Last week, my blog post was about digesting the rollercoaster that was the week of Emerging Professionals Program (hosted by CP&R over winter break). I focused on the necessity of self-knowledge in one’s professional journey. This week, I will focus on something a little more tangible: the skill of writing a great cover letter. In our workshop, we were given a helpful checklist of things to have in every cover letter, and things to avoid. Needless to say, this list has become a lifesaver (and is currently laminated and stuck to my wall above my desk…). Overall, I found this checklist to be incredibly helpful

because there are so many little mistakes to be made when writing an application, and going over these minute aspects can make or break your application. So, in this blog post, I will highlight certain features of this checklist that I found to be most useful.

First off, easily avoided, yet commonplace mistakes are often made in relation to formatting and layout. Some items to check in your cover letter are as follows: that your font matches your resume in style and size, your margins are between ½ and 1 ¼ inches, your letter does not exceed one page and your text is single spaced with double spacing between paragraphs. Although formatting errors may be not the most decisive deal breaker, first impressions are everything – so appearance of your resume and cover letter do hold a lot of weight.

Next comes content. Moving from head to toe of your cover letter, at the top should be your contact information, large and easy to read (also matching your resume). The header for your letter should contain the date you will submit the application, the contact’s name, title, address and a greeting (Preferably not “To whom it may concern. Try to find the name of the person who will be reading your application! Call the office if you need to. This demonstrates you are invested and doing your homework.)

The body of your letter should generally follow this format:

Introduction Paragraph:

In this paragraph, there should be three main things. Firstly, you should mention the name of the position (exact job number if applicable) and how you found out about this position (especially if you found out about it through someone who works at the organization!) Next, make this section personal. This ties in with the third tip: make your interest in the company and enthusiasm for that specific position known. This could be the part where you get personal. Either way, it is important that your knowledge of the company and enthusiasm for that specific job shines through here.

Body Paragraph (1 or 2):

In these paragraphs, your intention is to elaborate on specific experiences in your resume that granted you certain skills. Your job is to successfully narrate how these skills are perfect for the job at hand. Here, make sure you don’t simply repeat exact sentences from your resume, as it is a time to expand on what is already written there. Make sure to mention specific skills the job application might name, and elaborate on how you can apply these specific skills in that professional setting.

 Conclusion:

The conclusion paragraph wraps up your cover letter by re-stating your desire to work at that company/enthusiasm for that specific position, and a great sentence on how you can directly contribute there. Important-make you say thank you in this concluding section!

The very last thing on your resume should be your signature, which follows the conclusion by 3-4 spaces, and then your full name. (Enclosure may be noted two spaces further down if your resume is attached).

Overall, small mistakes that are totally avoidable, and if not taken the time to look over, can hurt you in the long run. Grammar or spelling errors, and messy formatting when submitting, or not saying thank you are red flags. To avoid these, spell-check everything twice and transfer your document into pdf format.

This winter break, I had the opportunity to participate in the Emerging Professionals Program through Career Planning & Resources. For one week, 17 Scripps students and I participated in a series of workshops and activities meant to build up our professional portfolios and gain skills to help us succeed in the professional world. Overall, I cannot say enough wonderful things about this program and would highly recommend EPP to any and all Scripps students.

Looking back at this week, I gained so much more than I expected. Thanks to the help of an amazing cohort, and the incredibly talented career counselors at CP&R, I learned more about myself and where I want my career to go, than ever before. Although intensive, the long days of introspection and nervousness were worth the struggle and headache as I came out of the week with a heightened sense of personal awareness and newly developed skills for success.

Since I learned so much last week, there is a lot to unpack and digest. My next few posts will be about breaking down what I have gained as a result of my experience with EPP, in order further process my experience and spread the wealth of knowledge endowed to me by the CP&R family.

I would primarily like to touch on the idea of self-knowledge and realization. In general, I really struggle with introspective exercises, and have always despised the question “tell me about yourself” in any setting, whether it is asked to me in an interview, on the first day of class, or on a first date. I can proudly say that I now know myself so much better after participating in EPP, and can confidently answer that question, not just in an interview, but in a more personal and intimate setting as well (and how to eloquently express who I am in different situations and settings, to differing audiences).

Although difficult and sometimes uncomfortable, delving deep into past experiences, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses and personality preferences, all come together to form a cohesive identity. CP&R helped me through this process of self-realization first by explaining and helping us process the several personality/interest tests we took, such as the Meyers-Briggs test and the Strong Inventory Assessments Each of these tools built on one another, as we analyzed what it means to be introverted versus extroverted, or have creative versus realistic tendencies, for example. By the end of the week, although I was all talked out, I had truly thought more deeply and more intensely about the question “who are you”, than I had ever before. Putting all of the test results and introspection together, I came to the final day of EPP with a clearer understanding of my goals, strengths and weaknesses and how I can grow from here.

If you feel like you struggle with answering the question, “Who are you?”,
I would highly recommend utilizing the resources CP&R offers, such as these online tests, and then making an appointment with a career counselor to discuss these results, in order to begin the process of self-understanding and realization. Allowing yourself the opportunity to perform some level of self-reflection becomes invaluable when asked to define who you are, which is often very tough for people to do.

