AU Blogspot

           Thanks to soundfromwayout for permission to use this Photo.

If you are convinced that your dream internship is out of reach, we’re willing to bet that you’re wrong. Landing internships at the Goldmans and McKinseys of the world may be a challenge, but that’s OK. We’ll help you develop a strategy to go after your top choices.

Before we talk strategy, we’d like to give you examples of students who landed their dream internships using our tactics:

Binghamton’s Thomas Burke landed an internship at the Mercantile Exchange through family friends. 

Cabrini’s Dennis Beovich landed an internship as an analyst at a top investment bank through his father.

Sacred Heart’s Joseph Churba landed a Big 4 Accounting Firm internship through a professor.

These are just a handful of students who took their internship search to a new level and scored their top choices. Now we’ll show you how you can do the same.

Dig for connections you never knew you had

The first and most important action you should take is to get in touch with alumni from your school’s alumni network. The majority of alumni will be thrilled to help you, especially if they have made themselves available on the school’s network. If you do not know of such a network at your school, visit your career center and ask for a list of alumni who work in your industry. Remember to always start these conversations with questions, showing interest in the industry, and never with requests for interviews or resume pushes.

Next, take 15 minutes to compile a list of all your family members and friends. When you finish, go through the list and figure out who you will see within the next week. Plan on asking them who they know in your target industry. Email or call everyone else on your list and find out who they know. Make sure you have good questions prepared for your conversations.

If your first contact is unable to help you, ask about introducing you to three people who can. You have the advantage of being a college student and many people will be helpful. (more…)

 
                    Thanks to Torley for permission to use this Photo.

Hi everyone, my name is Camilla.  I am the proud parent of one little angel named Destiny.  She is the love of my life and I love her so much.  Having a daughter has opened my eyes to the realities of this world.

I have always been a very mature and responsible person, but had somehow managed to procrastinate taking my education to the next level.  I have been employed in the travel industry since I left college, which is a very challenging and exciting profession!

I have always put off pursuing my bachelor’s degree for a later date, but after having my daughter, I decided that I needed to do it now for many reasons.

Firstly, earning my degree in management is totally vital to me in terms of self satisfaction and knowing that I did all to achieve my ultimate educational goals. Having taken the necessary steps towards my goal, I totally intend to use this as an example of hard work and dedication to my daughter. 

Some people believe that when one has kids—it’s the end of the world; but it doesn’t have to be. Raising a child is just as much an opportunity to get to know yourself better as it is a life long process of discovery.

In addition, this degree gives me a better chance of earning a better salary, which will in turn help me care for my daughter much better financially.

Although it is very challenging to study and make plans when you are a parent, it is very important to find it in your inner self to make the time. Dedicate yourself to doing this and rely on your support system no matter how small it is.  Just keep staying focused on your ultimate goal.

However; I have also learned that no matter how urgent the deadline for an assignment might be—it is always best to take care of my daughter first, instead of ignoring her, and then get back to the assignment.

So to all fellow students who are parents (male, female, single, married, or divorced)—I say congratulations for making this step to advancing your education and wish you all the best with your endeavours!

Camilla
Bachelor’s In Management Program Student
Ashworth University

The Ashworth University Career Center is a free student resource provided through our partnership with Experience.com, the nation’s largest career advancement site focusing exclusively on college students and young professionals.  You can access the Ashworth University Career Center through the Student Portal.  Simply click on the “Career Center” link on the left hand navigation bar after logging into the Student Portal.  Here’s an example of some of the very informative career enhancement articles you have access to within the Career Center:

Getting Great References 

By Tory Johnson, CEO of Women For Hire

It’s inevitable that at some point in your job search you will be asked for references, and when you are, you want to be sure you have a great group of advocates who are prepared with answers that will help rather than hinder your chances at landing the position.

References are something you should think about at the beginning of your interview process and not just at the end when you are under immediate pressure to provide them.

Start by making a list of all the possible people you can use as a reference. Be sure to think about:

• Former employers
• Former Clients
• College professors
• Deans
• Family friends who have seen you in a professional setting
• Association leaders

Copyright © 1996 - 2008 Experience, Inc. - All Rights Reserved   

To read more of Tory’s great article, login to the Ashworth University Career Center through the student portal and click here:

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

 
                             Image courtesy of Matthias Meckel.

The Ashworth University Career Center is a free student resource provided through our partnership with Experience.com, the nation’s largest career advancement site focusing exclusively on college students and young professionals.  You can access the Ashworth University Career Center through the Student Portal.  Simply click on the “Career Center” link on the left hand navigation bar after logging into the Student Portal.  Here’s an example of some of the very informative career enhancement articles you have access to within the Career Center:

From Heather Mundell 

Being yourself during a highly stressful situation -like a job interview- can be a challenge. Here’s some information to help you remain true to yourself while making a great impression. Almost fourteen years ago I interviewed for a job with someone who would subsequently become my manager and mentor. The last question she asked me in the interview was this:

“What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned?”

Now when you think about it, that’s a whopper of a question. You can go broad with this one or stay narrow. You can get personal or keep it generic. You can be flip or be serious. But I didn’t think about it. The interview had gone really well, I was relaxed, I was feeling confident, and I simply answered what popped into my head, which was something like, “To always be myself. Pretending to be someone else doesn’t work.” I was 26 years old, and I was onto something. And I was hired.

The brilliance of my answer wasn’t what got me the job. It was a sincere answer, and one in which I still strongly agree with, but that’s not why I got the job. I got the job because there was a good fit between who I was, who my manager-to-be was, the job I’d be doing, and the company culture.

