CSI CAREER CORNER

Your portfolio is a visual representation of your abilities, skills, and knowledge. It repre-sents your potential. Any document looks good when you can display it in an organized way. This includes completed samples of work you have previously done. The contents of a portfolio are typically organized in a three-ring binder. Each item should be placed in a plastic sheet protector to keep it from getting damaged. The contents can be arranged chronologically, or by topic, or type of item. Your completed portfolio may contain dozens of items. However, for a job interview you may want to bring only 10-15 items that are the most relevant to the position. Arrange your evidence into sections that will help someone else see what you have accom-plished. Your challenge is to organize the in-formation you have in your portfolio into an understandable overview of your accomplish-ments to date. Consider each of the following four categories to help your organize your evi-dence.

Educational Accomplishments In this section, concentrate on what you have accomplished in your studies at school. Items to include: *Your latest report card showing your grades and learning skills. *Your transcripts. *Your Annual Education Plan. *Any academic awards you have received. *Sports awards. *A program from a school play.

*Any other evidence unique to your involve-

ment in school activities.

Career Bulletin Designed by CSI Lombard

Academic English Students

Winter 2012

What Goes Where? Building Your Career Portfolio By: Jaruwan Pornmongkolcharoen, Lombard Campus Student

Creating a Personal Mission Statement

Pages 6 & 7

Recommendation Letters Page 8

References

Page 9

Building an Online Portfolio Page 10

Boost Your Career Using Social Media

Pages 11 & 12

Choosing Impressive Writing Samples

Page 5

Resume Writing Tips Cover Letter Tips

Pages 2 & 3

What Not to Write Page 4

Work This section focuses on your work experi-ences. Be sure to include both paying and nonpaying work experience. *An updated resume. *A list of references. *Co-operative Education certificates. *A sample cover letter you have written. *Any letter of recommendation you have received highlighting your work skills.

Community Participation The last section should focus on your par-ticipation in community activities. Many scholarships and awards require evidence of your community involvement. *First Aid / CPR courses. *Fund-raising events. *Cultural clubs / organizations. *Other community activities. When you have completed your portfolio, be sure to practice presenting it. The best portfolio in the world won’t help you if you don’t know how to use it effectively during an interview! So, practice, practice, and practice! Used correctly, not only can your portfolio help you answer some interview questions, and demonstrate just how ter-rific you are. You are not just telling them; you are showing them! them. Your portfo-lio will then continue to be a valuable tool throughout your advanced education and your chosen career.

ESL Academy

www.csinow.edu

RESUME TIPS

Making a Great First Impression! By Marta Zukowska, Lombard Campus Student

Your resume is your introduction to a fu-ture employer. On one hand, writing a resume isn’t a hard thing to do. There are many websites with ready-to-use tem-plates. On the other hand, you should think twice before

you use any of them. Your resume needs to be unique and interesting.

A well written resume won’t get you a job right away, but can help get you an inter-view. A good impression is very important; that is why your resume should be neat and well organized. A great resume is a masterpiece. If you want to have a perfect resume consider these tips.

A resume has to be simple and not too long. It shouldn’t be

longer than two pages and has to be written

in easy-to-understand language. Your fu-ture employer doesn’t have a whole day to read through your resume. Usually a decision is made within seconds.

Stick with a traditional design (font

face, size and color). Don’t try to make your resume more interesting by using a special color or fancy style. It doesn’t

work. Avoid using slang or jargon. Inappropriate language may send the

wrong impression. Also, never use pictures in your resume. Prepare your resume in a simple format that can be easily e-mailed and viewed on any computer such as Microsoft Word or in PDF format. Type your re-sume on good-quality letter paper.

Use a reverse chronological or-der. Start with the most recent job or

education and degree, and then work backwards. Get attention by using numbers or percentages.

Use key words related to the job you’re applying for and words that refer to titles such as manager and account-ant.

Include only your strengths, not weaknesses in your resume. Explain

the benefits of your skills. Don’t include

overly personal information and avoid listing your hobbies in your resume.

Your potential employer cares only about your skills and qualities related to the job.

Check your resume very carefully for any spelling or grammar mistakes. If possible, ask someone else to review it for you. Every mistake you make, your future employer might take as you don’t care enough about getting this job.

Remember, first impressions count. Using these tips you will write a

resume that looks professional and neat.

COVER LETTER TIPS

Sell Yourself! By Suhyun Bae, Lombard Campus Student

What is a cover letter? A cover letter is one of methods to qualify you for the

position you are applying for. It needs to make the person want to read your re-sume. Even though you have a good resume, if the cover letter is not persuasive enough for the reader, your resume will not be impressive. A cover letter should contain three main sections:

First paragraph - Identify the position you are applying for. Express why you are

interested in this position.

