As a career services professional, I believe that parents can play a supportive role in their son or daughter’s career development. We’ve outlined some dos and don’ts so you can effectively and productively help your child:

Ways you can help-
1. Networking – From day one we tell our students that they need to continually build their professional network. Their network should include family, friends, colleagues, employers, and pretty much any body else they’ve come in contact with. Reach out to your friends and family to see if they would be willing to be a resource for your son or daughter. For example, your daughter may want to be a financial planner. Reach out to your financial planner to see if he would be willing to allow her to shadow him for a day. A professional network can be an invaluable tool for job placement, especially in a down economy.

2. Resume Review – Although you may not know the standards for resume formatting, you can be a useful tool in the area of proofreading. Misspellings or missing words are a few of the top reasons employers will eliminate a candidate from the interview pool. So, have your son or daughter email you a current copy of their resume and review it with them.

3. Interview Prep – As you know, practice makes perfect. When it comes to interviewing, the same holds true. Go over some questions that may be asked in an interview. A simple internet search can lead you to some great interview questions. Plus, your son or daughter has access to a wide variety of resources in the CBA CLDC for interview preparation. As you rehearse with them make sure that he or she is conveying a message that you can understand and look that they are providing you with relevant information.

4. Using the CLDC – You can also help your son or daughter by encouraging him or her to use the services available at the CBA Career and Leadership Development Center (CLDC). We offer a vast array of services to help students with their career development. We offer: resume reviews, interview prep, mock interviews, career planning, job searching, and much more. In addition, we offer over 100 events a year to help students learn about careers and network with employers. Help us help them by reminding your son or daughter to make an appointment.

When to step back -

1. Attending a Job Fair (with or without your child) – It’s never appropriate to attend a job fair, with your son or daughter or not. Employers are looking for candidates that are confident and professional. They are looking to hire individuals that they can put in front of clients. Will they see that in your son or daughter if you’re lurking in the background? Probably not. “But my son has class all day.” My answer to that is this. Employers will be hiring your son, not you. They need to meet him. Most career service offices that host career fairs provide a program of the corporate attendees. It is completely appropriate for your son or daughter to email the companies they were interested in and explain that they had class, and offer to visit with them at another time. No matter what the circumstances, the employers need to meet the students.

2. Contacting employers and sending out resumes – For a variety of reasons, all employment communications (e.g. resumes, questions about offers, etc.) should come from the student. Your son or daughter has worked hard to build the relationship with the employer. Let them leverage this relationship when questions need to be asked, especially when negotiating offers. As for resumes, you can provide your son or daughter with contact information that you may have received so that they may send the resume. It will be important for them to begin to build the relationship with the individual.

3. Applying for jobs – It’s all about finding the right job or internship that meets your son or daughter’s career plans. They need to apply to jobs that interest them. With that said, you can certainly help by encouraging them to visit our numerous job boards at Pitt. Keep reminding them to apply. If they seem to waver at applying dig deeper and see if it is a job they really want. This can be a great transition into a conversation about their career goals. This helps both of you understand the plan and refine the search parameters.

We want you to help. As you can see, there are certainly a number of ways to do so. Simply being the voice in their ear encouraging them to work with us and to think about their career can go quite far. Just remember two things: 1) too much chirping can shut them down, and 2) if your feet start leaving the ground, it may be time to step back.

Should you ever have questions on how you can help your son or daughter, we would be more than happy to talk with you.

{JPM}

In the long run, furthering your education offers incredible benefits. I hate to be cliché, but education is an ongoing process. Yes, you’ll learn plenty of new information on the job. But, heading back to the classroom to gain new knowledge from top-notch professors and expand your business acumen through engaging your colleagues can certainly help as you look to climb the professional ladder. But as you know, in any decision there are opportunity costs to be considered.

