Category Archives: Juliana

Reflecting Upon My On-Campus Job Experience

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Since last week was Student Staff Appreciation Week at Scripps, I thought it would be a good time to reflect upon my on-campus job experience. Although attending classes, doing homework, and fulfilling extracurricular commitments can be very time-consuming and stressful, I have found that having an on-campus job has provided a a welcome balance to my college life.

From the first week of school, I knew I wanted to have an on-campus job. I have always been attracted to the idea of turning my time into money but did not have the time nor ability during high school to seek a job, let alone have one. But in college, finding and having a job became much easier, because there is a whole database of jobs in Handshake and there is no commute. As soon as I figured out how to use Handshake, I quickly researched various on-campus job positions. I was excited by all of the different options on-campus but nervous that I would not be chosen for an interview.

Overall, I applied for about four different positions on campus and heard back from two. I was very happy when I received notice that I had been chosen for an interview for a position as a Student Worker for the Office of Parent Engagement (OPE). The position involved both social media strategy and fundraising. I had interned with a wedding photographer over the summer practicing social media strategy and participated in Phonathon in high school, so this position was especially appealing to me since it would give me the opportunity to practice and expand both of these skills. After the interview, I was offered the position. I was thrilled – I had been in college only one week and I already had a job! I felt very proud of myself that I took the initiative to get a job so early in the year.

I have greatly enjoyed working at OPE this past school year. I have learned a lot about social media strategy and the inner workings of administrative offices. I have learned how to conquer the daunting CRM database of ThankQ and have recently learned how to maximize the office’s usage of MailChimp. In addition, I have gained experience working in a professional environment and interacting with co-workers. Since OPE shares a work space with other groups in the Institutional Advancement office, I have realized how important it is to collaborate with one another. For example, if someone from the Alumni Relations office needs help with sending letters, members of the other offices are always willing to help.

Although it can be intimidating and time-consuming to apply for on-campus jobs, I highly recommend that all Scripps students take advantage of the opportunity at some point during their college career.

What have you learned from your on-campus job?

Interviewing 101

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Interviews are a crucial part of any internship or job recruitment process as they provide the opportunity to interact one-on-one with the recruiter, and can make or break an internship or job offer. After completing my first internship recruitment process, I experienced many great interviews, and one or two not so great interviews. Here are the tips I gathered about how to perform well in interviews that helped me the most:

  1. Do Your Research

One of the most common interview questions I received was “Why are you interested in working with ___?” Through simply looking through the organization’s website, I found relevant information that I could reference in my interview such as their mission and work environment. I recommend making a list of what you learned in your research and practicing your response to this interview question.

  1. Do Research on websites like Glassdoor

Glassdoor is an online resource where past employees or people who have interviewed at various organizations can review their experience and even list the interview questions they received. I found it very helpful to practice answering the questions that were listed on Glassdoor by past interviewees.

  1. Know Why You Are Qualified

Another common interview question I received is “Why are you qualified for this position?” To answer this question, it is important to reference the specific qualifications listed on the posting for the internship or job. For each major qualification, I came up with an example of how my experience meets the specific qualification. For example, one of the qualifications listed for an internship I interviewed for was strong writing skills. To meet this qualification, I talked about my love of writing and how I received an award in high school in writing.

  1. Recognize What You’re Good At, and What You Might Not Be So Good At

As part of preparing for interviews, I typed out my professional strengths and weaknesses. Doing so allowed me to be prepared to highlight my strengths, but also to practice discussing my weaknesses. I find it difficult to talk about my weaknesses because I don’t want to come across as unprepared for the position or unable to perform well. Writing these out before the interview really helped me to succinctly and accurately express my strengths and weaknesses.

  1. Be Yourself and Calm Down

I know it’s cheesy, but it is so important to remain your authentic self in interviews. Interviewers want to get to know you and your personality, and see if you are a good fit for the position. While it is hard to be yourself if you’re nervous, I find that taking a few deep breaths or taking some time to yourself before the interview can really help.

What are some interview tips you have gathered along the way?

My Summer Internship Quest

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My summer internship search process has been both exciting and exhausting. Over winter break, I contemplated various options for the summer after my first year at Scripps. I considered becoming a counselor for summer travel programs or working at home. After looking on Handshake, I was amazed by the number and variety of attractive internships I could apply for.

By visiting my older sister the past two summers during her internships in New York, I knew I wanted to live in New York for the summer. I love the dynamic environment of the city and am fascinated by how there always seems to be something exciting happening. I also knew that I wanted to target an internship in marketing or social media strategy. I felt qualified for several positions in this field, based on my extracurricular and work experience at Scripps and in high school. While I had no idea if I would actually get an internship offer in New York, I thought it would be worth a try.

I applied to about 20 internships on Handshake and Scouted, an internship search website, and got invited for a first-round interview with five companies. I was shocked to receive multiple offers. Ultimately, I chose to accept the offer an innovative and personalized startup in Manhattan that is using social media and analytics to disrupt the real estate industry. Based on my experience, here is my advice for my fellow college students seeking a summer internship:

Keep Your Options Open

Using Handshake, it is amazingly easy to apply for internships. Some only require a resume. I recommend applying to any and all internships you feel qualified for. It is great practice and you never know who might be intrigued by your resume!

