For some reason, grants have always seemed like something above me — something for college professors, or brilliant researchers, people that were far, far away from anything I’d ever thought I’d be. However, when I secured an unpaid internship with Livefyre for the summer, I kept my eyes peeled for the magical announcement that grant applications were released. If you’re interested in finding out how the application process for unpaid internships goes, keep reading!

1. Step One: Secure an internship you’ll love, at a company you respect. Know what the company does and what they plan to do in the future. What is your role at the company? What work will you achieve there and what do you hope to learn? It’s important to have enthusiasm for the work you’ll be doing and where you’re working. Is the company genuinely excited about what they’re doing? What excites you about your work there? What makes you want to get out of bed on a beautiful summer day and go to work? As long as you’re confident and excited in the company you’re with, your enthusiasm will radiate out into all other aspects of your application process. Don’t hide it!
2. Step Two: Petition for .50 or a full credit for your unpaid internship. This is important for two reasons: first, you need the credit to be eligible for a grant if you are working at a for-profit company, and two, why wouldn’t you want credits, if you’re not getting paid? While your internship will be a valuable experience personally, you can also make it a valuable experience in terms of your academic career. Even if you don’t end up getting a grant, you can still count the internship toward your major, or as an elective. It’s an easy petition — only one page, and requiring the signature of your adviser. Not bad!
3. (The Rather Obvious) Step Three: Complete the CP&R internship grant application and budget worksheet. CP&R posts the application up on the ever-helpful Gateway early in the spring semester. It’s a competitive process, so it’s best to get your application in as quick as possible! Be sure to pay attention to detail — use action words and write well, just as you would with a resume. Make sure to keep the application portion under two pages, but hit on all of the relevant points. Be honest and specific in your budget worksheet — how much money do you truly need to make the internship work/satisfactory? Where can you cut back, and where do you really need the funding? Remember, your application is your first step forward into the application process, and the first impression you’ll give. Make it a good one!
4. Step Four: Wait, wait, wait. I turned in my grant application in mid-February, and they were due April 10. That meant I had a whole lot of time to twiddle my thumbs. I tried not to go back and nitpick my application, or bite my nails down to stubs. Rather, I put it in the back of my mind and focused on other things — schoolwork, extra-curriculars, and friends. There was no use in worrying over something I couldn’t control or speed up. All I could do was wait, and that’s all you can do, too. It may seem hard, but with how busy the spring semester always is, the time will fly be faster than you know!
   
5. Step Five: Hear back about an interview? Good! Schedule a mock interview with CP&R right away. I had a fantastic mock interview with Valinda Lee. She went into “interview” mode and grilled me seriously for a good fifteen minutes, before we put our heads together and brainstormed how I could improve upon my answers. We talked through my upcoming internship with Livefyre, and decided on the most important points that would impress the panel interviewing me. Every internship is different in this regard. For me, I had a few really great things going for me: I would be the second woman at the company, the previous intern who had held the position at the Livefyre headquarters was a college graduate (I’m a sophomore), women are generally underrepresented in technology, and Livefyre has some great academic promise that I could focus on over the summer and bring back to Scripps in the fall. What aspects of your internship will make you stand out above your competition? Are you going to be working on specific projects over the summer that have some relevance to campus? What can you learn, and how can Scripps students benefit from hearing about your experience? Be prepared for these questions, and also be prepared with the basics: what the company does, what you’ll be doing specifically as an intern, why you deserve the grant, etc.
6. Step Six: Interview with the panel. Nerve-racking, I know. I’m going to repeat a lot of stuff I’ve said before: dress professionally. I wore a skirt, a white blouse, and a cardigan to my interview. I accessorized with nice jewelry and one of my favorite subtle nail polishes, OPI’s Call Your Mother. You might remember it from my post about nail polishes! I also brought along my leather Scripps folio, with my resumé, original grant application, and notes on everything I wanted to cover in the interview inside. I didn’t use my resumé or my application, and I glanced at my notes once, but it was nice to have all of it there, just in case. I’m not going to give away the questions that were asked (and, to be honest, I’m not sure if I remember all of them — I was pretty nervous!), but I will say that a mock interview prepared me really well for the interview with the panel. Also, here’s a tip that Valinda gave me: smile! Make eye contact with everyone seated at the table. You want to look relaxed, professional, passionate, and out-going. Sitting back in your chair and quietly answering questions won’t catch anyone’s attention. You’re excited to have this internship opportunity, and you’ve made it far in the application process, so let it be known!

Applying for an internship grant is a long process, and more often than not it’s a little bit nerve-racking. This year, I was told that there were about 80 applicants, and about 20 were chosen for an interview. There are 11 grants total. That’s an incredibly competitive process, but I will say that, personally, it was an incredibly rewarding experience. I got invaluable practice in filling out a lengthy application, completing my (first-ever) budgeting worksheet, and I also had some absolutely fantastic interviewing experience. Either way it turns out, the process is educating in so many ways. Next summer, if you’re looking for grants, don’t be afraid to start the application process — it’s definitely worth it.

I recently had a job interview for an on-campus job for the fall. The day after the interview, I ran into the professor who had run the interview panel, and he stopped me to chat for a minute. He thanked me for interviewing and told me that I had been one of the most professional candidates for the position. I was surprised and pleased, but the comment reaffirmed something that my friends and I had been noticing for the past few months — it doesn’t seem like students are trying that hard to impress during job interviews on campus. We all have stories of leaving job interviews and seeing the next candidate head in, not dressed appropriately. I’m sure there are reasons for this, but I figured a quick reminder about proper interview attire wouldn’t hurt anyone!

1. Choose a classy, stylish base piece. For my interviews, I rely on a polished, just-to-the-knee length dark blue skirt. Blue is versatile, and can be worn with a myriad of colors. The skirt is long enough to be appropriate, but not too long — it still looks nice with flats or heels. It’s also high-waisted, which looks good on my body type and dresses up the outfit. A pencil skirt is always a great option. For a nice option, check out Banana Republic’s lightweight gray skirt.
2. Choose your pieces carefully. I chose to wear a white scoop-neck tee and a lightweight pink sweater (it was 7 pm and 77 degrees when I interviewed!). It wasn’t quite as formal as a suit blazer and a button-down, but it was clean, simple, and sophisticated. If you’re looking for cute layering options, Gap has quite a few.
3. Accessorize carefully. I’ll admit: I love jewelery. You can usually find me with earrings, a ring or two, a necklace, and a watch on. It’s easy to overdo it for an interview, particularly with jewelry. Pick one or two of your favorite pieces that work well with your outfit — simple earrings, one ring, and a small bracelet or watch. Less is more!
   
4. Wear appropriate shoes. I have a great pair of pointed-toe flats that are black, with an inch heel or so. They’re comfortable, and they look great with both skirts and pants. The best part? They’re not five inches, so I can walk just fine in them. For a more formal interview, I would suggest higher heels, but for an on-campus interview, flats will do just fine as long as they’re appropriate. 
   
5. Bring the right materials. I invested in a Scripps College leather folio last year, and it’s been a fantastic purchase. I always feel more comfortable when I bring it along with me to interviews with my resume tucked in it. I leave my cell phone in my room, and just bring the essentials — my keys so I can get back to my room. If you’re interviewing in the future, seriously think about buying a leather folio to polish off your image. It’s an investment that will last for years!

Remember, these suggestions are for interviews on campus. Of course, the dress code changes depending on the interview — you wouldn’t wear the same clothes to interview with President Lori Bettison-Varga and an interview with your RA. Either way, you should be dressed smart. Present yourself as the beautiful Scrippsie that you are: classy, confident, and professional!

