Graduated and Freaked Out? The Job Search Workshop Could Help

Many juniors, seniors and recent alumni are beginning to search for jobs or have already been trying, without success. The 90 minute Job Search Workshop will address issues students find when job searching and point to useful resources, while allowing plenty of time for questions.

Career advisor Nell Weatherwax will be leading the workshop, and explained that students could ask absolutely anything. The workshop will include a 30 minute question and answer segment.

“Before I learned the way to effectively job search, I was doing it all wrong myself. So I have a lot of empathy,” she said, explaining that she wants anybody at all to feel comfortable attending the workshop and bringing up their problems.

The workshop will focus on:
- Networking: breaking it down into simple, effective steps
- The elevator speech: creating one to introduce yourself to people in your network
- Self-assessment: the value of knowing your skills and interests to target the employers and positions that fit you

One of the most important pieces of the workshop is Nell’s discussion of what good career counseling can do for you. You can make appointments at L&S Career Services up to a full year after you graduate. Nell said she sees many students for the first time at the end of their senior year or after their graduation. Even if you get a late start, Career Services can help.

The 90 minute Job Search Workshop is tomorrow, June 28 from 3:00-4:30 in the Middleton Building, room 102. Sign up by calling 608-262-3921. Contact Nell at nweatherwax@wisc.edu with any questions.

Nell Weatherwax comes to L&S Career Services from Indiana University where she served as an academic counselor and career mentor to Studio Art and Art History majors. She completed her Master’s degree in Counseling and her BA degree in the Individualized Major Program both at Indiana University. She is certified as a Global Career Development Facilitator and is a seasoned workshop presenter. She has been serving as a career counselor for primarily liberal arts undergraduates at UW for since February 2011. Her career path has taken her from entrepreneurialism running her own educational theater company to working as a recruiter in Silicon Valley to private career counseling, corporate training and academic advising. She enjoys stand-up comedy, reading memoirs and hiking in the UW Arboretum.

Going Global: An International Jobs Resource

Would you know what was going on if a group of people applauded you in China? And would you know how to react? According to Going Global, it is traditional in China to clap when a new person is introduced. You should applaud in return.

Helpful tips like this are great if you plan on working abroad, so that you don’t accidentally do something that’s considered incredibly rude. You can’t just go into another country knowing nothing about it and expect to get a job. Companies expect you to have researched their organization, and also to have researched the country and culture.

Career Services sees many students who want to work or volunteer abroad. Going Global is a feature on Buckynet that can help you research opportunities throughout the world.

Going Global is not just a listing that you can search by country, industry, and other keywords, but also a guide to foreign countries. You can find out about average housing costs, transportation, and employment trends.

There’s even a section on cultural advice for each specific country. Going Global tells you how to “act like a local” to avoid making a major faux pas.

The site also tells you about the business style of countries – what to wear, what offices are typically like, how to address people, and how to write professionally.

If you’re considering interning, working, or volunteering abroad, check out Going Global. Its resources will help you find a position, and prepare you for its workplace etiquette.