Hi there! I’m Mia–a rising sophomore from San Francisco, exploring agile project management this summer at a large organization in the financial industry. This is an amazing opportunity for me, especially just after my first year, but I almost didn’t apply, and thought my chances of actually getting it were minimal.The formal recruiting process was overwhelming. The online application, just the first step, was at least 10 pages, and reminded me somewhat of the arduous college application process. I’m not new to the world of internships, but I’m used to a simple resume and cover letter or written questionnaire. This was just a modified version of the same application real life adults used to apply to full time professional jobs at a huge national organization. Many of the questions didn’t apply to me–at the time I was applying, I didn’t even have a college GPA to put down. And my perfectionist brain freaked out at the opportunity to upload supplementary documents. Resume and cover letter to start, but what else? I could upload transcripts, baby pictures, SAT scores, interpretive dance videos, references…I didn’t have a clue. I was slightly tempted to give up and just apply to less formal positions, especially because people around me kept on telling me that I was just a first year, and should work in some customer service job like everyone else. However, I had already spent high school passing appetizers, working in coat check, and for a few weeks, memorably and awfully, even telemarketing. All of those customer facing jobs brought me skills for life and money for college, but I felt determined to learn something new this summer. This internship matched all my target areas: It was a new industry and role for me, it fit my interest in technology and economics, it was paid, and I could live at home in San Francisco. With that in mind, I couldn’t just give up. Instead, I used all of the resources at my disposal to come up with the best application possible. I went to CP&R (shout out to the wonderful Lesley Bonds) and made my resume a thing of much pride. Also on her advice, I uploaded a note explaining my GPA situation, as well as a transcript. (No baby pictures, although I feel like it could have only helped)

I already valued dressing for success

I asked my older brother, a product manager at a startup in San Francisco, for examples of his cover letters. In the past, cover letters have always seemed like bland instruments of torture. I knew from CP&R that they *should* be reflections of my personality, but I wanted an example of how someone I knew actually meshed personality with professionalism in a cover letter. Because my brother works in tech, his cover letters were significantly less formal than mine could be, but I still found them helpful. My brother’s cover letters were like previews for an interview–and I love interviews. The formula I ended up deriving for my cover letters was why I want the position+why the organization should want me, where the latter is a function of the match between my skills and the organization’s stated needs. I didn’t use my brother’s cocky tone (not my personality) or his bullet points (not appropriate for my industry) but I drew on his structure and confidence as I wrote my own cover letter. I also reached out and had coffee with a Scripps alum who currently works at the organization in order to get a feel for the culture, and also just to see what people can do with a Scripps degree in economics! In the end, my first intensive recruiting cycle–from application to interview to background check–was a team effort and a lot of effort. But it was worth it. What I’ve taken away from this process is not to be afraid to know what I want and ask for help to get it. My first week at my internship has flown by, and I can already tell I’m going to learn and grow. I’m excited for the rest of the summer, and I’ll keep you updated!