Employer Perspective: Transitioning to the ‘Real World’

Posted on May 3, 2012 by mmcginnis

 

 

By Abby Bender, HR Manager, Clasen Quality Coatings, Middleton, WI

Abby Bender

Graduating from college and transitioning to the ‘real world’ can be a scary thought.  You’ve picked a major that you think you’ll like, but really you don’t know.  You need to find a job and pay bills.  And, worst of all, you have to get up early!!!

Don’t fret…it’s really not that bad.  In fact, it’s awesome!  Granted you have to make the first hurdle of getting a job, but after that, things change big time.  Now you have MONEY!  No more studying, no more tests, and no more being dependent on your parents.  So how do you land that first job???  Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way…

Build your resume.  I’ve looked at enough ‘new graduate’ resumes to make a person go crazy.  Don’t make me even crazier by sending a resume in that has your name, address, and your degree listed and nothing else related to the job I’m hiring for.  I’ve seen that resume a million times.  If you want to stick out in a pile of resumes among your peers, you have to set yourself apart with experience.  An internship is a great way to do this – it will also help you figure out what type of full-time job you may want down the road.  I don’t want to hear that you don’t have time because your school schedule is too busy.  You’re not.  You’re just not making it a priority.

Take the time to write a cover letter.  I realize that cover letters have gone by the wayside.  I’m not going to lie – I don’t always read them.  But if I’m trying to decide between two equivalent candidates and one has a well-written cover letter and one doesn’t, who do you think I’m going to pick?  Bingo!  The extra effort can make the difference.  Oh and have somebody read your resume and cover letter before you send it off.  The more opinions, the better!  You may have a glaring typo and because you’ve read the darn thing over and over, you have overlooked it.  Don’t let your resume end up in the trash because of simple mistakes.

Practice interviewing.  I know it feels weird, but it will be worth your time.  The internet has a million sample interview questions out there.  Even if you just start by reading them to yourself and answering them to a mirror, it’s better than nothing.  Make sure you are maintaining eye contact, sitting up straight, and not doing weird nervous ticks.  Then eventually you should have a friend or relative ask you the questions and have them critique you.  When you get to an actual interview, make sure you answer the question that is asked.  It seems so simple, but candidates that ramble or don’t answer the question completely are SO frustrating for interviewers.  A few other random tips:  Research the company that you are interviewing with.  Bring a copy of your resume and have questions for the interviewer.  Dress professionally.  Guys and girls, that means wear a suit.  And last but not least, be confident (even if you are sweating profusely under that nice suit).

Take a job even if it is not your ‘dream job’.  You might think this means you are selling yourself short, but you have to be realistic.  The economy isn’t so hot, you have little to no experience, and you’re living at home with your parents.  When I was in college, I envisioned my first job like an episode of Ally McBeal. (Hopefully, I haven’t aged myself too much with this reference.)  I imagined going to work in a power suit, going out to fancy lunches, and having my own corner office.  It was great…in my head.  In reality, my first job ended up being a glorified administrative assistant within an HR department.  I had a tiny, dark cubicle and my fancy lunch was a PBJ and a carton of milk.  And I did wear a suit (even though none of my co-workers did) that I got on clearance at Shopko.  I had to fulfill part of my dream.  I worked my butt off in that job, looking for additional projects and responsibilities to help out my manager and it paid off.

Consider moving.  Easy for me to say, right?  I know…You have a life, family, and a significant other established in a certain area; why the heck would you move?  Because it opens up opportunities!  Big companies (if that’s your thing) have plenty of jobs, but they may not be down the street.  Being able to relocate opens up a world of opportunities (literally).  And typically, large companies are going to pay for you to move.  Worst case scenario, you don’t like it and you move home.  Best case scenario, you find a job you love, while your friends are sitting at home unemployed.

Once you land your first job, enjoy it!  I know, getting up early isn’t fun.  It took me a good year to get used to it.  I think you’ll find that being in the ‘real world’ can be just as fun as college (in a different way).  Good luck!

I can’t end without a shameless plug for my current employer, Clasen Quality Coatings, Inc.  We love our UW-Madison graduates!  Check out our website for current career opportunities:  www.clasen.us

About Abby….

Abby Bender is the Human Resources Manager at Clasen Quality Coatings, Inc., a confectionery coating manufacturer with four locations throughout Southern Wisconsin.  In her position, she manages all functions of Human Resources and a small staff of Human Resources representatives. 

Abby graduated from UW-Madison in 2003 with a major in Management and Human Resources.  After college, she worked for First Federal Bank (now Associated Bank).  After a couple years, Abby moved to the manufacturing industry, working for Quebecor World (now Quad Graphics) as a Human Resources Generalist.  In 2006, she relocated back to Madison, where she now lives, works and plays.  Go Badgers!

