As students just learning about the professional world and its surrounding attitudes, you must have some burning questions. Want to know how to form your first resume? Don’t know the difference between a CV and a resume? Nervous about an upcoming job interview and the kind of questions you might face? We are here to answer all your concerns and give you just the tips you might need. For more information, please contact:
Student Engagement Programs
University life is very different from the corporate world – Habib University’s Office for Careers & Placements strives hard to bridge this difference by engaging our students with professionals through a series of different programs.
Career Confabs
Where is the job market moving? What will be the global situation in terms of employment in 20 years? These concerns are addressed in Career Confabs where professionals are invited for panel discussions. They are intended to keep our students up-to-date with the job market.
If you have someone in mind and want us to invite them, please contact:
Company Sessions
Want to see what the leading companies of your respective industry are up to? What do they see while hiring a new candidate? What skills can bridge the demand and supply gap? Get an insight to what exactly the hiring managers want by attending the company sessions that are organized by Office for Careers & Placements every semester and start building up on new skills.
If you have an organization in mind and want us to invite them, please contact:
Professional Training and Development
Habib University’s Office for Careers & Placements makes sure you are well-prepared for internships and externships, as well as your future career during your years here. Each year, students are given the opportunity to attend various group sessions carried out by the Office. These sessions focus on three key areas:
- development of your professional skills
- preparing you for experiential learning opportunities
- enhancing the skills required to engage with your peers and the industry
Career 101 Series
These sessions are targeted mainly towards first-year students. Students in other years are still encouraged to attend.
- Career 101: Self- Assessment/Introspection
- Career 102: What can I do with my major?
- Offshoots of each degree/field
- Which companies can hire you!
- Career 103: Introduction to Internships/Externships
- Career 104: How to write a good CV?
- Career 105: How to write a professional email?
- Career 106: Learning basics of Microsoft Office; Excel, PowerPoint and Word
- Career 107: The Art of Articulation – Communication Skills
If you want to request a session, please contact:
Career 201 Series
These sessions are targeted towards second-year students. Students in other years are still encouraged to attend.
Career 201: All you need to know about an interview
- Career 202: Getting comfortable with LinkedIn
- Career 203: How can you utilize your time effectively during the vacations?
- Career 204: How to write a good CV?
- Career 205: How to write a professional email?
- Career 206: Learning basics of Microsoft Office; Excel, PowerPoint and Word
If you want to request a session, please contact:
What is a Curriculum Vitae (CV)?
A Curriculum Vitae (CV) is usually a two-page document, a written summary of who you are professionally, and valuable in showcasing your career history. It is a powerful tool to sell yourself. It includes,
- Personal information
- Qualifications
- Relevant skills
- Work experience
- Interests
- Areas of expertise
Why work hard on developing a good CV?
- It is your first communication with a potential hiring professional
- It provides targeted information about yourself
- It can boost your chance of getting a face-to-face interview
- It demonstrates your potential as a prospective employee
The Do’s and Don’ts of a good CV
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How can I learn more about writing a Curriculum Vitae (CV)?
The Office for Careers & Placements organizes Career 101 to Career 401 series that help students have a better look at their career path. In the same series, we organize CV writing sessions twice a semester. If you wish to have another session, you can request for one by contacting:
How can I get personalized guidance for writing a Curriculum Vitae (CV)?
Do you need critical feedback on your Curriculum Vitae (CV)? Do you have everything in mind but do not know how to pen it down? Do you want or need individual assistance? You can schedule an appointment with our career advisor. You can sign up for the appointment by contacting:
What is a Cover Letter?
A cover letter typically provides detailed information about why you are qualified for the job that you are applying for. It explains the applicant’s credentials and interest in the open position.
What does a cover letter include?
- Qualifications
- Strengths
- Enhance information already in your resume
- Personal qualities
- Interests
Why work hard on developing a good cover letter?
- It serves as a first introduction to an employer
- It is an opportunity to convey one’s viability as a strong candidate
- It shows one’s ability to communicate in a polished and professional manner
- It can boost your chance of getting a face-to-face interview
The Do’s and Don’ts of a good Cover Letter
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Where can I learn more about writing a cover letter?
The Office for Careers & Placements organizes Career 101 to Career 401 series that help students have a better look towards their career path. In the same series, we organize cover letter writing sessions twice a semester. If you want to have a session again, you can request for one by contacting:
How can I get personalized guidance for cover letter writing?
Do you need critical feedback on your cover letter? Are you stuck somewhere? Do you need individual assistance? Schedule an appointment:
What is a resume?
A resume (or résumé) provides a summary of your skills, abilities, experiences and accomplishments. It creates a professional image of yourself and establish your credibility. It is one of the most important pieces of any job application.
What does a resume include?
- Education
- Employment history
- Skills and abilities
- Activities, achievements, and honors
- Contact information
Why work hard on developing a good resume?
- It serves as your first impression in the employment process
- It improves your chances of getting short-listed for interviews
- It tells the employer a lot about your professionalism
- It gives a clearer picture of your skill and credibility
The Do’s and Don’ts of a good resume
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Where can I learn more about writing a resume?
The Office for Careers & Placements organizes Career 101 to Career 401 series that help students have a better look towards their career path. In the same series, we organize resume writing sessions twice a semester. If you want to have a session again, you can request for one by contacting:
How can I get personalized guidance for writing a resume?
Do you need critical feedback on your resume? Do you need individual assistance? You can schedule an appointment with our career advisor. You can sign up for the appointment by contacting:
What is an interview?
An interview is a two-way conversation between you and a potential employer. It is a chance for you to prove yourself the best candidate for the job. It also lets you know more about the company and/or the position you are applying for. Walk into your interviews as prepared as you can.
