Winter Term, 2012

Welcome back everyone!

If you were one of those lucky students that had the chance to leave Klamath Falls during winter break, you were probably coming back expecting there to be about a foot of snow on the ground, only to be disappointed by clear blue skies and not a single drop of rain on the ground (heartbreaking, I know).

With Winter Term about to get underway, there are a couple of things to take note of that weren't so relevant in the Fall Term:

1. OIT Basketball is in the heart of conference play, with both the men and women's teams in the hunt for national tournament berths and
2. All graduating seniors (and underclassmen looking for summer internships) will begin starting to look for employment opportunities in the summer.

While having school spirit and supporting athletics is important, I want to focus on the second part of that list - job searching. For the most part, all students want to have a job right after graduation lined up for them, so that they don't have to move back home with Mom and Dad and have a curfew all over again.

OIT has two career fairs a year; the fair for the school of Engineering, Technology and Management (ETM) which was in the fall, and the one for the school of Health, Arts, and Sciences (HAS) approaching on Marh 5. While these are great ways to help secure internships and careers after graduating, these are not the only ways you can find the career path for you after graduating.

Work at a place you enjoy, not loathe!

First, make a list of things you want out of your job, and prioritize them. What matters to you the most? Location? Starting Salary? Opportunity to move up? Then, find companies that you want to start a career with that also reflect your priorities.

Once you've found companies that you want to start a career with, network with them! This would be a great time to utilize Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn and get in contact with the right people to help you get the job you want. (Career Services can help find OIT Alumni in companies to help make the job search easier - be sure to check us out!)

Now that you've made contact with the right people, make sure your resume, references and cover letters are all up to date. Always remind your references that you are job searching and that they still may receive a phone call about you from a potential employer. Be sure to remind your references of things you've done recently, just so they don't have to struggle to find something good to say about you.

The final step when applying for the job is both the easiest and hardest thing to do: be yourself! It's unfair for you to try and apply for a job being someone you're not, and even harder to try and keep being that person if in fact you're hired! If you just show the real you from the beginning, it almost always will work in your favor.

Need any help with completing these steps? Just contact Career Services at Career@oit.edu or visit us on the 2nd floor of the LRC.