GEO Job

• Step 1 Prepare for Success

  Texas State provides career services to help you get ready for work. 

  Texas State University Career Services offers students and alumni assistance with career planning, coaching, and tools for professional development.

  There are several things you can do to be more competitive for a prospective job including: polishing your resume, developing a draft cover letter, developing a LinkedIn profile, cleaning up your social media accounts, and identifying references who can verify your skills and knowledge.

  #1 Resume
  A professional resume is required by most employers to help them quickly understand your educational background, work experience, and related professional information.  

  Your resume should highlight:
  •    Your contact information
  •    Your educational background, including your area(s) of concentration and relevant coursework
  •    Any work experience, volunteer experience, internships, community service, or other significant experience (using 2-3 bullet points for each describing responsibilities and achievements)
  •    Any honors, activities, or leadership experiences relevant to your internship and career goals

  Here is a Sample Geography Resume to get you started.

  To receive a personalized analysis of your resume, please contact:
  Nikky Bissonnette , College of Liberal Arts Career Educator 

  #2 Cover Letter
  A cover letter provides you an opportunity to provide a prospective employer a summary of information relevant to the position you are applying for and demonstrate your writing ability. Effective cover letters convey a sense of purpose, enthusiasm for the position, and demonstrate your knowledge of the employer's goals and needs. A positive first impression requires that your cover letter be concise and contain zero errors in spelling or grammar. Your cover letter should be customized to fit the position for which you are applying.

  For further help please contact:
  Madyson Flint 
  College of Liberal Arts Career Educator 

  Here is a Sample Geography Cover Letter to get you started    

  #3 Writing and Work Samples
  Application requirements often vary from employer to employer. Many employers want to see examples of past work or projects and may ask with little notice. Therefore, it is important to have a few examples that demonstrate the best of your writing and technical skills. It is very common in the GIS field to be asked for a GIS product or map, so prepare accordingly. Writing samples should demonstrate your best most relevant work and be 3-8 pages in length. 

  #4 LinkedIn Profile
  LinkedIn is often seen as the Facebook of the professional world. Approximately 95% of recruiters are reported to use LinkedIn to search for candidates. There are more than 660 million LinkedIn users worldwide. Developing your LinkedIn Profile is a great way to share information about your job skills with many people without necessarily having to send your information to them. Think of your LinkedIn profile as your professional marketing brochure. Keywords relevant to your career interests are particularly important because some organizations use automated algorithms to search for appropriate candidates.

  Connecting with classmates, professors, previous employers, friends, and family members is a great way to build your network. Please connect with the Texas State Geography and Environmental Studies Department on LinkedIn. 

  There are many videos and articles on how to build a stand-out LinkedIn profile. Learn the LinkedIn 101.

  #5 Social Media Cleanup
  Hiring managers frequently refer to your social media accounts as your second resume. Approximately 50% of hiring managers search social media to find out more about their applicants. It is recommended that you use common sense in securing data you want to keep personal and clearly separating it from your professional life.

  #6 Reference List
  Your references should be informed in advance, and chosen from your academic, and if applicable, professional experience. Your reference list should include your name and the following information for each of your references: name, title, organization, phone number, and email address. This information should be kept separate from your resume as an independent document and provided on request to employers.

  Be sure to notify your references every time you are asked by an employer for your reference list. Providing your reference with a copy of the job description will enable them to point out your most relevant skills and qualities.

• Step 2 Find a Job

  Those motivated to find a GEO job should: 

  • Pay attention to emails from the Geography and Environmental Studies Department about job opportunities. (Alumni, please feel free to reach out to the Geography Internship Coordinator, Dr. Rebecca Davio to be notified of relevant job openings)
  • Search independently on job websites (Handshake,  Indeed, Monster, etc.) (If you are no longer a student, contact career services to gain access to Handshake
  • Proactively contact GEO alumni or hiring managers at organizations you are interested in working at to schedule an informational interview 
  • Check below for targeted listings.

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• Step 3 Prepare for the Interview

  When preparing for an interview there is some homework involved. You should learn as much as you can about the position you are applying for and the company you are applying with. Company websites are a great resource to find useful information. Make sure you familiarize yourself with any past, current, and future projects of the organization. If the company has a mission statement, ensure you memorize and understand it. This is arguably the most important piece of information to know about the organization.

  Be prepared to talk about yourself and answer in-depth questions. Try to find someone to practice with or talk to the mirror. When in doubt dress more formally for the interview than you might anticipate. It’s good to look at what the job requires and dress slightly more formal than that. 

  Make sure you bring your resume and a list of references with you. Bringing an extra copy is important so that you and your interviewer can look at the same information simultaneously. 

  To better prepare yourself for an interview it may be a good idea to take a LinkedIn Learning course. 

  To schedule a practice interview, please contact:
  Career Services - College of Liberal Arts Career Educator Nikky Bissonnette

• Alumni Business Cards and Contacts

  The Alumni Business Card Directory displays business cards from graduates of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Texas State University and helps answer questions like “What do geographers do?” or “What can I do with a geography degree?”
  Alumni who have contributed their business cards to the directory are typically willing to discuss their careers with interested geography students and alumni. Many of these geography alumni are now in a position to offer internships and entry-level career employment to current geography students and graduates. 
  The cards are organized into four general categories: Environmental, Urban Planning, Geographic Information Science and Geography Education, though there is overlap between these categories.
   

• FAQ

  What geography career services are available to me as a graduate of Texas State?
  The Geography Business Card Directory can provide ideas. You can also get ideas by looking at the Texas State Geography and Environmental Studies LinkedIn page.  It may also be helpful to look at Handshake, LinkedIn, Indeed, and other job search websites.

  Who should I contact if I have questions?
  You can reach out to the Geography Internship Coordinator for other ideas.
   

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