Category Archives: Jennifer

Changing Interests

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In high school, I was known as the girl that had her life all figured out. My plan was to go to college, major in Political Science, apply my senior year to a top law school, and start law school the following year. I’d then work as a public defender in Los Angeles. This was my plan in seventh grade and it didn’t change until this fall when my world came tumbling down (maybe that was a little too dramatic). I finally realized that I might want to go into business a.k.a. the corporate world a.k.a. the great “evil” (just kidding).

It might have been The Fullbridge Program (read all of Jessica’s posts– they’re great!) or some realization that I want to do something more dynamic, but I’ve found consulting to be a particular area I’m interested in. I’m fully aware that the lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but I’m attracted to the idea of working with others in teams, traveling to meet clients in different places, and working my hardest on a daily basis to help businesses solve their problems.

This shift in my life plan that was left unchanged for s-i-x years has left me in a complete state of confusion. All the internships I’ve ever had and all the clubs I’ve been involved in were directly related to my interest in wanting to pursue a career in law. And now, I’m just starting to build my resume again to be aligned with my new interests. I never believed people who tried to convince me that my career aspirations might change in college. That was just not me. I had a plan and I was going to stick to. But they’re right.

I’m all for making life plans and trying to reach goals along the way. What I’ve learned is that despite how sure you are that you want to pursue a certain career, things might change and your interests may shift. Diving into your newfound interests is the only way to get started!

Balancing Productivity

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I didn’t realize how much harder it was to be productive in college. Distractions are everywhere. (Actually, though.) It’s definitely been hard to stay focused, but I luckily was able to find some sort of balance last semester. Here are a few things I did that helped me stay on top of my work.

Know what your day looks like

Whether it’s Wednesday or Saturday night, knowing what your day will consist of is great for planning out when to do homework and when to take a break and have fun. Having a mental note of when all your deadlines are helps you prioritize what needs to get done and by when. And, sticking to goals of finishing your work makes celebrating the completion of this work more worthwhile.

Figure out where you best focus

For me, this is in a completely silent room where there aren’t people walking around everywhere (read: not the Motley- but I love going there for drinks!) I usually study in the browsing room or my room because I know that I won’t be that distracted when my friends are around. I don’t typically work well with noise in the background because it prohibits me from thinking clearly. Some people work best in environments completely different from the one I just described. Knowing your own preferred style will help you be most productive.

Make the best use of your time

I run into this issue all the time. When I’m doing homework and simultaneously talking to friends, I’m thinking: If I continue to do this, this 30 minute reading will turn into 2 hours  because I’m really not concentrating. (This also applies to social media sites. Leaving your computer and cell phone in another room works wonders.) Therefore, I won’t be able to finish my work before I go out with friends. BUT, that can be done if I spend the next 30 minutes of my life without talking to a single person. I think most people have a vague understanding of this, but the hard part is in actually doing this. I often fail at this, but when it’s worked, I’ve had a ton of fun.

If you continue to stay on top of your work, catching up will never be something that stresses you out. And, if you reward yourself with being productive, the incentive to work equally as hard in the future is undoubtedly more appealing.

Networking in College

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I’ve heard talks about how to network with recruiters and working professionals during networking events, interviews, and job fairs. Shaking hands with a firm grasp? Making eye contact? Asking for business cards? That’s all important. But this blog post is about the power of networking with your peers.

Last summer, a few entering first-years organized a Southern California beach social for everyone to meet and get to know each other before the school year started. (Side note: one of the organizers of the event later became one of my roommates!) After hanging out at the beach, a few girls and I decided to go to the 626 Night Market, so we all carpooled. During the car ride, I was talking to a girl I had met that afternoon about our interests, one of which included wanting to go to law school. She mentioned that her father was a partner at a law firm that he started with a few other people. A few days later, I asked the girl if I could send her father my resume for him to look in case he was interested in hiring an unpaid intern. She agreed, but I never got a response. Fortunately, the following weekend, the Scripps Association of Families hosted an event for incoming students. The girl I had spoken to the previous weekend was there, and she introduced me to her father. We spoke for a bit about what he did at his firm and what work I would be doing if I were hired, and he ended up giving me business card and asking me to call him the following day. When I did, he offered me a paid position and I agreed to start working the next morning. I worked at this firm for five weeks and had an exceptional experience.

To my amazing friend who helped me get this job: Thank you.

