Utilizing Multiple Resources

Hey Everyone!

I hope finals went well for all of you! Today I wanted to talk about some cool CDC resources you might not have known about and how you can combine multiple resources to your benefit. This is actually a little funny, but I didn’t know about some of these resources either, even thought I have been working at the CDC since sophomore year…but by letting all of you know, you can get ahead of the game and you can play around with these during spring break, when you have some free time!

The resources I want to talk to you about, actually exist right on the CDC website itself, which is www.wpi.edu/+cdc. Click on “Jobs, Internships, Co-ops” from the left column, and we will be looking at both “Website Resources” and “Research Opportunities”. Below are a list of a few which you should totally check out and a brief description about each of them:

Buzzfile – On this website, you can look up employers by major, which state has the most companies for that major, and the city you would like to look at. This is a great resources because you can see companies near you which you might be interested in working for, either for internship or full time. This website compiles a lot of good information regarding the location, resources nearby, information about the company, etc.

Go Government/Mass Careers – This website is a good resource for students looking into working for the state/federal government. Working with the government can be a fantastic opportunity, especially because the experience level doesn’t matter! Unless you are interested in working full time with the government, working there for an internship is definitely not a bad idea at all.

National Science Foundation – Under the “Research Opportunities” section, there are a lot of different opportunities available for students through the National Safe Foundation, and as part of the Summer Research for Undergraduates (REU) program. There programs are also a great way to get experience under your belt because they usually accept anyone who has a the passion and professionalism. By clicking on the link, you are redirected to the REU page, where you can narrow the search by major and by the university/location.

Now these resources are all fantastic, but together they could be even more powerful. For example, combining Buzzfile and Career Shift (which is on JobFinder) is perfect. This is because using Buzzfile, you can find out which companies interest you near your location. But once you find that company, what do you need to do? Well you need to first check the company website to see if there are any openings or job postings which match your criteria. If there aren’t, or you want to get an in with this company, you should use Career Shift contact finder to find someone to contact at the company, through the use of “My Contacts”. Make sure that the person you are/would like to look for are in their mid-management position or have human resources in the contact’s position keyword. Career Shift has a very interesting and unknown way of gathering all the details about company contacts, so be sure to use them wisely.

Overall, keep playing on the CDC website because that has a lot of cool resources as well! I know C term ended but try and and take “Job Search” breaks in between, to make the best out of your break. Hope you have a fantastic night and I look forward to seeing you next week! Thank you very much for reading!!

Sincerely,

Omesh Kamat