Posted in Application Necessities, CALS Stars, Employer Spotlight, General, Resume Answers, Workplace Etiquette | Leave a comment

CALS On Campus – Students Learn Valuable Lessons From Food

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Jordan

From L to R: Winnie Yeoh, Maddy Levin, Sarah Hermes, Molly Smejkal, Tim Grady, Joe Smith and Jim Waksmonski

Food, it’s what we eat.  A group of eight college students are learning more about the science behind the food we eat in a small test kitchen at UW-Madison as they prepare for a product development competition.

The Institute for Food Technologists (IFT) hosts an annual competition for collegiate food scientists from across the nation. The UW-Madison team is once again among the finalists that have the opportunity to present a food product the team created at the IFT national competition in Las Vegas about.

This year, the UW-Madison IFT  team, comprised of food science majors: Tim Grady, Jim Waksmonski, Sarah Hermes, Molly Smejkal, Bee Chiun, Winnie Yeoh, Joe Smith and Maddy Levin, are heading to the competition with the intention of “Winning!” said Grady.

 “There’s a lot that goes into making the product, formulating, shelf-life, pricing,” said Tim Grady, group leader for the UW-Madison IFT group.  “If somebody can’t afford the product, consumers are not going to buy it.  If it doesn’t taste good, they don’t want it.  If it can’t sit on a shelf to stay in a store, the company is not going to make any money,”

Students go through the entire process of developing a product including generating an idea, conducting sensory analyses, creating a marketing plan and determining a price.

These are some of the typical issues food scientists face when trying to get a food product on a grocery store shelf.

The IFT competition is designed to emulate what professional food scientists in the field encounter when working with new products. The competition is so realistic, that we can’t really even tell you much about the product – it’s confidential until the teams arrive in Las Vegas.

When asked why students participate in the competition, Sarah Hermes said, “I hope to gain experience in food science because this summer I have an internship and this is a preview of the things I will be doing.”

Recently, the group gained food science experience by putting the product through a sensory test.

“For sensory analysis we make up a survey and then have people come in and try our product.  They take the survey and rate the overall appearance, and if they would actually buy it.  Then we gather that information and evaluate it to see what needs to be changed, what can stay the same, what they don’t like and what they do like. It gives us a good range of how people feel about the product,” said Hermes.

These students not only learn food science skills, but also important life lessons.

“Cooperation among team members is really important,” said Winnie Yeoh when asked what she has learned from this experience that she could apply to her career. “Without teamwork the whole team would fall apart.”

When the day’s experiments were wrapping up, everyone gathered over a big container of leftover macaroni and cheese.   The camaraderie between the members was like a family sitting down for dinner.

“Yeah, we just work well together.  Nobody has a special role.  This is a pretty good team this year because, according to our leader, everyone is really ready to work,” said Yeoh.

The competition will take place at the IFT Annual Meeting and Food Expo in Las Vegas from June 25th-28th.  To find more information, go to IFT.org.

Posted in CALS On Campus | Leave a comment

CALS Stars-Christian Truong

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Jordan

Our CALS Star today is Christian Truong, a 2010 Biological Systems Engineering-Food and Bioprocess graduate.  He was born in France and immigrated to the U.S. in the early 90′s.  He went to UW-Madison for one year and then completed one tour in Iraq with the 1-128th Infantry for Eau Claire.  He then returned to UW-Madison and was a very successful student.

Q: Why did you choose your major?

A: I had initially entered as a Biomedical Engineer (it was a brand new major at the time) but found from my military career that medicine was not something I loved. I couldn’t major in Environmental Studies because it wasn’t a major at the time. Environmental Studies was literally the only thing I was sure of as an incoming Freshman. I thought seriously about becoming a Botany major after taking classes from Dr. Sharkey and Dr. Emshmiller. I then took some intro food science courses and then I just thought about doing Food Science as I didn’t even know that existed. After 2 years of searching and coursework, I was torn between the life sciences and engineering. Biological Systems was a perfect compromise between the two.

Q: What student organizations and volunteer opportunities were you involved in during college and how did these help you prepare for a full-time job?

A: I enjoyed many organizations: ASABE, Food Science Club, Ad Club, GUTS and Muir Woods Mentors. Many of these are volunteer organizations though and I also did some work for the Nelson Institute. What was invaluable in helping me find a job was Food Science Club, ASABE, The Nelson Institute and CALS Career Services. I hate to say I have to stick to my partisan “political lines” in an election year but these three basically helped me network and are the reason I had multiple job offers before the start of my final semester.

Q: What did you do to prepare for an interview for your internships and eventual full-time position?

