Inside This Issue:

Time Well Spent: Upcoming Winter Break
Etiquette Corner
Major / Minor Fair (M&M)
Fall Career Festival
Mr. Dan Cathy, Speaker

Time Well Spent: Upcoming Winter Break

Have you made plans for winter break this year? While winter break is a fantastic time to relax, visit with family and friends, catch-up on sleep, and reflect on the semester past, it can also be used to develop valuable career related documents, skills, and connections. For one month, students are not burdened with class assignments and projects. Here are a couple of suggestions to better spend that free time.

Résumé, Cover Letter Creations and Revisions Haven’t developed a résumé to hand to potential employers yet? If you are starting from scratch, creating a résumé can be somewhat daunting and time consuming. We encourage students to begin work on their personal résumé during the semester prior to break, however we understand that class work can get in the way of this process. University Career Services (UCS) offers excellent templates and formatting strategies for students (and alumni) who may be creating a résumé for the first time.

After you have created a preliminary draft or you are looking for further suggestions on an already existing résumé, upload a copy into the College Central Network. It will be our pleasure to look over your work and make recommendations as to how you can improve it further.

Holiday Networking  Networking around the holiday season might be difficult considering that, for many businesses, this is the busy season. Managers and employees are looking for time off from work and, in order to accommodate this, business hours may be altered. Please keep this in mind when you are attempting to contact potential employers.

Students who are hoping to connect with professors or admissions offices at other universities for graduate school information should do their best to determine when faculty and staff will take their break. Bear in mind that faculty and staff holidays are not necessarily the same as the academic holidays.

Use all of your resources! Networking with family, friends, and alumni is very beneficial to your career development needs. The experience you gain from contacting these people will improve your professional communication skills and, at the same time, you may discover an internship or career opportunity that suits your needs.

Availability The great news is that University Career Services will be open for the majority of the break despite the fact that classes are not in session. Even if you have made plans to leave campus for the break, our staff is available to assist with your questions by phone call or e-mail. UCS offices will not be scheduling appointments during the weeks of December 21^st and December 28^th.

Have a wonderful, productive Winter Break!

Etiquette Corner

Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, attests to the power of communication in his numerous publications and works. Communication goes far beyond the way we express ourselves to others through verbal speech and the written word. Our actions inside and outside of the workplace, the way we dress, and our body language, all communicate to our colleagues and coworkers an image. Is this who you wish to be known as? More importantly, is this person you?

We have dedicated this portion of our newsletter to provide you, the reader, with etiquette tips you may not have already considered. We hope that these ideas will help you communicate yourself as the mature professional you are striving to become!

Superinfo Highway Rage: If someone sends you an incendiary or insulting email, do not respond immediately.  Do not dwell on it.  Do not read it over and over, which will just make you angrier.  If you can, let it sit for a few hours or even overnight.  If the individual who sent the email is sitting at his/her computer looking for a response, the wait will drain some of the steam out of that person like a bag of microwave vegetables.

When you do respond, do so in a calm and professional manner.  Avoid arguments over email and especially "Reply to all" reactions.

The Buffet Way: When can you begin eating after you have served yourself at a buffet?  Technically, you may start as soon as you take your seat.  However, in a business setting, it is a good idea to wait until two or three other people join you, so you do not appear impatient or ravenous.

 All Etiquette Tips are provided by the Culture and Manners Institute.

October Recap

The end of October was filled with events hosted by our offices around the Stetson campus. Students and Alumni had a chance to take advantage of some of the most interesting services offered.

Major / Minor Fair (M&M): The walkway in front of the CUB was decorated Wednesday, October 21 with colorful table cloths and posters, banners, and other artifacts from all of the different academic departments. We couldn’t have asked for better weather! The rain held up for us as a cool autumn breeze swept through the event. Students engaged in conversation with professors and student representatives as they walked from table to table, gathering information on each of the different degree programs offered here at Stetson. Dining Services hosted a cook out in front of the CUB for all students and faculty to enjoy.

We would like to congratulate and recognize our event winners! Ellena Harper was the winner of the M&M guessing contest, which involved determining the number of M&Ms of all different types in a jar. Emilia Valdivia and Banks Crane completed their passports and had their names drawn at random. They won a $50 gift certificate and a $100 gift certificate (respectively) to the Stetson Bookstore. Thanks to everyone that came out!

Fall Career Festival:

Students, graduate and undergraduate, and alumni gathered in the Stetson Room on Thursday afternoon, October 22 to meet with representatives from a diverse group of employers. Nineteen companies and organizations were in attendance from around the Southeast. Some of the most recognizable names were GEICO, Target, Disney, and Delta Air Lines. Students and alumni were filled with questions as they made their rounds, most of them having to do with internships and employment opportunities. 

Didn’t have a chance to make it to this event and looking for information on these employers? E-mail us at career@stetson.edu to obtain more information on the companies that were in attendance.


Mr. Dan Cathy, Speaker: Rinker Auditorium was standing room only this past Monday, October 26th as Mr. Dan Cathy, President and COO of Chick-fil-A, spoke with Stetson students and faculty. Mr. Cathy’s presentation lasted a little over an hour and was filled with insight on the trials and tribulations that the company faced during its years of development and the direction the company is heading in now. Attendees laughed with Mr. Cathy as he told stories about his efforts to adapt to advances in technology such as updating his Twitter account, using his iPhone, and launching his blog.
        Mr. Cathy’s presentation, Growing a Legacy: Purpose, Progress, and Stewardship, encompassed four main topics: perseverance, creativity, innovation and generosity. To illustrate these points, Mr. Cathy shared a video of his father, Truett Cathy, recounting the untimely death of his brother and co-worker. This event, while tragic, inspired Truett Cathy to move forward and pursue his entrepreneurial endeavors. The presentation concluded with information on the different strategies Chick-fil-A uses to further improve the amazing service guests already receive.
     We thank Mr. Cathy and his team for including Stetson University in their tour of the Southeast and wish them a safe trip. A video recording of the presentation will be available in University Career Services. For more information on this event, please contact our office at career@stetson.edu. Eat Mor Chikin!