have some information to add from a
fall internship we have landed, or update our objective statements for what it
is we are seeking in the spring and summer. After having updated our LinkedIn
accounts, we can navigate over to eRecruiting to
research those possible winter, spring, or possible summer internship and job
positions we are seeking!
By
now we’ve spent a lot of time hunched over our computers, and should get
outside and enjoy the snow and winter weather! Suggest to mom and/or dad a day
of bonding! Sit down with them to explain what it is you really are searching
for or hope to accomplish in terms of your career path: whether you are
graduating in the spring and want to discuss living situations and the location
of your dream job, or you are a sophomore and seeking advice on declaring a
major. Those older than us always give us wise advice about their career
history when it is sought out! While you are out you can also suggest shopping
for business/interview attire! What family member wouldn’t want to help you
present yourself as professionally as possible, especially when you mention the
Spring Career Fair is right around the corner on February 17!
Vacation
is the best of both worlds: allowing for productivity as well as good times
with those we love. Make the most of your break this year!
Merry
Christmas Muskies,
Jenny
Mendoza
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Written on 1:41 PM by Xavier Career Development
Ah, November. The universal sign that fall is drawing to a
close, and winter is not far away. November allows us to indulge in pumpkin
pie, raking piles of leaves just to jump back into them, and the best part of
the month: Thanksgiving dinner. A famous holiday tradition, and one that occurs
in my house every year, consists of everyone going around the table stating
what they are thankful for before we dig into our meal. Although we may want to
just state something general like “my family,” or “the food on this table,” we
can take the next few weeks before we go home to really think about our answer.
We students here at XU are so lucky for a number of reasons.
On a daily basis, we tend to go through the motions and don’t give them any
thought. We get up, go to class, grab a bite to eat, then either head to our
jobs or sit down and do our homework. Even though we all have our own routines,
there are so many people that can be thanked throughout all these processes-
and so many different places and things to be thankful for!
Let’s break this down: let’s start with the first and
foremost reason we are all here, to attend class and transition into a career.
Just like we get up and mentally prepare ourselves for a day full of lectures,
our professors do the same thing! They dedicate themselves to us before,
during, after class, and sometimes even on the weekends. Don’t be afraid after
your lecture as you walk past your professor just to say “Thank-you!” Trust me
when I say they are probably not expecting it, and will most definitely help
make their day a little brighter.
So we’ve had a day full of classes and now we head back to
our dorms or apartments. We enter a room that has been swept as well as a
bathroom that has been cleaned and filled with supplies. The next time we are
in our room at the same time as the cleaning staff, feel free to just ask “How
is your day going so far?” A little conversation started goes a long way and
shows you aren’t taking their service for granted.
Mentors, both those through the
Xavier Mentoring Program
and ones we have collected over time on our own, are other friendly faces here
at Xavier that are looking out for us and genuinely have our best interests at
heart. When you meet with your mentor, instead of feeling as if it is another
component of your busy day, try to use active listening! Active listening is
more than just nodding your head and answering questions. Active listening
shows you really are taking to heart the advice your mentor is giving you. An
example of this would include responding to your mentor with “That is really
great advice!” or “I agree, thanks for the suggestion!” A handwritten thank-you
note is also a classic method to deeply show your gratitude for their time and
efforts they have spent with you.
So in summary, although Thanksgiving Day may be the primary
time where we express what we are grateful for, don’t be shy to let those who
matter in your life know that they do so! All for one and one for all never
fails!
Behind the bowl of mashed potatoes,
Jenny Mendoza
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Written on 1:37 PM by Xavier Career Development
“Go
to college, a university. Get a real job-that’s what they said to me.” That’s
what Joel Madden from Good Charlotte sang about our futures back in the year
2003. But this is the year 2014, and not all of us want to follow the routine
pattern of jumping straight into a working environment immediately after
graduation. Some of us are pursuing graduate school, and others are considering
a year of service: being a man or woman for others and giving their time and
talent to those truly in need. Xavier graduate Matthew Mellon, class of 2009, describes his life changing
experience with post-grad volunteering.