Over the past four or five years your education has cost close to or more than $100,000. To get your college education you already sacrificed income that you could have been making if you chose to work right out of high school. You could have maybe bought that car you’ve been wanting. However, you chose to bank on the fact that earning a college degree would help you recover those losses in the long run. This was a strong long term investment that will indeed pay off dividends. Now as you face a slumping economy, minimal hiring prospects, and a fast approaching graduation, you encounter a similar decision. “Do I forgo any salary that I might be able to make after graduation in lieu of postponing graduation or entering into graduate school?” I can’t answer that question for you; however, I can offer you my opinion on the decision and some advice for you to think about in the decision-making process.

• In my opinion, with today’s economic conditions, it’s not a horrible idea to be open to staying in school for another year, or going on to a graduate program (see below for more on grad schools). In addition to expanding your knowledge base, choosing to further your education can buy you a little time while companies evaluate the economy and things become a bit more certain.

• Choosing to stay in undergrad for another year can be more cost effective; however, try to make sense out of the additional coursework. Can you pick up another major? How about a certificate? Work with your academic advisor and career counselor to come up with an educational plan that will give you a competitive advantage during the recruiting process.

• If you are thinking about graduate school there are few things you may want to think about. One, do you want to go full-time or part-time? Full-time certainly allows you to complete the program more quickly; however, part-time does allow you to work while earning your degree. The second thing to consider is which program is right for you. Graduate school is a great opportunity to specialize in a particular field. If you were an undergraduate marketing major, maybe you want think about earning a master’s degree in graphic design. Or, if you were a finance major interested in economic development, you may consider a master’s in public administration or policy. The point being, you don’t necessarily have to go on for an MBA. In fact, in most cases, you won’t be able to without at least two years of experience. Talk with employers, alumni, advisors, and career counselors to learn about different degrees that will help you gain a competitive advantage in the job market.

The bottom line is that the decision is yours. Take everything into consideration. The positives, the negatives, the opportunity costs, and above all, whether you’re willing to be in school for another year. If you remember anything from this post, remember this: keep all of your options open. These times call for a variety of tactics to secure your long term success.

You may be asking yourself, “Who are you?” Well, I am currently the director for the Career and Leadership Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh’s College of Business Administration. I have worked for the past five years in career development and planning. In addition to my full-time job, I’m currently researching for my doctoral dissertation in the area of career development theory. Does that make me an expert? Nope.

So why pay any attention to us? Because we hope to use our expertise, as well as the expertise of our colleagues, employers, and so many others to provide you with the information you need to know to find a job, find great new hires, and help your son/daughter/family member through their career search.

Our posts will be broken down into four categories:

Uncategorized- These are posts of a general nature geared toward all audiences

For Students- Posts in here will be developed to help students with the many aspects of their career development and job search

For Employers- Posts in here will offer tips on how to attract the best students and develop top notch recruiting programs

For Parents- Posts in here will offer ways that parents can HELP the career development of their family member. Help … not do!

I hope that this provides some background for the the blog and we look forward to your future visits.

{JPM}

Ever heard of “student syndrome?” I hadn’t either. If I had to guess, the symptoms would include excessive library time, an overabundance of note-taking, and an addiction to Rip-It Energy Drinks. On the contrary, student syndrome is actually the opposite- with flexibility in terms of Rip-It dependency. It is actually a phenomenon concerning students fully applying themselves only at the last possible moment before a deadline. Given a depleting short term memory and the recency effect, a psyche principal suggesting that items learned last are more easily retained in memory, suffering from “student syndrome” seems not only tolerable, but also in many ways effective. Now that all the kinks are out of my analytical mindset, time to get back to reality and allow my analytic knowledge to continue collecting dust.

This time of the year is crucial for upperclassmen to start locking down interviews for potential internships. Many interview processes are already underway while others are still accepting resume applications. Where as in certain scenarios it can be argued that the “student syndrome” is effective in improving your work, when it comes to internships and corporate recruiting, that proclaimed positive ailment will be less than imposing. Reliance on your ability to work under a time constraint may soon become confused with “student syndrome’s” ugly cousin, procrastination. The premise of this fourth blog installment concerns applying for interviews, and more specifically, applying for interviews ON TIME!

Recruiters typically allot at least a month for prospective employees to submit their resume to be reviewed. My first bit of advice is to check for not only deadlines, but also start dates of resume submissions, because the sooner you can make your resume accessible for them the better. It is important to keep yourself organized in terms of the various companies you want to submit your resume to and plan on applying early in case external circumstances limit your ability to do so. Cbasimon.com can help you track when employer positions are posted and when their respective submission deadlines are in the future. After surfing for jobs on SIMON, selecting certain positions as “favorites” separates those positions from the master list and helps to keep you organized. Furthermore, when viewing your favorites, the posted date and deadline for resume submissions is listed right next to the position.

When you consider the amount of resumes a corporate recruiter receives for an intern position, towards the end of the process they may fall asleep at their desk two sentences into the first paragraph of your cover letter. Not only because you go to ridiculous lengths to try to create appeal by explaining how you came out of the womb wearing a Dick’s Sporting Goods Polo, but also because each resume and cover letter becomes eerily repetitive and more and more draining on the reader. Referring back to something I mentioned above, I’m not implying that being the first in line will get you the best seat in the house, but it certainly won’t hurt. Though the resume submission process is usually about a month long, the actual deliberation among corporate representatives may be much longer, more stressful, and occasionally overwhelming. Knowing that recruiters have a long interview and consideration period ahead of them, be sure to get your resume submitted early in the process to get your foot in the door before many others.

In preparing for an early resume submission, plan ahead to update and perfect your resume. The resume is an ever-changing document that is hopefully updated on a regular basis given your various experiences and activities you are a part of on and off campus. If you continue to update and change the information on your resume, you won’t find yourself scrambling at the deadline to come up with a synonym for “busboy.” Obviously, continue to update your resume up to the minute, but the last day of resume submissions is not a good time to add that summer internship from two years ago. If you choose to, take the time to gear your resume specifically for the position or the company you may be interviewing for in the future. That element of personalization will most likely appeal to certain companies. Regardless of your strategy, once you have given yourself time to design and update your resume, be sure to have as many people look it over as possible. What one person may see is not necessarily what someone else will, thus making it a good idea to have a number of different sets of eyes read it over from top to bottom. Allotting yourself time to neatly, formally, and eloquently update your resume material will drive your confidence into the interview process.

I want to throw two more reasons at you for why timely resume submission is so important, then you can feel free to hop back on IMDB and read about continuity errors in your favorite movies. First, consider how a corporate recruiter interprets your initiative when you either barely meet the 5:00pm deadline or submit your resume late. Can you see where they may consider those who submit their resume well within the allotted submission time as more driven and focused individuals? Not only that, they may get a good laugh out of a late resume that claims to exhibit excellent time management in their relevant skills section. Secondly, the interview consideration process is most likely ongoing and recruiters read through resumes as they are submitted. As the submission deadline approaches, recruiters may already have a mental list of those individuals they want to learn more about through a behavioral interview. The last thing you want to do is reduce the amount of attention your resume receives because you submit it behind hundreds of others.

If the “student syndrome” stills works for you during your calculus all-nighters at Hillman, don’t fix what isn’t broken. That said I hope I have convinced you that early resume submission is the way to go in your attempt to obtain an internship. If you have fallen victim to interview procrastination in the past, take this as a learning opportunity, because experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it. Beginning with your resume submission, being successful in the business world is all about making yourself stand out through your own personal headlines, and you can’t do it by sleeping on a corduroy pillow. In closing, I hope everyone gets the interviews and the jobs they want and good luck this recruiting season.

By now I’m sure you’ve heard the interview basics, arrive early, dress appropriately, shake hands, make eye contact, and the list continues. They have been drilled into your head more times than Jeremy Piven has won outstanding supporting actor at the Emmys. Though each and every interview tip is important, by the seventh time you hear it, I’m almost positive you will remember to ditch your gum before stepping into a boardroom full of Deloitte executives.

