NJCU OSP Virtual Career Expo 2023

Message from ASCEND & EOF Program Leaders

Greetings Scholars,

Welcome to our OSP Career Expo!

This is your opportunity to receive VIP career access, make connections, and gain opportunities for insight and experience in career paths that you may be interested in pursuing.

Additional career events and resources are available for your development and success on February 15th and 24th. Be sure to sign up if you haven’t already!

To maximize this opportunity, we encourage each of you to:

1. Be fully present and engaged. Ask questions and develop connections that will help guide you through your career journey.

2. Allow your imagination to run wild with thoughts of where you can see your future self!

3. Commit to being proactive after today by reaching out to your counselors, advisors, and mentors to develop concrete plans.

We have your best interest at heart and look forward to being part of your journey. Pay close attention to our outreach as there are enrichment programs, internships, shadowing, and volunteer opportunities that we will share to help prepare you to be marketable for meaningful employment upon graduation.

Sincerely,

Thank you to our planning committee

Ron Baines Director Career Engagement & Program Development

Melissa Faulkner Director NJCU Career Success Lab

Sarah McGough Internship & Postgraduate Outcomes Coordinator NJCU

Sarah Najdi EOF/OSP Counselor Opportunity Scholarship Program

Christopher Cofone Assistant Director Career Success Lab

Ms. Tylra D. Lee Career Services, Career Coach School of Business

Andrea Squillante-Golden Career Coach NJCU STEM

Joshua Iannuzzi Director School of Business Career Services

Jennifer Aitken Director Specialized Services and Supplemental Instruction

Keynote Speaker

Andre Gray

Andre Gray was born in New York City, and raised in San Francisco, Gray spent the bulk of his career in Europe, working in Paris and Amsterdam, most notably at TBWA\NEBOKO as the global creative director for adidas and Gatorade. In his latest role, Gray was the executive creative director at the Grey Group, where he contributed to countless business successes, including award-winning creative and account wins for brands like Las Vegas Tourism and Intercontinental Hotel Group. Gray was also instrumental in driving equity and diversity efforts across the organization.

Author of “Digital Anthropomorphism: Humanizing the Brand,” Gray is passionate about creating things that stick in culture and is a staunch advocate for underrepresented voices. This past year, he was a juror for the Cannes Lions and has previously been recognized on Adweek’s Creative 100 list.

SOURCE Havas New York

Career Expo AGENDA

All Room Access Career representatives from all orgs/companies will highlight their careers & how they got to where they are, they will explain what a day in their lives/roles looks like at their orgs and in their industries. Students will have the chance to rotate into 2-3 rooms in real time. They can revisit recordings of other representative spaces after the conference.

Career Exploration & Networking

COMPANY/ORGANIZATION

All Guests & Representatives

New Jersey State Parole Board

Gerber

Oishii.com

Fidelity Investments

Rosso Financial Group / Patriot Financial Advisors

iLearn Schools

The Orchard School

GoTo Technologies

NJCU Data Analytics

New Jersey Motion Picture and TV Commission

Prime $ Prim Studio of the Arts

Mason Firm LLC & Predestined Media LLC

PwC

Aon

Aston Carter

Arch Insurance Company

TeamUP Counseling

Good Counsel Therapy, PLLC

CoxPHIT, LLC

Blacks In Law Enforcement Servicing the Community (BLESC)

Morgan Stanley

Virtu Financial

Equitable Advisors

Carefinders Total Care

Winsor Elite Care

NJTRANSIT

J.B.Hunt

American Income Life - Giglione Ackerman Agency

Squarespace

Canopy by Hilton

Jersey City Arts District

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

FotoLab Studio

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

NJCU Sports Management

VCPM, Inc.

Sling TV

Hudson Milestones

Hudson Partnership CMO

CareerSpring

Select three (3) career representatives to visit and learn about their organizations, roles, and what it takes to land an opportunity in their industries.

INDUSTRY CATEGORY/GROUP

Welcome & Keynote

Law & Public Policy

Consumer Product Goods & Agriculture

Financial Services

Education

Science & Technology

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Consulting (Professional Services) A

Consulting (Professional Services) B

Community & Social Services A

Community & Social Services B

Business, Management & Administration

Health & Wellness

Transportation

Business Sales

Hospitality & Leisure Services

Government

Business Sports Management, Marketing

Community & Social Services C

Who’s Who

eabouassi@careerspring.org

Eliane Abou-Assi (she/her) leads business development in New York and the surrounding Tri-State area for CareerSpring, serving as an ongoing liaison for Partners and Advisees to ensure optimal career access outcomes for local stakeholders. Eliane has over a decade of experience with nonprofit organizations, specifically with causes related to mental health, child development, and social equity. Originally from California, Eliane moved to NYC for her education. She holds a BA in Psychology from St. John’s University, and an EdM and MA in Counseling Psychology from Columbia University. Eliane’s passion for helping others remains outside the workplace, where she actively works with the autism community.