What
was your scenario that made you decide upon your year of service?
A year of service was a logical place to start my
career after college. I always knew I wanted to work in something related
to social justice. At that point in my life, I was also exploring
the connection between social justice and faith. So, spending a
year with the Lutheran Volunteer Corps fit my priorities quite
well, because they were a faith-based program and most of their
service placements were explicitly focused on social justice.
Did
you attend the post-grad fair during your
time at Xavier?
I did attend! I went my Junior and Senior years.
What
is it you did during your year of service?
Immediately after graduation, I went into my year
of service with Lutheran Volunteer Corps. I was placed at DC
Employment Justice Center, a law center for low-wage workers. I worked on
the advocacy team, where I lobbied for workplace protections for low wage
workers in Washington, DC at the city council. I also did some case work
with our clients and helped them navigate legal issues related
to their employment (I was supervised by an attorney). I heard about Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC) through a
friend who had applied a year earlier. I also think I talked to them at
Xavier's Post Grad Service Fair, but I can't remember for sure.
Did
this require you to re-locate from your hometown? Did you complete the year of
service alone or with others you knew?
Yes, I left my hometown of Cincinnati, and
relocated to DC. I didn't know anyone beforehand, but I became
good friends with most of the other 21 people in my LVC cohort.
What
are you most glad about after having completed your year?
Well, this is a bit difficult to answer. There are many
things that I am deeply appreciative of after finishing my year of service
(which was four years ago). If I had to pick one, I think it was learning about
the policy-making process in DC City Council, and more importantly how
important policy advocacy is in social justice work. Advocacy has been my
career, in one way or another, since finishing my year of service.
What
followed your year of service?
Right afterward, I started a one year leadership
development program called Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellowship, which
took me to Arizona to work on hunger related issues. After that, I moved back
to DC and worked for several years in health policy, then as a researcher at
a hospital. Now, I am in graduate school pursuing degrees in public health
and public policy.
Although Matthew’s experience was
within the United States, there are many international opportunities as well! A
year of service could be a great opportunity to explore a career field and gain
experience. To find out, attend the
Graduate School and Year-of-Service Fair on October 28!
Cheers
to the future,
Jenny
Mendoza
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Written on 12:54 PM by Xavier Career Development
Hello fellow Musketeers and welcome back to what is going to
be a great year here at Xavier University! The month of September has kicked
off which means leaves are covering the ground, pumpkin spiced lattes are back,
and let’s not forget something equally as exciting and important: The Fall
Career Fair! The Career Fair is the time twice a year where all of us Xavier
students are able to step forward, present our best professional selves, and
throw ourselves into the working world force hoping to come out of the district
(our in our case, Cintas Center) a winner! The Career Fair is Tuesday, September 16 from 3:00-6:00 in
Cintas Center. For those who may not be familiar with what the Career Fair is, it
is an event where over 84 registered organizations (such as Luxxotica, Dewey’s,
and Kroger) will have the chance to meet students and alumni interested in full
time and part time jobs, as well as internship positions.
The Fall Career Fair is not something to be intimated by,
but is something that should be given some time and effort prior to
attending- much like attending class! One word is going to lead to key success
at the Fall Career Fair: research! Doing your research beforehand allows you to
know both the employers present and whom they are looking to hire. Having this
prepared knowledge is going to save yourself and the employers from wasting
time and allows for more efficiency all around!
A few pro-tips that will allow for a successful career fair:
·
Research companies that are attending the fair,
and match those to your degree and interest(s.)
·
Prioritize your time!
-
Stop by organizations that you are strongly
interested in first.
-
Next, stop by organizations that may not be
hiring in your field but you still have an interest in.
-
Finally, network yourself! Make yourself known-you
never know when a recruiter could think of you!
After you have completed your research and are ready to
attend the fair, keep the following in mind:
·
Re-vamp your resume and bring multiple copies
with you!
·
Dress professionally and appropriately.
·
Be confident- keep eye contact and practice a
firm handshake!
·
Most importantly, just be yourself!
