A Day in the Life of a Leadership Associate

Although Kelsi Cooke graduated from CU last year with a degree in journalism, it was her internship and work experiences during college that led to her pursuing a career in another field.

“Throughout my college experience, I worked at a few start up businesses and really enjoyed the entrepreneurial atmosphere and decided I am interested in having my own business someday,” Kelsi said.

“Since I didn’t get a business degree, I took a job with Consolidated Graphics to learn how businesses operate.”

Kelsi first discovered this opportunity at Consolidated Graphics because she worked at Career Services. As a sophomore, Kelsi visited the Career Services office for the first time to learn about job prospects in the journalism industry. Over the course of her college career, Kelsi worked with career counselors to gain assistance with writing and editing her resume. She sought advice on how to network with professionals in industries that interested her so that she could decide which internships would help prepare her for the career path of her choice. Kelsi also used Career Services Online, the job posting system in Career Services, to  search for and apply to internships and jobs for after graduation, including her current job at Consolidated Graphics.

As a Leadership Associate at Tewell Warren Printing, a Consolidated Graphics company, Kelsi’s job entails extensive training in all of the different departments of the printing business in rotations that last from 6 weeks to 1 year. As she goes through the rotations and learns about “how it all fits together to successfully run a printing business,” Kelsi notes any suggestions she has to improve efficiency.

What does a day in Kelsi’s life look like?
> At 7 a.m., Kelsi wakes up.
> At 7:40 a.m., she heads to work.
> At 8 a.m., Kelsi gets to work and then checks in her current supervisor to see if she has any work for her to follow up on.
> At 8:30 a.m., she has a Luna Bar breakfast. J
> From 9 to 12, Kelsi works on various projects. In fact, she goes through different rotations every few months. Right now, she works in accounting, so the company controller is teaching Kelsi how to handle daily accounting tasks such as assembling various reports, especially at end of month. In addition, Kelsi is also working on getting new insulation installed in the company’s warehouse, planning the company 50th anniversary party, learning about their solutions software, and more!
> From 12 to 1 p.m., Kelsi takes a break for lunch.
> From 1 to 5 p.m., Kelsi works on tasks that are similar to those she tackles in the morning, “although no days are the same and there is hardly any sense of routine,” she explained. In the afternoons in the accounting rotation, she gets the mail and handles all of the accounts receivable and payable for the day. In other words, she receives invoices and matches them with purchase orders so the company can pay its vendors. She also deposits all checks they receive that day
> Between 5 and 6 p.m., when her projects are completed or she has reached a stopping point for the day, Kelsi heads home.

What’s ahead for Kelsi?
“I would ideally like to keep learning about business at my current job, but then get more involved in some sort of start up, entrepreneurial project.”

What advice do you have for current CU students?

When Kelsi was in college, she was constantly busy with one or more jobs. Armed with these work experiences, Kelsi said she was able to build her resume in a way that emphasized the various leadership positions and internships she held that also helped her develop her communication skills.

“Showing that you can effectively write and have good verbal communication is a plus for any employer,” she explained.

Looking back on her own experience in college, Kelsi suggested that, in addition to getting a job in college, CU students should get involved in any extracurricular activities of their choosing so they can demonstrate their interests, skills and experiences to employers.

A Day in the Life of a Facebook Employee

Meet Travis Eagles-Soukup, a CU graduate from the class of 2011, who now works at Facebook's Austin, Texas, office. Travis stated he always had an interest in the different aspects of business, but at first he thought he wanted to study and get a job in finance. Upon positive experiences at Boulder start-up companies, including a technology company, he knew he wanted to end up in the fast-paced high tech/internet/start-up scene.

"From there, Facebook was a perfect fit," Travis said. "Even though it's technically no longer a start-up, it definitely feels that way. The amount of impact each employee can have and the variety of interesting challenges we face each day really makes the work a reward in itself."

After graduating with a business degree and an emphasis in operations information management and systems, Travis moved to Austin to start his job as a User Operations Analyst at Facebook, which he heard about through the Career Services' Careers in the Buff newsletter and the Career Fair. He applied for the job using Career Services Online. As an analyst, Travis is "responsible for maintaining user safety, engagement, and site understanding by responding to email inquiries and abuse reports." He also collects information about Facebook users' behavior, analyzes it, and then explains it to his department and the company.

Facebook's Austin, Texas, office

Travis says the most fun aspect of his job is working with his "incredibly intelligent, focused, energetic, resourceful, and fun" coworkers, who are always willing to answer any questions he has or point him in the right direction if they aren't sure of the answer. Because Facebook's office is completely open and doesn't have rooms or cubicles, Travis says it's easy to walk up and ask anyone a question.

"It's one of the most collaborative and supportive environments I've ever been in," he explains. "[...] Just look both ways first. You never know when a gang of Facebookers will come whizzing by on a few of the many scooters/skateboards/bikes/rip sticks ... conveniently placed around the office!"

While Facebook employees receive many benefits and perks, it's for a reason; Travis said he thinks employees who feel good are more likely to work harder, and that this rings true at Facebook.

"We work fast, prioritize ruthlessly, and do everything we can to make the largest possible impact every single day," he said.

In his spare time, Travis, who is an identical twin, enjoys skiing, watching movies, learning, singing in the shower, and almost any outdoor activity.

What does a day in Travis's life look like? 

> During the workweek, Facebook provides employees with three meals per day. From 9 to 10 a.m., Travis has breakfast in the cafeteria at Facebook, where he says the food is amazing. After breakfast, he collects his thoughts for the day, prepares for meetings, and finishes any work that didn’t quite get done the night before.

