Career Services Blog

Category: Recruiting

Suggestions to help your recruiting efforts.

How to Identify a Fraudulent Employer

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fraud-prevention-3188092_1920An email was recently sent to countless Michigan Tech students titled “Personal Assistant for Busy Executive.”

The email reads, “My name is Mary, I found you through Michigan Tech Career Services.” Then it describes a summer job opportunity with an hourly wage and potential job responsibilities.

We believe the email was sent from a fraudulent employer, and Michigan Tech’s IT department has blocked all future emails coming from the sender’s Gmail address.

A few students responded to the initial email to inquire about the job. However, warning signs in subsequent emails prompted these students to contact our department, and we are so glad they did!

Career Services did not give “Mary” your information.

Please be cautious when sharing personal information with employers that you don’t know and be mindful that employment scams do occur, occasionally.  

Here are a few ideas to help you identify fraudulent employers:

  • Does the email come from a legitimate company email address?  
    • Free accounts like Gmail can be a red flag for fraudulence and phishing schemes.
  • Do they have a legitimate company website? Does it look professional?
    • Check the web address and make sure the website has multiple layers.
    • Check for a physical address associated with the company.
  • Does the company or individual claim to be overseas or international?
    • We extensively vet international job opportunities. You should, too! You can also come to Career Services and we’ll help you do some research.

Other examples of warning signs in “Mary’s” subsequent emails

  • “I don’t have a LinkedIn account at this time, I will set one up on Monday.”
  • “You will be working independently on your own from home.”
  • “How should your name be written on the Check?”
  • “I am physically in Brazil right now conducting a research in the Amazon forest.”

Please be on the lookout for new versions of this email and report them to IT-help@mtu.edu. When in doubt about an employment opportunity, contact Career Services! (Phone: 906-487-2313 | Email: career@mtu.edu)

 

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Conciseness in Communication is Powerful

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In High School, I remember the first assignment that needed to be typed and not hand-written.  I had to get my mother to do the typing for me!  The technology of manual typewriters, ribbons, and white-out demanded a high degree of skill, manual dexterity, and practice.  Advancements in word-processors, electronics, and printers have made this a distant memory.  There is no question that documents created today are easier to read, analyze, and search.  

Videos and Infographics seem to be in a similar realm.  The software to create and edit videos has evolved to be nearly as simple as word processing.  The file sizes and amount of information processed is “orders of magnitude” larger, but the process is surprisingly simple.

The focus on being concise and efficient hasn’t changed.  

Students struggle with the idea of making a 1-page resume and a brief cover letter.  They constantly have more information to add to the single piece of paper used to summarize their life and accomplishments.  Conceptually, the focus on the audience and what is important to them is extremely difficult when you are personally invested in the topic.  

Last year, we made a decision to make short summary videos of the CareerFEST events held on campus.  Taking 6 hours of raw footage from any event and distilling into 2-minute videos doesn’t seem fair!  There were hours of planning meetings, scheduling, and logistics that went into these events.  But, when you watch the final product, the focus needs to be on the design and outcomes of the event.  The videos are available on: https://www.youtube.com/user/MTUCareer

Today’s student has grown up with access to the Internet in their hand – both literally and figuratively.  They would much rather see infographics, diagrams, and videos to describe events and complex relationships.  Why not watch the video online rather than read the book?  I have to admit, when these things are done right, I’d rather watch a video or review and infographic too!

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#MTUCareerFEST Schedule for next fall available

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CareerFEST

To better help our students prepare for their future careers, we have a broad variety of programming in the weeks leading up to Career Fair to help them network, build skills, and explore career opportunities.

Industry Days

These days help students explore careers and learn about the different career opportunities for them that they may not have considered before.  The schedule includes days focused on Aerospace, Automotive, Business, Construction & Building Systems, Energy, Railroad, Robotics & Control, and Steel.  As an alumni or a recruiter, these events are an excellent way to share what you learned throughout your lifetime with today’s students.

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#SigningDay #MTUGrad – Starting a new tradition!

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Graduation day is less than a week away! What is the ultimate result of all that hard work? Starting a job with a new company, applying those skills in a new occupation, and earning money!

We copied the idea of a high school recruit signing for a new college or a professional athlete getting drafted.  Here are some group photos next to our statue in the middle of campus. We think this new tradition will take hold!

