2B = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
CAREERS & MAJORS
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26, 2001
HOROSCOPES
Today's Birthday (Sept. 26). You're apt to say what you really think this year, and soon. This isn't necessarily bad. It tends to weed out the people who want you to lie to them, though. The good news is that romance might be a fringe benefit of your honesty. The solid, forever kind — possibly with the same person you've been married to for years.
Aries (March 21-April 19). Today is a >. Don't offer your opinion too enthusiastically. This is an especially bad idea if you suspect the boss feels otherwise. You have strong opinions, and you may be surprised to learn that others know this about you. They know what you'd say, too, so you'll be more effective if you keep quiet.
Taurus (April 20-May 20), Today is a 7 Expect delays in communications, deliveries and travel. If you have to go somewhere, later is better and tomorrow is better still. That goes for most business, too. Finish up old projects instead of starting new ones.
Gemini (May 21 - June 21). Today is an 8. The good news is, tomorrow is great for travel. So is the next day. The bad news is, they're weekdays. Besides, you're not going to get something you want. But tonight's going to be so nice, you might not even care.
Cancer (June 22- July 22), Today is a 6 Once you and your partner hammer out an agreement, you can take your business to the next level. How much money can you put together between you, and how are you going to spend it?
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22). Today is a 6.
If it all seems too much to bear, take heart: A hero or heroine is coming to your rescue. All you have to do is call.
You may be calling an employment agency, or a newspaper to place an ad for help.
virgo (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Today is a 7.
A quarrel with your sweetheart or a child is a possibility, but don't let it happen. There'll be more than enough work tomorrow and the next day. You don't have time for a fight.
Libra (Sept. 23-02 Oct), Today is a 6.
Luckily you're a natural negotiator.
When somebody is in a rotten mood,
you can find the perfect thing to say to
snap them out of it. Something including
the word "thanks" would be appropriate now.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21). Today is a 7.
If there's something you've been thinking about buying for your house, you'd better do it quickly. It'll be more difficult for you to convince yourself to part with the money later. On the other hand, if it's a dumb idea, just wait.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Today is a 7.
You don't want to lie, of course, but it
wouldn't hurt to be diplomatic. It could
help you get something you want, like
a better-paying job or a promotion.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Today is a 7-day press people for answers now. They're more apt to say "no" than "yes." You can continue to collect old debts, however. The money is still flowing your way. It's a good day to shop for bargains.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Today is an 8.
Did you know that Aquarius is the sign of the inventor? Remember that if you run into a problem you can't solve.
Maybe what's needed simply hasn't been discovered yet. Maybe you can get the patent.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20), Today is 6.
Something you've been worried about becomes more clear as more of the facts are revealed. Sit still and wait to see what happens. You don't need to take immediate action. What worked before will work again.
Career fair brings jobs to students
By Jake Weller Kansan correspondent
As a senior majoring in accounting, Jesse Ehret has come to accept tough competition as a reality in business. Today, he will compete with about 1,000 students for an internship at the KU Career Fair.
The School of Business will present the annual Career Fair from 1 to 6 p.m. today in the Kansas Union Ballroom. The fair, which the school has sponsored for 19 years, will give students a chance to meet and apply with more than 100 potential employers.
Lisa Leroux-Smith, assistant dean of business, said the fair was a great opportunity for any KU student. not just seniors and graduate students.
JOHN NOWAK/KANSAN
Students crowd the Kansas Union Ballroom during Tuesday's engineering and computer science career fair. Businesses such as Boeing and Sprint distributed literature and allowed students to submit resumes and talk with current employees.
"Although this fair focuses primarily on business students, we encourage students from every level to attend," Smith said. "Typically, over 1,000 students attend the fair. This event is a great way for students to network with employers and begin to explore opportunities within a number of organizations."
Smith said the fair's featured businesses "vary in size, industry, geographic location and need. Many companies are looking for both full-time and intern candidates."
Smith emphasized that students who planned to attend the career fair needed to be well prepared.
"Students need to research the companies they're interested in, prepare a two-minute commercial about themselves, and bring many well-
written and polished sumumes," Smith said. "They need to be professionally dressed, present a good handshake and maintain good eye contact with the recruiters."