Most interviews you will be undergoing as you progress along your college career are going to be behavioral interviews. By behavioral I mean questions geared toward analyzing your prior relevant work experience and behavior to measure your potential future success. The good thing about these types of questions is that there is no wrong answer! If Paris Hilton is really your role model and you can justify your reasoning for that, go for it. For those of you go-getters with three internships, four organizations, and a cure for the Ebola virus on your resume, this may seem like a piece of cake. However, don’t underestimate some of the behavioral questions that might get thrown your way or you could be out faster than the once loved, egg shaped “Tomagotchi.”

The first bit of advice I want to share with you is a technique called the STAR method. STAR stands for situation, task, action, and result, and is a system for answering behavioral interview questions in order to keep you mentally organized and get to the point. When a question is posed pertaining to a specific event from your past, begin by explaining the Situation or Task in detail. The Action component is where you emphasize what YOU DID, not what you and your team did or what you WOULD HAVE done. This element of the STAR method is meant to be centered on you and your actions. Finally, the final step, Result, is where you not only describe how the situation was resolved thanks to your efforts, but also what you learned from the experience. Following this technique will assure you will answer “specific example” questions, like some you will see below, clearly and concisely.

Describe one of your strengths and one of your weaknesses.
This is a common one that I would recommend having an answer prepared for since it’s a tough one to think of on the spot.

1. Always lead with your strength- Leading with your weakness not only implies that you would rather or are more excited to talk about your weakness, but also that you can’t necessarily think of a strength right away.
2. Avoid the word ‘weakness’- When answering the question, try using the phrase ‘area of improvement’ rather than weakness.
3. Justify your responses- In terms of your strength, try and apply it to how it can be used in that particular work environment or for that specific position. Secondly, with your ‘area of improvement,’ explain progress you have made to correct your personal drawback.

Why should I hire you? Or What can you bring to this company?
The first example is a little blunt intentionally to possibly catch you off guard, but what the interviewer is really looking for is what you can bring to the company. This may become a throw-in question in order to solidify the interviewer’s opinion.

1. That little extra- Most likely there will be many other people interviewing for the same position you are; meaning they have been asked this question as well. Take a second to explain that you know there are many other candidates who are qualified to perform this position, and then throw in what ELSE you can bring to the table above and beyond. Rather than rattling 20 reasons you are capable of performing the tasks of the position, explain 1 or 2 things that the other candidates may not exemplify.
2. Do your research- Take time prior to the interview to research certain company items like the corporate culture, mission statement, and long term goals in order to properly compare your abilities to the objectives and nature of the company.

Describe a situation where you had to be a leader on a team…
Many positions hold a great deal of weight to past leadership experience. Don’t be surprised to hear this question if the company or the position strongly values the qualities of a leader.

1. Strong set-up- As an introduction to your response, try setting up your answer with your own definition of a leader or what qualities you feel are important for a leader. In addition to that, try to also use this as a segway into a specific example.
2. Be specific and organized- You should have a specific story in mind in preparation for this question or one similar. Don’t shy away from detail because you want to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand the scenario. Also, it is better in general to be overly detailed than too generalized. With that point, zero in on one really strong example and emphasize your leadership abilities using the STAR method, rather than picking and choosing from a few small, more general examples.

What are your salary expectations? Or How would you expect to be compensated?
This question certainly falls on the nastier side of the scale and may be used to judge your confidence, test your knowledge of industry standard, or catch you off guard and compel you into an outlandish response.

1. Answer the question with a question- You could first inquire if there is an amount that has been budgeted for this position.
2. Do your research- In some scenarios you can have an amount prepared that is both realistic and reasonable. In addition, explain where you came up with that figure in order to emphasize the fact that you did some research regarding the company and the industry prior to the interview.
3. Put it off- If an interviewer throws this question at you early in your interview, tell them that you would like to hear more about the specific responsibilities and tasks that the position entails before discussing compensation.
4. Cover Yourself- If an interviewer continues to pester you for a numeric answer, always leave yourself a range of figures. Within this response, emphasize that money is not the most important element of the job to you, but don’t undervalue yourself either.