Second paragraph - Discuss how your skills are related to the position require-

ments and why you are a strong candidate. Emphasize your achievements, abili-ties or experiences that show you are an outstanding candidate.

Closing paragraph - Express thanks to the person for considering your resume

Included your phone number and e-mail address so they can reach you.

Tips to make your cover letter stand out: Short is good: Make your cover letter brief, but powerful. Do not write your life story. Introduce your skills. Write simply and clearly.

Target your cover letter: Research the position you are applying for and who

is hiring. You need to make sure your skills match the job.

Spell and grammar check: You need to check not only spelling and grammar

in body paragraphs, but also the name of the person or company. Misspellings make you look unprofessional.

Using templates: There are literally hundreds of cover letter templates availa-

ble online. Do not copy them, but use them for reference. Always write the cover letter in your own words.

Do not be pushy about the interview: Be polite asking to schedule an ap-

pointment of interview. I would welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss and explore how my experiences and achievements met your require-ments. Do not be pushy. Say something like, “I am available for interview at any time and I will call you next week to arrange the best day and time.”

Remember, the cover letter is your opportunity to sell yourself. Don’t waste the chance at making a great impression.

WHAT NOT TO WRITE PORTFOLIO

TI

P

Creating your portfolio is a very important step to getting the job of your dreams. Please remember that sometimes it is good to omit some documents and projects. Following this information will help you to make a perfect career portfolio.

Carefully Selecting Portfolio Information By Monika Marzec, Lombard Campus Student

People always want to impress other

people. They want to be the finest at

everything they do and they want oth-

ers to know how wonderful they are.

This is especially true when they want

to find a job. People seeking an occu-

pation have to present themselves to

the potential employer in the best way

possible. One of the best ways to

demonstrate your skills, experiences

and previous work is to create a career

portfolio. An excellent portfolio might

get you a job instantly. What you put in

your portfolio and how you organize it

can decide your future.

Unfortunately, many people believe

that more is always better. That is not

true when you create a portfolio. It is

important that you do not include

some documents.

Exclude anything that is

irrelevant to the interview.

Include documents that expose your

qualifications and best skills. The as-

sembly of your work should impress

your future boss. This collection should

assist your resume and letter of appli-

cation. Leave out everything that isn’t

related to your professional goals, even

if the project is superb.

Do not include mediocre

projects.

Choose only work of very good quality.

Even if you think that you do not have

enough examples, do not place ones that

are second-rated.

Do not include very long

texts.

Your report text should not be longer

than two pages. Employers usually do

not have the time to read longer writ-

ings.

Omit personal material.

Links to social websites (e.g., Face-

book.com), family photos, copies of

news stories about you that are not re-

lated to the job, and proof of your mem-

berships in various clubs are unneces-

sary. Your forthcoming superior does not

have to know everything about you, es-

pecially since some information may em-

barrass you.

Do not include documents

with errors.

Edit your work several times. Be sure

that it does not have any grammatical

and spelling mistakes.

Following these tips can help you create

a perfect career portfolio.

CHOOSING IMPRESSIVE WRITING SAMPLES

Relevancy is Key! By Mariya Moynova, Lombard Campus Student

Carefully choosing your sample and making sure that it actually sells your "excellent communication skills" can place you far ahead of other candidates who submitted equally strong cover letters and resumes. It will al-so match your background, edu-cation, skills, and experience with the position re-quirements and will create a high-er quality impres-sion and improve your image.

When looking for a job it is very im-

portant for everyone to be able to show

his or her qualifications. Strong writing

and communication skills are an essential

part of the portfolio of the potential can-

didate. The best way to present these

skills is using writing or presentation

samples considered important for the

position. Potential employers may ask for

a writing sample to be included with the

cover letter and resume; writing samples

need the same care and attention as all

other important parts of the portfolio. A

couple questions to be answered before

using the writing samples:

1. How long should it be? Do not

overwhelm the employer with a very

long piece of writing unless otherwise is

specified by him or her. Two to five pages

should be enough.