Marquis Barron

Senior Parole Officer

New Jersey State Parole Board

marquis.barron@spb.nj.gov

I am a Senior Parole Officer with the New Jersey State Parole Board. I started 9 years ago. I am currently assigned to the Training and Recruitment Unit. Prior to this unit I worked in SOG (Special Operations Group Gang Unit for approximately 3 years, before that I was in the CPU Community Programs Unit, and started my career in the SOMU Sex Offender Management Unit). I love my job and believe that is the best kept secret career in law enforcement. You have the opportunity to work with individuals who are given a second chance and have the authority to put criminals away. You wear multiple hats as a Parole Officer and I hope you decide to start and enjoy a career at this agency as I did.

NJ TRANSIT

vbonilla@njtransit.com

The third-largest transportation agency in North America and fully committed to delivering safe and reliable services. This tactic has driven our success in developing real-world solutions that affect many individuals lives every day. We are looking for talented students to hire for our Internship Program who can help initiate our solutionbased business model to the next level. As an intern at NJ TRANSIT, you will oversee projects from concepts to completion. Our interns step away from the regular sitting at the desk to having the opportunity at hands-on experience with several business units within NJ TRANSIT. Our ideal candidate is passionate about learning and using creative solutions to make an impact on the lives of others every day. The Annual NJ TRANSIT Internship Program is a 10-Week paid program geared towards college students enrolled in an accredited degree program.

Natalie Brathwaite

Fidelity Investments

natalie.brathwaite@fmr.com

Pcafone@carefinders.org

Natalie Brathwaite is the Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs for Fidelity Investments, one of the world’s largest financial services providers. In this role, she is responsible for Fidelity’s government relations, community investing and civic efforts for New Jersey and New York and leads the firm’s advocacy and engagement efforts on a wide range of state-level issues related to investment advice.

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Divia Cajero

Campus Recruiter PwC

divia.c.cajero@pwc.com

Alejandra Carbajal

Campus Recruiter for Operations and Corporate Services Division Morgan Stanley

alejandra.carbajal@ morganstanely.com

jill.cepero@aon.com

Keven Friedman Asylum Officer

U.S. Citizenship Immigration Services (USCIS) Newark Asylum Office

Keven.h.friedman@uscis.dhs.gov

Here, you’ll learn with purpose, lead with heart and put your skills to work to make a meaningful difference in the world.

Alejandra has 4 years of experience working in career readiness programs. As a first gen graduate, she is passionate about helping students be strong candidates for the workforce. At Alejandra’s current role she recruits for Morgan Stanley’s Operations and Corporate Services internships.

Samantha Easton

Senior Regulatory & Scientific Affairs Specialist Gerber

samantha.easton@ us.nestle.com

Keven H. Friedman has been serving as an asylum officer at the Newark Asylum Office since November 2019. Prior to that, Keven did some pro bono immigration for Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) representing a minor in immigration court and asylum office. Earlier in his career, he was a Staff Attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit, in Atlanta, Georgia and at the Legal Aid Society in New York. Keven received a Juris Doctor from Hofstra University, a bachelor’s degree in Radio, TV and Film from Northwestern University (Go Cats!), and most recently was ordained as a rabbi by the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS). He also has served communities in various settings, including synagogues, assisted living facilities, and as an all-faith chaplain. Keven enjoys playing adult ice hockey, whale watching, skiing/snowboarding, and mussar character development.

I am a Senior Regulatory Affairs specialist at Gerber (Nestle Nutrition). I studied nutrition at Penn State University and received my master’s in nutrition and food science at Montclair State University. I’ve been with Nestle for 7 years, starting out in sales and making my way into regulatory.

Yanivis Hage Chief Talent Officer iLearn Schools

yanivishage@gmail.com

Mikal James Assistant Administrative Director Winsor Elite Care

Mikalj@winsorelitecare.com

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Lauren Johnson

Sports Management Assistant Professor New Jersey City University

ljohnson14@njcu.edu

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Sean Keating Partner, Rosso Financial Group Founder, Patriot Financial Advisors

sean@patriotfa.com

Jennifer Kinsey

Regulatory Affairs Manager Gerber Products Co

jennifer.kinsey@us.nestle.com

Victoria Loehwing

Employee Relations Brand Manager

Hudson Milestones

Hmmarketing@ hudsonmilestones.org

Dr. Lauren M. Johnson is an assistant professor in the Management department (Sport Management) at New Jersey City University. She recently obtained a PhD in Sport Management and Policy at the University of Georgia. She obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing and Master’s Degree in Sport Administration from Hampton University. Her research interests include strategic leadership, consumer behavior in sport, and the globalization of the business of sport. She has disseminated her research in academic and sport business conferences around the world. Prior to academia, she has worked as a program director for professional sport organizations. She is a former professional basketball athlete and native of Metro Atlanta.