Other question topics you may see:
- The contents of your resume, for example, if you had worked in a restaurant, how you dealt with an unhappy customer. Given this, avoid embellishing your resume and be sure to have accurate information that you can comfortably discuss in an interview.
- Some questions may be future-based, such as; where do you see yourself in five years? These types of questions are frequently asked in internship-level positions because you are most likely a part-time, temporary employee. Regardless of whether you plan to stay with that company or not, try to connect your response to the job you are currently applying for to show you have a career path that stresses the tasks and responsibilities involved in that position.
- With these more serious questions above, you may also see more relaxed, somewhat strange interview questions. For example, “How would you title your autobiography?” or “What three things would you save from a fire in your house?” Though they may seem more laid back, interviewers are still looking for legitimate answers and ways you can exemplify your creativity, think on your feet, and avoid getting flustered or caught off guard. However you answer these questions, as tough as it may seem, try to relate your responses back to the position you are interviewing for and/or your own personal work ethic and qualities.

So, I certainly hope that was helpful because if it wasn’t it was certainly long enough to put a meth-addict to sleep. The best advice I can give you when it’s all said and done is to practice. These are just some of the hundreds of behavioral interview questions that are out there at an interviewer’s disposal. Practicing will develop your speaking skills, perfect your use of the STAR method, raise your confidence, and allow you to familiarize yourself with many questions you are likely to hear in an interview.

In conclusion, if at first you don’t succeed, don’t try skydiving. But in terms of behavioral interviews, rest assured that if you network properly, there will be other opportunities ahead of you and each interview is real-life practice for you to build on in the future.

The summer before my junior year I jumped on an internship because I had the mindset that I HAD to have one. As it turns out, I was a lab rat for a new internship program that didn’t quite have the kinks worked out. I’m sure if I showed someone a copy of my resume, a keen eye could pick his or her way through my bullets and realize I didn’t do THAT much. So many students are caught up in the idea that as soon as an internship presents itself they have to take it because it looks good on a resume! That may be true, but an internship is supposed to be more than just a bold heading and three bullets on a piece of paper. There is a reason you put it under the section called “Work Experience.” There are a number of other things that you can apply yourself to other than an internship in order to make better use of your time and bolster your resume. Wetfeet.com discussed this very topic recently and I’m going to take them on as a virtual partner along my second installment of this blog. According to Wetfeet

First, volunteer work can not only look good on a resume, but unravel a noble and admirable side that none of your peers or potential employers knew existed. Doing something that benefits others can be so incredibly fulfilling, that it may become something you continue to do throughout your life. Volunteering, especially if it is for something you are passionate about, can be a truly life changing experience that can build relationships, create memories, and give you a great topic to discuss should the time come during an interview.

Secondly, learning a language could prove to be very beneficial as American companies continue to globalize. Specifically, Spanish is incredibly valuable in a variety of fields including human resources and social work. Secondly, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and Arabic are becoming more and more useful in international business. Certain languages can prove to be very valuable in various positions in the workforce and knowing a language can make a person more marketable, more diversified, and more personable. As always, aside from these valid points, being fluent or even proficient in a language is a strong resume builder, especially if it is relevant for the job you are interviewing for once you graduate.

Moving on, knowing computer software programs at this stage of our technologically driven society may allow you to complete your work faster, stay more organized, or even have better communication skills. I would encourage accounting and finance majors to be able to work their way through Microsoft Excel. Also, for marketing majors, become accustomed to using Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, or a web design program as these could be useful wherever your career takes you. Knowing some of these skills is a great way to highlight the skills section of your resume and may even land you the job over someone who spent their summer paper filing for a company his or her mom worked for five years ago!

So you couldn’t find that internship you wanted, create your own. Even if it is as simple as a lawn mowing service, exemplifying your entrepreneurial abilities will stand out on a resume and may even earn you some substantial cash along the way. In addition to work experience, you can pull tons of skills away from running a business that many students haven’t had the opportunity to display in their internship.