Twitter. Twitter. Tweets? Odds are, if you own a computer and are connected to the Internet, you’ve heard of it. Businesses use it. Regular people use it. President Obama uses it. Oprah uses it. So does Jim Carrey and Colin Mochrie. Charlie Sheen has been alternately scaring and delighting people with it. The list goes on, and on, and on. According to Pew Internet and American Life Project, 8% of American Internet users are on Twitter. So, if it’s that popular, what the heck is it?

According to their website, Twitter is “a real-time information network that connects you to the latest information about what you find interesting.” True enough. You create an account and can send out short messages into Twitterverse (sort of like Facebook updates). If you follow people, their tweets will appear in your timeline. When you create a Twitter account, the website prompts you to search for people you may know or want to follow, either by name or username. As you begin to follow a number of people, Twitter collects the statistics of who you follow, and subsequently comes up with people you may be interested in following. Soon enough, you’ll have a veritable stream of 140-character messages scrolling down your screen. 140 characters, you might be saying. What the heck can I say in 140 characters?

You might be surprised. Twitter’s character limit forces you to write in succinct, meaningful sentences. For an example, take a look at President Obama’s tweet about the recent budget standstill:

His message is short and to the point, but still drives home an important message. This is a fantastic example of how Twitter can be used to capture the attention of a potential audience. The response President Obama garners from his tweets are, as you can imagine, plentiful. Either way, Twitter – along with other social media platforms – has opened a dialogue between the President and the people of America that did not exist before.

Okay, you’re saying. But what about me? Good question. A personal Twitter account can be used in a lot of ways. I have two accounts: a professional account and a private account (the private one has a setting where I approve who can see my tweets). My professional account, as you can imagine, is entirely different than my personal. I follow business professionals in the fields I am interested in, engage in conversations with bloggers in regards to social media, communications on the web, and keep up with several tech blogs. I only re-tweet (literally as it sounds: you copy a tweet from someone else and post it to your own feed, linking to the original poster) articles that I find interesting or pertinent to the field. Oftentimes, if you re-tweet a blogger’s article with a thoughtful comment, they’ll reply back to you. In this way, I’m rubbing shoulders and having dialogues with professionals I probably would never have even met otherwise! It’s really fascinating, and incredibly exciting. I’ve discussed embarrassing mistakes made during first jobs with a CEO of an online marketing firm in Chicago. I’ve chatted about the efficacy of FaceTime, and whether or not it’s a failed product, with my future boss, the CEO of Livefyre. In other words, Twitter is a fantastic way to create dialogues with people you may never have the chance to talk with otherwise.

If you’re interested in creating a Twitter account, particularly a professional account, here are some tips:

1. Watch what you say. You’ve probably heard your parents say this hundreds of times: watch what you post on the Internet. If your Twitter account is public, that means anyone can read what you’re putting out there. If you hope to connect with professionals in your field, make sure everything you post is appropriate.
2. Follow people of interest to your field. Since Twitter gathers information on who you follow and then suggests other people you may be interested in following. Make sure you follow important professionals in your field. Eventually, you will be noticed by others for who you follow, and you may just gain more followers by focusing in on who you are following and who is your audience.
3. Read, read, read. There’s a lot of fantastic information, news, opinions, and debates going on in the Twitterverse. Read up on them! More often than not, I hear about important news on Twitter before I see it on television or hear about it around campus. People are constantly posting links to interesting articles and websites. Knowledge is power, so read anything that interests you!
4. Re-tweet meaningfully. This one can be hard to remember. Re-tweeting is mainly used to share tweets with your own followers, and is a sign of respect and interest on Twitter. However, many professionals consider it bad manners to re-tweet a link to an article without commenting on it. In a way, it’s similar to liking something on Facebook and not saying why you like it. Professionals always create dialogue about what they’re reading online; you should, too!
5. Present yourself in the best way possible. It isn’t considered rude or strange to follow someone on Twitter without knowing them personally. In fact, it’s perfectly normal to do so. It’s not okay, however, to spam someone with tweets. Be courteous, but don’t be afraid to reach out to those you admire on Twitter. It’s a forum for communication and discussion. Be polite, and don’t waste the time of others.

