Tag Archives: Internships

Working While Away

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I’m someone who has a really close relationship with my family and friends from home, and I can easily say that I’m happy to be going home to them over breaks. I think I’ve finally adjusted to being at school without them even over spring and fall breaks, but at the same time I know that whether it’s this summer or a future one I may not be home all the time then either.

If you’re worried about loosing touch with your roots while working away from friends and family over break, try some of these tips to keep connected while still enjoying your exciting job or internship.

  1. Set up a regular call time: We’re all pretty busy, but if you can find the same time every week to do so (sharing GCals is super helpful here). It may not necessarily be weekly or even for the same amount of time every time, but it’s good to try to regularly touch base and get into a routine with that to keep you from missing home while you’re working away.
  2. Try Social  Networking Sites (SNS): As much as I have trouble admitting to enjoying social networking sites, I think that they are a fantastic tool to keep up with what’s going on at home. I personally like Snapchat (again, I can’t believe that I’m saying it) because the construct of Snap Streaks reminds you to keep in contact with people that you want to or already talk to frequently. A good morning or a good night snap is nice even if you’re on the go. If Snap isn’t your thing, there are TONS of sites out there. I’m also a fan of Instagram, but lots of people use Facebook. LinkedIn is not the best way to stay in touch with mom and dad though, even though there is a messaging feature. LinkedIn is great for career things though 😉
  3. Write ACTUAL Letters: I’m pretty sure it’s not *just* me that loves snail mail. If you have a consistent address for your summer, trying sending some notes back in forth with your people back home! Stamps aren’t always the cheapest, but that 49 cents will give someone a million-dollar smile when they open up their mailbox. I find that a good old fashioned handwritten letter is a wonderful way to catch up on news (even if it’s not as immediate) and let someone know that you’ve been thinking about them.

Remember that summer isn’t forever, so you should make the most of what you have going on, and remember that you will be able to connect with people even from far away.

I hope that you all have a lovely summer!

Signing off,

Olivia

An Interview Nightmare

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An update from the depths of the semester: While I am still deep in the summer internship search I am thrilled to announce that I will be interning part-time at Activision/Blizzard Studios! I am incredibly excited about this opportunity and cannot wait to get to work. Even though I have the position secured I am still searching for a second opportunity to fill the rest of the week.  That brings me to what my blog topic for today: Interviewing.

I just had one of the most nerve wracking interviews of my life.  I got an email from a major studio recently requesting an interview and I couldn’t have been more excited!  It sounded like my perfect internship. I did everything you’re supposed to: I researched the company, I prepared points about my past positions, and I viewed my interviewer’s LinkedIn profile. 

I thought I was completely prepared when I sat down for the interview.  I found out a few minutes into the call something that pulled the rug out from under me.  Due to a communication issue, I believed that the position was for scripted TV Development (shows with pre-written scripts).  But the position was actually for an internship in unscripted TV (reality TV and game shows)!  I felt the blood drain from my face I was so shocked.  Everything I had prepared for the interview was useless.

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I thought on my feet as best as I could and still had a pleasant conversation but, needless to say, I didn’t get the position.  While disappointing, I’m trying not to be too hard on myself because I’m not sure the error could have been prevented.  I’m still searching for a second opportunity to fill out my week, but at least now though I have survived the worst and I know things will work out alright in the end.

Cover Letter Tips

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A tried and true blog topic but one that always merits revisiting.  I have written at least seven cover letters in the last week and at this point I very much identify with this little girl.

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Despite my cover letter fatigue, I thought I would give a few things I keep in mind when approaching these daunting documents.

DON’T SEND IN THE SAME COVER LETTER TO EVERYTHING

Recruiters can sniff out a generic cover letter in five seconds flat.  A cover letter that does not speak to the company you are applying for or why you want that specific position is a waste of time to them.  Even if you very much want the position, they’re not going to know that from a generic cover letter. Where else can you interject a little personality into your otherwise cookie cutter application?  My strategy is to copy/paste the job description into a blank word document.  I then go through the description and highlight two types of things. 1) I highlight the responsibilities of the job and I make sure I can identify an ability to compete that task.  2) I highlight the soft skills that they ask for like positive attitude, professionalism, and reliability.

