Winter Quarter Newsletter

Winter Ball

By Matt Mazaika, SSE President

This year's Winter Ball was a huge success thanks to generous donations from Northrop Grumman. Students, faculty, staff, and friends dressed up for a Masquerade in Paris. Over 100 people came to enjoy the beautifully decorated atrium, free masks, yummy hors d'ouvres, and tons of prizes! 

SSEIS: From Zero to Sixty

By Chris Cowdery-Corvan, SSE Secretary

Although it’s taken a while to get where we are now, we can finally say that SSEIS is gaining interest and speed, and it's really exciting to see where its going.

The past few meetings have been more or less an introduction to the project as well as the technologies involved. Here’s what we’ve accomplished so far:

• Got to meet everyone and talked about use cases
• Learned a little bit of Python
• Set up development server and looked around Zope
• Set up a development environment setup on personal workstations, and intro to Mercurial
  
  

Over break we'll be assigning projects and tickets to members through Trac, so we'll be getting into a little less lecture and a little more development. Fun stuff!

Also, if you’re interested in getting on the SSEIS team, it’s not too late! Stop by the next meeting and we’ll be happy to bring you up to speed. If you’re on the fence about joining, think that not only does SSEIS look amazing on your resumé, it also brings you up to speed on some of the latest development technologies & practices and it counts as a membership requirement.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns or comments on the project, please drop me a line at sseis@sse.se.rit.edu.

Job Search Advice: How to remain competitive in a tough economy

By Kara Leonard, Office of Cooperative Education

Last issue I shared some tips with you on steps you should be taking to give yourself the best chance possible of landing a job in lean economic times. Those tips included things like starting your search as early as possible (by the way, if you’re seeking a summer co-op or full-time job, you should be actively searching now – use the break to send out as many applications as possible!), networking, being flexible (not limiting yourself based on geographic location/industry type/company type), and staying positive.

• Given the continuing difficult economic situation, below are more suggestions you can implement now to find success in your job search!
• Work your calendar... Make an extra effort to attend events where employers are present and you can introduce yourself to them. Check the events calendar in Job Zone for:
• Employer presentations on campus, and on campus interviews
• Career Fairs (Spring Career Fair is coming up Wednesday, March 25th)
• Networking events
• Mock interview programs
• Workshops, panels, seminars, and presentations by employers and alumni

Use Job Zone to the fullest extent possible:

Update your profile: If you’re seeking a co-op or full-time job, make sure you update the Status section of your profile to indicate that you are "Seeking Co-op" or "Seeking Full-Time" and make sure your contact information is up-to-date – employers often search Job Zone for potential candidates and won’t find you if these areas aren’t updated.

Upload your documents: Make sure your resume, cover letter, and unofficial transcript are uploaded to Job Zone for use in applications. Always title your documents with your first and last name so employers know who the documents are coming from – for example, John_Smith Resume. Not sure how to upload your transcript? – Just log-in to SIS, click on the "Miscellaneous" tab, click on the "Academic Advising" tab, and copy and past your transcript into a Word document.

Use the power of the Job Zone Resume Book. Allow your resume to be searched by employers through the Resume Book (check "yes" under "Include in Resume Books" in the Privacy section of your profile).

Actively apply to all current jobs, if you are interested and meet minimum requirements for the opening (you do not need to meet all requirements to apply). Applying to only a handful of jobs is not enough – you need to apply to as many as possible! Don’t screen yourself out—let the employer decide whether you are a good fit.

Identify employers as" Favorites" and then do your homework. If you are interested in an organization but no current listing exists, be sure to apply directly to the organization through its website, and feel free to check with me regarding the company’s recruiting plans.

What’s near home? Are there opportunities in your home geographic region? Often, small and mid-sized business would appreciate support, and can offer opportunities where a range of skills are valued. Be sure to check out your local school district for opportunities. Remember, if you find a co-op opportunity on your own, get approval for the co-op from your academic advisor before accepting the job.

One of the easiest and most effective ways to meet people in a professional field is to conduct informational interviews. Informational interviewing is a networking approach, which allows you to meet key professionals, gather career information, investigate career options, get advice on job search techniques and get referrals to other professionals. The art of informational interviewing is in knowing how to balance your hidden agenda (to locate a job) with the unique opportunity to learn firsthand about the demands of your field. Thus, never abuse your privilege by asking for a job, but execute your informational interviews skillfully, and a job may follow! More tips on informational interviewing can be found here.