> From 10 a.m. to noon, Travis focuses on his individual work and attends various meetings, among other daily tasks.

> From noon to 1 p.m., he has lunch in the cafeteria with his coworkers.

> From 1 to 6:30 p.m., he completes more individual work and group projects, among other tasks.

> At 6:30, Travis has dinner before heading home for the day.

What's ahead for Travis?

"We’ll see where the journey takes me! I would like to say, however, that I hope to continue on the same path. This industry, the people I get to work with, and the impact I can make every day always leaves me wanting more."

Facebook will be holding a drop-in coffee hour on CU's campus on Wednesday, October 19, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in room N215 in the C4C. Come learn more about Facebook and available opportunities at the company. The User Operations Analyst, Risk Operations Analyst, and Security Engineer positions at Facebook are currently posted on Career Services Online. Be sure to submit your resume and answer the required questions before the application closes this Thursday, October 6! Facebook will be holding interviews on October 20 based on those students they meet at the drop-in coffee hour.

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Career Services will be holding their annual Fall Career Fair this Wednesday, October 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the UMC Ballroom, Room 235 and The Gallery. Over 100 employers will be there, so be sure to come dressed professionally, bring copies of your resume, and have specific questions for employers about jobs posted on Career Services Online. For more tips about how to prepare for the Career Fair, read our Career Fair Quick Tips and watch the video above.

Simplify your job/internship search: CSO

In between getting settled into a new place, starting classes, attending student group meetings, and tackling homework, many students struggle as they look for jobs and internships during the first few weeks of fall semester.  But finding an job or internship doesn't have to be so challenging with the help of Career Services' free online job/internship search tool, Career Services Online.

"Over 9500 organizations have posted jobs specifically for CU Boulder students and alumni in CSO since 2005," said Cherie Wilcox, Assistant Director for CSO. "Companies range from very recognizable household names--like CBS News, Proctor & Gamble, Warner Music Group, Walt Disney, NCAR, Lockheed Martin, Teach for America--to smaller local organizations from every industry."

Job Search criteria

As of Friday, August 26, 973 jobs were posted on CSO, and of those jobs, 360 were part time or seasonal positions, or internships.  Every year, companies ask CU's Career Services to post internships as well as part time, seasonal and full time positions on CSO, but what good is a potential job or internship opportunity if you don't apply for it?  Sometimes, job or internship opportunities go unnoticed by students and no one ends up applying for them, and it's not uncommon for Career Services to receive calls about once a week from an employer who listed a position on CSO and didn't receive any applications, Wilcox said.  When this happens, Career Services will send the employer a packet of students' resumes that were uploaded on CSO that fit the criteria in the job description, and/or email the opportunity out to students who list a major and/or job preference on CSO that matches the job description.  To maximize the amount of potential jobs and internships available to you, it's important to fill out your CSO profile completely, upload your resume, and actively apply for the posted positions.

CSO is also a great tool for seniors to use as they begin their post-graduation career search in the next few weeks.  Positions posted on CSO can be with companies in Boulder, all over Colorado, out-of-state, and even outside of the U.S.!

So what are you waiting for?  If you're still looking for a job or internship, create a username and password for CSO, log in to CSO on the left side of the Career Services homepage, and start your job/internship search.  New and exciting opportunities such as the ones listed below await you — check them out!

Job ID 29273: Event Assistant for the Emergency Family Assistance Association

Job ID 29169: Marketing Assistant at the University of Colorado's Wardenburg Health Center

Job ID: 28997: Fall Intern at Skiing Magazine

Job ID 28258: Fall 2011 Internship with Warner Music Group

Job ID 27768: Tax & Accounting Assistant with Cline & Associates

Job ID 29193: Technology Development Intern with Simple Energy

Job ID 28339: University Intern - Global Scientific Business with Kimberly-Clark Corporation

If you're having trouble figuring out where to start once you have your CSO profile set up, check out our step-by-step guide to CSO.

If you're going to pick a job color, make it green!

Boulder is the premiere place for environmentally friendly people and companies. However, sustainability and the concept of environmentally friendly companies is a growing trend around the country for both employees and employers.

One Boulder company aiming towards creating a community full of sustainability efforts and environmental protection is Growing Gardens. Growing Gardens is a non-profit company trying to make a different by incorporating gardening, community and education.

Growing Gardens hosts numerous programs and events around the Boulder community including: community gardens, youth programs, neighborhood compost project, boulder community food project, and greenhouse work.

“We envision inspired people joining together to actively replenish their environment, their community and themselves. We believe in the power of people to co-create harmony between land, water, and all living things for generations to come.” – Growing Gardens Vision

Growing Gardens has a wide variety of internship opportunities posted on the CSO website. Several summer 2011 internships include: Cultiva! Market Garden Intern (Job ID: 24988), Environmental Education Assistant for Children’s Gardening Program (Job ID: 24986), and Horticultural Therapy Assistant (Job ID: 26413). Several other sustainable jobs/internships listed on CSO include the Wilderness Campaign Summer Internship (Job ID: 26096) and the PEC Fellowship Program 2011 (Job ID: 25598). Both programs are summer-long paid internships that provide excellent knowledge of environmental advocacy.

In addition to the great job and internship opportunities found on CSO, Career Services is hosting a Sustainability Job Search Workshop on February 24th in C4C S350 from 6:00 to 7:30pm. Join us for advice on job searches, internships, networking, strategies, and online resources for an environmentally friendly career.