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Volume 2, Issue 1 (Sept. 2003)

Brave Opportunities
Where Today's Braves Look to the Future
Volume 2, Issue 1
September 2003

Career Services Center
Brave Opportunities
Where Today’s Braves Look to the Future
Volume 2, Issue 1, September 2003

Inside this issue:
Welcome Back
Striving for 10,000 Hours
Career of the Month: TV/Movie Director
From the Director’s Desk
Cool Jobs Listings
Service Review: On-campus Recruiting
In Every Issue: Career Bloopers, Job Search Tips, Ask Zelda, Little Known Facts, & Upcoming Events

Career Center Info:
Location: University Center, Ste. 210, 521-6270, cs@uncp.edu, www.uncp.edu/cs
Hours: 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m. Appointments may be made for Career Consulting, DISCOVER, Resume Critiques, Mock Interviews, etc.
Staff:
Dr. Denisha Sanders, Director
Lori Bumgarner, M.Ed., Assistant Director
Lisa Chavis, Student Services Assistant

Welcome Back
The staff in the Career Services Center at UNCP is so happy to have you back this fall! We’ve spent the summer coming up with some new and exciting workshops and events. We are having a CSC Career Unscripted television-themed workshop series which includes “Trading Spaces,” “Career and the City,” “Style & Grace,” “CSI: Career Search Investigation,” “What Not to Wear,” “Ask Dr. Deal Career Q&A,” etc. Also, we will be having a Halloween Open House to kick off our Career Development Week. There will be FREE FOOD and prizes, and we’ll be telling fortunes, bobbing for jobs, playing Interview Fear Factor, and much more!!
We can’t wait to share this fall’s exciting opportunities with you, so keep your eyes out for publicity and we’ll keep our eyes out for you at the events. If we see you often enough, you might just be the lucky winner of a DVD player!!!
You can look for details of our workshops and events in a variety of places: this newsletter (check the CSC guide on page 4), our website, flyers all over campus, bookmarks from the bookstore and library, scrolling marquees, the student email listserv, and even in a document on a special disk from the Career Services Center. Pick up your FREE disk that includes documents such as a Calendar of Events and a Resume Checklist. Keep your eye out for the yellow CSC sunburst (like the one in the upper left corner of this newsletter) for updates and more Career Center info.
Lori Bumgarner

Striving for 10,000 Hours
Students in the Leadership & Service Opportunities Program (LSOP) documented 5,760 hours of community service in 2002-2003. This year, we are striving to accomplish 10,000 hours of community service. How many hours will you contribute?
Opportunities abound at UNCP for students to explore career opportunities, gain practical work experience, build up resumes, give back to the community, and develop leadership potential. More than 80 organizations, businesses, and agencies combined have listed internship or volunteer opportunities for UNCP students. Take the first step in attaining an internship or volunteer opportunity. Meet some of the organizations, businesses, and agencies at our sixth annual Volunteer & Internship Fair on Wednesday, October 1, 2003 in the Chavis University Center Lounge from 10a.m.-12p.m. It is co-sponsored by the Career Services Center and the Office of Student Activities, LSOP. No matter what your volunteer or internship interests are, there is an organization to match your interests. For more information, contact the Career Services Center at 521-6270 or Student Activities at 521-6207.
Melanie Clark

From the Director’s Desk
Welcome back! I hope you had a wonderful summer. The Career Center has planned a semester full of new programs to assist you with your career planning. I hope you will take advantage of these opportunities. Be sure to let us know if you have any comments or questions about our programs and services.
As the new academic year begins, I want to remind you that it is never too early to begin thinking about your career! Here are the Top Ten Career Strategies for College Students:
1. Keep your grades UP!
2. Identify your interests, skills, values, and personal characteristics.
3. Actively explore career options.
4. Become active in extracurricular activities and clubs.
5. Get involved in community service.
6. Develop your computer skills.
7. Develop your writing skills.
8. Complete at least one internship in your chosen career field.
9. Gain an appreciation for diversity through study abroad, foreign language study, and other courses.
10. Utilize the Career Center.
The Career Center offers programs and services designed to help you with all of these steps! If you have questions, or if we can help you in any way, please feel free to stop by the Center. You will also find useful information on other pages of our website at www.uncp.edu/cs.
Have a great semester!
Denisha Sanders