If you’re looking for something to do during the school year, work with one of your professors to do research and assist them with projects outside of class. This idea may seem a little strange, but if you can handle the abuse you may take from your peers for being a “suck up,” they will ultimately be the ones who don’t have a professional relationship with someone who has a major impact on your education. Many professors have contacts outside of the university with corporate representatives who are consistently looking for bright young students to fill positions; so in many ways, this venture would also be a form of networking.

You don’t need to have a position where you are labeled an “intern” to learn about a field you may be interested in after graduation. Getting a job in a related field to the internship you may have wanted can be just as rewarding and can teach you as much, if not more, about a certain job or industry. Full-time and even part-time jobs are significant resume builders and come with compensation (while many internships are unpaid positions)! The example wetfeet.com provides is a finance or accounting major working as a bank teller. Being able to tack more experience onto your resume and develop relationships with your employees, who may turn out to be valuable contacts, make a part-time or full-time job a nice alternative to an internship.

Finally, with so many student organizations in CBA and PITT as a whole, assuming a leadership role with some type of executive position within an organization is a great way to get involved during the school year. Your leadership skills are brought to the forefront without even being out in the working world yet. Also, many of the organizations in CBA have close ties with several companies in the area, which will allow you to network with potential employers on a personal, one-on-one level.

So to summarize, no internship, no problem! Those are the seven, “don’t panic” ideas that will ease your mind when you just fall short of that dream internship you wanted. Most likely, you are in the same situation as many others given the level of competition that there is for internships. So if you were sitting at home drowning your sorrows away in a gallon of fudge ripple ice cream, I hope this has inspired you to get out there and get involved!

Seasholtz, Liz. “No Internship? No Problem.” Wetfeet.com, August 26, 2008. http://www.wetfeet.com/Undergrad/Internships/Articles/No-Internship-This-Summer–No-Problem-.aspx

You probably don’t go to many networking events because you don’t want to crawl off your sofa, turn off the television, and ditch the sweatpants to stand around a bunch of strangers dressed to the T. Regardless of how good that Saved by the Bell re-run may be, this is your future.

Networking events can be intimidating and even a little scary, but they are a natural part of the business world. They require professionalism, positive interaction and self confidence. Anyone you speak to is a potentially valuable future contact, so it is important to take advantage of the opportunity when you’re presented with a room full of company representatives and campus recruiters.

Before we jump into talking about the event, let’s talk about the ways to hear about various networking opportunities on campus. Instead of updating your status on Facebook, you could be browsing through cbasimon.com to learn about what’s going on in CBA. SIMON posts information regarding all recruiters that come on campus throughout the year. In addition to SIMON, checking your email may provide some valuable information about upcoming events. Flyers posted throughout Sennott Square and the LCD screen located outside of 2200 advertise what events are in the near future. Now you can post a Facebook status with more substance than “Bob can’t wait for the party on Saturday!” I was thinking something like “Bob is so excited to start researching the companies that will be at her first networking event!” (While you’re there, take the time to become a fan of the CBA Career and Leadership Development page and check in on our events and postings!).

Now that you have signed up for the event, let’s put your latest Facebook status update into action. Most likely, you’re going to be able to find out ahead of time what companies will be present at the networking event, so do your homework and learn about them! Hop on the internet and browse “Google” or “Yahoo! Finance” for specific company related information. Here are some of the things you want to learn so that you are assured a stimulating conversation with any corporate representative:

1. Who are that particular company’s competitors?
2. Where do they rank among those competitors?
3. What services/products do they offer?
4. Have they been in the news lately?
5. What, if any, training programs do they offer?

These, in addition to anything else you may find applicable to meeting one of their associates for the first time, will allow you to show off your business savvy and enhance the conversation. If the internet isn’t helpful enough, or you’re too distracted by the online dating pop-up advertisements in the margins, company publications, or business magazines and journals are other options for finding relevant corporate information.

