Last updated May 12, 2019
About
By Jannet Walsh
The Career Toolkit is a resource of just the basics needed to create a personal career toolkit to help land your first internship, job and launch a new career. Although I created the Career Toolkit originally for my students at St. Cloud State University, please feel free to continue reading as the information is valuable for recent graduates and anyone looking for employment.
Recommended job search book – Wait, How Do I Write This Email?
Author Danny Rubin, second edition published 2016
This book used in colleges, workforce development programs, the Pentagon and my public relations classes! Watch video by Danny Rubin and surf his YouTube Channel. I suggest this book for all my students and anyone that’s launching a career!
You might also look at Wait, How Do I Promote My Business?, also by Rubin, for starting a business or developing a tactics for landing for job or internship.
All the items include links and references to original sources to give you an opportunity to explore beyond this page. Please share this page with anyone looking for work. I welcome comments and suggests if you have something to help job seekers!
Thanks,
Jannet Walsh
Career Toolkit Topics
Here’s the topics you will find on this page:
- SCSU Career Center – Interviewing, Networking and more!
- SCSU Mass Communications Internships
- Cover Letter
- Resume
- Thank you letter
- Email Etiquette
- Portfolio Website
- Introduction Video
- Online Job Banks
- Biography, Autobiography
- Additional Career Information
Watch another video from LinkedIn about creating your online profile. See more videos from LinkedIn to launch your career!
Social networking website designed for business professionals
LinkedIn sign up – free!
Learn more about LinkedIn for Students
Tip sheet for College LinkedIn profiles
Complete list for students using LinkedIn
LinkedIn Handbook Part 1 (Includes links to Part 2 and 3) – The Student Job Hunting Handbook
LinkedIn tools for alumni
St. Cloud State University Career Center
SCSU students, Alumni seeking employment – Get hired!
Employers searching for next employees – Hire!
Learn about SCSU Career Center
Upcoming Events – Career fairs, recruiting, training, campus interviews and more
Follow on Facebook
Follow on Twitter
Interviewing
Networking
Search for Jobs and Internships
Schedule an appointment at SCSU Career Center
Watch SCSU Career Center CareerSpots Videos
Click on photo to launch the SCSU Career Center CareerSpots video player or go directly to the video player.
SCSU Mass Communications Internship
GAIN VALUABLE PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, ALONG WITH A PORTFOLIO AND BE READY TO LAUNCH YOUR CAREER BEFORE GRADUATION!
If you are a SCSU Mass Communications student, please follow the procedures listed below to apply for an internship. Having one or more internships before you graduate is highly recommended. Employers look for prospective employees with proven work experience and the potential to succeed and learn on the job. Start thinking of your future career now, not after you graduate.
SCSU MASS COMMUNICATIONS INTERNSHIPS
To find Mass Comm internships please follow the following instructions:
1. Go to www.stcloudstate.edu/careercenter, click on the Jobs for Huskies button and click on Student Login or Alumni Login.
2. Log in with your Star ID and password.
3. If you have trouble logging in, contact SCSU Career Center at careercenter@stcloudstate.edu or 320-308-2151.
4. Put your curser on databases on the top bar
5. Scroll down and click Jobs/Internships
6. In the Search Box enter the keyword of the internship you are looking for (Words like Public Relations, TV News, Video Production, Advertising, Radio, Web Design, etc.)
7. When you set up an internship, contact Internship Director Mark Mills at mlmills@stcloudstate.edu to get registered. Thank you!
Cover Letter
Formal letter of application with credentials and INTERESTS for job opening
“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
From John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address
Note: The cover letter is not about what an employer can do for you, but what you can offer an employer!
Click to download cover letter template
**Update with your own words!
Cover letter, PDF
Cover letter, Word doc
View more cover letter examples at SCSU Career Center
Resume
Formal presentation of education, skills, talents and work experience
Visit the St. Cloud State University Career Center website for resume ideas and career preparation.
View student resume, most located on resume pages
Click to download resume template
**Update with your own words!
Resume, PDF
Resume, Word doc
Thank you letter
It’s vital you thank each person that helps you along your job search. If you interview for a job or someone goes out of their way to help you, it’s the time to shine and show you are thankful for any and all help.
Employers area known to make decisions on hiring based on if a candidate send a thank you card, letter or email. Your words professional and to the point. It’s also one last opportunity to put yourself in front of a company you really want to work.