Career of the Month: TV/Movie Director
TV/movie directors plan and direct the audio and visual aspects of television and movie productions based on the production specifications and knowledge of television and movie programming techniques. They express ideas and create images based on a script. Directors make the words come alive for their audiences. They are responsible for the quality of the final product and its success.
TV/movie directors study scripts to determine artistic interpretation. They view performances and conduct screen tests and auditions to select and cast for roles in the production. Directors conduct rehearsals and direct the work of the cast and crew. They use their knowledge of acting, voice, and movement to achieve the best possible performance. Directors set the pace of the production.
TV/Movie directors plan and arrange for set designs, costumes, sound effects, and lighting. They approve the scenery, costumes, choreography, and music. Directors tell technicians what kinds of scenery, lights, props, and other equipment are needed. During rehearsals and productions, directors coordinate the activities of the studio crew, performers, and technicians. During filming and taping, directors instruct camera operators on the positions and angle of their shots, and coordinate changes in lighting and sound. They instruct technicians on the desired effects, such as long shots, medium shots, fate-ins, fade-outs, dissolves, and super-impositions. Directors edit film or videotapes and add soundtrack and other effects.
In television, employment opportunities for directors are concentrated in the network centers of New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, but local television stations around the country also employ a substantial number of these workers. Some directors are employed by advertising agencies. Others work on a freelance basis and sell their productions to television networks. Employment in motion pictures and films for television is centered in the large film studios of Hollywood, New York City, and Wilmington, NC. However, small studios are located throughout the country.
Quick Facts:
Directors indicate that they like working with all types of people, dealing with many different subjects, and the opportunity to be creative. However, they say the drawbacks of the job include working irregular and long hours, working within union rules, and working under stress as they try to meet schedules, stay within budgets, and resolve personnel problems.
Related Majors: Journalism and Mass Communications, Communications Technologies, Film/Video and Photographic Arts, English Creative Writing, English Language and Literature
Salary: The Economic Research Institute reported that the average starting salary was $49,500 ($23.75/hr) in 2001 for TV/movie producer. The average salary was $70,500 ($34/hr) for all workers in this field and $85,500 ($41/hr) for those with experience.
Expected new jobs by 2010: 15,854
For more information, you may write to the following:
American Federation of TV & Radio Artists, 260 Madison Ave., 7th Fl New York, NY 10016, www.aftra.org
Source: DISCOVER. To learn about thousands of other occupations, you can access DISCOVER via our website.

Calling All Seniors!! Senior Orientation
It’s time to celebrate your last year of college before you enter the “real world.” There’s so much to enjoy during this last year, such as still being able to pass off your pajamas as appropriate classroom apparel before you have to start sporting a coat and tie to work everyday. There’s also a lot to take care of before you can graduate, such as completing Registrar requirements, purchasing caps and gowns, and paying those menacing parking tickets you’ve been collecting for the past 8 semesters, not to mention trying to find a job in today’s job market.
The Career Center is here to help you get everything in order (except we won’t pay your parking tickets just so you can receive your diploma). All the information you need will be provided at Senior Orientation, an event sponsored by the Career Center on Wednesday, September 17th at 10:00 a.m. in GPAC. This event is a way for us to congratulate you on completing your degree while also clarifying important information regarding commencement, important dates, and Career Center procedures. Guest speakers include representatives from LSOP, the UNCP Bookstore, the Registrar’s Office, and the Career Center.
Senior Orientation is held only once a year, so it is necessary for both December and May graduates to attend. If you have completed 90 semester hours or more, you will receive an invitation early this month, along with an RSVP form to return to our office by September 10th. At the orientation, you will receive a packet with important information. The information discussed at the orientation, along with a chance to get your specific questions answered, will be invaluable. But probably of the more important things you’ll receive are FREE refreshments immediately following orientation!
Lori Bumgarner

This Month’s Cool Jobs Listing
Athletic Activity Specialist
Prehistoric Archaeologist
Sports Page Designer/Copy Ed.
On Ice Coordinator
Music Missionary
Toy Library Specialist
Aircraft Restorer for museum
City Government Reporter
Campus Life Club Director
Campaign Coordinator
Interactive Hands-on Traveling Exhibit Intern
Curatorial Intern to assist with the documentation of the household and personal possessions of George and Martha Washington at Mt. Vernon
Ski School Instructor
News Photographer
Broadcast Journalist
Morning Show Anchor & Host
Sports Reporter/Writer
Student Magazine Advisor
Bilingual Crime Victim Asst.
Full job descriptions and application procedures are listed exclusively in the Career Services Center Library.

