Career Services

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• 218.477.2131
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  Comstock Memorial Union 114

Self-Guided Job Search for Non-Teaching Majors

(Updated 9/2/2008)

Register with Career Services

Welcome to Career Services. To access our services and make your resume available to employers who seek to hire candidates graduating from MSUM, you must register via DragonCareers. Select the top link on the navigation bar and follow the instructions provided. Allow two business days for us to activate your account after you have completed the online profile, uploaded your resume and returned a signed authorization to Career Services in CMU 114.

Job Search Strategy

To access job opportunities, click on the Job Vacancies link on the nav-bar. Be sure to review all the links to determine which ones you want to use in your search. There you will find links to opportunities in the (four state) area (MN, ND, SD, WI), and links to jobs in Fargo-Moorhead or a particular state in the tri-state area.

If you are seeking a government job, you will find links under Job Vacancies. Under Fairs & Events, you will want to select the Government Job and Internship Fair where you will find contacts for various agencies that may have current hiring needs.

Select Job Search on the navigation bar and click on Major Specific to find links to sites that list job opportunities for your major. You may want to make an appointment with a Career Services Specialist regarding job search planning by calling us at 218.477.2131.  If you are targeting a particular state or city, please indicate your preferred location(s) when you make your appointment so the Specialist will be better prepared to help you.  Also under Job Search click on Search Strategy and you will find a link to Best Comprehensive Sites.  Those sites cover all states in the USA.

Job Fairs

Go to Fairs & Events on the nav-bar for information on fairs and other events related to opportunities following graduation and internships.  In addition to the major fairs, also watch the Other Non-Teaching Fairs & Events link as upcoming events are added regularly.The Past Events link lists recent fairs/events that are typically held once each year so you can determine when each event is likely to be held again.  Some of the past fairs may still have active links to companies that participated. Take advantage of the Making the Most of the Fair presentations scheduled prior to our major fairs.

References/Recommendations

It is important for you to have some letters of reference and/or to have people who are willing to support your candidacy for jobs with a telephone reference. The people you select as a reference could be:

• A Professor in your major
• Your Supervisor in recent or current job(s)
• The Faculty Advisor to an organization you are/were active in on campus

Caution: Never list anyone as a reference unless that person has given you permission to use them as a reference in support of your job search. If they are providing a written letter of reference, agree on a date by which they will make the letter available to you.  Keep the original and provide hard copies to prospective employers who desire these documents or scan the letter and save to a CD or jump drive so you can provide them electronically.

For more information click on the following:

• Reference Request Form (print using Internet Explorer)
• References - Tips for Requesting

Workshops and InterviewStream

Plan to attend a Resume and an Interview Skills Workshop and to use InterviewStream (linked under Announcements on Career Services Home Page) to mock interview until you are confident you can market your capabilities effectively when you meet with prospective employers.  InterviewStream provides virtual practice so you can email the link to your interview to a professional or a Career Services Specialist who you believe can give you meaningful feedback regarding the quality of your answers. Optimal Resume is an online resume builder that you may wish to use to create your resume.  It is linked under Announcements also.

Resources

Visit CMU 114 Resource Center in the Career Services office to access the following books and references to support your job search. The Resource Center link will give you an glimpse of what you will find.