Fall 2013 Job Fair. Press Release

On Friday, October 11, 2013, Zarem/Golde ORT Technical Institute had the pleasure

of hosting its second job fair of the year at its campus in Skokie. Sixteen employers

were present to discuss their current employment opportunities with potential

candidates. Among the companies participating in the event were Northshore

University Health System, PACE Bus Service, AAA – North Suburban

Insurance, Away Staffing Services, Inc., Chipotle, Famous Footwear, as well

as representatives of smaller, local businesses, including KonnectIT Group, Inc.,

Homewatch Caregivers, Express Employment Professionals, and Rimland

Services. The fair was a big success, drawing attention from over 50 job seekers. All

of the attendees had an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the variety of

available positions and begin the application process—both in person and online. The

representatives from the participating companies worked tirelessly in their recruitment

efforts, detailing their vacancies and describing the requirements, benefits and future

opportunities related to their specific job availability.

We are delighted to be able to provide this wonderful community service event to

employers and job seekers, not only our current and past students, but all interested

members of the local community to come together in a friendly, professional

environment. We are looking forward to hearing the success stories of successful

placements! Stay tuned for details as to our next Job Fair in 2014!

For additional information about Zarem/Golde ORT Technical Institute, please visit

our website at: www.zg-ort.edu.

Want a Job at Graduation? Bring a DIY Attitude to Career Planning

As you head into college this Fall, your focus should be on creating your future career.

“But wait!” you say. “College is not just about getting a job to make money; it’s about discovering passions, learning to think critically and becoming an independent adult!”

True. However, attending college today requires a different mindset than when your parents went to school. While your mom and dad could graduate without direction or serious planning and still be confident they could live the American dream, in today’s economy, students don’t have it so easy.

You need to take matters into your own hands. You need to bring a DIY (do it yourself) mentality to career planning—even as early as your senior year in high school.

Follow these four steps, and when you graduate, you’ll find yourself with more than a cap and gown; you’ll be on your way to landing a great job in your ideal career path:

1. Learn Which Careers Fit You

Career planning fits perfectly as part of the college selection and application process. Just as you evaluate your interests and passions to select the right school, you should also take this opportunity to consider different career paths and use those paths in your college selection process.

Thankfully, finding information and resources to identify which careers might make the most sense is easier than ever. The key is to find an engaging way to bring those resources and tools together to make a real impact on your college years. As with any endeavor, complementing online research with individualized guidance can be vital, so turn to the wisdom of parents, family and friends to fill in gaps in your career understanding.

Just keep in mind that not all resources for career assistance are created equal—whether they be a website or an industry pro; finding the right resource is half the battle.

2. Create a College Roadmap

With this more focused career lens based on your interests and skills (or desired skills), you’ll be able to identify suitable careers for which you can easily build a tailored college roadmap beyond just choosing a generic major.

And if you can create that college roadmap as early as possible, even before setting foot on campus, it will be that much easier to select appropriate majors and courses, find the right extracurricular activities (clubs, speaker series, athletics, etc.) and internships and refine your career focus.

3. Set Milestones

Roadmap in hand, identify annual milestones to hit as you advance toward graduation. For example, while conventional wisdom might say that your freshman and sophomore years should be filled with basic college requirements like “rocks for jocks” (a.k.a. Geology 101), you may instead want to load your schedule with more skill-centered courses to have a leg up on landing great internships earlier in your academic career.

These early internships will not only help build attractive and practical skill sets, but also help you further refine your career trajectory. That experience will lead to a higher likelihood of landing great job offers at graduation.

4. Be Open to Change

The last step to avoid unemployment (or underemployment) at graduation is both the easiest and the scariest: be open to change. Growth and self-discovery are fundamental parts of the college experience, and there’s little doubt your priorities and interests will change. If this happens, adapt your roadmap so that past decisions don’t push you toward a less-than-perfect career path.

Just remember to always give serious thought before you make a change. The less disciplined you are, the longer it will take to figure out your career trajectory, the larger the deficit you will face and the harder it will be to get the right job.

