Online Career Tips

By J. Thompson
Online Career Tips Staff

Okay, you’ve found the perfect job. You took the time to craft your resume so it emphasizes the strengths and the skills that make you the ideal candidate. You entered all of your profile information into the online applicant tracking system. Almost done! You’re ready to press the submit button and then you see it. The small, blank field on your computer screen—Cover Letter. However, it’s optional. You recall a conversation about cover letters being as outdated as dinosaurs. But, only a few months back, you read an article suggesting that in this recovering economy a resume without a cover letter goes straight into the waste basket. So, do you take more time and write a cover letter?

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By Ryan Harding
Originally posted to Career Services Blog – Jan. 24, 2011

This past summer American Public University and American Military University held their first ever Virtual Career Fair through a virtual career management tool called NACElink. The Fair acted as a bridge connecting job-seeking students with employers explicitly interested in hiring AMU and APU students and alumni. Leading up to the career fair I encountered a number of students who were somewhat, quite rightly, befuddled by the prospect of a virtual career fair. In the same way that an interview conducted via Skype or some other digital platform is similar to the types of questions asked in an in-person interview, a virtual career fair parodies a traditional career fair. However, by virtue of the fact that it is being conducted online, a virtual career fair comes with its own unique set of rules and challenges. APUS is planning to hold another Virtual Career Fair this February, and in light of this, I thought it might be useful to share a few helpful tips to participating in a virtual career fair.
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