Interviewing for Success: Many times, the candidates who interview the best are selected over others with stronger GPAs or an impressive resume. What can you do to strengthen your chances to stand out in an interview?

Prepare. Learn about the interview process by visiting here, here and here.

Use the STAR Method. The STAR Method is a great way to practice structuring your answers to behavioral-based interview questions (questions like: Have you ever been a member of a group where two members did not work well together? How did you handle this?). The acronym STAR stands for the following:

• Situation: give an example of a situation you were involved in that resulted in a positive outcome
• Task(s): describe the task(s) involved in that situation
• Action: talk about the various actions you took
• Results: discuss the results that occurred because of your actions

Practice with a trusted friend, me, or someone who will provide candid feedback on how you present yourself. Practice in front of a mirror to observe your gestures (when no one else is around, of course!); record your voice to listen to how you sound.

Use technology. Using your own computer, you can videotape yourself answering interview questions using InterviewStream, and save your session for later review. You can share your practice interview session with others for feedback, or review on your own for self-critique. Visit here for access to InterviewStream. Don’t have a web cam? – Stop by our office to borrow one!

Participate in a mock (practice) interview with me or through a Mock Interview Program sponsored by the Co-op and Career Services Office.

Stay in contact with me and keep me posted on your progress. If you’re having trouble finding a co-op or full-time job, please let me know immediately, so I can help as much as possible. Also, once you find a job, notify me so I know you’re no longer seeking a position. Finally, at any point in your search or while you’re on the job, if you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact me!

Mentoring, twice a week?

By Matt Mazaika, SSE President

While you've been busy studying, SSE has been working harder than ever to help you out. Once finals are over, we will have held 16 review sessions between weeks 3 and 11, for an average of 1.78 review sessions per week. Ignoring week 6 (which had no review sessions at all) we averaged 2 review sessions each week. Talk about being being busy!

Most, if not all, feedback has been very positive. One change we are planning for next quarter is the use of Clipboard surveys to track how successful our sessions and practice exams have been. Good luck on finals and stay tuned for updates next quarter!

Ask Lana

By Lana Verschage

SAVE TIME AND MONEY!

College-Level Examination Program credit

A national College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) allows students to earn college credit by taking general exams in humanities, social sciences, and sciences, as well as subject exams. By earning a satisfactory score, you can earn the same amount of credit as a student who successfully completed the same course at that school. All CLEP exams are administered by computer. A CLEP exam is an hour and a half long and consists mostly of multiple-choice questions (some exams have fill-in-the-blank questions), except for English Composition with Essay.

The English Composition with Essay exam is an essay question that must be completed in 45-minutes, in addition to a 45-minute multiple-choice section that is composed of 50 questions.

Since CLEP exams are entirely computer-based, you will receive your score immediately after completing the test (except for English Composition with Essay, in which case you will receive your score in about four weeks). In about a month, any score recipient, if you designate one at the start of the exam, will receive your official score report.

How much does a CLEP exam cost?
The fee for each CLEP exam is $65.00, plus any service fees payable to the testing center. However, for eligible military service members and eligible civilian employees, CLEP exams are free of charge.

Click here for more information.

Don't Forget To Ask Lana Your Questions!
They may be included in next month's newsletter.

Dates to Remember

• March 9th 2009
  Spring quarter classes begin
• March 13th 2009
  5th Annual Rob Busack Memorial Rapid Development Weekend
  
  

Committees

Want to get involved with SSE Committees, but not sure who to talk to? Here's a list of the committe heads followed by their contact information.

• Events: Evan Williams (events@sse.se.rit.edu)
• Fundraising: Jeff Linse (fundraising@sse.se.rit.edu)
• Mentoring: Eric Lutley (mentoring@sse.se.rit.edu)
• Public Relations: Andrew Bona (publicrelations@sse.se.rit.edu)
• Technology: Paul Fisher (technology@sse.se.rit.edu)
• ViSE: Steven Lindner (ask-vise@sse.se.rit.edu)

SSE always needs help. We need you! Check out the current requests for help from SSE event runners. Remember, helping out with any of these events satisfies the membership requirement.