Be. Career. Ready.

Before you start to apply for internships or full-time positions, ask yourself these six questions. Are you ready to apply? Interested in learning where you can get support?

When job searching, simply having a LinkedIn profile is not enough. The decisions you make about which sections to use on LinkedIn is key, especially if you want to get the attention of recruiters and hiring managers. This podcast episode is part of a series, with this being the second of three.  We will cover steps 6-10 in this episode to help you optimize your LinkedIn profile.

This podcast episode is part of a series, with this being the last of three.  We cover steps 11-15 in this episode to help you optimize your LinkedIn profile to gain more attention by recruiters and hiring managers.

When job searching, simply having a LinkedIn profile is not enough. The decisions you make about which sections to use on LinkedIn is key, especially if you want to get the attention of recruiters and hiring managers. This podcast episode is part of a series, with this being the first.  We will cover steps 1-5 to help you optimize your LinkedIn profile.

With each application, your hope is to score an interview. Given today's job market, expect between 3-8 interviews with a company before receiving an offer. With that many rounds and questions to navigate, you need to develop your storytelling skills. Learn what five story topics to prepare BEFORE you interview.

Did you know that 70-80% of job openings never get posted on job boards? The people who get those jobs know the importance of networking. With only 20-30% of openings finding their way to a job board, consider re-thinking how you spend your time job searching.  Instead of poring over job listings, followed by putting together needed application materials, dedicate time to networking. Learn how and get started here.

Learn more about NIU's 2022 Summer Writing and Research Program.  This free 8-week, Monday through Friday, program starts on June 13 and ends on August 6. You have the choice to meet in person or join online. In this podcast episode, Ashley Bartelt shares a quick overview of this popular program for thesis and dissertation writers. Register now! Don't miss out!

When job searching, one of the most critical pieces to prepare is your resume. Be sure you avoid these three common resume mistakes. Follow this channel or regularly check to see what new episodes we drop about job searching and wellbeing.  We are here to help YOU be. career. ready.

Whether you have significant or limited work experience, deciding how to best capture your job responsibilities in the "Work Experience" section of your resume is a common challenge. Six strategies are shared to structure and optimize your “Work Experience” section. 

Christine Lagattolla, NIU's Assistant Director of Outdoor Adventures, shares  strategies with you on how increasing your awareness positively impacts health and wellbeing. In fact, awareness is a major step toward making change in your life. Learn more about breathing, self-talk, and quieting your mind's chatter.  

If you're like most grad students, there is a good chance you're eating on the fly.  Perhaps you're doing something else while you are eating.  Or, perhaps you skipped your last meal to meet a deadline or fulfill an obligation. How you eat is one important piece of your wellness journey and helps to lay a strong foundation to do your best as a grad student.  Meg Burnham, NIU Nutrition Education Coordinator, shares strategies for you to consider and the opportunity to participate in the Intuitive Eating program.

In today's job market, skills are the new job genome. That's why you need to think about your job search in terms of skills. This episode focuses on how to add skills to your cover letter, resume, LinkedIn profile, and when interviewing. 

The holidays are a time that we get to gather with those closest to us.  It's a time for celebration, traditions, and relaxing. But, it can also be a time of drudging up the past, fights about politics, guilt-ridden conversations, judgement of your choices and feelings of loneliness.  Angela Kaminski shares how you can set expectations and set boundaries. 

It's finally here, the end of another long semester and now you can finally relax!  No research, no last minute writing drafts of your papers, and no studying for exams.  After a week or two, you may find yourself feeling out of sorts and even feeling depressed or anxious.  So what's going on…. Angela Kaminski shares insights on the feelings you may have and how to recharge over break.

This 5-minute podcast provides practical information about time management. Audra Jensen, Department of Psychology, describes how you can begin using the Pomodoro Technique today. This podcast series is sponsored by NIU's  Graduate School.  A new topic is dropped on Wednesdays. 

Of all of the application materials that individuals prepare to job search, cover letters are the least understood. Did you know that more than 80% of hiring managers see cover letters as crucial when assessing applicants?  This podcast explains how to format your cover letter, the six parts to include, strategies for showing "fit" with the job posting, and optimizing your content to gain favor with Applicant Tracking Systems.  Don't miss this pithy but practical podcast. 

This 5-minute podcast provides practical information about self-care. This podcast series is collaboratively sponsored by NIU's Counseling & Consultation Services as well as the Graduate School.  A new topic is dropped on Wednesdays. 

This 5-minute podcast provides practical information to help you better understand perfectionism. This podcast series is collaboratively sponsored by NIU's Counseling & Consultation Services as well as the Graduate School.  A new topic is dropped every Wednesday. 

This 5-minute podcast provides practical insight about physical activity. This podcast series is collaboratively sponsored by NIU's Counseling & Consultation Services as well as the Graduate School.  A new topic is dropped every Wednesday. 

This 5-minute podcast provides practical information to help you better understand procrastination and strategies to use when it happens. This podcast series is collaboratively sponsored by NIU's Counseling & Consultation Services as well as the Graduate School.  A new topic is dropped every Wednesday. 

