The UCMC Job Blog

by Laura Merrill, Editor-in-Chief of Career Connection

You’ve successfully landed a job in a salary range you’re comfortable with, and you’re ready to start work in your new office. You’ve even chosen art work to hang on the walls.

Wake up, newbie! You’re not getting an office with a door; you’re getting a cubicle, along with a lot of the working population. Especially given that you’re new to the workforce, you can pretty much count on residing in a cube for awhile. It’s the new business configuration.
What follows are some tips on how you can make pod life a pleasant experience for you and your fellow cube-dwellers.

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by Courtney Hisey, Career Counselor


Making the transition from the classroom to the workplace can be challenging and intimidating. In your first professional job, it can be difficult to know what your employer expects from you on a day-to-day basis. There’s a certain code of behavior that’s expected by most employers, and your adherence is key to being a successful employee for your company.
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by Laura Merrill, Manager of Cooperative Education

While some companies are starting to ban employee internet access to prevent non-work-related surfing, others are actually building portals through which their employees can access the web. So what should you do? The key to safe surfing is to know your company’s internet-usage policy and to stick by it. In a corporate environment, the guidelines may be stringent; in a casual environment, maybe not.

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by Laura Merrill, Manager of Cooperative Education

Emailing friends and strangers can be a fast and loose way to keep in touch, but when you use email on the job—or to find a job– you need to follow the rules of the road. Email etiquette, otherwise known as “netiquette,” adds professionalism and impact to your messaging, without sacrificing speed and efficiency. Here are 10 guidelines to remember when keystroking for your employer.

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by Charity Mouck, Assistant Director of Career Services & Employer Relations, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

I stole the title for this article from one I read in the July 8, 2005, issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education. Their article by the same name ran in that issue and I remember reading it with great interest because I myself am an avid blogger and web designer. The basic pretense of that article and many that have followed since then, was that students, faculty and staff, which we can collectively label “job seekers”, may in fact be hampered in their efforts to find employment because of a little side hobby they have called blogging.

For those of you not familiar with the term, blogging is what one does with their blog, which is short for the word weblog. A weblog is a website that presents and archives information in a chronological format. Basically it is a venue for writing, ranting and the disclosure of whatever information the blogger sees fit, which can include pictures as well as the written word.

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by Kelly Brewer (’07)

Effectively presenting yourself during interviews can be crucial to a successful job search. Companies often look beyond a winning resume and decide if they will hire you or not based on your appearance, self confidence and how well you present yourself to the interviewer. There are steps to take before and during your job interview that will help you present yourself with energy, confidence and professionalism.

Who would you rather hire?

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by Laura Merrill, Manager of Cooperative Education

While we were all taught to say please and thank you as little children, many of us have forgotten these very important social graces in adulthood, especially when it comes to the job search. But effectively remembering both of these sentiments is vital to landing the job.

Killer Cover Letters
Everyone knows the importance of a good resume, but are you aware of how vital the cover letter is? Your resume can be somewhat cold—kind of like a product brochure. But a cover letter lets you personalize your resume and highlight the skills you would bring to the job for which you’re applying. Also, the cover letter—like your resume—should be customized for each job opportunity. There are a variety of cover letter formats to keep in mind, including invited, uninvited or cold-contact, referral, and job match cover letters. You can read more about these online at http://www.deed.state.mn.us/cjs/letters.htm.

There are several components of a cover letter that you should keep in mind. Whenever possible, address your cover letter to a specific person. If you’re responding to a newspaper ad and this information isn’t provided, address the letter to the appropriate hiring manager using generic terms like “Office Manager” or “Director of Marketing and Public Relations.” Never use the salutation “To Whom It May Concern.”

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by Laura Merrill, Manager of Cooperative Education

A Note of Thanks
Now this is a dying art form. While many polls conducted by vault.com indicate employers prefer and are impressed by applicants who thank them after an interview (or social meeting or golf outing), many applicants don’t bother sending them. If you want to have an edge over your competition, don’t be that applicant!

Let me tell you why you should write a thank-you note: Your potential employer will be glad you did. But there’s more to it than that. What if you screw up on part of your interview? No problem. Write a thank-you letter that reinvents you on the point of contention. For example, if you’re interviewer was concerned that you did a lot of job hopping, let them know in your thank-you letter that you’ve kept in touch with previous employers and are still on good terms with them.

Why else? You can prove to your potential boss that you were paying attention in the interview by highlighting things they indicated were most important in this job. You can make the first impression a lasting one. Finally, with a crisp, well-written thank-you note sent within 24 hours of your interview, you can show the employer you are both gracious and professional.

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by Laura Merrill, Manager of Cooperative Education

etiquette (ĕt’ ĭ-kĕt’, -kĭt) n. [Fr., etiquette, label < OFr. estiquet, label. – see TICKET.] The forms and practices prescribed by social convention or by authority. n. The rules governing socially acceptable behavior.

Etiquette is simply the practice of socially acceptable behavior. The definition of etiquette seems straightforward enough. But what does it look like in practice? Who cares? YOU SHOULD. Dining etiquette can be crucial to a successful job search. Companies often look beyond a winning resume and a successful interview when evaluating job candidates. They judge social behavior, which may include a dinner meeting—that’s especially true if the job you’re pursuing requires interaction with customers or company executives. Prepare to dine with prospective employers by following these 10 basic guidelines: Read more »