Now there are a few final preparations before the day of the event. Business professional dress is standard, but the dress code may differ depending upon the type of networking event. Regardless, dressing appropriately gives a good first impression for a recruiter, so be aware of the dress code in place (Refer back to the “Dress for Success” posting on March 3rd for more details). Make sure to bring several resumes with you, in hopes that you’re handing them out like free t-shirts at the Career Fair. Also, a pen accompanied by one of those “fancy schmancy” leather business portfolios is a nice touch. Alright, well dressed, well prepared, now just get your palms to stop sweating before you shake someone’s hand and get on weather.com to brush up on your small talk because you are ready to network.

So now that you’re at the event, we have a few tips to get you through the day as smoothly and professionally as possible. For starters, use the research you did and create questions for each company. Having at least three questions prepared prior to your interaction with an employer will help avoid those awkward lulls in conversation where you contemplate running away screaming. You want to get to know people and hoping that a recruiter is going to come up to you while you’re ducking behind the plants in the corner is not the best strategy for getting your foot in the door with anyone. As I said before, be prepared for small talk and discussion about yourself and the recruiter’s company. Here are some final simple tips that may slip your mind on the day of the event:

1. Take notes during a company presentation or even feel free to jot some things down during one-on-one interactions.
2. Look the recruiter in the eyes and introduce yourself with a firm handshake, none of that “deadfish” stuff.
3. Be sure to make eye contact while speaking to someone (There is a strange tendency for people to stare at someone’s mouth amidst conversation, so train yourself to do otherwise). In addition to that, don’t let your eyes wander, as this may show some disinterest in what that person has to say.

Adhering to this advice will lead to a portfolio full of business cards ready to overflow with opportunities.

Just because you have walked out the front door doesn’t mean your work is done. Sure, you can rip your tie off your neck or throw your high heels across the room, but don’t start watching those “Seinfeld” DVD’s just yet. Some form of a thank you note to show how much you appreciate each company taking the time to speak with you is not only polite, but also is a great way for recruiters to remember you. This can be done through the mail or even e-mail because it is a fast means to reach recruiters who may have several other networking events that week alone! Personalize each note and refresh the recruiter’s memory by making reference to something specific that you discussed at the event.

Unless you lifted up your pant legs to show off your eye-catching black shoes laced over sparkling white socks, you probably had a successful networking session. Beyond a simple networking event, I want to remind you that you are always networking. Even conversations with your friends and family are means for getting your name and interests out in the open. It’s important to remember that anyone can be a utilizable contact at some point in your career. So now that you have those contacts, remember to stay in touch with them up until the time comes to start looking for a job or an internship!

My first real job was working through a temp agency for Johnson & Johnson. The only reason that this is relevant is because my dad used to check my outfits every day before I went to work [presumably because he works there and didn’t want me to embarrass him]. I didn’t really mind, as I was going through my angsty emo/hipster phase [and it lingers, let me tell you!] and I probably would have showed up in something awesomely condusive to sneaking into a Strokes show [before they were famous, obviously] and not so much appropriate for corporate America. The point is, young people don’t really know how to dress in professional situations, as one of my fellow temps seemed to think halter tops were good to wear to work. What seems obvious to me, and probably you [as you are a business student] may not be to all. Feel free to share these tips with your Arts & Sciences friends who may have never been around business culture before. However, it isn’t too hard to choose what to wear if you keep these key words in mind: appropriateness, boundaries, and respect.

Most business students know what is appropriate dress for an interview, but I like to make lists so we’ll go through this quickly. Some general info: you may want to inquire about the dress code when you are setting up the interview. It is general OP to dress about two levels above what is standard apparel for the position. Keep in mind that you are marketing a product [yourself!] so it is very important to have the proper dress for the job you are seeking. The lists following should be your guide for any time where the dress is business professional [this would be interview attire, attire for Corporate Express, CBA Career Conference, and site visits].