Have more questions about Twitter? Interested in learning more or getting the hang of it before you reach out to professionals? Sign up here, and feel free to follow me, too. Happy tweeting!

In one of my posts, I tried to address the question of whether or not studying abroad helps you land internships or jobs. I mentioned how my study abroad experience wasn’t working out, though I wasn’t too concerned — I’m finding internships already, and I can always study abroad in the summer. For many, however, studying abroad is a huge part of their undergraduate career, a high point in their four years at Scripps College. The experience can help define them as a woman, a student, and a person.

A few days ago I received an email from Neva Barker, the Director of Off-Campus Study at Scripps. She’d read my post and wanted to weigh in on how helpful studying abroad can be to the job and internship application process. She wrote:

Does studying abroad help you get a job or an internship?  My answer to that would be – only as much as any other experience you may add to your resume might.  There is nothing magical about listing any one thing on your resume, really.  What is important is being able to articulate what skills you acquired that you can put to good use in helping the company or organization accomplish its goals. That is what employers are looking for, and matching your skills to what the company needs is the key to getting that internship placement or the job of your dreams.

The hard part about job and internship interviews is being able to think on your feet and come up with smart, succinct answers to the questions thrown your way. Neva was right: there is nothing magical about listing one thing on your resume (though I’d imagine that saying you competed in the Olympics, or something as equally surprising to an interviewer, might work in your favor!). The important part is whether or not you can articulate how an experience, job, or internship can help you in your future job, or how it helped you grow as a viable individual for the position. Neva stressed just how important this was in her email. After all, what good is an entirely life-changing experience abroad if you can’t say just how it changed your life?

Surprisingly, not that many applicants are very good at answering my question: “So tell me about your time in X country.  What did you learn from that experience?” Often students will talk about how amazing their time abroad was, how great it was to see the world and meet new people.  That does nothing to move them on to the next round of interviews. They may talk about their personal growth — and while that is nice for them and is a slightly better answer, it is not what I care about as a potential employer. However, the students who will grab my attention are the ones who reply something like this, “To be honest, it was quite challenging and I learned to think on my feet and how to problem solve when confronted with a situation I had never faced before.  I am confident that these skills and strengths that I honed while studying abroad are qualities that I can use to help your company adapt to the rapid changes that are occurring in this industry.”  Students should illustrate the development of analytical skills, the ability to work as part of a team and with diverse populations, to communicate cross-culturally and show a familiarity with local customs in a different cultural context, etc.  Those are the responses that will get my attention.

I can already hear people thinking it: “But I can come up with a response like that from my experiences on Scripps’ campus!” Well, that could very well be true. I know that I have personally been in situations during my time at Scripps where the outcome was similar to the ones listed above. I have certainly developed my analytical skills, I’ve learned how to work as part of a team on various clubs and athletic teams, and my communication skills have certainly seen a jump, too.  Neva and I discussed this:

Learning to think critically and write well are the crucial skills to master in an undergraduate education.  One can do that without ever leaving campus, but I think studying abroad can certainly offer such experiences. By taking oneself out of the familiar, perhaps those opportunities are more easily recognized.

Eventually, she and I circled around to the topic of perfectionism, which, as many Scripps students know, is quite common on our campus. We’re driven students, no doubt about that! Studying abroad certainly opens doors to the possibility of failure. One might make a mistake in the language and have a misunderstanding with a native speaker, one might get lost in their city on the way to university and have to explain why they’re late — the list could go on and on. Is failure necessarily a bad thing, though? Neva and I agreed that failure is ultimately a learning process. After all, what is that saying from William Hickson? Oh, right: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” As long as you pick yourself up after a failure and learn from your mistakes, it can be an incredibly successful experience. What better conversation topic could there be for a job or internship interview?

