If you’re a College of Charleston student, you know the importance of strong work experience in your undergraduate years. But all the pressure to snag that prestigious internship or part-time job can be overwhelming, and it’s difficult to know where to begin.
We’ve talked about the merits of the Career Center before. Now let’s talk about CISTERNonline, the free employment service for CofC students and alumni that seeks out internships and jobs (full- and part-time) according to your search criteria. This service provides inestimable value as long as you know how to use it.
We’ve put together a step-by-step guide to the basics of CISTERNonline to help get you started using this awesome resource.
1. Log in or create a username.
Type into your search bar “Cistern online” or head to https://cisternonline.experience.com. You will see a log-in on the top left of the home page. If you’ve never logged in before, go to the right side of the page, where a column lists instructions for creating a username and password.
2. Create a search.
Once you’ve logged in, your personal homepage should look like this:
Scroll to the “Jobs & Internships” box (below “One-Click Searches;” scan these before your search in case they’ve already linked what you’re looking for). Fill in your search criteria. As an example, we searched for local marketing internships.
Once you click “Search,” your results should look like this:
Click on the listing to display the job details. If you keep scrolling, you can read the job descriptions and more information about the company.
Scroll to the very bottom of the page. Here you can see the “Apply Beginning & End Dates” and the “Status of Job Vacancy” where you can determine whether it’s the right time to apply. (You can also see whether applications require a cover letter, which will help you during your next step.)
3. Prepare to apply.
Once you’ve decided on a job or internship to which you’d like to apply, the next step is to prepare your resume and a cover letter (again, check the bottom of the listing to see whether a cover letter is required). Click back to your homepage (this can be done by clicking on the College of Charleston Career Center logo) and look at the top of the screen. In the “Get Ready to Apply!” box, notice a few links that can help you polish your resume and cover letter, as well as offer tips to prepare you for your upcoming interview.
You can also hover over the “Documents” tab (in the black bar at the top of your homepage) to upload your completed documents to your profile, as well as view sample cover letters and resumes.
Don’t forget that the Career Center also has drop-in hours and appointments available to help you perfect your resume and cover letter.
4. Apply.
Once you’ve prepared the necessary documents, return to the job or internship listing. Scroll to the bottom of the listing once again and look for the green box titled “How to Apply.”
Click on the red “Apply” button for further instructions. Here, we’ve provided an example using the same marketing internship sampled above. In this case, all a candidate must do to be considered is submit a resume.
Once you’ve mastered the basic steps for application, you can use your resume, cover letter, network connections and work experience to create a Portfolio, which you can reference at any time during future job searches and applications.
There is no limit to how often you may use CISTERNonline–and it’s still there for you after graduation. That means you can use this service to connect you with full-time jobs even after you leave campus! Knowledgeable staff at the Career Center work hard to keep these job listings exciting, up-to-date and accessible to students. Don’t miss the opportunities provided to you–sign up for CISTERNonline now and reap the rewards!
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