30+ years in the Financial Industry. Worked as a Market Maker at Goldman Sachs and Director of Risk and Head of US Operations for Financial Planning US at UBS before starting my own tax practice, Patriot Financial Advisors in 2010 and becoming partner in Rosso Financial Group in 2016 where is in charge of Wealth Planning and tax strategies for wealth planning clients. I have my MS in Personal Financial Planning, and I am a CFP and IRS Enrolled Agent.

My name is Jennifer Kinsey and I work in regulatory affairs for Nestle Nutrition/Gerber Products Company. I graduated from Rutgers with a BS in Nutritional Science in 2012, worked at a food distribution company for 2 years in quality assurance, and then started at Nestle in 2015. I have been with Nestle for a little over 7 years, and moved with the company from New Jersey to Arlington, VA in 2018.

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Cristy Lugo

Recruiter

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

cristy.lugo@wyndham.com

Malcom Mackenzie

Regional Vice President

EQUITABLE ADVISORS

malcolm.mackenzie@ equitable.com

Eldonie S. Mason, Esq.

Founding Member, Attorney, Legal And Business Affairs Mason Firm, LLC

eldonie@masonfirmllc.com

Ridge McKnight

Brand Marketing Lead

Sling TV

ridge.mcknight@sling.com

Anainya Mishra

Data Analyst

New Jersey City University

amishra@njcu.edu

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Erin Moss Director

The Orchard School

erinmoss@orchard-center.com

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Eldonie Mason, a native of the Caribbean island of Antigua, is an entrepreneur and experienced entertainment, business and fashion attorney with Mason Firm, LLC. She is also a former arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association where she presided over cases involving entertainment disputes and FINRA where she heard disputes involving brokers and investors. Additionally, Eldonie is a professor and taught Music Publishing, Licensing and Copyright at York College of Pennsylvania. She graduated magna cum laude from New Jersey City University and cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law and is licensed to practice in NY, NJ and FL. In 2020, she founded Predestined Media, LLC to create and distribute diverse content. Her first project from Predestined Media is a children’s book, “The Adventures of Princess Anyah of Antibarba” about a Black 6-year-old princess who goes on different adventures.

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Eager to connect and share more with you.

cmujica@hudsoncmo.org

Sietse Nabben

General Manager

Canopy by Hilton Jersey City

Arts District

snabben@canopyjerseycity.com

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Danielle Natoli Recruiter Practice Lead Aston Carter

dnatoli@astoncarter.com

Sietse Nabben comes to Canopy by Hilton Jersey City with over twenty years of professional hotel and hospitality experience. He has held a variety of managerial and directorial roles at several of the world’s most highly regarded and unique hospitality companies, most recently serving as Managing Director at Highgate’s Royalton Park Avenue Hotel, as well as playing a crucial role in the opening of Hotel Hendricks in Manhattan’s Bryant Park neighborhood. Before his arrival in NYC, Sietse spent time in leadership roles in SF Bay area, Chicago and Munich, Germany in a variety of executive roles. Born in the Netherlands, Nabben has both visited, lived and worked in some of the world’s most exciting destinations, always finding himself immersed in each community and discovering its unique sense of hospitality. He prides himself on being highly competitive and encourages his employees to explore and obtain a new world view that they may bring back to their careers with Canopy.

Accounting and Finance Recruiter for Northern, NJ.

Oishii.com

michelle@oishii.com

Amelia Palmer

Human Resources Specialist

Corporate Recruiter

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

USCIS

HROC-STAR@uscis.dhs.gov

Vanessa Peralta-Mitchell

Owner

VCPM, Inc.

vanessa@vcpm.com

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Human Resources Specialist (Corporate Recruiter) at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In this role, my mission is to identify, attract, and inspire exceptional individuals toward a career of service in fulfillment of the USCIS mission. I am proud to be a part of USCIS, where we change lives every day.

Vanessa C. Peralta-Mitchell is owner of VCPM, Inc. a business dedicated to using the power of the pavement to empower women to live a life without limits. She’s taken her passion for running and turned it into her purpose with her Game Changers program. This program provides resources and funds for Women of Color to become Certified Run Coaches thus redefining who is seen as the experts and leaders in the run industry. As a Run Coach, a Founder and an advocate for women in the running space, she is redefining the run industry and bringing in a wave of much needed change to run leadership.

Shaka Pope CEO

Info@primeprim2013.com

Valerie Rawls CEO

TeamUP Counseling

vrawls@teamupcounseling.com

Keely Respass

Partner Renewals Rep GoTo Technologies

Keely.Respass@goto.com

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Operations & Creative Director NJ Motion Picture & Television Commission

Charles.Ricciardi@sos.nj.gov

Jennifer Rizzi

Sales Enablement Manager Squarespace

jrizzi@squarespace.com

TeamUP Counseling provides clinical, supportive, and respite services to young people with intellectual disabilities. Services are offered within the youth’s home and/or at our community center. Employment opportunities range from full-time, part-time, and hourly.