2. How should you choose your

sample? Regarding the quality, it is al-

ways better if you have written some-

thing related to the job and it is of good

quality. If not, choose a piece that is well

written over one that covers a topic re-

lated to the position but you have some

reservations about it. In terms of the

writing style, it is good to select a piece

which reflects the elements of good busi-

ness writing: terminology versus abstrac-

tions, concise in as few words as possible,

and does not require special knowledge

of the topic for the reader. Some tips to

make sure your writing or presentation

sample will increase your chances of

getting the job: Most candidates

don't send a writing sample- so if

you send one, your chances of scoring

an interview just improved. Make sure

your sample is perfect and contains

no spelling or grammatical errors. Good

writing skills are important and plagia-

rism is never recommended! Under-

stand that a writing sample re-

quest is another form of a test.

Consider the audience and the position.

It is always better to do some research

about the position for which you are

applying and send a sample related to it.

What should you not send? Avoid

writing an essay, a sample that clearly

states a political or religious agenda, a

sample which disparages any person or

groups or samples which contain hu-

mor. Carefully choosing your sample

and making sure that it actually sells

your "excellent communication skills"

can place you far ahead of other candi-

dates who submitted equally strong

cover letters and resumes. It will also

match your background, education,

skills, and experience with the position

requirements and will create a higher

quality impression and improve your

CREATING A PERSONAL MISSION

Creation of a personal mission statement helps you discover yourself.

Define Your Unique Designation in Life By: Natalia Anastasova & Piotr Jankowski, Lombard Campus Students

Why do we need to create an official

personal mission statement? Some of

us may say that we already know our

purpose and ambition. A mission state-

ment summarizes the talents and qual-

ities you have and want to develop,

goals that you want to achieve. It de-

fines your unique designation in life.

Having a personal mission statement

helps you make daily decisions. When

you have a choice to make, what exact

decision will bring you closer to your

ultimate goal? Will it help you to fulfill

your mission? Every action is im-

portant. Everything you do either helps

you realize your mission and accom-

plish your goals, or moves you away

from them. That’s why you should to

try to make every decision according to

your mission statement.

Creation of a personal mission statement

helps you discover yourself. Before writ-

ing a personal mission statement, you

need to ask yourself a few questions like:

When you were a child, what

did you want to be when you grew

up?

2. What special skills or talents do

you have?

3. When you did something that

made you feel like you were on

top of the world, what was it?

What were you doing?

4. Is there something that when

you’re doing it, you completely

lose track of time?

5. What do you have a passion

for?

6. How much money do you need/

want to make?

7. What does the market need

right now?

8. What would you do if you knew

that there was no chance of fail-

ure?

Personal Mission Statement Guidelines:

There is no unique formula for creating

your personal mission statement, but

these guidelines may be helpful:

1. Keep it simple, clear and concise.

The best mission statements can be 3 to

5 sentences long.

2. Your mission statement should re-

gard what you want to concentrate on

and who you want to become as a

person in this period of your life.

3. Make sure your mission statement is

positive.

4. Create a mission statement that will

be a guide for your everyday ac-

tions and will help you make right deci-

sions.

5. Think about how your mission can

influence the other areas of your life.

6. Make it emotional.

You may need to modify your person-

al mission statement based on educa-

tion, personal development and

knowledge. Remember that the only

constant in life is change. Things

change, people change, circumstanc-

es change. Allow yourself the flexibil-

ity to change and improve your mis-

sion statement as you grow.

Remember,

“If you’re not following

your heart, you’re living

someone else’s dream.”

–Lyn Christian

Remember that the only con-stant in life is change. Allow yourself the flex-ibility to change and improve your mission statement as you grow.

RECOMMENDATION LETTERS GETTING THE MOST FROM THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW YOU BEST BY: ZANETA SZUBER, LOMBARD CAMPUS STUDENT

A recommendation letter is a form of a letter that offers information about an indi-vidual, his or her character as well as work ethic. It is usually needed when apply-ing for college or a job posi-tion.

When asking someone to write a recommenda-tion letter for you, it is important to choose a person that knows you, know your work ethic, and has good things to say about you; any neg-ative remarks may jeopardize your job/college opportunities. A recommendation letter should include a short explanation of how the person knows you, and the nature of your relationship to that individual. Included in the letter should also be an evaluation of your personal skills with specific examples. As a conclusion, the person writing a recommendation letter should explain why they would recommend you for that job position/college program you are ap-plying for. There are few useful tips worth sharing, I found while researching this topic:

1. When asking someone for a recommenda-

tion letter, it is important that they know what it's for (college program/job position

etc.) as they can then better adjust the letter to its purpose. Make sure the person has good things to say about you.

2. Make sure the person has enough time to

write the letter (typically 3-4 weeks.)

3. State your goals and suggest what they

should write. This will make things easier for a person writing your letter, as well as make you stand out.

