Advisory regarding Southern California wildfires

Advisory regarding Southern California wildfires

On behalf of everyone at Thomas Edison State University, we hope that students affected by the wildfires in Southern California remain safe. The University is offering accommodations to students affected by the wildfires:

  • Students who are directly impacted by the fires and who are currently registered in courses for the November 2024, December 2024 and January 2025 terms have the option of receiving a free eight-week course extension without mentor approval; or, a 100% tuition credit for their course(s) to a future term. Affected students should submit a Request for Course Extension Form or a Request for Course Withdrawal Form indicating “Southern California wildfires” as the reason for the request. Please note that TECEP exams in these terms cannot be extended, nor credited for tuition after the exam has been taken.
  • Impacted students who are currently on a course extension for the September 2024 and October 2024 terms can request a second eight-week extension on their current term at no additional cost.

Request an Accommodation: Students affected by the wildfire and evacuations who need an accommodation should contact the Office of the Registrar by email at registration@tesu.edu or by phone at 609-777-5680. Accommodation requests should be submitted by January 24th. Requests after that date can be accommodated if the student provides documentation of the reason for the late request.

LinkedIn Profiles

LinkedIn has become an essential job search component; start with an effective LinkedIn profile. Where resumes have a particular format and structure, LinkedIn profiles let your personality shine through.

Keep these profile factors in mind

  • Introduce yourself with a professional but energizing headline.
    • Focus on the type of role you see yourself in and/or what you bring to the table, rather than job titles and companies.
    • Be concise, engaging and accurate.
  • Broaden your appeal.
    • Keep as wide of a location region as you are willing to accept — not just the ideal location.
    • Include relevant industries. This enables employers to find you more easily.
  • Personalize your profile.
    • Add a professional photo — if you don’t have a head shot, use a photo of you in professional dress without visual distractions (crop if needed to put the focus on you).
    • Add a background photo and customize your LinkedIn URL.
    • Tailor the “About” summary to your targeted audience. Think of it as the answer to "Tell me a little bit about yourself?" from an interview or your elevator pitch at a job fair. Keep it short (no more than three short paragraphs)
    • Focus on relevant experiences, skills, projects or volunteer work, whether obtained through work, school or outside activities. Use keywords for your field.
    • Summarize each experience as it relates to your current goal(s) or copy and paste from the resume.
    • Add a current job even when unemployed — if unemployed use your desired job title with “Seeking Opportunities” or “In Transition” in the company name box.
    • Incorporate skills and focus on those that are most relevant. You should list approximately 10-to-20 skills to start.
    • Include professional interests.
  • Leverage LinkedIn by:
    • Use the Thomas Edison State University page to identify alumni for networking purposes (or employer pages to find employees to connect with).
    • Joining relevant groups.
    • Networking within your desired industry.
    • When proposing a connection, sending a message to the person introducing yourself.
    • Searching job postings.

Request to have your LinkedIn profile reviewed by emailing careerdevelopment@tesu.edu with the link to your profile. Our staff will provide feedback on what is effective and how you can improve your profile within three business days.