Professionally has more than 26 years’ experience in Event Management Planning & Program Development, Marketing & Promotions, at a variety of renowned companies; most specifically Madison Square Garden, Court Television, and presently GoTo Technology, where she is a Renewals Partner Representative. In addition, she is Co-Founder and Creative Producer of Wenches Behind the Wheel LLC, and at present in story development of documentary film “Daughters of the High Seas”. Keely is a native of Brooklyn, NY but currently a resident in Jersey City, NJ and very active in community relations & volunteer services. She was a 2018/2019 Board member of the Rotary Club of Jersey City and Lead Planner on several signature fundraising and service events (the Food Truck & Music Festival 2016, Warm Coat Project 2018, and Power of One Human Trafficking Awareness 2019 ), 2018/2020 she was Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer in Hudson County for children in foster care. Presently Keely is a Board Member for the Secaucus Rotary Club, volunteer Film Festival Judge for Signal-to-Noise Film Festival, and “Mission Possible” Global Service Officer at GoTo Technology. Keely is an honored recipient of “Rotarian of the Year” 2018/2019 on behalf of the Rotary Club of Jersey City.

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Jennifer Rizzi leads enterprise content strategy for Squarespace as Sales Enablement Manager, where she manages the online Enterprise Resource Hub and produces customer-facing sales materials. Formerly a director and spokesperson for Videolicious Inc., she has trained Fortune 500 clients around the world on mobile video strategy, script writing and on-camera performance. She was the first mobile-only video journalist for the New York Daily News and has worked as an on-air TV reporter in two state capitals (Harrisburg, PA and Charleston, WV.)

David Schoner

Associate Director New Jersey Motion Picture and TV Commission

DSchonerJr@aol.com

For over 38 years David W. Schoner Jr. has been Associate Director for the New Jersey Motion Picture and Television Commission. David has coordinated thousands of Hollywood productions, including The Sopranos, the Warner Bros. smash hit Joker, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, the HBO miniseries The Plot Against America and 2 seasons of the Hulu TV series Wu-Tang: An American Saga. David serves his community as being a member of the Cedar Grove Board of Education, where he’s involved in various educational and charitable endeavors, and also is on the Board of Trustees of the Garden State Film Festival, Women in Media – Newark Women’s History Month Film Festival, Westfield International Film Festival, and the Monmouth International Film Festival.

Julie Schwab

Supervising Manager and Recruiter American Income Life - Giglione Ackerman Agency

jschwab@ailnj.com

Anthony Smith President Blacks In Law Enforcement Servicing the Community (BLESC) blesc2017@gmail.com

Erin Stanton Global Head of Analytics Client Support Virtu Financial estanton@virtu.com

Jonathan Cox Managing Director CoxPHIT, LLC

jcox@coxphit.com

Desiree Wayne

Asylum Officer | DHS | USCIS| Newark Asylum Office

desiree.w.wayne@uscis.dhs.gov

Eager to connect and share more with you.

B.L.E.S.C is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, that focuses on connecting the community to law enforcement. We understand the strains often associated with dealing with community and law enforcement relations. As community members who work in law enforcement we aim to bridge that gap where needed.

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Eager to connect and share more with you.

Desiree Wayne is looking forward to sharing more about themselves with you!

Career Services at NJCU

Career Services at NJCU is comprised of the Career Success Lab and Career Services in the School of Business. These offices provide comprehensive services and resources to assist with researching careers, finding job opportunities, preparing for graduate school, improving resume writing and interviewing skills, and landing appropriate internships for career advancement. We aim to assist you with your job search and career development needs.

Four Year Career Action Plan

A career development plan is one of the sure ways that professionals identify the careers they want to pursue. The development plan further assists a person to develop the career skills needed for their chosen line of work. Having trouble finding a field of interest or identifying possible career paths? Career Assessments can help. Check out these options while following the year-by-year focus points to prepare.

What can I do with my major?

Assessments

Career Assessment

Accessibility

JAN - Job Accommodation Network

Self Assessment

Career Assessment

NJ State Division of Disability Services (DDS)

4 year plan checklist

Freshman & Sophomore Year

☐ Attend workshops and career fairs to develop skills, learn about internships, and get contacts for employment.

☐ Build your resume through targeted work experience and assess skills.

☐ Student will become engaged in assessing personal values, interests, skills and abilities through career self-assessment tools such as the FOCUS II or the Self-Directed Search.

☐ Clarify short- and long-term career goals and update your career plan by meeting with a career counselor.

☐ Students will be charged to get involved on and off campus. Join a student organization,

Junior Year

☐ Apply for a cooperative education or internship experience to build your resume, gain skills, learn new concepts, and find mentors.