Thank you to our corporate partners at: 3M, Alliance Laundry Systems, ArcelorMittal, Caterpillar, The Dow Chemical Company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford Motor Company, Gerdau, Jackson, Kimberly-Clark, Nucor, Oshkosh, Plexus, and Systems Control. Our corporate partners help prepare our students for their careers and now, it is time to get to work!

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Student-Athletes – moving recruits from Good to Great!

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If you were to ask recruiters what skills they need in each of their new good recruits the list would include: life-long learners, good communicators, able to work in diverse groups, and adaptable to new situations. If you were to ask what additional skills great recruits have they would include: perseverance, tenacious, resilient, passionate, and dedicated. The experiences of student athletes provides them the opportunity to move from good to great.

John Standeford played football and basketball for Monrovia High School, a town of 1,200 outside of Indianapolis. This 6’4’’, 168 lbs. wide-received was offered a chance to play for Purdue University by Coach Joe Tiller, going from playing for a team of 22 players to one of 105 with a much higher level of skill per player. He made the most of his experience through hard work, graduating in 2004 while holding the Big Ten’s all-time career receptions record with 266 catches. The skills he gained were put on display in his professional football career.

Drafted and signed by the Washington Redskins, he was soon traded to the Indianapolis Colts, playing for then Coach Tony Dungy. John played on the practice squad, focusing on outworking his peers. He took on his coaches mantra of ‘no excuses, no explanation’, a theme that can be associated with Nike’s Just Do It! During the 2007 season John was moved up to the active roster, a day he celebrated with dinner out with his wife. The next day Coach Dungy called him in to his office, telling him he needed to be sent back down to the practice squad due to injuries in other positions. John could have packed his bag and walked out, but he responded with an elevated effort.

With four remaining games in the 2007 regular season, John’s agent was contacted by the Detroit Lions with an offer to play for them. Coach Dungy could have responded by releasing John, but instead called him into his office. Dungy shared his thoughts of admiration he had for John, enduring when John was asked to play a role he didn’t enjoy, John chose to show up each day, putting forth his maximum effort while supporting his teammates in the process. This coach believed in integrity, faith, and hard work, then offering John a spot on the active roster for the remainder of the season. The Colts made the playoffs that year, with Peyton Manning having a career year at quarterback and John stayed on the active roster as the Indianapolis Colts went on to win the Super Bowl.

The next year, John Standeford, with a Super Bowl ring on his finger, moved on to play for the Detroit Lions. In the final game of the season, John went on to have a career high 6 receptions against all-pro defender Al Harris of the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Unfortunately, he would be another name on the wall in the NFL Hall of Fame, this time being a member of a team that went winless on the season.

John Standeford was a small town boy who was carried to success in his career through his perseverance, tenacity, resilience, passion, and dedication. Today’s recruiters are looking for those with the determination to succeed, who are willing to show up and persevere whether they are on a team of 22 or 105. Recruiters should not overlook student-athletes as they fill their rosters to build their success-oriented corporate teams.

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One Hundred Years Strong

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It was the sound of a whistle blowing from a surrounding factory that became the lightbulb moment leading to cooperative education as we know it today. Cooperative Education has a rich 100-plus year history, with its U.S. roots beginning at the University of Cincinnati thanks to the diligent work of Herman Schneider, an educator dedicated to engineering education. The idea came after his extensive conversations with schools along the east coast as he searched to identify what engineers were missing in their education.

Cooperative education is one model, and I would argue the most valuable, of work-integrated learning. Schneider knew that an engineering curriculum was not complete without students practicing their skills in an authentic setting. Co-ops provide just that.  As students on our campus prepare for the upcoming spring career fair, they may not know Herman Schneider, nor the actual age of cooperative education, but they are well aware that having co-op experience as evidence of their professional development will be highly valued by the recruiters.

The interesting part comes when we begin to ask why. While it is easy to argue that students are better prepared for the workplace as a result of a co-op, research has not focused on the learning that causes the student to return as a different version of themselves. Exactly what do students learn while on a co-op? And how do they learn? What factors are important in their learning?  A co-op is a collaboration between the student, the employer, and the university, so all should be committed to ensuring a quality experience – as Herman Schneider envisioned. Michigan Tech is committed to do our part, and we look forward to our co-op collaborations. If you have not previously participated in the co-op program, contact me to find out how Michigan Tech might may be a great match with your company – and the whistle blowing moments will live on.

Kirsti Arko – Assistant Director for Experiential Learning and Career Development
karko@mtu.edu

 

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