The School of Engineering sponsored a career
fair yesterday. Career services offices across campus will sponsor resume and interview workshops in preparation for the "job season."
Contact Weller at 864-4810
Resumés make or break first impressions
By Courtney Craigmile Kansan staff writer
The average resumé gets looked at for 15 to 30 seconds. After that, you're either in the door or in the trash.
Gail Rooney, director of the University Career and Employment Services, uses that statistic in her career development class to stress the importance of having a good resume.
"Content is very important," Rooney said. "But almost as important is the format."
Rooney said a resume should be a precise description of a person's skills, educational background and work experience.
"It really is a summary of you," she said.
Because employers spend such little time looking at a resume, she recommended students be concise.
"We encourage students to use action verbs and bulleted lists to describe what they've done," Rooney said.
She said the resume should contain course work, experience, skills, references and an objective.
Rooney referred to all but the objective as generic, meaning that part of the resume could stay the same no matter where it was sent.
But she said the other parts should be tailored to each employer.
That's exactly what Andy Lockwood, Olathe sophomore, did in creating his resume last week.
Lockwood had a resume from last year, but it needed to be updated before the engineering career fair.
He made a generic resume with the three things Rooney suggested and also included references. He said if he was sending it to a specific company, he would research the company online so he could tailor his objective to that company. The resume for the career fair had a generic objective: To get a job in the field of mechanical engineering.
Lockwood prepared a one-page resume.
Rooney said a resumé didn't have to be restricted to one page. She said it could be up to two pages, as long as it was two full pages and not a page and a half.
One page is the most standard for a college student," she said. "But if you have enough to fill two
Building a strong resumé
Describe skills, education and work experience.
Be concise.
- Tailor your objective to the employer.
- Limit it to one page — unless you can fill two.
pages, fill two."
She said that University Career and Employment Services advisers could help students build a resume. Students can walk in Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday afternoon or schedule an appointment for another time.
UCES will also have a "resumé doctor" help session from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9 to Thursday, Oct. 11 at the fourth-floor lobby in the Kansas Union to help with resumes.
Students with questions can also visit the UCES Web site at www.ukans.edu/~uces.
Contact Craigmile at 864-4810
Experts: Skills, not major, most important in starting career
By Denene Brox
Kansan correspondent
For various reasons, students sometimes choose majors that don't relate directly to their careergoals. Some career specialists, however, say that undergraduate majors may not be as important as one thinks.
"Employers are looking for many skills, such as communication, problem-solving, research and teamwork," said Gail Rooney, director of University Career and Employment Services. "The disadvantage for liberal arts students comes only from not starting the job search early."
The ideal time for students to begin researching and preparing their resumes is their junior year, Rooney said. Students with the same degree often wind up with jobs in very different areas. It's possible to get a degree in English and go to work as a manager trainee or as a publisher, Rooney said.
In the end, the major printed on an applicant's degree may not matter much to some employers.
Rooney said. Students should market themselves not merely as majors in certain areas, but as people with specific qualifications.
"The first step is to do a thorough assessment of your skills and abilities to promote yourself," Rooney said. "Secondly, start early. And finally, use your research and analytical skills to identify industries you would like to work in, to be sure you are finding a good match."
Jacque Johnson, Liberal senior, is a sociology major specializing in crime and delinquency studies. She plans to go to medical school.She said she thought she was at a disadvantage to pre-med students but she wanted to be in the sociology program.
"I wanted to explore other options. There are so many things to put into your brain besides chemistry." Johnson said.
Numerous resources are available to aid students in choosing a career. University Career and Employment Services has a Web site,
www.ku.edu/~uces, which is devoted to helping students find careers that suit their majors. The career services office also offers a course taught by Rooney called Job Search Strategies for Liberal Arts and Sciences Students.
"The goal of the course is to teach liberal arts and sciences students the skills for conducting a job/internship search," Rooney said. "We talk about the value of their degree and how to write a resume."
The course also teaches networking skills, which are important in the job search, Rooney said. The course is offered for one credit hour in the fall and spring. Rooney said the most popular industries for liberal arts graduates were educational services, retail and wholesale trade, state and local government, social assistance and federal government.
Contact Brox at 864-4810
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