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Working at Cornell

3. Act On Your Plan

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You've considered your career vision, aligned your goals with opportunities, identified any skills gaps and worked to close them.

Now it's time to act on your plan!

Not sure where to start? Reach out for a career consultation at Career Development Services.

  • Resume

    Create a winning resume

    Your resume highlight what's unique about you. It represents your employment history, skills, education and more. It’s most likely the first impression you’ll make on a hiring manager or internal recruiter, so it’s extremely important to ensure that impression is accurate. While different opportunities require different resumes, the real goal of most resumes is to secure an opportunity to INTERVIEW. It’s important to be strategic.

    Toolbox for Resume Writing

    Personalized Support

    It may be a good idea to get feedback from others on the content and format of your resume. Schedule a resume review session with us at Career Development Services.

  • Cover Letters

    Well-written and thoughtful letters help you reach your professional goals. Set yourself apart from the competition by spending sufficient time on your professional correspondence.

    Your cover letter must answer two questions:

    • Why THIS organization?
    • Why THIS role?

    Cover letters also offer you an opportunity to explain challenges, transitions, gaps, and many other things that you can’t otherwise explain on your resume.

    Toolbox for Cover Letter Writing

  • How To Apply

    See these instructions for current Cornell employees about how to apply for a position at Cornell:

    How To Apply - Internal Applicants

    Also see: Internal Applicants page of the HR website for additional guidance and resources.

  • Interviewing

    An interview is your chance to shine and elaborate on the experiences that prepare you for the goal you're seeking. It’s your opportunity to showcase your skills, personality, and experience and the hiring department’s opportunity to define job responsibilities and general expectations. It should help you decide if the position/department and you are a good fit. 

    Most people understand the basics of a job interview. But what can you do to really stand out? check you this eCornell course (free) on Workday Learning: Interview for Success

    Your turn to ask questions

    The interview is a two-way street, so go prepared to ask the questions that will help you make an informed decision if an offer should come.

    Sample questions to ask:

    • What are your priorities over the next year?
    • Where does this position fit into the organization and its objectives?
    • How is success measured in this position and in this organization?
    • What kind of orientation or training is provided?
    • What is the greatest challenge currently facing this department?
    • What are the major strengths of this work group?
    • How would you describe the culture here?
    • What do you enjoy most/like least about working here?
    • In your opinion what is the most difficult part of this job?
    • What is the greatest challenge facing someone in this position?
    • Will I be able to work with the person I am replacing?
    • What professional development opportunities are available to me in this department?
    • (For Hiring manager) What is your management style?
    • What more can I do to demonstrate my interest in this position?
    • What is the next step in the interview process? What is your time frame?
    • When do you expect to be making a hiring decision?

    Interview Follow-up

    Sending a thank-you email or note after an interview is just proper job-searching etiquette. While it seems like you have little to no control during the search process, the reality of the matter is that you do. So, try focusing on the things you do have power over, like successfully following up after an interview.

    While it may not guarantee a job offer, a thank-you note is a wonderful way to make a human connection with hiring managers, recruiters, and interviewers. It’s a good way to reassert your interest and enthusiasm in the position at hand.

    • When?
      Ideally within 24 – 48 hours of your interview seems to be the recommended time frame to send a thank you note. No matter when you follow up though, doing so is the most important part.
    • Who?
      Address every person you interviewed with directly by sending personalized emails/written notes.
    • How?
      Keep your thank-you notes short and sweet — it’s not a continuation of the interview.

  • Next Steps

    References

    The hiring process can unfold pretty quickly, so think of 3-5 people you might ask for a reference current and/or past colleagues, people you've supervised, and at least 1 past supervisor, all of whom should know you and your work well.

    When you reach out to them, take the time to fill them in on your current career direction and your job hunt, before making your request to ask them to serve as your reference.

    Be sure to take a moment to confirm your references’ current titles and contact information and ask how they prefer to be contacted by the recruiter.

    Follow up by thanking each reference with a thoughtful note (email) soon after they agree to help you. Make sure to let them know immediately each time you submit their name as a reference, so they’ll be ready if they’re called. And make sure you let your references know the outcome of your job hunt —people like to know what’s happened in a process they’ve been involved in and following up with an update is part of maintaining a good relationship for the long-term.

    Update your Career Profile in Workday and LinkedIn

    Your Career Profile in Workday is your way of showcasing yourself and your experiences, skills etc. Update your profile to reflect your skills, job history, interest, education, and certifications. This is a part of your professional branding and helps define what you want hiring managers and internal recruiting specialists to recognize about who you are.

    How to update your Career Profile:

    1. On the Workday landing page, type “edit career profile” in the search bar at the top of the page. Select the Edit Career Profile option.
    2. This will launch the Career Profile screen with a menu of skills, job history, interest, education, certifications, and summary on the left in the blue bar. The center of the screen will have the skills section ready for you to edit.
    3. You can go start the sequence of steps to enter your skills, job history, interests, education, and certifications by clicking Add/Edit.

    Stay Curious:

    You own your professional future! And your Career Development Plan is an evolving process. It may need to be revised periodically, if you experience changes in your role or responsibilities, or if and when your values/interests change!

    Stay curious, be courageous, and make it happen!