Thank you letters provided by the SCSU Career Center
Find more information on thank you letters at the SCSU Career Center website.
Thank you letter
General thank you
Informational Interview
Job Interview
Phone and Email Etiquette
What you say and don’t say during a phone interview or how you write an email is vital. A job search requires formal communication.
Watch video about phone interview etiquette
Watch video about email interview etiquette
Introduction Video
Video to promote your career, showcase skills and talents
Public Relations Graduate from SCSU – Learn more about Alli Grillo at her website, along with her resume and biography she used for landing her first job after graduation.
Student introduction videos
Maddie MacFarlane – Photojournalism, Graphic Design
Introduction video
Website
Brett Mensing – TV Broadcast
Introduction video
Multimedia Journalist Reel
Website
Ubah Ali – TV Broadcast
Introduction Video
Multimedia Journalist Reel
Website
See sample script, go to Sample Script
Create a script before you start shooting your video to promote your career. This video can also be called an elevator pitch, what you can tell a prospective employer in the amount of time it takes to take an elevator ride. Resume video is also another reference.
Video to promote your career – Call it what you want, but it’s an introduction video about your career and why an employer should hire you. You can feature your talents, skills, achievements and career aspirations.
Keep it short– This should be a short video, no more than one to two minutes, not the time to put someone to sleep. If you can’t tell a prospective employer about yourself in a very succinct video, it’s likely you will have trouble talking about yourself in an interview. This in an incredible opportunity to showcase yourself. This will also be great practice during job interviews as a very common question is, “Tell me about yourself.” This is about education, career, not a personal story about your family.
Keep it professional – Don’t mention your marital status, if you have children, health problems and other personal information. The introduction is all about you and your career. If you are about to graduate from college, it’s about your career aspirations, student internships and campus involvement, volunteering and other activities that you think are significant.
Tutorials to edit with Adobe Premiere Pro
Online Job Banks
Jobs for Huskies (Students and Alumni) – SCSU Career Website for students, alumni and employers
Minnesota Works – The state of Minnesota’s official job website
Complied listing of job search websites – Global to local and special interest sites
Biography, Autobiography
Use a biography to promote yourself and tell your career story
Biography is written in third person – He, she, it
Example: Jane Smith is studying public relations.
Autobiography written in first person – I, me
Example: My name is Jane Smith and I am studying public relations.
Short Biography – Jannet Walsh
Long Biography – Jannet Walsh
Autobiography – Jannet Walsh
See student biographies – Most located on About Pages
See author Heid E. Erdrich’s bio page with examples of her biographies used to promote her books and career.
Template for biography from Forbes – Read full story
[Name] is a [title] who works with [who you help] to [how you help them].
(Start new paragraph)
[First name] [knows/believes] [what you know/believe about the work you do].
(Start new paragraph)
[First name] has [landed/secured/garnered/worked at/supported] [insert your most compelling experiences and wins].
(Start new paragraph)
[First name] is a [trained/certified/awarded] [insert relevant trainings, awards, honors, etc].(Start new paragraph)
[First name] holds a [insert degree] in [insert area of study] from [insert university].
(If not already mentioned earlier about education, include something else that’s important and vital you want a future employer to know about your.)
Biography Example
Jane Smith is an aspiring public relations professional studying Mass Communications with an emphasis in Pubic Relations and a minor in Graphic Design at St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota. Her anticipated graduation is Fall 2017.
Jane served as the Social Media Manager for Husky Agency, huskyagency.org, leading a team of four fellow students for the XZY Company, St. Cloud. Husky Agency is a service-learning learning experience for public relations students at SCSU.
Her internship at The XYZ Public Relations Agency, Summer 2013 in St. Paul, Minnesota, helped her develop valuable skills as she contributed to 15 summer events, designed brochures and newsletters, updated the company website, coordinate media interviews and curated social media daily.
When Jane is not helping out at her family’s restaurant in rural Murdock, Minnesota, she is the captain of the SCSU Synchronized Swim Team, she enjoys volunteering for worthy causes and exploring Adobe Creative Cloud applications.
Additional Career Information
Read and listen to audio story “Why are job interviews getting so complicated?” By Ashley Milne-Tyte from Marketplace.
Banner image is from unsplash.com, Creative Commons Zero usage. Photo by Dai Ke.
Multimedia Toolkit 
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