Career Day 2013: Tips and tricks for entry-level and seasoned professionals

Preparing yourself for the next step in your career requires personal and professional development. That’s why Career Development Services hosts a Career Day event each May that consists of workshops, lectures, and discussions to help students and alumni improve their networking, interviewing, and leadership skills.

This year’s Career Day took place on Saturday, May 4 and received extremely positive feedback from attendees. Check out some of the pictures we snapped during the event.



We wanted to recap some of the best tips that were shared over the course of the day in case you missed it.

For entry-level job seekers. We shared a lot of great information to help entry-level job seekers brush up on their career skills. We offered a workshop on the art of interviewing, as well as one on the importance of personal branding. Here are some of the most important tips that we covered for entry-level job seekers.

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How to use Twitter for your career

We recapped our "Tweeting for Career Success" workshop, where presenter Rich Levin covered his seven tips for using Twitter for career advancement. We also wanted to provide a brief handout that you can keep bookmarked or printed out at your desk to help you use Twitter to benefit your career.

Feel free to refer back to this guide whenever you need, and share with your friends to help them become Twitter masters!

3 tips to enhance your leadership abilities

LEARN TO LEAD: 3 tips to help you become a better leader

Many employers look for job candidates that have strong leadership abilities. This makes sense -- a strong leader interacts and relates well to colleagues, as well as inspires peers to work toward benefiting themselves and the organization.

Because this skill is important to employers, Peirce holds events throughout the year to help you hone your leadership skills in your job, family, and community. One of these events was our inaugural Men in Leadership panel discussion, held on April 26.

Panelists and attendees shared many tips for leadership throughout the night, and we wanted to share a few of them with you here. Although the panel focused on men, these tips will work for anyone trying to improve their leadership skills.

1. Welcome learning in all its forms. Almost any position in today’s world, whether it’s in your career, family, or community, involves being a lifelong learner. Don’t be afraid to continually absorb knowledge from those around you. Superiors, colleagues, subordinates, friends, and family all have different life and professional experiences, and bring something new to the table. Be open to their opinions. And don’t forget about professional development. Take classes, attend seminars, and read the latest studies and news in your industry. This can help you become a better-rounded professional and leader.

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7 tips for using Twitter for career advancement

Peirce recently hosted a free “Tweeting for Career Success” workshop, where presenter Rich Levin, social media pioneer and Senior Vice President at Gregory FCA, shared how job seekers can use Twitter to create their online persona and build their personal brand.

In his presentation, Rich covered the importance of representing yourself professionally on Twitter, because you never know when an employer will search for you online.

He also touched on how becoming a thought leader in your industry on Twitter can connect you to the “power grid” of other thought leaders. This can help you stand out to your employer, create a massive referral network when looking for a new position, and let you rise higher and faster on the route to your dream job.

If you weren’t able to attend Rich’s presentation, we wanted to share his seven tips for using Twitter for career advancement. We included screenshots of Peirce’s Twitter handle throughout the post to explain these tips.

TWITTER 101: The Seven Steps to Success

1. Prepare. The first thing you need to do when starting a Twitter handle is fill out your profile page.

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6 free resources to help you get the most out of your college education

PAY FOR COLLEGE: Edisa lists six resources you can use
to help you with your college education

We wanted to share a guest blog post from Edisa Rodriguez, Manager of College Access Programs at the Mayor's Office of Education. We often work with her and the Mayor's Office on education initiatives and events throughout Philadelphia to help all city residents achieve their dream of earning a college degree.

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My mom went back to college as an adult. Her job offered to pay for a few courses at the local community college where we lived in Framingham, Mass. Even though she was raising me, my toddler sister, and working full time, she jumped on board when a few friends decided to pursue the opportunity as well.

At the time, my mom barely spoke English, computers were as foreign as apple pie, and no one in our household knew that Microsoft Excel existed. But despite the obstacles, she made it through her courses. She came out on the other side with good grades and college certificates that helped her earn promotions and a great career at her job.