The Office for Careers & Placements provides a number of services to prepare you for the interview.
The Do’s and Don’ts of an interview
- Dressing: Dressing should be formal; your personal grooming and cleanliness should be perfect.
- Time: Reach your interview place at least ten minutes before the appointment. It shows you are a candidate that takes time seriously.
- Gestures: Maintain good eye contact with your interviewers. Sit straight, make sure your hands are not shaking or unnecessarily moving due to nervousness. Do not fidget or slouch, be careful about your posture and body language.
- Be confident: Do not confuse yourself. Give your answers in complete sentences. Ask for clarification if you don’t understand a question and show enthusiasm in the position and the company through them.
- Respect: Greet the assistant or the receptionist; treat others there with respect and courtesy.
- Thank you letter: Write a thank you letter within 24 hours to the person who took your interview.
- Language: Do not use poor language, slangs, and unnecessary pauses.
- Ask questions: Ask intelligent questions at the end of the interview that show your interest in the position and the company.
Where can I learn about tough interview questions in more detail?
The Office for Careers & Placements organizes Career 101 to Career 401 series that help students have a better look towards their career path. In the same series, we organize cover letter writing sessions twice a semester, in which we discuss sample interview questions with best suitable answers. You can request for a session by contacting:
Can I get personalized guidance for interview questions?
Are you stuck preparing for an interview? Do you need individual assistance? You can schedule an appointment with your career advisor. You can sign up for the appointment by contacting:
Networking
Your ‘network’ pretty much indicates the opportunities that lay ahead of you. No matter how qualified and adept you are, it wouldn’t do you much good if the right people do not know about it. Obviously you cannot go everywhere with your resume on your forehead – there are 15-second elevator pitches and 30-minute dinner parties where you create connections with strangers that may or may not be helpful in the future of your career.
We recommend you master the art of networking from the very beginning of your journey at Habib University.
Why bother with networking?
Why is networking important for your professional well-being? How can it pave opportunities for you?
- Most employers prefer to hire a person referred by a colleague, peer, or friend
- Quite a lot of key jobs are never advertised and circulated amongst networks
- The amount of time it takes for you to find a job can be drastically reduced
How should I go about networking?
A large part of networking includes strategic use of social media and interacting with professionals and peers while you are a student.
- LinkedIn: The smart move is to use LinkedIn to track the network you’re building. LinkedIn recently launched new options for students to make networking easier for them.
- Twitter: Twitter can be a useful tool for connecting with people you want to know. Make a list of people in your industry who you look up to and use the network strategically to connect with them.
- Use Facebook: Like and follow professional pages that advertise jobs. Join different professional groups, read their recent news and wall postings. We don’t expect you to make a very professional Facebook profile with all your pictures in suits and all your statuses regarding your job, but try not to put stuff that you would rather avoid explaining to a potential employer.
- Go to conferences: Many institutes and organizations organize sessions and seminars which connect students with different employers and organizations. (This may not sound as exciting as other student life events, but is worth giving your time).
- Get an internship: Internships not only enhance your knowledge and experiences, but it also helps you build connections with other people. Socialize with your peers and build a good professional relationship with your supervisors and team mates.
What is an E-Presence?
An E-Presence refers to an individual or business having an established presence on the Internet – be it social media websites, blogs, or just e-mails. Your online identity is defined by any or all of the information that exists about you online.
The material you post or the things you will influence an employer’s or graduate school’s impression of you as employers do use the Internet to find out everything they can about a potential hire.
An E-Presence enables far greater connectivity among professionals than ever before.
Why do I need an E-Presence?
- A printed resume can only give witness to your skills; a profile on a social media site can demonstrate your passion, your personality and your uniqueness
- Social networking use these days can prove to be skyrocketing for your career; more and more people are using social networks to send and receive messages
- Through an E-Presence, employers can easily review your profiles to see what kind of person you are outside of the work space, who you’re connected to and how you present yourself. Each gives clues to how well you can fit into their corporate culture.
How can you manage your E-Presence?
It is important to make sure that your E-Presence gives a positive impression of you.
Step one: The first step is to find out what already exists about you online. You can do this by:
- Reviewing your public email address – is each (if you have more than one) address professional? Do not use email IDs like smarty_coolios@domain.com but instead try for one with your name.
- Google yourself – Are you comfortable with an employer or graduate school seeing what you found?
- Look at all the social networking websites you belong to – Would you be comfortable if an employer or graduate school were to see your profile, photos, groups, comments, friends or friend’s comments? Would you want a potential employer or graduate school to see any compromising photos in which you are tagged online?
- Your own website or blog – Have you ever discussed a company, graduate school, faculty member interview, job, supervisor, etc. on your site? Are you comfortable with an employer or graduate school seeing what you’ve written, posted, or compiled?
Step Two: Start building on your online identity
Step Four: Market your profile: Update your profile regularly and express yourself across different platforms regularly. When you want to impress potential employers, one thing you have to do is to showcase your work online.
Have a LinkedIn profile, and mention it on your CV. Make sure that you have your info-cards that you can share with people.
I think I need more help, how can I reach you?
We understand that an e-presence is a vast topic and a few paragraphs cannot cover it. We encourage you to meet us personally.
Attend a session
Office for Careers & Placements organizes Career 101 to Career 401 series that helps students to have a better look towards their career path. In the same series, we organize E-Presence sessions twice a semester. If a student wants to have a session again, we are more than willing to help out. You can request for a session by contacting:
Schedule an appointment
Do you need more help with your E-Presence? Do you need individual assistance? You can schedule an appointment with your career advisor by contacting:
