Name

Country

Program and Graduation Date

What you hope to gain from today?

Current state of job search

•Resume Writing •Networking

• Effective Interviewing

•Additional Resources

•The purpose of the resume and cover letter is to get you an interview.

•When it comes to resumes, think “personal marketing tool.”

•If you were given one minute of your prospective employer’s time, what would you want to tell that person?

HiHighlighting your Attributesghlighting your Attributes

• Your resume provides the first impression of your skills and accomplishments.

• It should read like an executive summary highlighting your relevant skills and accomplishments.

• Qualities of a Good Resume:• Concise• Well Written• Quantifies Accomplishments

• Easy to read and understand

• Spell check

• Contact Information• name, address, phone number, email

address

• Education• reverse chronological order, GPA included if

above 3.0

• Experience• reverse chronological order, describe duties

and achievements in quantifiable terms, action verbs

• Additional Information/Other Sections• activities, languages, community service etc.

Tips:• Microsoft Word: • Times New Roman, 10-12 point range• Limit bold, italics, CAPITAL LETTERS and

underling to delineating organizations, titles etc.

• Balance use of blank space and text.

• Do not simply rely on spell-check, revise manually as well.

Trimming Techniques:

• Modify Margins

• Limit to one page (suggested)

• Standard Font type (11 point suggested)

• Neutral colored résumé paper

• Remove Articles (a, an, the)

• Be selective and reduce duplicative information

What to Avoid:

• Personal pronouns (I, you, we);

• Cluttered resumes;

• Listing references on the resume;

• Too much information (personal opinions and data);

• Using abbreviations, jargon and slang; and

• Incorrect verb tense

P

ractice of gathering contacts• Meeting and talking to people about your interests

• Contacting people to find out more information

B

uilding a database of people• Developing a professional connection

B

enefits:• Connect you to internships and full-time opportunities

• Sharing of knowledge and resources

S

eek out contacts

• Faculty

• Alumni

• SPPD Alumni LinkedIn Group

J

oin professional and SPPD organizations

A

ttend networking events

1. Set your goals

• What do you have to offer?

• What do you want to get?

2. Do your homework

3. Arrive on time and dress appropriately

4. Handshake

5. Introduce yourself

6. Prepare conversation starters

7. Act like a host

8. Keep it short

9. Business card exchange

10.Graceful exits

11.Follow up

12.Reciprocal relationship

D

evelop a system to maintain contacts

U

se software programs

• ACT!

• Microsoft Access or Excel

• Microsoft Outlook

D

o some initial research

P

lan open ended questions

D

evelop a short overview of yourself

B

e sure to confirm your appointment

D

ress appropriately

C

reate rapport with your interviewer

A

llow interviewer to guide discussion

L

isten carefully to interview questions

B

e concise with your responses

R

espect the interviewer’s time

Sample Sample Traditional Traditional

Interview Interview QuestionsQuestions

An interview in which the interviewer …

• Focuses on skills and traits that are critical to success on the job

• Focuses on how the candidate has demonstrated these skills in the past

• Past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior

A candidate is asked to describe …

• An Overview of the Situation

• Details of a Specific Situation or Event

• Outcome of a Situation

• Builds Relationships

• Communication

• Team Commitment

• Initiative

• Problem Solving

• Adaptability

• Client Service

•What did you do?

•What did you say?

•What was your role?

•What was going through your mind?

• Can you give me an example

SSituationituation•A Project, Event or Situation

TTasksasks•What Led to it

AActionsctions•What actions were taken

RResultesult•What the actions led to

• Formulate answers to elicit examples of the skills, abilities, and characteristics being evaluated

• Incorporate the elements of a complete response

• Be aware that the interviewer may probe for additional information

S

ummarize notes from the interview

S

end a thank you note

F

ollow up (7-10 day rule of thumb)

K

eep in touch

Weekly Career Services Newsletter

Advising Appointments

SPPD Job, Internship, and Fellowship Database• www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/careers/jobs/index.html• User ID: sppd• Password: career

Career Workshops

Networking Nights

SPPD Business Cards

Programming• Mentor Program• Externship Program

Location

USC Student Union 300 Phone: (213) 740-2666Fax: (213) 740-5194

http://usc.edu/ois

Email: ois@usc.edu

Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday: 8:30am - 4:30pmWednesday: 10:00am - 4:30pm

Call to make an appointment with an immigration advisor or counselor

ConnectSC

Mock Interviews

Workshops • Job Search Strategies for International Students• Careers@4

On Campus Recruiting

Career Fairs

Internship Week

Podcasts

Career Interest Inventories

http://ceo.lacounty.gov/pdf/LosAngelesConsularCorpsRoster.pdf

Consists of 99 consulates

Career consular officers are appointed by their Head of State or Foreign Minister

Full-time servants of their government

Contacts for your home country consulars to pursue interests in government opportunities

QUESTIONS?