Hello Drexel students and alumni! My name is Brendan Johnson and I am the new Career Services Library Assistant here at Drexel University. I am excited to be given the opportunity to work with the Drexel community to help students and alumni achieve their career goals. As for some background about me, I am a graduate of Villanova University and had some great previous work experiences in the fields of Education and History before joining Drexel. I am currently attending graduate school at Drexel’s iSchool as well.

I will be located in Hagerty Library, room 136. If you need to get in touch with me, my contact information can be found on the Hagerty Library’s Subject Librarians page.  I will be willing to help students via email, workshops, and one-on-one consultations. If you would like to meet with me in person, please call me in order to set up an appointment. Feel free to browse this blog and the Careers Research Guides to find resources that can be helpful in your search. I will begin posting workshops on my Reference Page as well as the SCDC website very shortly so keep your eyes open for updates!

I am looking forward to working with you on your job search!

Glassdoor.com just came out with their 50 Best Places to Work as part of their 3rd annual Employees’ Choice Awards.  Guess who topped their list?

Sure, we’re all used to hearing about what questions to expect on an interview.  We even have books like More Best Answers to the 201 Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions and The 250 Job Interview Questions You’ll Most Likely Be Asked and the Questions That Will Get You Hired! that address commonly asked questions in an interview setting.  But what about those totally off-the-wall questions that no reasonable person could ever expect, such as “If you were a brick in the wall, which brick would you be and why?”  I mean, how would YOU answer that question?  (Believe it or not, ladies and gentlemen, that is a REAL interview question asked by Nestle USA!).  Well, thankfully, the good folks at Glassdoor.com have compiled a list of the Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions of 2009.  Check it out!

I guess this would be a good time to introduce Glassdoor!  We recently established a partnership with Glassdoor that allows our library users to access company salaries, reviews, and interviews for over 70,000 employers, posted anonymously by employees.  If you find that you can’t access information on the website, please let me know at dl423@drexel.edu.  We have a username and password for the Drexel community that should give you access to everything.

I just read this article on the New York Times the other day, about how the increasing number of colleges and universities that are dropping majors such as philosophy and classics because dwindling numbers of students are opting to major in these programs.  It seems that with recent economic woes, students (and their parents!) are looking to make sure their thousands of dollars of investment in a college education pays off with a well-paying career.  Colleges are beginning to rethink the traditional college curriculum.  The article does devolve some into the old liberal arts education vs. technical education, with the comments especially full of defenders of the liberal arts tradition.  What do you say?  You’re at Drexel, not exactly a liberal arts campus- did the economy play a role in  your decision to come here versus somewhere else?

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/education/edlife/03careerism-t.html?pagewanted=1&em

The NYTimes has an article up that gives voice to the frustrations that many job seekers today face: submitting an application online and never hearing back from the employer!

There is obviously a bigger pool of applicants applying for the same job- a prospect that makes it even more important that you work to make your presence known!

Some tips that the article gives are:

• Work hard to find a contact at the company who can be your advocate- or at least a conduit to the hiring manager.
• Leave the online world behind and make an old-fashioned direct phone call.
• Work on a multi-faceted approach!

Read the article for the full scoop!!

Two summer internship opportunities have been brought to my attention, and both have application due dates in April!!

One is Google’s Annual Summer of Code, where students apply to work with Google and a team of mentors on developing open source projects.  Students receive a stipend, and applications are due by April 3rd.

The other is a summer internship position as a Database Developer/Analyst with Crosslink International in Falls Church, VA.  Intern will work 35-40 hours a week for 8-10 between May 18-August 14.  They will be accepting applications until April 10th.  For more information see the following document: Summer Internship at Crosslink International

Take some advice from this recent graduate, who conducted a futile job search until he realized the key to success: “customizing his cover letter and paying attention to the specifics of each opening”.  Read the article for more!

With employers expected to hire 22% less graduates this year than last, you’ll definitely want to set yourself apart from the competition with an excellent cover letter and thorough preparation before an interview.

Did you find a job or a co-op/internship recently?  What did you do that you feel were instrumental to your success?

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is looking for you!

NREL is actually hiring people instead of firing and have many open positions, including some for students and recent grads.  The company is based in Colorado, so if you want to make a difference with clean energy technology and don’t mind exploring our nation some, you may want to consider NREL.

You may have noticed that the library website looks a teeny bit different.  We switched over to a new IM service for our “IM a librarian” feature, so the widget looks different.  It’s got some great features though!  One of the coolest things is that the widget “follows” you, so you don’t have to worry about losing the connection while you click away!

Something else to celebrate about: I now have my own IM widget!  So you can contact me directly via IM with all of your Careers Collection questions.  The Careers IM widget is currently located on the right hand side of this blog, as well as on of all my research guides.  So chat away!

I’ve just ordered the second batch of books for the Careers Collection here @ Hagerty Library.  Here is what you have to look forward to:

• Graduate Admission Essays: Write your way into the graduate school of your choice- Great information on how to manage  your grad school applications, but of course with a heavy emphasis on writing that essay! Has tons of sample essays and even recommendation letters.
• Fashion Careers: The Complete Job Search Workbook- Co-written by Drexel’s very own Beth Phillips, a faculty member at Westphal, this a great workbook with interactive worksheets for your job search.
• College Board CLEP: Official Study Guide 2009- Did you know that you can receive college credit for learning outside of the classroom?  Drexel accepts CLEP exams and also serves as a CLEP test center.  Get more information here.
• Career Development in Bioengineering and Biotechnology- Are you a biomedical engineering major who would like to explore career options?  This book has a wealth of information, from information on more traditional career paths such as medical device technologies to alternative careers paths such as writing non-fiction books!
• Career Opportunities in Forensic Science- This book features 82 job profiles within the field of forensic science with descriptions, tips, etc. for each.  Who knew there were that many occupations within the field of forensic science!?
• The Nonprofit Career Guide: How to Land a Job that Makes a Difference- All you ever need to know about the nonprofit sector and how to land a job within it.  This book also features “spotlights” and Q&A’s with people in the field.
• The Everything Guide to Becoming an Event Planner- If you’re thinking of becoming an event planner, this is essential reading for you.  Learn how to get started and break into the business, but more importantly, learn the ins and outs of actually putting an event together.
• Becoming Leaders: A Practical Handbook for Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology- Learn what it takes to succeed as a woman in the male-dominated fields of engineering, science, and technology.  From job hunting to time management, this book outlines the kinds of issues women face as students, career women, faculty members, deans/heads, and managers in the fields of science and technology.
• The Rough Guide to Crete- Thinking of participating in the Cretan Scholars Program and doing your co-op abroad on the island of Crete?  Find out more about Crete with this travel guide.