Studying abroad offers many opportunities for risk-taking and failure. Ultimately, students learn that it is okay to fail, and they find the courage to pick themselves up and try again. Study abroad is not the only way these things can happen, but if a goal for studying abroad is to make oneself a more attractive applicant for an internship or a job, it can certainly be a significant factor. If you talk to most people who are happy in their jobs today, they will probably tell of a career path that was not linear, that did not happen without some fits and starts, some failures and disappointments that, in retrospect, just turned out to be just another opportunity trying to get their attention.

So, can studying abroad help you land an internship or job? It certainly can. While it may not be right for everyone, it probably won’t harm your chances at getting a job or an internship. At the very least, it will be a memorable growing experience, one that employers will always be able to talk about with you in an interview — just make sure you have a great response for them about how it helped you grow as an individual, and makes you just right for the job.

By the end of our discussion, Neva had come up with a new personal motto: “Failure is just a new opportunity trying to get my attention.” I think that’s a darn good motto to live by…don’t you?

I had the pleasure of attending Geek Chic: Scripps Women in Technology, which was hosted in the Career Planning & Resources library. The panel included Cat Burhenne (’10), User Operations Analyst at Facebook, Aislinn Hetterman (’00),  Sr. Product Marketing Manager at Yahoo!, Julie Lapidus (’11), Student Ambassador at Google, and Melinda White (’91), University Relations, Programs, & Staffing at LinkedIn. These talented women shared their experiences earning a liberal arts degree at Scripps and how they used their degrees to find success in the wide world of technology. Interested in hearing the tips and tricks these women passed on? Here’s a quick list:

• Network, network, network. This was the suggestion that could not be emphasized enough. In many industries, and especially the tech industry, networks can make or break your chance at getting a job. In this case, LinkedIn (the “Facebook for professionals,” as many call it) should be your best friend. Add any professional you meet to your network. Don’t be afraid to keep in contact. It was pointed out that many high-profile tech companies only have internships for undergrads through word of mouth — you have to know someone. So don’t be afraid to network!
• Know what to put on your resume. What piques a recruiter’s interest? Prior internships, for one thing. Experience is paramount to show future employers what you’ve already accomplished and experienced, particularly if it’s in the field you would like to work in.
• Do your research. The Internet is a fantastic tool for gathering information on your employer. Even if you think you know everything about the company, go and look online for more information. What are the problems they may be facing, or might face in the future? How can they grow? More importantly, how can you help make the company a stronger workplace? What can you bring to the table?
• Show your enthusiasm. This may not be hard for Scripps women, since we’re an enthusiastic bunch to begin with. Don’t be afraid to show how excited you are by a job or opportunity with a company you love. Who wants to come off as boring, anyway? I know this helped me in my last internship interview: I confessed that I’d never done professional online community management before, but the notion of connecting with people online and sparking meaningful conversations was exciting to me. I was later told that my enthusiasm (!) and willingness to learn made my cover letter stand out. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind!
• Be passionate. We all have passions. Whether it’s related to the field you want to work in or not, sharing what interests and drives you to a future employer shows depth and integrity. Want to work at Google, but you’re dedicated to saving sharks with Oceana North America? Are you dedicated to raising funds to keep music education in public schools? Maybe you love to volunteer at your local animal shelter, because really, who doesn’t enjoy loving on cute animals? Don’t be afraid to share what excites you, and what makes it easier to get out of bed in the morning. What do you do for fun? What energizes you? If you’re passionate and driven, odds are that you will be just as passionate about a job you enjoy — employers will notice.

While these women focused on how to succeed in the world of technology, their suggestions are helpful for any field. If you want more specifics on the technology field, however, these alumna are a fantastic resource for you. From this fantastic event alone, I’ve met a handful of inspiring women and gained insight into a field I’m interested in — a priceless experience!