Copyright © 1996 - 2008 Experience, Inc. - All Rights Reserved 

To read more of Heather’s great article, login to the Ashworth University Career Center through the student portal and click here.

Ryan Rode
Interactive Services Manager
Ashworth University

When I received my first textbook in the mail, the first thing I did was go out and buy a planning book. I then scanned though my textbook and lessons to see about how much work was required of me and I just divided it up into smaller sections so that it wouldn’t be very overwhelming.

I just take my time and get things done when I have enough energy in me to do so. That’s the great thing about this place; you pretty much have all the time you need to complete assignments. You just have to find your pace and stick to it. It’s hard at the beginning, but once you get the momentum going it gets easier.

Shirley
Computer Information Management Student
Ashworth University

              Thanks to Toho Scope for permission to use this Photo. 

Today, make the choice to focus on your strengths. It is easy to look at oneself and see areas where you may need improvement. While it’s true that taking time for honest reflection on the areas where we’d like to see improvement is important — it’s equally  important to give yourself your due credit for all the wonderful talents you’ve already acquired — all the bits and pieces that go into making you the incredible person you are. 

Please understand that I’m not suggesting we live in “la la land”, acting as though there’s no area for improvement. Of course there are areas we can all improve in — that’s what personal growth is all about.Instead, what I am suggesting is that you and I spend at least as much time accepting and being thankful for all the positive traits we have acquired already — not just those areas we believe we need to improve. It’s all about balance. Seek ongoing to improve where you can, but be sure to celebrate all that makes up the amazing you as well!

Think about it like this — if you want to help someone improve, and in the process not have them take it as a personal attack — one way to approach the task would be to compliment them on something they are doing particularly well — acknowledging and pointing out one of their strengths (making sure it’s a genuine and sincere compliment of course) — and then bringing up ideas which might be helpful in improving in a given area. Along the same lines, give yourself the same positive boost by acknowledging the “good” things you’re doing, right along side areas that you’ve identified where improvement is needed. (more…)

 
           Thanks to David Churbuck for permission to use this Photo. 

Want to succeed in the workplace today? Success requires proficiency in three areas:

IQ: technical competence in your field of expertise

EQ: interpersonal relationships guided by sensitivity to your own, and others’, emotions; and

NQ: innovative intelligence, or openness and keen curiosity about ways of making novel ideas useful.

Click on the image above to watch my video discussion of these areas.  Enjoy.

Dr. Tom Guarrielo
CIO and Co-Founder of True Talk, Inc.
Co-Author of “Work Different: Design For The Rest Of Us” 
Ashworth University Contributing Blogger

*Dr. Tom Guarrielo is the Chief Idea Officer and Co-Founder of True Talk, Inc., a leading management development consulting company based out of New York. Through his popular and respected The True Talk Blog, Tom provides some of the best business innovation and organizational planning strategies on the web. We would like to thank Tom for openly allowing us share his perspectives with our Ashworth student community. He’s been nothing but helpful since we first contacted him. Visit the True Talk website to learn about the life and work of Dr. Tom Guarriello. Thanks Tom!

Photo courtesy of tomeppy.

During my efforts to overcome various self defeating inhibitions like shyness, call reluctance and writer’s block, I collected a small compendium of conditions or techniques favorable to successful striving. These factors can work with a variety of goals.

In all instances, the challenge in achieving self discipline in a given area is that you are confronted with making yourself do something you know you should do but which you don’t WANT to do.

In overcoming these common dis-inclinations mentioned above, the key proved to be managing or controlling some inner target aspect like doubt, fear, temptation, low self confidence or futility.

After reading about various methods of self control and undergoing some successes and failures in my own efforts at self regulation, I have come up with a short of list of techniques that either worked for me or showed promise of doing so in the literature. (more…)

                        Image courtesy of deadgirlbelchesstars. 

Of all the forms of reluctance, shyness around other people tends to be very resistant to change. I suspect that everyone is shy from time to time and that oftentimes shyness gets in the way of taking advantage or new opportunities or new relationships.

While it is true that there is an inherent interest by many in overcoming shyness, as a counter-weight to that appal, there is a case to be made on the other side. The following quote is from Isaac Bashevis Singer:

“I don’t think that people should get over being shy. It is a blessing in disguise. The shy person is the opposite of the aggressive person. Shy people are seldom the great sinners. They allow society to remain at peace.”

Indulging those who seek relief, let me pass on some tips for overcoming shyness that I collected from an article by Roger Elliott.

1. Practice becoming fascinated by other people. Ask them about themselves, and concentrate when they answer you. Remember what they tell you about themselves so you can talk about it later, or on another occasion.

2. Great socializers make other people feel comfortable and interesting. How do they do that? By being really, genuinely interested in other people. If you are talking to someone and you feel boring or inferior, ask why that is. Is it really all your fault? (more…)

                          Image courtesy of Boards of Canada. 

The tendency to defeat our own best laid plans has puzzled writers for centuries. The challenge of understanding self-defeating behaviors, what Aristotle called akrasia, has not been met. One distinction that appears in the literature is between decisions based on desires vs. decisions based on judgment. Models based on wanting satisfaction say that “people weigh the feeling of satisfaction that follows alternatives and selectively repeat those behaviors that lead to the most satisfaction.”(George Ainsle, Breakdown of Will, Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 13.)

The “weighers” would say that people will most consistently follow those plans that offer maximum satisfaction, either subjectively in terms of psychic rewards like self pride, feelings of accomplishment, or sense of virtue; or objectively in terms of money, power or some material indices of prestige. Models based on judging (the so called “cognitive approach”) focus on how a person uses reason to relate to a hierarchy of needs or wants. If a person can find justifications and legitimations for their choices, this becomes the guiding light for conduct. (more…)