Jobs, Searching for
From OSU Wiki
A successful job search involves more than simply looking through the "help wanted" ads in the local newspaper. There are many different methods for finding the perfect summer or post-graduate job, each with their benefits and drawbacks.
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Career Fairs
There are many Career Fairs offered on the OSU campus throughout the year by Career Services and by various academic departments. Career Fairs are excellent opportunities to learn about job or internship opportunities and get your questions answered on-the-spot by a company's representative. It's also a great way to discover new companies/organizations that you may never have thought of investigating yourself -- you may be surprised what types of companies are eager to hire students or new graduates with your skills!
Career Fairs aren't just for job seekers -- they're also a great way for students who are still exploring career or major options to see what's out there. The sooner you find out what types of skills employers are looking for, the sooner you can get to work developing those skills and becoming an ideal job candidate for the future.
For more information about Career Fairs offered throughout the year, as well as tips on what to expect and how to prepare, please visit the Career Fairs page.
Beaver Recruiting
Beaver Recruiting is a great web-based resource for on- or off-campus jobs and information about employers visiting campus. are encouraged to visit Career Services’ Beaver Recruiting website. Through the Beaver Recruiting website, you may browse up-to-date information about job postings and employers visiting OSU to interview students. Additionally, Beaver Recruiting offers the ability for you to create your own personal account. Individual Beaver Recruiting accounts are now FREE to students thanks to a grant received by Career Services for 2006-2007.
Beaver Recruiting offers you the ability to create a flexible and customized job search tool of your own. Freshman through Alumni use this resource to find everything from student employment to full-time jobs; detailed sort features on the site allow you to specify whether you are seeking a work-study job, a part-time off-campus job, or a full-time post-graduate job. A personal account allows you to upload documents such as your resume, cover letters, unofficial transcripts, or writing samples that can be submitted to employers who come to campus to interview. You can even allow employers in the Beaver Recruiting system to access your resume and other documents and invite you to apply for a position. Many employers come to Career Services to interview job candidates or give presentations about their career opportunities; Beaver Recruiting lists who's coming to campus and when. On-campus recruiting efforts publicized through Beaver Recruiting can save you trips to Portland, Seattle, etc., to interview for a job while you're still juggling In addition, you have the option to create saved searches for employment, and to direct the Beaver Recruiting website to send you an email anytime a new job is posted that meets your search criteria. You don’t have to search for new job postings over and over -- Beaver Recruiting does it for you!
There are some distinct advantages to using the Beaver Recruiting system versus other web-based job search engines. Beaver Recruiting job postings are more closely screened than are job postings in large public job search sites; you don't have to sift through postings for get-rich-quick-schemes or other scams to find legitimate career opportunities. Additionally, many of the employers who post to Beaver Recruiting are specifically seeking to recruit OSU students and graduates, which gives you an advantage in the job search. But Beaver Recruiting doesn't list positions just from employers who are OSU-affiliated: posted positions are available from all over the country from employers connected to other colleges and universities, so you won't be limited to job postings in just Corvallis or Oregon.
To create your own Beaver Recruiting account, visit the Beaver Recruiting website for instructions on how to create your free account.
All students, staff, and alumni are also able to browse the Beaver Recruiting website by using “benny” and “beaver” as the username and password, without having to create an account.
Other Job Search Engines
The internet is overflowing with resources to find job openings. Some are better than others. When using websites, keep in mind that some websites do a better job screening their job postings than others. Sometimes postings that sound too good to be true (for example, some that promise work-from-home or direct sales that will make you money instantly) turn out to be scams. Be careful!
Career Services has a sizeable list of job search engines covering private and public-sector jobs all over the country, as well as job search sites that focus on opportunities for specific majors and fields, companies with an emphasis on diversity, overseas positions, etc. Visit http://oregonstate.edu/career/students/24_7resources.php#skills --
Networking
Networking is an often-overlooked facet of the job search. Networking doesn't work overnight, but it can be surprisingly effective in the long run, and it doesn't require anything more complicated than a telephone or an email account. To start your professional network, think of all the people you know -- friends, family, classmates, coworkers, professors. Now think of all the people that THEY know. There's a distinct possibility that somebody you know also knows somebody who might have connections in your field of interest -- if they don't have any job openings in their organization, they might know someone else who does.
Start by telling everyone you know what kind of work you're looking for. Ask them, "Do you know anybody who works as a...?" Even if you don't have an exact job title in mind just yet, you can still utilize this job search method. Ask everyone you know and trust something like, "I'm looking for a job that requires me to problem-solve, utilizes my knack for memorizing facts and figures, allows me to work with other people, and involves travelling. Do you know anybody who does that sort of work? Would you be willing to connect me with that person?" Your friend, coworker, or professor may remember an uncle or college roommate who does work involving all those elements, but they wouldn't have thought to mention this person or their work to you if you hadn't asked them about it. This is also a great method for exploring different career options that you might not have heard of, long before you're ready to start looking for a full-time job.
The people you know are an amazing resource and are more often than not happy to pitch in and help you succeed, and this sort of assistance usually requires minimal effort on their part.
When you make a networking contact with someone who might have a position or useful information for you, remember to be grateful and respond appreciatively to any of their time or resources they give you (hand-write a thank you card and mail it ASAP), even if it doesn't seem like much. Even somebody who doesn't know of a job opening can give you great advice on what you should be doing on this stage in your career to gain more experience or become more marketable. Additionally, somebody who doesn't have much help to offer you now may hear of a great job opening six months from now, and making a good impression increases the likelihood that they'll pick up the phone and call you about it.
Professional Organizations
Professional organizations are amazing resources for people at any point in their career. Involvement in a professional organization ties together networking, job listings, and continued opportunities for professional development and skill-building to increase your marketability.
Just about any profession has at least one professional organization associated with it, and just about every professional organization has a comprehensive website. A great way to find professional organizations is to simply do a websearch for a job title followed by the words "professional organization" (e.g., search for "event planning professional organization" or "environmental engineering professional organization"). Professional organization websites offer information on conferences (another excellent way to network with others), job openings, articles about current issues in the profession, and advice on how to get started in the field (e.g., where and how to get relevant certifications, types of experiences or skills you should develop, etc.) Much of this information can be accessed by anyone, without paying membership dues. If you're serious about a profession, joining a professional organization can be a smart move. Many offer student-rate memberships at very reasonable prices, and membership can give you access to professional journals and resources, as well as the ability to participate in online discussion groups or knowledge communities that build your professional skills while enabling you to meet more people in the profession. Membership and active involvement in a professional organization can also be added to your resume, and may help show potential employers that you're serious about excelling in the field.
More Assistance and Information
If you're still hungry for more ways to maximize your job search skills and strategies, Career Services is always available to help. You can stop by Career Services in the basement of Kerr Administration Building Monday-Wednesdays or Fridays 1-4, or the Collaborative Learning Center on Thursdays 1-4, to get a 15-minute drop-in appointment to ask a few quick questions. If you'd like more in-depth assistance, you may schedule an hour-long appointment with a career counselor Monday-Friday 8-5. Both drop-ins and hour appointments are also available Wednesday evenings 5-7. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 737-4085.