While you have just four steps ahead of you, it certainly won’t be easy. But little is easy for today’s college student facing long odds due to high unemployment and skyrocketing tuition.

That said, if you buckle down and bring a DIY mentality to career planning, you can identify the right career path and collect the passions, skills and knowledge required to be an insanely attractive candidate when recruiters hit campus.

youtern.com

How To Ask for a Recommendation Letter

Asking for a letter of recommendation can be tricky. You may need one for graduate school, for a scholarship, or even for a job. But you're not sure whom to ask or how best to approach someone about writing a letter of recommendation.
By following the steps below, however, you should be able to set yourself up for getting a strong letter of recommendation from someone who can really speak to your strengths. (Because no one wants a weak letter of recommendation that was obviously put together at the last minute, right?)

Here's How:

Try to build a relationship early with a professor or other mentor. If you know you want to go to medical school, start getting to know a professor or two as soon as you can when you're in college. You may also want to consider working in an academic department, lab, or library where you can start building connections. The more you get to know someone, the better they can speak about your strengths.

When you do ask, ask in person using very specific language. Try asking: "Would you feel comfortable writing me a strong letter of recommendation for (insert position/school/etc.)?" You want to make sure you get a good letter, not just any letter. And, while you may be a little nervous asking this in person, consider which is worse: having a moment or two of awkwardness if the person says "no," or having a bad letter of recommendation accompany all your job or graduate school materials.

Follow up soon after (within a day or two) with details and the same language. Send an email or leave a voice mail, thanking your recommender for agreeing to write a strong letter of recommendation to ABC place by XYZ date. Additionally, send your recommender (via email or hard copy) materials they may need:

• A copy of your resume
• Pre-addressed and stamped envelopes for them to mail the letter(s) in
• Information on the program or job you are applying for
• Contact information for whom the letter needs to be sent/addressed to
• Deadline by which the materials need to be sent

Follow up before the deadline to make sure things are on track. Just like you, your recommender may sometimes wait until the last minute or forget about an upcoming deadline. Send a friendly email, leave a voice mail, or stop by in person and see if they need anything additional from you in order to get your letter sent on time. Doing so can be a great way to prevent any last-minute problems while also serving as a gentle reminder about the upcoming deadline.

Send a thank-you note. It may sound old-fashioned, but sending a thank-you note is a must. Writing letters of recommendation take a lot of time, and you should let your recommender know how grateful you are for their efforts.

Call the graduate school, job, scholarship fund, etc., to make sure your materials were received. Sometimes, the unexpected happens: things get lost in the mail, lost in an office, or mislabeled. Make sure your letter has arrived at its intended destination so that your materials can be processed as soon as possible.

One last note: don't expect to see your letter of recommendation. No matter how much you may want to see what your recommender wrote, just let it go. Any letter you include in an application packet should have a signature across the envelope seal; anything your recommender sent in on their own probably won't cross your desk either. Trust that your work has paid off and that your recommender wrote a great letter (which is what you asked for, right?) - even if you never get to see it. 

http://collegelife.about.com/

Career Closet

Zarem/Golde ORT Technical Institute has started an exciting new project called the Career Closet. We are requesting donations of gently-used professional clothing for those students who are ready to begin interviewing for jobs, but may not have the appropriate clothes in their wardrobe for a successful interview. 

Please consider donating business attire for women and men, including but not limited to dress shirts, slacks, ties, jackets, dresses, skirts, blouses, and shoes.  We ask that all clothes be clean, hung, and ready to wear. Your donation is tax deductible and helps our students to improve their lives and the lives of their families. 

A special thank you to the Niles Township Schools Credit Union and the Highland Park ORT Value Center for their donation of several clothes racks!

Drop-off location: Zarem/Golde ORT Technical Institute 

5440 Fargo Ave, Skokie, IL 60077.

To make arrangement please contact La Norra Dennis at LNDENNIS@ZG-ORT.EDU