Last week, my friends and I were getting ready to go to a party and one of my friends mentioned to me that she was looking for a job. I remembered that my uncle had asked me to work at his health clinic a few weeks earlier, but that I declined because I was too busy with schoolwork this semester. I proceeded to call him to set up a meeting with my friend during Spring Break. This morning, my friend told me that she was offered a position and starts training tomorrow.

Networking doesn’t always need to occur when you’re dressed in your most professional attire. This may sound frivolous, but you can be in a bikini or party dress and still network. It works, trust me.

Scripps at Huntington Beach, July 2013

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Why Professionalism Matters

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Professionalism matters because how you present yourself is how people will treat you. I learned a hard lesson in professionalism a few months ago and have since learned that reputations are hard to salvage once you make a mistake. Below I’ve outlined some areas that I think help people maintain a professional reputation in the workplace.

1) Attire  

This differs within industries. In my opinion, you should dress according to how others around you are dressing. If no one except the boss wears business formal attire, then wearing business casual will help you blend in. However, I’d always suggest dressing more professionally than casually if you’re unsure of what to wear. On the first day of an internship, I was unsure of how to dress so I decided to skip the blazer and wear an electric blue blouse with a skirt and heels. That afternoon, all the interns were introduced the Attorney General of California and given the opportunity to join her in group photos. There was nothing I could do to hide my very obvious blue blouse. At another internship, I was extremely overdressed on my first day, but I never regretted it.

2) Conduct in the workplace

Having a solid understanding of how you’re perceived in the workplace really makes a difference when it comes to improving interpersonal relationships. If you’re known as the person that watches the clock at 5 PM every day, other people may think you’re not as dedicated to the job. Similarly, if you’re known to take extra long lunches or work less hard when the boss isn’t in, your co-workers won’t take you as seriously as you’d like.

3) Conduct outside of the workplace

This may apply more to interactions with co-workers or peers similar in age to you. It goes without saying that you should never “fraternize” (I think this word is so great) with your superiors, but I think some people often forget that this also applies to the friends you make at work. I personally believe that relationships formed in the workplace should strictly remain in the workplace. It is definitely not worth jeopardizing your job or even your happiness at work to have to deal with someone on a daily basis that you had a bad experience with. I do know (trust me, I really do) that this can be hard to maintain, but this pays off in the long run when people respect you. Respect takes months, or even years, to gain, and one small misstep can damage your reputation tremendously.

I hope this information helps! If you’ve ever read any of my posts, or if this is your first one, please tell me what you think! Is this advice helpful? Do you totally disagree? (Because that’s totally fine too.) I hope you have a great spring break!

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Why being “young” really isn’t a bad thing after all

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“You’re SO young. You don’t need to be worrying about internships until you’re much older.” I’ve heard this repeated over and over again to me each time I’ve applied to internships. The only problem is that I’ve never let those words stop me. And I’m eternally grateful that I haven’t. I’m not sure what motivates people to remind me that I’m young, but I do know being young doesn’t mean you’re inexperienced, just as being older doesn’t mean that you’re more qualified than someone younger. Below I’ve outlined some perks of being young* in the workplace:

*By young I’m referring to being disproportionately younger than other interns and professionals in the workplace

1) People are more willing to teach you certain skills

I learned a TON of information about how businesses conducted their day-to-day operations by having people teach me how to do things, including things I already knew how to do. This, at times, was frustrating because I thought I knew how to do things more efficiently, but I always was eager to learn. (Also, people love to mentor others, so giving them a chance to teach you something as basic as burning a CD will be mutually beneficial.)

2) People are more forgiving when you make mistakes

I’m not suggesting that you intentionally make mistakes. Try your best not to. I do think people are a little more forgiving when you make minor errors, though. The important thing to remember here is how you respond to mistakes so that people don’t regret your hire.

During an internship, I got an email that I missed a really important document that I was supposed to give to someone for an interview. Within minutes, I replied to the email with an apology, a PDF of the document that she could read on her phone, and asked if she would like the document faxed to her. When I saw her in the office the next day, I approached her and apologized again for the mistake.

3) You demonstrate the potential of young people to make significant contributions

Your performance as a “young” intern may be extrapolated to the entire population of young interns in the eyes of an employer. Doing a good job at an internship can open opportunities for students like yourself in the future who want similar experiences.

I’d like to clarify that all these opinions are solely based off of my own experiences and don’t reflect anyone’s general views on having young people work for them. I never let anyone stop me from applying to internships I knew I was qualified for, and I’ve at a minimum gained experience from the process of applying. My opinion is that your age should never deter you from seeking opportunities you’re passionate about.

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