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But you can reuse some material…

Although I very mindfully make sure that my cover letter meets the job description, I do have sentences/paragraphs that are standards across my cover letters.  After all you can’t really write everything from scratch.  Remember that cover letters are living documents, you can touch up these sentences/paragraphs as you send in more applications, making the wording better as you go.

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Above all, remember your audience:

Your goal is to make at easy on a recruiter as possible to find the information they need in your resume.  Clearly identify how you are a good fit for the position and back it up with evidence/relevant experience.

That being said..

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Networking Hacks: CP&R Resume Book

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This week, I thought I would take a little time to highlight one of CP&R’s resources that I have found helpful in the never-ending search for internships.  As I have said before, I think networking is valuable no matter what field you are going into.  Not only do personal connections give you a leg up in the application process, but you have the chance to make real, meaningful connections with professionals in your field.  It’s hard to put yourself out there to “network”, in whatever form that may take, but I have found that people are inherently kind and genuinely want to help.  Without further ado, here is one of my favorite weapons in my (not so secret) networking arsenal!

The CP&R Resume Book

Every year, Scripps Career Planning & Resources invites members of the current graduating class (and alumnae 1 year out) to submit their resume for an online resource called the Resume Book. It serves multiple purposes:

First, it is a publicly available document that allows recruiters to see the accomplishments of the graduating class and contact them about job opportunities.

Second, for first years, sophomores and juniors who may be stressed out looking for jobs/internships, it provides some wonderful ideas of internships that our amazing seniors have landed, formatting examples and a way to build a list of companies you might be interested in.

The Resume Book is organized by career interests, so all you need to do is look up professions you’re interested in and BOOM! you can see where past Scrippsies interned, what their activities they were involved in on campus, and get good examples of what a resume in your field might look like.  While I’m not saying that you need to follow someone’s exact career trajectory, it gives you a good idea of how their budding careers have evolved from student activities to professional experience.

When we think of networking, we usually think of contacting real, professional adults.  But your peers are also a invaluable resource.  For example, last year I was panicking about internships and began digging through the resume book.  I found, and reached out to, a then current senior who had interned at companies I was interested in.  When I emailed her, she warmly agreed to meet me at the Motley, we had a delightful conversation, and she then connected me to a company she had interned with.  Through a personal introduction, and subsequent calls with employees at the company, I landed an internship!  Because I have had such success with and find the resume book a valuable resource, I thought I would share this insider tip.

Applications!

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Last week I spent some time talking about settling back into school here in Claremont. I also talked about summer jobs and getting a look at different options. I’ve only ever had one job outside of school positions (in a flower shop), and that job didn’t require some of the more typical job application parts, namely the cover letter aspect.

That being said, I wasn’t quite sure how far in advance positions are posted online or applications are due.

As it turns out, job applications for the summer are open (and more numerous) during December. I’m finding that a few posts I might have been interested in are closed for now, but I have still been able to find others of interest. I still don’t have any thing in particular in mind for jobs, which is both helpful and not.

On one hand, I am open to possibilities and not limited to a specific area. However, it is helpful to narrow things down if I have a specific interest. All things considered, it’s interesting to see what is available, even if it’s something that I won’t end up applying for.

In the past week, I have identified some positions that look interesting to me, and so I have started looking at applications.

Every job that I’ve looked at requires a cover letter, but I wasn’t sure how to put that together. So, I went into Career Planning & Resources for a drop in appointment. There I got some good pointers for my cover letter. Like an essay, it should have and intro, body, and conclusion. However, this persuasive essay should only be about a page with all of the formatting.

Based on what I learned from my appointment, I’m going to take a stab at my cover letter this this weekend. I know that if I have any other questions I can go back to Scripps CP&R. Another good resource is examples. My mom and an older friend of mine have both shared one of their cover letters with me, which gives me some context about how to write as well.

Though the process seems a little bit overwhelming, I think it’s good to be getting practice applying to jobs now. I’ll only be doing more of that in the future, so it’s important to build some of those skills early, especially when I have resources like CP&R around where I can ask questions of experts.