Top Jobs
Where did the job offers come from for 2003 grads? Here are the top 10 jobs ranked by number of offers according to the National Association of Colleges & Employers’ (NACE) Fall 2003 Salary Survey:
1. Sales (average starting salary offer: $35,118)
2. Management trainee/entry-level management ($34,709)
3. Teaching ($29,266)
4. Accounting-private ($40,271)
5. Financial/Treasury analysis ($42,476)
6. Design/construction engineering ($44,015)
7. Accounting-public ($40,701)
8. Project engineering ($46,241)
9. Registered nurse ($38,987)
10. Consulting ($44,071)

Service Review: On-campus Recruiting
Guess who’s coming to campus this fall: companies that want to hire you! Beginning in October, the Careers Services Center will host the following companies during our on-campus recruiting season: Walt Disney World College Program, Sherwin-Williams Company, The U.S. Census Bureau, Walgreen’s, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, and the VA Medical Center. We also expect additional companies to schedule on-campus recruitment opportunities for students throughout the academic year until early April. These companies will hold interviews right here on campus!
To sign up for an interview, contact the Career Services Center to have your resume critiqued and to have your name added to the interview schedule. Dates of all on-campus interviews can be found in the This Week campus publication and your UNCP email account inbox.
Lisa Chavis

Brave Ideas

“I can’t believe you did that!” and Other Career Mishaps
At the beginning of an interview, one candidate wiped his runny nose on his hand and then extended that hand for a handshake.

Dear Zelda,
I’m a freshman and I have no idea what I should major in. Can you help me?
Signed: Majorly Confused

Dear Majorly Confused,
This is a common concern for many freshmen. But understand that it is quite all right to be undecided about your major for your first one-to-two years of college. What you should do is spend that time researching different majors and careers in the Career Center, take a variety of intro classes that sound interesting to you (these will fulfill some general requirements for graduation), talk to upperclassmen already in majors that you’re considering, talk with your Freshman Seminar instructor or academic advisor, and make an appointment with a Career Consultant in the Career Center. Just know however, that no one can make this decision for your, not your parents, your friends, nor a career consultant. It is ultimately your decision.
Zelda
Got a career or job search question? Ask Zelda at cs@uncp.edu

This Month’s Job Search Tip:
Keep a list or file of all the things you’re involved in during your college career. This will make it much easier for you to remember what all you’ve done when you start to write your resume. If you don’t already have a list or file, start one now and add everything you can remember.

Little Known Facts
Some companies offer internship opportunities to freshmen/rising sophomores. Interning during your first summer after college is a great way to jumpstart your career (and it’s an excuse not to return home to curfews and parental rules). For more info, visit us at the Volunteer & Internship Fair Wed., Oct. 1st at 10am.

CSC Career Unscripted Workshop Guide
Fall 2003
(Every Wednesday @ 3:30 pm in the Career Services Library, UC Ste. 210)
9/3 CSI: Career Search Investigation
9/10 Career and the City (Job Search)
9/17 Career as Folk (Networking)
9/24 A Resume Makeover Story (Resume writing skills)
10/1 Show Your Enthusiasm & What Not to Wear (Interviewing)
10/8 Fear is Not a Factor (Getting Into Graduate School)
10/15 Six Months Behind (Late Job Search)
10/22 Trading Spaces (Making the Transition from Classroom to Office)
10/29 Ask Dr. Deal (Career Q & A)
10/31 HALLOWEEN OPEN HOUSE
11/3-11/7 CAREER DEVELOPMENT WEEK (check website for times):
11/3 Majors Fair
11/3 CSI
11/4 Resume Bar
11/4 A Resume Makeover Story
11/5 Show Your Enthusiasm & What Not to Wear
11/5 Mock Interviews
11/5 Style & Grace (Business Etiquette)
11/6 Career and the City
11/6 Career as Folk
11/6 My Big Fat Portfolio (Portfolio Development & Presentation)
11/7 While You Were Out (workshop review)
11/7 Individual Appointments
11/12 Six Months Behind
11/19 Trading Spaces

Upcoming Events
CSC Career Unscripted workshops
Every Wednesday, 3:30 pm, UC Suite 210
Senior Orientation
Wednesday, 9/17, 10 am, GPAC
All December ‘03 & May ‘04 Grads must RSVP by 9/10
Volunteer & Internship Fair
Wednesday, 10/1, 10 am to Noon, UC Lounge

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