☐ Assess your skills related to career interests and technology and write three related goals and activities

☐ Attend employer workshops and Career Fairs.

☐ Develop a list of contacts for references, internships and job opportunities.

Senior Year

☐ Advanced Study and Tests

☐ Apply for graduate school and send support documents, e.g., transcripts, essay, test scores, and recommendations.

☐ Apply for graduate school and send support documents, e.g., transcripts, essay, test scores, and recommendations. Research financial aid and graduate school assistantships.

☐ Complete a second cooperative education or internship experience.

☐ Contact employers, administrators, and faculty for recommendations.

volunteer, and/or get an on-campus job/ first year internship through the student employment program.meeting with your academic advisor or career counselor.

☐ Develop skills and build your resume through volunteer work and part-time employment.

☐ Meet with your academic advisor to declare your major.

☐ Research careers and make notes on academic preparation and skill requirements for specific careers.

☐ Students will actively research and identify two career fields of interest and conduct

informational interviews with professionals in those fields.

☐ Schedule a meeting with career counselor or advisor to discuss interests and related majors, clarify goals, assess skills, and develop a career plan.

☐ Schedule a meeting with a cooperative education coordinator to prepare for internships.

☐ Students will create an online professional profile on Handshake and LinkedIn.

☐ Students will connect with a professional mentor utilizing Graduway.

☐ Develop a resume for cooperative education or internships.

☐ Get involved in clubs, volunteer work, and community service to develop leadership skills.

☐ Meet with career center staff to update your resume, to review career plan, to prepare for graduate school admission and to assess skills.

☐ Research Companies, Explore Choices, Network, and Prepare for professional Opportunities and Graduate School.

☐ Advanced Study and Tests

☐ Request information on graduate schools, certification programs, and training programs for continued learning.

☐ Use the Career Center resources to research companies that interest you and review hiring areas, practices, and requirements.

☐ Use online career development programs.

☐ Continue to develop your resume through coop experiences, volunteer work, Internships, practicum, part-time employment, and community service.

☐ Create a portfolio of recommendations, leadership experiences, awards, and work.

☐ Fill out forms for graduation clearance.

☐ Research organizations and industries for potential employment and preparation for interviews.

☐ Review and complete application requirements for graduate school.

☐ Schedule an appointment with a Career Counselor to develop a job search plan, to review short term and long-term career goals, to do interview preparation, and to revise your resume.

☐ Schedule mock interviews online and with a career counselor.your resume.

☐ Schedule mock interviews online and with a career counselor.

☐ Update your career plan and resume.

☐ Use CollegeCentral, Handshake, Internet Listing, and Career Center Postings to assist with your job search.

Additional Career Readiness Resources:

Navigating your Success

(In-Person)

Wednesday, February 15th

Time: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Location: GSUB 129

Students will be inspired by a keynote conversation with Keely Respass, Renewals Partner Representative for GoTo Technology.

Students will have the option to gain and apply career knowledge from 3 workshops:

• What Are You Giving “Elevator Pitch”

• Using Your STAR Power Interview Technique

• Building your Linked In Profile

Finding a Mentor & Becoming a Mentee

In both business and personal life, we should all be seeking to develop our skills, continually learn new things, and challenge ourselves on a regular basis. Having a mentor – that is, somebody who can help guide, advise and teach you how to tackle a problem, project, or work towards a personal or career goal is a great way to stay on track. Find the right mentor today with the NJCU Network

Professional Social Networks

In the U.S., 3 out of every 4 adults who use the Internet also use social media making social media a powerful tool. If you master social media, you can more easily build a professional presence and potentially enhance your career.

One should always start by creating their LinkedIn profile. Start joining the different groups related to the careers that you are interested in, and attend any in-person or Zoom events to start getting to know people who work in the field. Also start connecting with NJCU alumni who are on LinkedIn. Tips for creating a LinkedIn profile can be found on The Muse.

NJCU Alumni Association

Be among the first to explore NJCU’s powerful new mentoring platform and create a profile as a student.

Having an NJCU Alumni mentor can have a dramatic effect on your life and career, empowering you with the guidance and skills necessary to succeed. Whether it is one or two meetings over coffee or an ongoing relationship over a semester, the mentor-mentee relationship has life-changing potential!

Seek a mentor today!

• Please visit NJCU Network to access the site.

• Register using LinkedIn or email.

• Your email will be verified and your account will be approved within a few hours.

• Once your account is approved, you can add more details to your profile.

• If you need help, select the “Resources” button in the left navigation panel and learn how to complete an effective profile, connect with other users and more. Watch 2 minutes of videos on how to find a mentor, how to enhance your profile, how to connect with others.

• Please participate in this game-changing initiative!