Professional Dress: Men and Women
1. Have clean and polished conservative dress shoes
2. Well-groomed hair
3. Clean and trimmed fingernails
4. MINIMAL cologne or perfume [a little goes a long way, friends!]
5. no visible body piercings [take out the lip, eyebrow, and nose rings] beyond conservative ear piercings for women.
6. Fresh breath [but don’t chew gum during the interview]
7. Minimal jewelry

Professional Dress: Men
1. A blue, black, or grey suit is best for an interview. Some say to avoid pinstripes because they are too showy, but I think they are snazzy so as long as it is a tasteful suit, bust it out!
2. A sport coat or blazer is usually too casual for an interview.
3. Typically, a white or blue shirt would be best to wear for an interview because white and blue are more conservative. Avoid vividly colored or striped shirts.
4. THE TIE IS VERY IMPORTANT because it is the first thing noticed about a man’s outfit. Something with a small dot or stripe pattern would be best-it’s cool that you like to golf but I don’t want to see your golf ball tie at my interview, thanks.
5. If you only follow one rule, please follow this one: WEAR BLACK SOCKS with your BLACK SHOES! I can’t tell you how many times I have seen this. It is disgusting and don’t do it.

Professional Dress: Women
1. A solid color skirt or pantsuit is best, just make sure that the skirt comes to around your knees [not all black skirts were created equally or appropriately, ladies].
2. If you chose to wear a skirt, please wear stockings [at least for the interview, this is a different story when we get into everyday work wear]
3. Go light on the make-up
4. Heels should not be too high
5. Instead of a purse, bring a briefcase or tote.

The bottom line is, details matter. You want to draw attention to yourself because of your resume and accomplishments, not because you wore white socks with black shoes. I cannot stop harping on this. Don’t do it!!

Now, once you have the job, most likely you will not be expected to wear business professional attire daily [there are exceptions to be discussed later]. I find that people’s interpretation of business causal is varied and many things fly under the radar that probably shouldn’t, especially in the summer. It’s usually a good idea to check with HR regarding dress code if you are unsure. I think the only major overarching rule is to avoid jeans, sneakers, and t-shirts unless it is a casual Friday or something [note: casual and business casual are not the same].

Business Casual: Men
1. A typical look would be dress pants [black, grey, navy, khaki, brown, olive, etc.] and an oxford or dress shirt. Feel free to be more colorful and fun in your selection. Purple is a nice color!
2. It is a good idea to have a few ties and a sport coat in your office/cubical so you can transition to important meetings and presentations.
3. In the summer, it is generally acceptable to wear a polo shirt. One would not advise wearing a short-sleeved dress shirt, however, unless it is some kind of revenge of the nerds theme day. In the winter, sweaters are nice business casual pieces.
4. Leather shoes and belts.

Business Casual: Women
1. Dress pants [wide trouser leg cuts are most flattering] or pencil/a-line skirts paired with sweaters, cardigan sets, or blouses. If you wear a skirt, it may not be necessary to wear stockings as long as the skirt is long enough. Some places do ask that women wear stockings so you might want to ask/observe first.
2. Also, it may be a good idea to have a jacket with you for meetings and presentations.
3. Dresses, like a classic sheath or jumper, are generally appropriate for a business casual look.
4. Feel free to get creative with shoes, most places don’t require closed toe shoes anymore. Try not to go too high though!

Business Casual Don’ts
1. Shorts and in some places, Capri pants
2. Tank tops or sleeveless shirts
3. Halter tops
4. Flip-flops and sneakers
5. Anything overly revealing
6. T-shirts

Appearance creates credibility. Therefore, strive for consistency in your wardrobe and keep in mind that there are times when you will have to dress a few levels above business casual. For those in financial and governmental services, business professional attire is expected and required in many situations. Other areas may not be so conservative. There will be cases in most jobs, though, that will require professional over business casual dress such as client meetings, presentations, meetings with other businesses, etc. Whatever the case, make sure to put some effort into what you wear and remember: appropriateness, boundaries, and respect.