Directions — Current Teaching Graduates
Career Services, 218.477.2131 • FAX 218.477.2430
114 Comstock Memorial Union, 1104 7th Ave. S., Moorhead, MN 56563
e-mail: careers@mnstate.edu • http://www.mnstate.edu/career
• Updated - 9/2/08 •
Office Hours in CMU 114
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. M-F year-round (with the exception of holidays) and
Tuesdays until 6:00 p.m. Fall & 7:00 p.m. Spring when classes are in session.
Satellite Office Hours in CB 101Tuesdays and Fridays 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Fall & Spring while classes are in session.
Purpose of Career Services:
Our purpose is to provide information concerning career opportunities; to assist you in developing a job search strategy; to provide information on job vacancies; to provide opportunities for employers to network with you and to access your resume and other documents you choose to make available to prospective employers via DragonCareers.
Registration for Service via DragonCareers:
To register with our office, select Register On-line – DragonCareers on the navigational bar of our website www.mnstate.edu/career. You will be asked to read, complete, sign and return an authorization form to Career Services, CMU 114.
Once you have —
• entered your profile information in DragonCareers
• uploaded your resume in DragonCareers
• returned your completed authorization form
please give us two (2) business days to activate your account so you will have full access. If you have followed the above directions and you do not have full access after two business days have passed, call us at 218.477.2131.
Full access to DragonCareers will allow you to view the job opportunities, sign up for on-campus interviews, receive emails about job fairs and other upcoming events of interest to job seekers and to ensure that registered employers seeking candidates can access your resume.
Note: Change In Delivery of Service to Facilitate Electronic Recruiting
School districts utilize on-line application procedures or take credentials directly from candidates so Career Services stopped maintaining hard-copy credential files for teachers on 12-31-04. Contact us for questions related to a self-managed credential file.
Meeting with a Career Services Professional:
If you are seeking your first full-time professional teaching position, you may wish to schedule an appointment with a Career Services Professional who will familiarize you with the resources available to support your job search. If you have questions regarding our web-based registration system, we will answer them. If you are doing a broad-based job search including both teaching and non-teaching opportunities, be sure to mention that to the person you meet with so they can show you relevant job search resources.
What is a Self-Managed Credential File/Electronic Portfolio? The traditional, hard-copy credential file included a resume, university transcript(s), a final student teaching evaluation for each licensure area and letters of reference from various sources (current or former employment supervisors; faculty who have taught/advised you; faculty advisors of organizations in which you exhibited leadership or committed participation; a coach or person who supervised you as a volunteer or intern). We will be happy to meet with you to discuss the content of a self-managed credential file. Credentials may be requested in a variety of formats including the traditional paper file or various electronic versions (CDs, DVD's e-Folio Minnesota www.efoliomn.com, scanned, upload to secured server of hiring entity or other formats requested by employers).
Note: If you plan to use eFolio Minnesota in your job search and as a professional, sign up for the Worker version and select Traditional in the registration process as it is easier to work with. As a graduate of a Minnesota institution, your eFolio account will be maintained after graduation so you may continue to use it for professional purposes.
Resume:
Design a resume that effectively markets your capabilities and accomplishments. Plan to attend a Resume Workshop prior to preparing your resume. To find the schedules for various workshops, select Job Search on the navigation bar of Career Services website, then select Workshops. We encourage you to make an appointment to have your resume reviewed by a professional in Career Services prior to uploading it into DragonCareers or sharing it with an employer at a Fair or an interview. You may drop in at the Satellite Office without an appointment for a quick review of your resume.
Official Transcripts:
The Records Office in Owens Hall is the only source for an official copy of your Minnesota State University Moorhead transcript. An employer may ask you for an official transcript, which must be requested directly from the Records Office by you, and will only be mailed to an employer or another interested third party. You must provide the Records Office with a written request that includes your signature. Your signed request also must include the following information:
1) Dragon ID or optional Social Security number;
2) your current address;
3) the address to which you want the official transcript sent and, if possible, the name and title of the person who should receive it. You can provide the signed request by stopping at the Records Office in Owens Hall, by mailing your request to the Records Office, Minnesota State University Moorhead, 1104 7th Avenue South, Moorhead, MN 56563 or by Faxing to 218.477.2941.
You must provide a signed request every time you need a transcript sent.
Transcript Issued to Student:
You may be able to use a transcript issued directly to you as part of a self-managed credential. The one the Records Office provides will look much more like a transcript than the one you can print from the MSUM web.
Reference Request Forms:
Complete the front side of the Reference Request Form including the authorization before you give it to faculty or supervisors who could write a favorable letter of reference for you. Ask the writer of the reference to: 1) use business, agency or university letterhead; 2) use letter-quality (laser) printing.
Student Teaching Evaluations:
Do not use the Reference Request Form to request an evaluation of your student teaching. Your major program will provide what is necessary for that evaluation.
IMPORTANT – It is your responsibility to make sure that you get your final student teaching evaluation (one for each licensure area) from the Field Experience Office in Lommen 213. Keep the original of this evaluation in a safe place as it will not be maintained by the University. Use copies of it in your job search. The Field Experience Office can be reached at 218.477.2217 or you may try 218.477.2254 (Field Experience Secretary) to determine if your final student teaching evaluation has arrived.
Do not use the Reference Request Form to request an evaluation of your student teaching. Your major program will provide what is necessary for that evaluation.
IMPORTANT – It is your responsibility to make sure that you get your final student teaching evaluation (one for each licensure area) from the Field Experience Office in Lommen 213. Keep the original of this evaluation in a safe place as it will not be maintained by the University. Use copies of it in your job search. The Field Experience Office can be reached at 218.477.2217 or you may try 218.477.2254 (Field Experience Secretary) to determine if your final student teaching evaluation has arrived.
Vacancy Listings, On-Campus Interviews:
Many sources of vacancies can be found under Job Vacancies on our website. Under Job Vacancies at www.mnstate.edu/careerclick on Education Jobs and you will find the Pre-K-12 link by the red apple. It will take you to alphabetical links to teaching jobs for each state in the USA and more. You also will find a link to EdPost, MASA Jobsite Online, and Minnesota Teacher Recruitment Center Job Bank— three key sources of teaching jobs in Minnesota, and a sampling of school district web sites that list their vacancies online. On-campus recruiting visits will be listed in DragonCareers as will the job openings of school districts who chose to list with MSU Moorhead.
We encourage you to watch all of these sources weekly. Before you contact a school district, visit their district website to learn about their mission, values, philosophy, faculty, staff and students. At the district website, you may find the current job openings and information on qualities they look for when hiring teachers. Hundreds of school districts from across the USA will attend the Minnesota Education Job Fair on Monday, April 6, 2009 seeking teachers. Participating school districts and Fair registration information will be on our website under Fairs & Events during Spring Semester. Internet access will allow you to find full-time and substitute teaching opportunities throughout the year as jobs are always opening.