Connecting with Professionals

Making these connections can place you on the radar for professionals and open several opportunities. For example, after connecting with people you can ask to do an "information interview" with them. An informational interview is an informal conversation with someone who works in a career of interest to you. It differs from a formal job interview in that you ask questions to gain information about the industry or a specific company. Some questions to ask can be found here

Interviewing Tips

Preparing for an interview takes a lot more than what meets the eye or Googling a list of common interview questions. You must make a great first impression appearance-wise (no wrinkly suits here!), have a great knowledge of your target company and its product, and, of course, know exactly how to convey that you're the perfect fit for the job. Some tips include but are not limited to:

• Researching the company and its products and your interviewers.

• Prepare questions for your interviewer.

• Plan your interview the night before.

• Be respectful and include professional language.

• Be authentic and positive.

New Jersey City University offers a directed job search platform for students, Grade Leaders, where profiles can be created and overseen by university staff. Additionally, platforms such ass GlassDoor, Indeed, and LinkedIn can facilitate the job search process.

Dress for Success

Introducing the Gothic Rack

The Gothic Rack provides all students access to new and gently used professional attire for interviews, career fairs, networking events and the workplace. The goal of The Gothic Rack is to remove financial barriers that may prevent students with the highest need from looking and feeling their best during internship and job search process.

The Gothic Rack seeks to provide all students with free and discreet access to identity affirming clothing and accessories. We hope to have clothing and accessories that fit students’ identity across the spectrum. While clothes can be gender affirming, we will have agender styles available as well. Dressing appropriately for an interview, career fair, or networking event is key to boosting your confidence and helping you make a great first impression.

How it Works

The Gothic Rack is open to all NJCU students. Any items taken from the closet are free of charge and yours to keep. Students are allowed to take two professional outfits per semester. No returns are necessary.

The Gothic Rack is open Tuesday through Thursday 12-5 p.m. in GSUB 211. Please email communitycenter@njcu.edu for an appointment time and date to access The Gothic Rack.

Gender Neutral consideration for attire

What Are You Giving? “Elevator Pitch”

Imagine how you would start describing yourself to the human resources recruiter for your dream company? What talent do you bring to the table that makes you the ideal candidate for your dream position? The answers to these questions can be briefly exchanged so that you can make a mark on anyone. Therefore, you need to prepare your elevator pitch!

The duration of said pitch should be no longer than a 30 second elevator ride, but still should give a brief overview of one's educational and professional successes along with one's goals and set of skills.

I. Why and when to use an elevator pitch?

Elevator pitches work well to put in a good word for you with someone who interests you professionally, at an educational level, or in your career. They can be used when participating in a networking event, on online professional profiles, even at a career fair.

II. What aspects does an elevator pitch have?

An elevator pitch should include but is not limited to academic highlights, professional highlights, work experiences, brilliant extracurriculars, your skillset, and your professional goals.

Example - Context: Seeking a Job Opportunity, sourced from Indeed 2022

“Hi, I’m Tom. I’ve spent the last eight years learning and growing in my role as Media Planner, where I’ve developed and optimized strategic media plans for our top client and managed a subset of planners as a Team Lead. One of my proudest achievements was a pro-bono project that was recognized as a top non-profit campaign last year. I’ve been interested in moving to non-profit for quite a while, and love what your company does in education. Would you mind telling me about any media planning needs you may have on the team?”

Example – Context: Seeking a Mentor, sourced from Indeed 2022

“Hi, I’m Molly, so nice to meet you! I’m a Graphic Designer at ABC Inc., where I’m passionate about creating beautiful, intuitive designs for a variety of marketing collateral for our top-tier clients. Before that, I got my Masters in Graphic Design. I’m looking for experiences to learn more about career paths and ways to grow into assuming an Art Director role in the next few years. Your work with XYZ brand has inspired the ways I think about design—I would love to talk more about a potential mentorship with you if that’s something you have time for and would be interested in.”

You can begin to craft your elevator pitch free online tool by Business First Impression, and also learn more about elevator pitches at Indeed.com

Cover Letter Guide

A cover letter is written to the person or organization offering the position for which you are applying. This letter that is attached to your resume is meant to introduce you in a more personal manner in order to incentivize your reader to comb through your resume. Thankfully, there are a vast number of resources online such as those offered by Indeed, to research cover letter writing. Moreover, there are tools such as My Perfect Cover Letter that helps guide the creation of a cover letter.

I. Use a Professional Cover Letter Heading

Include your personal contact details such as name, email address, and phone number. Subsequently, address the name of the hiring manager or the company. Make sure your contact information is consistent across your resume, cover letter, and social media profiles as well as professional.