My mom's experience as an adult learner taught me to make things happen and gave me one basic lesson that has gotten me through so many obstacles: use my resources. When my mom couldn't understand part of the lecture, she leaned over and asked a friend. When she couldn't make an Excel table, she asked a colleague to come over and teach us. She befriended her professor and, when she did her homework, she brought it to her early to get it checked prior to submitting it for grading.

My mom isn't perfect, but she used her resources to get the best results from her college experience. If you're facing obstacles in your college completion process, maybe even obstacles that were even greater than the ones my mom faced, USE YOUR RESOURCES. Here are just a few if you're looking for a little help in your college pursuit:

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Recognizing the achievements of Peirce College’s Parent University graduates

PROUD: A few of our Parent University graduates attended
the Toss Your Caps event and had their picture taken with
President Mergiotti

2013 will mark a very special Commencement for Peirce College. Not only are 426 students part of our graduating class, 17 of those graduates are from our Parent University program.

In 2010, Peirce joined forces with the School District of Philadelphia’s Parent University in an education initiative to increase the number of working adult residents in Philadelphia earning college degrees. Peirce offered 25 parents of children who are enrolled in the Philadelphia School District the opportunity to earn an associate degree in General Studies to help them start their college careers.

These students have completed the three-year program and will have a new advantage to get ahead in their careers or move to a more-fulfilling job path. Seven Parent University graduates plan to go on to get their bachelor’s degree, using their training in General Studies to further pursue their education. This opportunity was the catalyst for them to jumpstart their education, and helped them reinvigorate their passion for lifelong learning.

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Peirce College’s online bachelor’s degree program is named best for veterans by U.S. News

BEST FOR VETERANS: U.S. News names Peirce College's
online bachelor's degree program best for veterans

Peirce College’s support of active military personnel and veterans has helped us land a spot in U.S. News & World Report's Best Online Bachelor's Programs for Veterans 2013 Rankings. U.S. News ranked 25 online bachelor’s degree programs according to how they suit veterans’ needs. To make the list, an online bachelor’s degree program had to:

• Belong to an institution certified for the GI Bill.
• Belong to an institution participating in the Yellow Ribbon Program.
• Belong to an institution that is a member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium.
• Offer at least one credit-granting course listed in the Defense Activities for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) Catalog of Nationally Accredited Distance Learning Programs.
• Be ranked in U.S. News & World Report's 2013 Best Online Education Programs rankings.

This ranking demonstrates the strong support system we've put in place for veterans at Peirce College. Veterans have a unique set of challenges when returning to civilian life, and we are committed to helping them position themselves for successful careers.

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Announcing our 2013 Peirce Idol

The votes are in! Friends, family, students, colleagues, and peers have all weighed in to choose our 2013 Peirce Idol. Now, we’re happy to announce that our 2013 Peirce Idol is …

Kerri Kirlin!

Kerri is a Business Administration major with a concentration in Professional Studies. For a look back at her winning submission, here's Kerri singing at her audition.



Congratulations Kerri! We look forward to seeing you take the stage at Commencement, and can’t wait to hear your rendition of the national anthem.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this year's Peirce Idol festivities. Peirce students never cease to amaze us!

Celebrating Philadelphia’s 2013 graduates at Toss Your Caps

We had another great experience this year at Philadelphia’s fourth annual Toss Your Caps event on the Art Museum steps. On Friday, May 10, graduates representing Peirce College, as well as other area colleges, were invited to the Art Museum to take photos with Mayor Nutter and celebrate earning their college degree.

TOSS YOUR CAPS: Philadelphia graduates celebrate earning their college degrees

The event was created to show Mayor Nutter’s support for Philadelphians’ who earn their college degree and keep the city’s focus on education and degree attainment top of mind. Mayor Nutter also recognized our 17 Parent University graduates, who have overcome incredible obstacles to earn their college degrees and be role models for their children, the community, and all Philadelphians.