Whether this will be the first career fair you attend, or
this may be one of your final career fairs here at Xavier, the Career
Development Office is always here to help and answer any questions you may
have.
Check out our website:
May the odds be ever in your favor,
Jenny Mendoza
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Written on 11:40 AM by Xavier Career Development
Summer. For some of us, we know exactly when that moment may
begin- for me, summer begins on May 9th at 12 pm. While we may be
able to pinpoint exactly when it is that our summers begin, are we all able to
give a definition of what our summers may entail?
Summer is my favorite season and I would enjoy nothing more
than catching up with friends, going swimming, and just having fun. As ideal as
that sounds for a lot of people, summer actually can be the most productive
season for your résumés! Whether you are
traveling, studying abroad, or working, summer is definitely the time to get a
jump-start on your career path.
Working or having an internship isn’t the only thing that
employers look for when reading résumés. The smallest things that you do can go
a long way. A great example of this is volunteering. If you go on a weeklong
service trip or just volunteer at the free clinic in your spare time,
volunteering is something that employers love to see listed on your résumé. Remember
to take down names and numbers of supervisors you worked with in order to use
them as a resource later on down the road!
Studying abroad is another great résumé add-on. This shows
that although you were not in the country working over the summer, you were
focusing on your studies and still gaining great experience establishing
yourself around the globe.
Finally, an internship, co-op, or full time or part time job
is just as useful as any of the summer options already talked about. Whether it
is a new experience or maybe a repeat of an experience from last summer, there
is always something to add onto or spice up your résumé. Keep your eyes open and remember the different
ways that you made your work experience one to remember- whether it is updating
the company website, creating ads, or promoting the business in your everyday life
through social media!
So, whether you are working in a bakery or in a high-rise
building downtown, be sure to make the most of your 3 month vacation. You only
have so many to embrace!
From Chicago, Illinois
Jenny Mendoza
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Written on 7:37 AM by Xavier Career Development
Social media-we hear this phrase often in school, work, and
pop culture. What exactly does it mean? Most people immediately think of the
usual suspects Facebook and Twitter, but this is hardly the full definition of
the term “social media.” Social media can be used for good, for bad, for fun, and
for business. As college students and
growing adults in the work world, when and how can we properly use social
media?
We all know the drill. You’re sitting in class or you’re
sitting at work and suddenly the lecture or meeting becomes extremely boring so
you go ahead and decide to check Twitter, or maybe even tweet about how boring
that class or meeting is. Perhaps it’s a Monday morning and you’re sifting
through your photos from the weekend, and decide to go ahead and post them- as
flattering or as unflattering as they may be.
While all these things are certainly tasks to keep us busy
and things to keep others entertained with, checking, posting, liking, swiping,
pinning, or you name it may not always be the smartest or most career-savvy
move. Since we are college students, hoping to move into the working world
after graduation, it is important to remember that we should use our best
judgment.
Think about it this way: if you were a boss or supervisor
coming around checking on your employees and you see one of them sitting in
their office being unproductive and checking their news feed, what would you
think of this employee? You would see that they are not valuing their time at
work and that they are re-directing their energy elsewhere. In another example,
what if you and your boss were Facebook friends and s/he happened to see those
not so flattering pictures of you and your friends out the weekend before?
That’s probably not the image your boss would want representing the company you
work for.
I myself use social media everyday and I know first hand it
certainly is not easy to always be consciously thinking “Is this appropriate to
share? Do I really care who sees it?” The good news is that in the work world,
there for sure is one source of social media that is completely acceptable to
be used during and outside of work:
LinkedIn! LinkedIn is
the professional social media site of the business world, it is Facebook with a
suit. It is a networking site that allows you to upload your resume, connect
with other professionals, and discover the latest news and professional
ventures! LinkedIn is definitely something that employers love to see being
constantly updated, and being used to help promote your career!
So, in this crazy busy world where everyone wants to know
where you are and how you feel about that doughnut you just bought from the coffee
shop down the street, just remember that there is a time and place for
everything. Maybe someone is looking to hire at that coffee shop and is
interested in you!
On the flip-side of the computer screen,
Jenny Mendoza
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