II. Open Your Cover Letter with a Proper Greeting

This will be the very first thing the hiring manager will see, therefore address it directly, if possible. This is a simple aspect but crucial because the salutation is tailored to that manager, company, or position. Sample greetings include but are not limited to:

III. Write a Catchy Opening Paragraph

• Dear ______, I.e. Dear Kathleen

• Dear Ms./Mrs./Mr. ________, I.e. Dear Ms. Jones

• Dear Hiring Manager,

• Dear [XYZ Company] Team,

These few sentences at the beginning of your cover letter will determine whether the hiring manager will read on. You need to make your cover letter introduction attract and hold the hiring manager’s interest, do so by allowing it to be reflective of your personality, yet professional.

“As a lifelong enthusiast of XYZ’s marketing initiatives, I was thrilled to see your posting for the position of Digital Marketing Manager. I am positive I can help with XYZ’s upcoming challenges. As a member of the Marketing Club at New Jersey City University, I have experience participating in various student business challenges which have increased my knowledge of digital marketing and given me the transferable skills to succeed in the field. (sourced Business Impressions.)

IV. Explain Why You’re the Perfect Candidate

You need to get the hiring manager exactly what she’s looking for. You must show that you’re going to satisfy the company’s specific needs. List the skills in a conversational manner that you possess for this job.

“In my current internship at ABC Creative Marketing Agency, I have gained experience working on a social marketing campaign. For this campaign, I was tasked with increasing the Instagram engagement rate of one of our clients. By posting catchy content relevant to the target audience, I helped lead the client’s Instagram account to an engagement rate of 5%. This in turn increased engagement on their merchandise sites. (Sourced Business Impressions.)

V. Explain Why You’re Eager to Join

But what they also want is for you to enjoy working with them. They want your future job to feel rewarding to you—that way, they know you’re more likely to stay with them for a longer period. You can express that enthusiasm by following these steps:

• Start with a company fact - for instance, an upcoming project that you find pride or interest in.

• Say why you find it interesting.

• Reiterate that your experience and knowledge will let you succeed with the project.

VI. Make Your Personal Offer in the Closing Paragraph.

Once you’ve written the body of your cover letter, you just need to put a formal closing at the very end. Write “sincerely” and follow it with your full name. Adding your handwritten signature is optional, but it’s recommended for more formal cover letters. Remember to focus on what you have to offer to the job versus needing the job. Sample sign offs include but are not limited to:

• Thank you,

• With best regards,

• Thank you for your consideration,

• Truly yours,

• Respectfully yours,

Cover Letter Examples

Resume Guide

Email Etiquette Guide

Interview Tool: S.T.A.R. METHOD

You’re in a job interview, and things are going well. You didn’t get lost on your way to the office, you made some friendly small talk with the hiring manager, and you’re nailing your answers to the questions you’re being asked. Just when you start thinking you have this in the bag, you hear the interviewer say, “Tell me about a time when…” Your stomach drops. You rack your brain for something—anything!—you can use as an example. You grasp at straws and finally stumble your way through an anecdote that only sort of satisfies the prompt.

First of all, take comfort in the fact that we’ve all been there. These types of interview questions are tough to answer. But, here’s the good news: There’s a strategy you can use to come up with way more impressive answers to these dreaded questions: the STAR interview method.

What Is the STAR Interview Method?

The STAR interview technique offers a straightforward format you can use to answer behavioral interview questions—those prompts that ask you to provide a real-life example of how you handled a certain kind of situation at work in the past. Don’t worry—these questions are easy to recognize. They often have telltale openings like:

• Tell me about a time when…

• What do you do when…

• Have you ever…

• Give me an example of…

• Describe a…

Thinking of a fitting example for your response is just the beginning. Then you also need to share the details in a compelling and easy-to-understand way— without endless rambling.

That’s exactly what the STAR interview method enables you to do. “It’s helpful because it provides a simple framework for helping a candidate tell a meaningful story about a previous work experience,” says Al Dea, the founder of CareerSchooled and a career and leadership coach

So, let’s break down that framework. STAR is an acronym that stands for:

Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.

Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.

Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.

Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.

By using these four components to shape your anecdote, it’s much easier to share a focused answer, providing the interviewer with “a digestible but compelling narrative of what a candidate did,” says Dea. “They can follow along, but also determine based on the answer how well that candidate might fit with the job.”

Answering Interview Questions Using STAR

Knowing what the acronym stands for is only the first step—you need to know how to use it. Follow this step-by-step process to give the best STAR interview answers.

I. Find a Suitable Example

The STAR interview method won’t be helpful to you if you use it to structure an answer using a totally irrelevant anecdote. That’s why the crucial starting point is to find an appropriate scenario from your professional history that you can expand on. There’s no way for you to know ahead of time exactly what the interviewer will ask you (although our list of behavioral interview questions can help you make some educated predictions). With that in mind, it’s smart to have a few stories and examples ready to go that you can tweak and adapt for different questions.

“Brainstorm a few examples of particular success in your previous job, and think through how to discuss that success using the STAR framework,” says Lydia Bowers, a human resources professional. Repeat that exercise for a few types of questions.

