Welcome Back! Welcome Back! Welcome Back!

The Tufts Career Center is excited to welcome two students to the Career Services Ambassadors team. In addition to writing articles for this blog, our Ambassadors will also be helping to create content for and manage our social media outlets. Read their posts here, and stay up to date on the latest Career Center happenings by following @TuftsCareer and liking us on Facebook! And now, a welcome back post from one of our new Ambassadors, Nirvanna Lildharrie.

Hello, Tufts! My name is Nirvanna Lildharrie. I'm a senior from Long Island, NY, studying Sociology and Mass Communications and Mass Media Studies.

Aristotle said, "You are what you repeatedly do. (Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit)," so to properly introduce myself, here's a little more about what I do:

I'm the Business Manager of Shir Appeal, Tufts' ONLY Co-ed Jewish A Cappella Group (believe it or not), for which I sing mostly alto parts and arrange some groovy tunes.  I work at Tufts Telefund (We're hiring!) and fund-raise for Tufts so all of you can continue to enjoy our university's high caliber of resources, financial aid, and global reach. I am the big sister of three and a babysitter of three awesome kids in the community as well. I have a ton of experience in social media, journalism, and marketing; and on my days off, I like to spend time with people I love and CREATE STUFF--I love re-purposing things, DIY, painting, and making music...

This school year, I'll also be one of your Tufts Career Services Ambassadors!

In my few days of working here at the Career Center, I've discovered a gold mine of information, resources, assistance, and furtherance buried in the back of Dowling. I, myself, had no idea that Tufts provided free career counseling, resume critiques, and had a plethora of events all year round to refine my professionalism and provide a networking platform for professionals I usually wouldn't (and potentially couldn't) interact with otherwise.

I'm a lot like you.

Before working here, I had stumbled upon the Career Center website from time to time--not really having the patience to navigate the clusters of information. I would sometimes skim over the events on TuftsLife, but never looked into them because I wasn't entirely sure if they were applicable to me or if I was ready to start thinking about my career. To be completely honest, "Career Services" was something I had heard about, but never really knew about.

But now--suddenly--I have begun my senior year. I'm suddenly hyper-aware of my limited time at Tufts, the impermanence of the college experience, and my adult life on the horizon. Suddenly, I wish I took advantage of the Career Center earlier on... And even more, I wish those opportunities were explained to me better. And that's where I come in.

My comrade, Morgan Kee, and I will be steadily working to make sure you're in the know about all of Career Center's invaluable events, info sessions, on-campus recruiting, and more. Our plan is to use social media to expose our endless resources to the Tufts public, making the Career Center a ubiquitous resource on campus, thereby increasing gross student confidence about life after graduation.

Where do we start???

Well, I've started by setting up an appointment with the Career Center to talk about post-grad plans and review my resume. I figured, "Hey, if I'm going to be working here, I might as well see for myself what this place really does!" It's my version of investigative work. Anticipate another post on my own career counseling experience very soon to give you the real, inside scoop on what to expect!

And you can start by subscribing to this blog, liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and even setting up your own appointment today!

The Tufts Career Center is here for you. And with our new efforts in social media and marketing, there will soon be no doubt about it.

Best regards, Jumbos!
Until next time,
Nirv

Check back tomorrow to learn more about our other fantastic Ambassador, Morgan Kee!

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Welcome From The NEW Career Center Student Ambassador

By Angela Sun 

Hello Tufts!

Angela Sun (Photo: Angela Sun)

My name is Angela Sun, and I am a senior majoring in International Relations. I have a broad range of career interests, but currently dream of being a TV anchor/ host one day. In the upcoming school year, I will be contributing to this wonderful blog maintained by the Tufts Career Center.

I have been working with the Tufts Career Center since freshman year for my own professional development. I’ve definitely come a long way since my first resume (half of which, embarrassingly, consisted of one-word bullet points like ‘dedicated’, ‘team-player’, ‘quick-learner’)…many thanks to the patient guidance of the career counselors. And so, to now have the opportunity to be part of this team is really exciting for me.

Looking ahead, I hope to continue the tradition of writing blog posts that inform students about upcoming events; share student experiences with jobs and internships; and discuss ways to market oneself in the job market. I will also be constantly looking for new ways to make this a better resource for you, so let me know if you have any ideas for posts or content. You can connect with me via twitter Follow @angelasun2013


Have a wonderful start to the semester!