4. Follow up with an email, providing a sum-

mary of your conversation regarding a recom-mendation letter, give suggestions as to what could be included in your letter etc.

5. Provide that individual with a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and make

sure they are aware of your deadlines.

6. Make sure they included their contact in-formation.

7. Send a thank you note after receiving

your recommendation letter. Tell them how much you appreciate them taking the time to writing your letter. Describe how this will help you reach your goals.

DID YOU KNOW? There are many people who can serve as a professional reference! Former bosses, colleagues, co-workers, supervisors, vendors, and even college professors are excellent choices!

References are an important part of the resume when you are filling out a job ap-plication. One of the questions that future employers ask at the end of the inter-view is for your list of references. Who should you choose as a reference? What

information should you include about your references? Five easy steps will help

you properly organize your references.

The first step is to make sure you contact your references first. Never give out

contact information to the future employer before contacting the people on your reference list.

The second step is to use a separate page for your references. Unless you are

applying for a personal assistant or something similar, you shouldn’t be indicating the references. In different situations, the end of your resume should have a note signifying that references are available upon request.

The third step is the heading that is the start of your reference list. The heading

should include the reference’s name in a clear, bold font. In a slightly smaller font beneath that, you should include the reference’s address, phone number, and email. You may also add a line underneath the heading in order to clearly separate it from the rest of the document.

The forth step is to make sure you add a clear title under the heading.

The fifth step is to list the reverence and their information. Start with the

name of the reference in bold. Beneath that write the relationship to you and the company. Include their work address beneath that. List the phone number next, but remember to indicate the number for a work phone or cell phone. Include their e-mail last.

Finally by following all five easy steps that are mentioned earlier, you can be sure that your references are properly organized.

REFERENCES AN IMPORTANT PART OF YOUR PORTFOLIO

BY: ANNA YACIMCHUK, LOMBARD CAMPUS STUDENT

BUILDING AN ONLINE PORTFOLIO SET YOURSELF APART FROM THE COMPETITION! BY: MICHAL KUSAK, LOMBARD CAMPUS STUDENT

An online job portfolio is still unpopular amongst job seekers. However, it can be that one differentiating factor setting you apart from your competition. With lots of online help and resources, you can build your online port-folio within minutes. Unlike with a paper re-sume, you are not limited to just text, so don’t hesitate to include relevant pictures, videos, links and references to your portfolio. Here are some tips that will help you make it outstand-ing:

Make it clear and simple – There is usually

no need to include lengthy explanations of eve-ry job you ever had in your life. Most employ-ers simply don’t have the time to read it any-way. Avoid visual clutter.

Easy to navigate – Using an uncommon navi-

gation style can destroy all your efforts; simple hyperlinks, however, will make it easy to read by anyone - especially your prospective busy employer

Make it work for as many web browsers as you can – Most portfolio creators omit this

step completely. For example, if you are using Internet Explorer for web design with an online web creator, make sure to check the results un-der other browsers like Firefox or Safari. At first attempt, your portfolio will most likely look very messy and unorganized, especially the text part of it. Pictures may cover some portion of text or links. Go back to the drawing board and make it compatible with most commonly used brows-ers. You will never know which one your pro-spective employer is using.

Easy updates – Regular updates to your port-

folio are as important as the content you put in. Nobody likes outdated information. You can in-clude a statement like “last updated on: …” on the top of your main page to notify your viewers that all information is up to date. Most web portfolio services make it easy to update and add new information.

Create multiple portfolios – You most likely

have more than one skill set. To make sure your employer gets relevant information to your fu-ture job position, you can create multiple port-folios, each one exposing your particular skill set required and related job experience. Include at least one video – A video presenta-tion can answer a lot of questions your employ-er might have about you and save his or her pre-cious time. Make it look professional and take care of all the details like sound quality, back-ground etc. Finding your dream job is not an easy task and may take some time. Don’t give up. Stay ahead of your competition by creating your online portfolio now! You will be surprised how much good it can do for you and your career.

