The major fanatic here again.
So...you have narrowed down your major search to a couple of choices, now what do you do? While, Ask an Alum and Friends, of course! If you read the previous post, this program was mentioned, but I wanted to explain it to you in greater detail.

Ask an Alum and Friends is an online system in which students, like you, can connect with Alumni who have graduated from UWEC. There are wide range of Alumni in the system, from alumni that have just graduated in the past few years to twenty or thirty years ago. The system provides the student with a Alumni's biography, educational history, and current job information.

Why would connecting with Alumni matter?

Well, because they are true examples of what people are doing after they graduate. It is great resource to see what people are doing with the majors you are considering.

Here are the steps that I would recommend following.

1. Go to the Career Services website: www.uwec.edu/career and click on the link: Students followed by the link: Ask an Alum and Friends. Click on Student Login.

2. Click on "Search for Specific Alumni." A screen should pop up, that consists of drop down menus for a number of categories including: Major, Minor, Industry, and City. Enter a major and/or minor you are considering and press "search." Remember: The more specific you are the less Alumni that will appear, but they may be better tailored to what you are looking for.

3. Grad year, Job titles and employer and employment location will appear. If you are interesting in knowing more than the given information, click on "Show Detail."

4. More detail should then appear. If this Alumni interests you, click on "Request Match."

5. Once you request a match, UWEC Career Services will be contacted. They will then create a folder for you that contains the contact information. An email will then be sent to you to tell you to come to pick it up at our office, Schofield 230. Once you pick up the folder, you are free to contact the alumni. This is most often done by email or phone.

*Remember that you do not have to Request a match, it is only if you want to receive more information than is already given. However, you will not be allowed to view the Alumni's personal information such as phone number or email address unless you request the match*

I would highly suggest using this resource even if you don't plan on directly contacting Alumni. By viewing examples of what people are doing with their majors after they graduate, you could narrow down your own list of majors.

So..give it a try! It won't hurt! Good luck and enjoy this resource!

Comments (0)

Help me I can't find a job!!!

As a Career Associate at Career Services, you would think that I would be on top of finding a job before I graduate...however, I'm struggling. I've gone through all the right motions and steps to get to this point where employers with Human Resources positions should want to hire me:

- Graduating in May 2008 with Bachelor of Science in Organizational Communication
- Loyal employee to Career Services throughout my 4 years at UWEC
- Training and Development internship with Bush Brothers and Company (Bush's Baked Beans)
- Recruiting internship with Express Employment Professionals
- Executive board member of two student organizations and member of the professional
organization for my major (SHRM)

Sadly, I still can't find anything. What makes my search most difficult is that I'm relocating to another area so I can't "physically" go and meet with potential employers at the drop of a hat. So, with this blog I would like to describe the alternative methods that aren't as commonly used that I've been utilizing to find my perfect job 199 miles away.

1. Contacted all of the staffing agencies in the area I will be relocating to incase they have available positions or know of other companies with available positions (It never hurts to have someone else helping to find a job for you; however, be aware of scams. You should NEVER have to pay money for someone to find a job for you!!)

2. Checked all of the City of... and Chamber of Commerce websites in the area (Look for tools for job searching, lists of company names to check out, and events going on in the area)

3. Continuously checking newspapers, Careerbuilder, Monster, Indeed, Jobs in..., etc. You never know when you might find the right job just waiting for you on the internet.

4. Constantly networking-although it's hard from 200 miles away if people remember you're looking for a job in a specific area they will hopefully contact you or recommend you if they come across something. (TIP: because any communication is networking make sure you are always aware of the image you're portraying-it should be very professional at the least)

5. Utilized my school's job site and other UW system school's job sites. Also, Career Services has a program called Ask An Alum-this was useful to find contacts in the area that I could do informational interviews with (Remember: informational interviews do not equal jobs; You should never expect to get a job from an informational interview.)

6. Joined the area SHRM chapter (Professional organization relevant to my major). There are many of these available for every different field. It's an easy way to get involved in the community by attending meetings, events, and networking with other members.

7. Tap into previous employers to see what connections they may have for you, especially if they are in the area you're looking to move to

These are some of the things that I've been working on to try and find a job. As of right now, I have a phone interview next week and if that doesn't go well I'll be back on here brainstorming even more alternative ways to finding a job!

Have a good day and good luck in your own job searches!!

Comments (0)

I am in my second semester here at Eau Claire and currently undeclared. In the past year, I have went through all the possibilities-from health care administration to communication sciences and disorders. As of right now, I am thinking of majoring in social work. I think that it would be awesome to work with families and birth mothers in arranging adoptions. I feel that it would be so rewarding!

Though I am not officially "declared," you may ask how I got to this point. Well through Career Services, of course! I started working here the second week of school and from my first day in the office I was amazed by all that it has to offer. CS has binders full of major descriptions, pamphlets and plenty of worksheets to keep your mind buzzing!!!

I began by looking at the list of majors that UWEC offers and putting a star next to any major or minor that I was possibly thinking of, even if it was very unlikely that would end up declaring it. From the majors that I put a star by, I grabbed the corresponding handouts. These handouts list the benefits to earning a degree from UWEC, what type of classes that you will take, the skills you will acquire and some of the interests and values that held by those in that major. The handout also lists organizations to get involved in as well as job titles that people with this major hold. Lastly, the worksheet gives ways in which you can learn more about the major both on campus and through other websites. All this from just one worksheet!!!

If you are exploring majors. start looking at these worksheets and stay tuned for further steps on how to make that major (hehe) decision!!

Comments (0)