We want to thank Mayor Nutter, City of Philadelphia Chief Education Officer Dr. Lori Shorr, and all the educators and students who came out and celebrated with us. For more photos of the event, check out our album on Facebook.

Congratulations to all of Philadelphia’s 2013 graduates!

How 2013 graduates can prepare to land their dream job

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES: Join us at our Job Fair on May
31 to meet and greet with area employers

Career Development Services’ upcoming Job Fair will be on May 31, where we’ll be hosting local employers who are looking for interns as well as part-time and full-time employees. If you’re looking for a position for this summer and beyond, this is one of the most important events to prepare for and attend.

Employers that have confirmed attendance include Comcast, Cintas, First Financial Group, and the Pennsylvania Department of Labor. With that roster, this is a great opportunity to network and find out what employers are looking for in new hires. We wanted to offer a few tips to help you prepare for the Job Fair.

• Reach out to Career Development Services. We can help you with personalized one-on-one sessions for interview training, elevator speech prep, and more. We’ll also review your resume with you before the Job Fair, which is very important if you’re looking to hand it out at the event. The earlier you begin your outreach, the more time we’ll have to help you.

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Voting is now open for Peirce Idol 2013!

VOTE NOW: Vote for your favorite to win Peirce Idol 2013!

Who will be our 2013 Peirce Idol? Six fantastic singers auditioned for this year’s Peirce Idol, and now it’s time for you -- students, alumni, fans, family, and friends -- to vote for who will take top honors. The winner of Peirce Idol 2013 will sing the national anthem at this year’s Commencement ceremony on June 10, take home an iPad mini, and have bragging rights -- so your vote matters!

To vote: visit the Peirce College Facebook page and watch all the contestants sing their hearts out during their audition. Then vote for your favorite, and encourage your Facebook friends to do the same.

The deadline to vote is May 19, so be sure to visit the blog and Facebook page on May 20 to find out who this year’s winner is. Your votes will be combined with the Peirce judging panel to select the winner. Good luck to this year’s contestants!

Tweeting for success: How you can use Twitter to boost your career

Almost everyone has heard of Twitter, but not everyone knows how it works and how it can be used professionally. However, Twitter can be among your more effective career development tools. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re interested in strengthening yourself as a professional in your industry or finding a new position.

In fact, Twitter is especially relevant for job seekers, as The Wall Street Journal reports that Twitter is becoming the new job board and the new résumé. It’s more important than ever to know how to use this tool effectively, especially so close to Commencement.

That’s why we’re hosting a free “Tweeting for Career Success” workshop here at the College on May 16 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in rooms 51 and 52. Our featured speaker for the event is Rich Levin, a social media pioneer with over 40,000 followers on social media -- 21,000 of them on Twitter alone. Rich is Senior Vice President at Gregory FCA, the largest public relations firm in the Philadelphia region. In his 27 years as a journalist and media consultant, Rich has helped executives at some of the country’s top companies become more effective communicators. And effective communication is the key to professional success.

During the workshop, Rich will cover how to:

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Media spotlight on Peirce College's students and faculty

Local and national media have been covering some of the good work of our students and faculty members over the past month. We wanted to share a few of these stories with you in case you missed them.

College is a family affair for the Johnsons. Metro reporter Natalie Shure interviewed Marketa and Carlos Johnson, a mother and son who attend Peirce together, to hear about how they balance work, home responsibilities, and earning their college degrees. For more on their story, you can flip back to the blog post we wrote about Carlos and Marketa earlier this year.

4 ways college students should spend their tax refund. If you've gotten or are expecting a tax refund this year, consider spending it on school-related expenses. FOXBusiness reporter Emily Driscoll tapped Chanel Greene, the Manager of the Office of Financial Aid here at Peirce, about how students should use their 2013 tax refund. Chanel suggested paying off student loans or keeping some tucked away for an emergency to ensure there are no financial roadblocks to completing your education.

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