Be Persistent, Not Annoying (there is a fine line between the two)

After not hearing back from several internships on Handshake, I sent a follow-up email to the recruiter listed on Handshake. The brief email demonstrated my interest in the internship and also provided the recruiter with my resume. Through sending these emails, I was offered an interview at one of the startups that I had applied to. It is important not to barrage the recruiters with emails if they do not respond. Instead, gauge whether the recruiter is interested in your resume and follow-up accordingly.

Be Prepared for Interviews

Interviews provide an opportunity for you to show your interest in and qualifications for an internship. I recommend preparing for interviews by writing down some reasons why you are interested in the position, why you are qualified, examples of your qualifications, and some questions for the recruiter. Having these answers written out will help you to feel calm and articulate your answers clearly in the interview. Additionally, including questions for the recruiter will demonstrate that you have done your research on the position and are truly interested in working with the company.

Through the internship search process, I have learned a lot about what positions I am qualified for and what companies truly interest me. Although it can take a lot of time to find the perfect internship, I promise it is an extremely rewarding process as well.

My Future Self Will Thank Me

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Two weeks ago Friday, I attended a CP&R module on Basic Budgeting. During the session, we heard from two Scripps alums about their experiences budgeting post-college and in the professional world. I have to confess that I had a mixed response to what I learned: the side of me that likes to be organized was intrigued with budgeting, yet the side of me that likes to do new and exciting things found it pretty tedious.

The timing of the session was perfect for me, since I will need to budget carefully on my upcoming spring break trip and during my summer internship. While I am excited for both of these occasions, I worry that it is easy to spend more money than I would like to while on vacation and living in a big city. The budgeting session really helped me to develop a plan for and feel in control of the money I will be spending. At the session, the two Scripps alums shared online resources that they use to monitor their personal budget. I have decided to implement two of the resources into my budgeting routine:

Mint is an app created by the software company Intuit that allows you to create a budget, track and pay bills, receive a breakdown of your spending categories, and many more helpful features. It is almost overwhelming how much the app can do for you. I have been playing around on the app for the past few days and have gained a new awareness of my spending patterns. Through the app, I learned that I spend the majority of my money throughout each month on food. Now that I know that I spend most of my money on food, I can learn to budget effectively and responsibly and make more informed decisions about going out for meals versus eating on campus.

I find that between Venmo payments and spur-of-the-moment Amazon purchases, it is very easy to lose track of where I spend my money. To help remember where I’m spending my money and on what, I’ve created a Google Sheet of my monthly spending. I feel much more at ease knowing exactly how much I’m spending each month and understand that I can truly be in control of what I’m spending.

While budgeting may not seem necessary for most Claremont College students, since most of us don’t have to pay monthly fees for rent or purchase groceries, it is an amazing habit to start early on. I will have more practice budgeting over spring break and this summer, and I am getting proactive about preparing myself for the costs of these occasions. Although I still have a lot to learn about budgeting, I hope to master the art of it before I graduate. I know that my future self will thank me.

 

 

Hitting My Stride

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Over winter break, I took some time to reflect upon my first semester at Scripps. I had many accomplishments to be proud of such as getting a job on campus at the Office of Parent Engagement, being placed on the Dean’s List, joining the Scripps Economic Society, and meeting amazing and loving friends. Yet despite these accomplishments, I had a nagging feeling that I had stayed within my comfort zone, and did not push myself to my fullest potential.

Going into the second semester, I was on a mission to truly fulfill my potential. In my first week back on campus, I spent hours on Handshake looking at summer internships, applied to be a CP&R blogger, and applied and interviewed for the position of Development Manager at The Student Life (TSL). I was delighted to be chosen both to be a CP&R blogger and Development Manager for TSL. I was ecstatic that I would have more on my plate this semester but also concerned whether I could truly do it all.

With six weeks of the semester now complete, I am realizing that I am capable of more than I thought I was in my first semester, and that I can thrive beyond my initial comfort zone. This semester, I am busier than I have ever been, yet am truly passionate about the classes, jobs, and extracurricular activities that fill my hours and my days. Blogging for CP&R has given me a great outlet for self-reflection, fueled my interest in my future potential career, and connected me with CP&R staff. Working for TSL has enabled me to forge partnerships across the 5C’s with admissions offices, parent relations offices, professors, deans, and alumni. Searching for a summer internship has allowed me to connect with 5C alumni and CP&R staff in order to find, interview with, and receive an offer from the best possible internship for me.

Looking back at my first semester at Scripps, I realize that while I pushed myself in some ways, I was careful to stay in my comfort zone. I did not challenge myself to make connections beyond my everyday interactions, or take advantage of all that the 5C community has to offer. This semester, I feel like I have hit my stride. I am proud of my accomplishments. Most importantly, I feel truly immersed in the 5C community. Every role that I have taken has given me the opportunity to develop relationships with 5C alumni, faculty, staff, and students.  With each new relationship, I feel more and more a part of this amazing community. I realize that the more I contribute to the community, the more I get out of it, and the more I feel truly a part of it. Based on my experience this year, my one piece of advice for new college students is to take risks, try out, apply, engage, and connect. The more you do, the more you will feel that you truly belong.

What is one piece of advice you would give to incoming first-years?