BOOST YOUR CAREER WITH SOCIAL MEDIA GET DIGITAL! BY: KATARZYNA PLICHTOWICZ, LOMBARD CAMPUS STUDENT

Nowadays,

almost everyone is using social media. There is a good reason why: Using social media properly can help inevitably toward enhancing the pro-fessional career profiles. OPPORTUNITIES: Social media is just as “strategic” as it is “social,” it can makes easier for you to: Network with colleagues: It’s never been easier to network with industry leaders. Everyone is connected with someone else, from the CEO of some organizations, through the human resources directors to any employees. Friends of our friends can be really helpful as the excellent source of information. Find job openings: A lot of companies use so-cial media for recruiting. Although it may be just one step of a larger recruitment process, many rely deeply on social networks to find candidates. Besides that, very often budget limitations force human resources departments to use as many low-cost ways as possible, and social media is free. Establish yourself as a subject matter expert: Establishing yourself as a subject matter expert

is easy when you regularly post and comment on relevant topics. Although the methods are various from platform to platform, their princi-ples are the same. When you repost a status, add a link to an article or contribute to an online discussion, you improve your brand and become known as a “go-to” person. Building this reputa-tion takes time, but it will enhance your visibil-ity. CHALLENGES: Certainly, social media can damage your person-al brand just as easily as it can advance it, espe-cially when you’re not following the “rules” of the game. With that in mind, consider the fol-lowing when you are using social media as a part of your career business plan: Post only what’s appropriate: The cardinal rule in social media is this: If you wouldn’t want your grandmother or religious leader to see it, don’t post it. Keep it professional: Although there’s more wiggle room at social sites, such as Facebook, than professional ones, like LinkedIn, it’s a good idea to keep “personal” posts to a minimum. Although there may not be anything objectiona-ble or inappropriate about your personal posts, being too personal too often can make weaker your individual brand. Commit to your personal brand: In an ideal world, if you wanted to establish yourself as a marketing expert, you would post information and opinions on marketing topics. Posting leads for IT jobs, commenting about health care re-form or responding to others’ posts about the

BOOST YOUR CAREER CONTINUED… financial industry are all “off brand.” This doesn’t mean that you can’t wander from your topic of choice; you just should act attentively and keep most of your posts on-topic. TOOLS: Although there are countless social media sites to choose from when you’re trying to build your career, it’s important to invest your time in just a few. Consider the following tips for using the most popular social networks: LinkedIn: If you choose just one social network, it should be LinkedIn. The statistics speak for themselves: some estimates show that as many as 70% of recruiters will turn to it first when fill-ing a position. Before getting started with LinkedIn, make sure your profile is 100% com-plete, which requires you to include your cur-rent position, two past positions, your educa-tion, a summary, a photo, specialties and at least three recommendations. These extra steps are worthwhile because completed profiles are more likely to be viewed than incomplete pro-files. Using LinkedIn’s “Groups” feature is one of the best ways to actively manage your career, re-gardless of your current objective. If you’re looking for work, you can build relationships with decision makers. If you’d like to build your reputation, people will get to know you when you participate in discussions. You can choose from bounteous of groups that fit to your inter-ests, such as your job function, industry or school. Whichever groups you register for, it’s not enough to join; you also must participate. Asking questions and responding to requests are all great ways to do so. You also can ad-vantage this feature to build relationships with people in your industry.

Twitter: Twitter is an excellent tool for manag-ing your career, and more people are catching on to it. Unlike LinkedIn, you can “follow” and connect to anyone on Twitter without their formal approval. You can then read what they post, reply to their comments and even mes-sage them directly. Twitter’s potential as a networking tool is obvi-ous, but you also can use it to search job open-ings. There are plenty associations that list va-cancies, but a couple feeds worth following are @AssociationJobs and @GetAssociateJobs. Establishing yourself as an industry expert here is just as easy as it is on LinkedIn. Posting relevant status updates, including links to in-dustry articles and having an on-brand bio are a few of the ways you can start developing your reputation as a thought leader on Twit-ter. Facebook: Facebook is the most ”social” social network. Your “friends,” those who are con-nected to you on Facebook, expect to interact with you on a less formal level. Of course, you can post relevant articles, statuses about your industry and even job leads, but professional status updates should be balanced with more personal ones. Although you don’t need to be as rigorous about your personal brand on Fa-cebook, and there’s no area to search for open jobs, many have used it successfully as a net-working and lead-generation tool, and tried to be reconnected with former classmates and co-workers, and set up networking meetings within them. Definitely, every social network is different; however, each provides at least one of the fol-lowing opportunities: job openings, network-ing and the ability to establish yourself as an expert. If you approach social media with real-istic expectations, tend to it regularly and maintain your brand, you’ll have a terrific tool that will continue to offer benefits throughout the path of your career.

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A very special thanks to all my wonderful classroom contributors -Lisa Barrett, Instructor

CSI Career Corner is a newsletter created by ESL Academy Students. The views expressed on this newsletter are not necessarily those of CSI or its staff nor does CSI necessarily endorse or recommend any information con-tained on this newsletter.

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