If you’re struggling during your interview to come up with an example that fits, don’t be afraid to ask to take a minute. “I’m always impressed when a candidate asks for a moment to think so that they can provide a good answer,” says Emma Flowers, a career coach here at The Muse. “It’s OK to take a few seconds.”

II. Lay Out the Situation

With your anecdote selected, it’s time to set the scene. It’s tempting to include all sorts of unnecessary details— particularly when your nerves get the best of you. But if the interview asks you to tell them about a time you didn’t meet a client’s expectations, for example, they don’t necessarily need to know the story of how you recruited the client three years earlier or the entire history of the project.

Your goal here is to paint a clear picture of the situation you were in and emphasize its complexities, so that the result you touch on later seems that much more profound. Keep things concise and focus on what’s undeniably relevant to your story.

“The STAR method is meant to be simple,” explains Flowers. “Sometimes people provide too much detail and their answers are too long. Focus on just one or two sentences for each letter of the acronym.”

For example, imagine that the interviewer just said, “Tell me about a time when you achieved a goal that you initially thought was out of reach.”

Your Response (Situation):

“In my previous digital marketing role, my company made the decision to focus primarily on email marketing and was looking to increase their list of email subscribers pretty aggressively.”

III. Highlight the Task

You’re telling this story for a reason—because you had some sort of core involvement in it. This is the part of your answer when you make the interviewer understand exactly where you fit in.

This can easily get confused with the “action” portion of the response. However, this piece is dedicated to giving the specifics of what your responsibilities were in that particular scenario, as well as any objective that was set for you, before you dive into what you actually did.

Your Response (Task):

“As the email marketing manager, my target was to increase our email list by at least 50% in just one quarter.”

IV. Share How You Took Action

Now that you’ve given the interviewer a sense of what your role was, it’s time to explain what you did. What steps did you take to reach that goal or solve that problem?

Resist the urge to give a vague or glossed-over answer like, “So, I worked hard on it…” or “I did some research…”

This is your chance to really showcase your contribution, and it’s worthy of some specifics. Dig in deep and make sure that you give enough information about exactly what you did. Did you work with a certain team? Use a particular piece of software? Form a detailed plan? Those are the things your interviewer wants to know.

Your Response (Action):

“I started by going back through our old blog posts and adding in content upgrades that incentivized email subscriptions—which immediately gave our list a boost. Next, I worked with the rest of the marketing team to plan and host a webinar that required an email address to register, which funneled more interested users into our list.”

V. Dish Out the Result

Here it is—your time to shine and explain how you made a positive difference. The final portion of your response should share the results of the action you took. Of course, the result better be positive—otherwise this isn’t a story you should be telling. No interviewer will be dazzled with an answer that ends with, “And then I got fired.”

Does that mean you can’t tell stories about problems or challenges? Absolutely not. But, even if you’re talking about a time you failed or made a mistake, make sure you end on a high note by talking about what you learned or the steps you took to improve.

Bowers warns that too many candidates skip over this crucial, final part of their response. “They don’t make it clear how their action made an impact—the result,” she says. “That’s the most important part of the answer!”

Remember, interviewers don’t only care about what you did— they also want to know why it mattered. So make sure you hammer home the point about any results you achieved and quantify them when you can. Numbers are always impactful.

Your Response (Result):

“As a result of those additions to our email strategy, I was able to increase our subscriber list from 25,000 subscribers to 40,000 subscribers in three months—which exceeded our goal by 20%.”

Putting it All Together

It’s making sense now, isn’t it? Here’s one more question-and-answer example for some added clarity.

The Interviewer Says:

“Tell me about a time when you had to be very strategic in order to meet all of your top priorities.”

Your Response:

Situation:

“In my previous sales role, I was put in charge of the transfer to an entirely new customer relationship management (CRM) system—on top of handling my daily sales calls and responsibilities.”

Task: Action:

“The goal was to have the migration to the new CRM database completed by Q3, without letting any of my own sales numbers slip below my targets.”

“In order to do that, I had to be very careful about how I managed all of my time. So, I blocked off an hour each day on my calendar to dedicate solely to the CRM migration. During that time, I worked on transferring the data, as well as cleaning out old contacts and updating outdated information. Doing this gave me enough time to chip away at that project, while still handling my normal tasks.”

Result:

“As a result, the transfer was completed two weeks ahead of deadline and I finished the quarter 10% ahead of my sales goal.”

The STAR interview process for answering behavioral interview questions might seem a little overwhelming at first. But it will become second nature with a little practice. And make no mistake, practicing is definitely something you should do.

“Whether it’s in a mock interview or just practicing your answer in the mirror, talk through your response so that it feels natural and comfortable when you’re actually in the interview,” Flowers says. With just a little preparation and strategy, you’ll soon view behavioral interview questions as less of a burden—and more of an opportunity to emphasize your awesome qualifications.

Interview Tool: Practice Questions