A: The wonderful thing about an interview is that it’s not an exact science due to the social component of it. Unfortunately, many fail to fulfil the portions they can control which is an excellent advantage for people like me. I remember a lesson that was taught to me at an AFA Conference several years ago: “Preparedness is a sign of a professional”. I do not like being an amateur at anything, thus I come prepared to destroy my competition. Do not give your opposition any room because if you do, they will exploit it and there will only be regret. Iron your clothes, have a perfect tie, pants that fits, perfectly edited resume and attitude. When you’re up against engineers that can’t iron or tie ties it’s halfway in the bag. When you’re socially comfortable and have chemistry with your interviewer it’s halfway in the bag. When you have both you have a job offer and no regrets.

Q: Can you tell us about your internships and how these helped you in your career development?

A: I had a total of three internships. My first as a freshman was with WISPIRG working on the “Keep It Wild” campaign to preserve the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This internship taught me that being an excellent student in high school meant nothing at the college level. I also learned that you have to be passionate about your work to be successful at it. So if you don’t love your major, you will never love your job. My second internship was with ConAgra my senior year. There I learned that all the friends you make as an intern is great, too bad they’re also your competition. Many of them will realize this much too late. You still can have fun and make friends, just don’t forget why you’re there.  The second thing that’s even more important is that results and performance are the only metrics in the professional world. Without excellent results and high performance you are not worth their time or money. My third internship was with CALS Career Services. Apparently Maria McGinnis and John Klatt thought I had it down compared to most of my fellow Badgers and thus would set a good example. Nevertheless, I still learned something, and that is you must not pass up any opportunity no matter how small or insignificant it might seem. I have in the past and yes, regret. The second thing is that you cannot stop continuously improving yourself both in the personal and professional sense. Both are essential in success.

Q: What was the most important thing you learned while in college?

A: Facebook is a waste of time. It’ll lower your grades, limit your real-life social interactions, you’ll workout less and it probably won’t make you any money. It also burns time which is in itself priceless. The losses on using Facebook are astronomical.

Q: What is a typical day like in your job?

A: I work for Battelle Memorial Institute, a non-profit R&D charitable trust, at their corporate headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. I work in and out of labs working on new medical technologies (irony?) and aerosol characterization. I can’t really go into it since much of it is confidential but I work with some really cool equipment. One of my favorites is the Dantec Phase Doppler Anemometer which is a Class 4/3b laser system used for my aerosol work. I can tell everyone I work with dangerous lasers for a living!

Q: Who is your role model and why?

A: The athletes that compete in the Paralympic and Special Olympics games. Their perseverance and courage to accomplish their goals given their disability serves as inspiration to me everyday.

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CALS On Campus-Good Clean Fair Food

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Jordan

“Good Clean Fair Food,” is the motto for the very successful UW-Madison student organization, Slow Food UW, that urges UW students to get in on the “food” conversation.

“I think there is a high need for people to connect to their food, connect to their communities, eat together and share something that’s tasty,” said Jen Bloesch, co-director for Slow Food UW and CALS senior majoring in Community and Environmental Sociology .

Creating an atmosphere where people can sit down and have a good meal together is exactly what Slow Food UW is doing right here on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.   In five main programs, Slow Food UW feeds over 400 people  each week.

All of this food is sourced locally and prepared by volunteers and the 21 interns the program supports.

“Interns are really the ones who are doing everything,” said Bloesch.  “They are the ones who are in the kitchen cooking, that are at the Boys and Girls Club intermingling with the kids.”

The interns devote 10 to 12 hours a week to the organization, gaining important leadership and organizational skills.  Each intern works on one of five projects throughout the year.

The two most important Slow Food UW projects are Family Dinner Night and the Café. At the Family Dinner Night, 120 to 130 guests enjoy a locally sourced meal planned and prepared by a local guest chef for only five dollars.

The Café is the business side of Slow Food UW, providing locally sourced lunchtime meals for students and faculty at UW-Madison one day a week.  Café attendees can choose any combination of sandwich, salad and dessert to eat in the basement of The Crossing, a church located on the corner of University Avenue and Charter Street.

Interns  prepare and purchase food and promote each project event.  During the summer, interns work to freeze needed produce to use at meals during the winter.

Slow Food UW also participates in local outreach projects, bringing local food to the Boys and Girls Club and feeding low-income families breakfast on Saturday morning.

“We are also working on the south side of Madison to bring more local, fresh food into the community,” said Bloesch.

Slow Food UW has become a very popular student organization with over 80 active members and 800 people on it’s email list, all looking for one simple thing, “Good Clean Fair Food.” All members are encouraged to volunteer, making this organization a great resource for food and leadership.

Bloesch knows it is a “constant process of thinking about how we can reach more students, getting more students interested and excited about local food.”

Posted in CALS On Campus | Leave a comment