Sincerely,

Angela Sun

P.S. Make sure you stop by the Career Carnival this Monday, September 10th between 12-2 pm on the Tisch Library Patio. The Career Center will be out in full force with free raffles, music, food, and, of course, lots of great career advice and resources!



Follow @TuftsCareer

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Welcome Back!

Welcome back to Tufts everyone! After a hopefully relaxing and memorable summer, it’s once again time to navigate new class schedules and--with the help of Tufts Career Services!---continue down our ambitious career paths. As a rising senior (wow that sounds weird), this summer left an especially unique take-away. By this time next year, I won’t be selecting courses or engaging in the charade of frantic last-minute packing, but (fingers crossed) preparing for a real-life job---or at least some sort of delineated career path. It’s sure daunting, terrifying to say the least, but there’s also something oddly exhilarating about this unpredictable next stage of our lives.

No matter our background, majors, or aspirations, we’re all probably starting to feel this idea of “real-life” creeping up on us. Whether we’re seniors looking for full-time jobs or underclassman eyeing summer internships, we’ll all be job scouring and career evaluating at some point this year. But rather than stressfully shuffling when an opportunity comes, there are plenty of ways to be on our job-hunting-game throughout the semester. Once we reclaim our comfortable college routines, here are some ways to help make this upcoming year feel as manageable and stress-free as possible.

1. Make Lists!
Without my smattering of bright post-its filled with to-do lists, I’d personally be at a total loss. You might craft lists of helpful contacts, job sites, open positions, HR email addresses, or whatever other information is pertinent to your career hunt. You might also consider creating a tidy excel spreadsheet of your networking contacts, listing the date you last spoke and when you plan to follow up. And if you aren’t an active contender in the job-hunt quite yet, why not list out your steps and/or goals for the months to come?

2. Perfect your Resume
While already on your organizational game, why not give the resume a quick look-over? It’ll be a huge stress-reliever to know its fresh and ready even before job recruitment hits by storm. Our advice? Avoid the stress of a frenzied last-minute office run and make an appointment as early as possible. Pay us a visit during our Resume Critique Week (September 19-21), where our expert staff will perfect your resume just in time for the upcoming Career Fair. Or receive one-on-one attention during our newly expanded drop-in hours (no appointment necessary)!

3. Check out Career Services online resources
And there are plenty of them! Check out Tufts Career Connect, a super helpful aggregator of Tufts-connected job listings across a variety of fields. And for seniors on the career-prowl, this is also a great time to set up a job agent, a resource that alerts you through email with new or updated job postings that match your job-search criteria. Also, start to scour through Tufts Career Network, a collection of 9,000 plus Tufts alums of all ages, interests, and fantastic professional stories, all willing to let us Tufts students pick their ultra-experienced brains.

4. Make a Note of Career Services Events
Whether in our “icals” or pocket-sized assignment pads, make a note of these important, super-informative Career Services sponsored events. From informational sessions to vibrant networking events filled with soon-to-be hirers, Career Services has organized a slew of events that cater to our burgeoning professional interests.

5. Talk, Talk, Talk
Yes--the number-one way to wheedle our way into this classy career world is to, simply enough, chat! Not only with our familiar everyday contacts, but those outside your comfort zone, brimming with fresh suggestions, perspectives, and insight. Ironically, I’ve found it’s those out-of-the-box people I’ve spontaneously conversed with who’ve managed to most impress and inspire me. Who knew that my dentist for instance, an expert on cavities and molars, would--thanks to a family of publishers---have such fresh insight on the rapidly changing book market?

6. Take Advantage of the Many Ways to Access Career Services
Even with our self-starter personas, tackling this career whirlwind is near impossible without real guidance and support. Lucky for us, Career Services offers just that. Whether for a mock interview, a bugging career question, or even for an inspiring chat, Career Service’s warm, welcoming staff is always here. Stop by our expanded drop-in hours to speak with a career counselor today. No appointment is necessary!

7. Lastly--and most importantly---relax and enjoy!
Whether you’re a Tufts newbie or a rising, been-there-done-that senior, there is so much offered on this eclectic, energetic campus that with just one year left, I’m scared I won’t get to it all. Trust me, college whizzes by--way too rapidly--and the best thing we can do is enjoy every second that we have.

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