One of the biggest innovations to come to NIU in Fall 2021 is the new Learning Commons. Our guest is Kimberly Shotick, Student Success Librarian and Assistant Professor with the University Libraries. She details WHY you should take advantage and HOW the services offered support ALL grad students.

This 5-minute podcast provides strategies to find balance by learning to say no. This podcast series is collaboratively sponsored by NIU's Counseling & Consultation Services as well as the Graduate School.  A new topic is dropped every Wednesday. 

This 5-minute podcast provides practical information to help you with Breathing. This podcast series is collaboratively sponsored by NIU's Counseling & Consultation Services as well as the Graduate School.  A new topic is dropped every Wednesday. 

This 5-minute podcast provides practical information to help you with Mindfulness. This podcast series is collaboratively sponsored by NIU's Counseling & Consultation Services as well as the Graduate School.  A new topic is dropped every Wednesday. 

This 5-minute podcast provides practical information to help you with Sleep. This podcast series is collaboratively sponsored by NIU's Counseling & Consultation Services as well as the Graduate School.  A new topic is dropped every Wednesday. 

This 5-minute podcast provides practical information to help you with Imposter Phenomenon. This podcast series is collaboratively sponsored by NIU's Counseling & Consultation Services as well as the Graduate School.  A new topic is dropped every Wednesday. 

This 5-minute podcast provides practical information to help you with Work-Life Balance. This podcast series is collaboratively sponsored by NIU's Counseling & Consultation Services as well as the Graduate School.  A new topic is dropped every Wednesday. 

One area that we cannot overlook to land a good job is networking. With the job market still impacted by the pandemic, it's important to leverage our connections with others to find out about companies, businesses, institutions, the people who work there, and jobs that become available.  In this podcast, we talk about networking but from a unique perspective – tapping into NIU's Alumni Association. Joining us is Liz McKee, Director of Alumni Volunteer Engagement.

Join us and learn from Carolyn Law, NIU Thesis/Dissertation Advisor, more about the Thesis/Dissertation Office and why you should take advantage of the supports offered. Carolyn has read literally thousands of theses/dissertations over the years and has coined the following quote that resonates with NIU grad students: “The best dissertation is the one you finish!”

In working with graduate students on how to be optimize their job search, I am often asked, “What can I do to set myself apart from others?” or, “How can I get the attention of a hiring manager?”   In this podcast we talk about a job search strategy for you to use to answer those very questions.  It's called Storytelling. Our guest is Sandra Kubat, an NIU Alum with a degree in Communications. She is the Assistant Director of Career Management for the Full Time MBA and Master's Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's School of Business. She offers an overview of storytelling and why to use that strategy when job searching.

Three guests share their insights about how you can optimize your academic and career pathway using resources at NIU:  Ann Hodel, Kristy Whitman-Howell, and Chandrark Thaker. Grab your earbuds and hear their personal stories, paths they chose, and why.

How can you best utilize the university libraries at NIU whether a grad student just starting a degree program, in the middle, or completing your final year? Through experience, we've learned that there are many missed library opportunities that students either don't know about or they forget to utilize.  Our guest is Alissa Droog from the University Libraries to tell us more about how to become aware of and best utilize their resources.

Although lab safety and hazards analysis are not skills for every graduate student, there are many students who would gain favor by getting those skills while at NIU and adding them to their resume and LinkedIn profile. Today's guest shares HOW and WHERE you can get experience in lab safety and hazards analysis while in a graduate program. Michele Crase, NIU's Laboratory Manager, is our guest expert.

Learn how to earn a transcript notation in Responsible Conduct of Research. Shannon Stoker, NIU Director of the Office of Research, Compliance, Integrity, & Safety, shares details about participating in this self-paced program and the topics covered that will make you a more accomplished researcher.

Learn about NIU's Summer Virtual Study Program for thesis, dissertation, and research writers.  Ashley Bartelt, from the University Writing Center, describes this unique opportunity and the benefits from participating.

Before you start to apply for internships or full-time positions, ask yourself these six questions. Are you ready to apply?

Recruiters and hiring managers have shifted almost entirely to digital interviews to find new employees. The process, which can include 3-8 total interviews per position, can be quite intimidating and possibly frustrating, especially if you are not sure what to expect and/or desire to get hired quickly.  To help you understand what it means by a digital interview, let's break it down into two areas of thinking: (1) what to expect, and (2) how to be successful.

If you are applying to lots of jobs and not getting any interviews, it's time to look more carefully at your resume.  Discover some common resume mistakes that might be the reason why.

If you have been applying for jobs, hopefully you've been including a cover letter.  If not, then you should re-consider your strategy when you apply for jobs.  Grab your ear buds and discover "9"tips to remember when writing your next cover letter.

If you're listening to this podcast either you are or will be looking for a job in 2021…or for others, you're just curious to know about job searching and how that has changed, especially with the pandemic and its impact on the labor market. 2021 may bring some normalcy back to the workplace, but some things are here to stay. Here's what job seekers can likely expect in the “next normal” in 2021