Overall, I feel that in order to grow professionally and personally, a level of introspection is so incredibly necessary toward any sort of growth and progress. I am grateful for the opportunity to get to know myself on a deeper level and would love to help others on their personal journeys as well.

The amazing EPP Cohort!

As we wrap up the semester, my final post for the Beyond the Elms Blog will be a reflective look back upon my semester abroad, and the lessons I have taken away from this experience. Every semester, I find that I grow not only in knowledge, but also in self-awareness. My character develops as I mature through the different experiences I undergo in college, and this semester has been exceptional in the area of self-growth and personal consciousness.

This semester abroad has taught me, most of all, the importance of practicing patience. When thrown into new, and unknown situations, it is often very easy to become frustrated and overwhelmed. Personally, when I am faced with such troubling circumstances, I shut down. Meaning, I become easily annoyed, angry, and bad tempered. As you can imagine, coming abroad to a foreign country might have these effects on a person, especially when
it’s 100 degrees outside and you are dripping sweat, surrounded by massive groups of tourists trying to get around you as you squint at a map to locate your classroom on the first day. Basically, I shut down. Yet, over the course of the next few weeks, as things didn’t always go smoothly, I kept becoming so frustrated that I realized I wasn’t really enjoying my time abroad. I needed to figure out a balance in order to truly enjoy this amazing experience I had worked so hard to reach. The answer came around eventually… Fundamentally, patience saved my abroad experience, and made me realize how I needed to change my perspective and reactions in order to successfully thrive.

From my overall experience abroad, I’ve never had to be more patient in my entire life. Instead of shutting down, constantly reminding myself to go with the flow and practice patience saved me from collapsing all together. For example, when my train was delayed an hour, which made me miss my connecting train, and thus, led me to miss my flight home, I could’ve potentially had an aneurism right there in the airport, the first weeks in Italy! Yet, when this happened several times over the course of the four months here, I learned to go with the flow and to come up with a plan B, C and D. In these moments, patience saved me from a break-down or two, and taught me to laugh it off. Detecting a notable change in my mood and personality, once I learned to embrace this, was perhaps the best aspect to my whole experience here. I could literally feel myself becoming more mature and relaxed, and it was honestly refreshing.

Generally speaking, I believe that the skills we learn from our college experiences are what define us and lead us to become successful in the professional world. The skills we gain from our time at college or abroad, are similar to what we take away from other new experiences such as in jobs or internships. From every new experience, regardless of the ups and downs that are inevitably dragged along, we gain valuable skills and insight about ourselves along the way. Learning how to apply these skills, such as patience, into different sectors of our lives is invaluable. I know for a fact that patience will come in handy at any internship or job I have in the future, and I will continue to practice this skill in different areas of my life.

Without those tough experiences thrown my way this semester, I wouldn’t have matured or come to such deepened levels of self-realization. Thus, the constant need to be challenged and placed into tough situations, is vital in order to grow as a young adult, and be successful in our career as real adults later on!

Yes, Tyra.

Van Gogh, one of the world’s most influential and infamous painters, led an interesting and turbulent life. From his ever-changing path, one can reflect upon their own uncertainty about their career goals and journey. As an Art History major, I’ve always been intrigued by Van Gogh’s Post-Impressionist work, and his career path as an artist. In my 19^th Century Art History course this semester, we focused on his journey towards fame, which didn’t actually happen until years after he died. Although his life ended in tragedy and was ridden with despair, there is a lot to learn from this artist’s unconventional life and career.

1. There is no Right Path

It took Van Gogh years to realize his true passion was creating art, and upon this realization, he completely switched his career path to orient himself as an artist. Unlike most of his famous counterparts, Van Gogh received no formal training in drawing or painting. Through sheer inspiration and passion, he taught himself the arts of drawing and painting by copying and replicating famous works of art. He delved into studies of color theory and Impressionist style. His lack of formal education, and unconventional methods of becoming “well-trained”, led to the creation of his unique, and innovative style. Van Gogh’s decision to follow his true passion is an important lesson for young people, who are often uncertain of their exact career path or deterred because of lack of experience. Van Gogh exemplifies the fact that with enough drive and passion, if you set your mind on a certain goal, you can achieve it. Changing your path is completely possible, and clearly, there is no specific path to get where you want to go. As long as you put enough effort in, it is possible.

2. Experimentation Leads to Self-Discovery

During his life, Van Gogh experimented with many different styles, techniques and mediums, ranging from wood-block prints to sketches to bold color theory in his oil paintings. His constant experimentation led to new discoveries to be made about himself, in his development as an artist and in his unique style. From his constant need of experimentation, one takes away the need to be curious, which leads to constant personal growth. In the case of Van Gogh, if he hadn’t listened to his curious nature, he wouldn’t have pushed himself to create revolutionary works of art that are presently considered to be masterpieces. In your next internship or job position, think of a project you could work on to improve an area in your workplace, or to fix an issue you have identified. Experiment and add your own experiences to this project in order to push yourself to constantly be creating and innovating.

3. Embrace your Individuality

Van Gogh’s unique style was ridiculed during his lifetime. Yet, years later, his interesting Post-Impressionist style is seen as an iconic and he is regarded as a visionary of the 20^th century. His ideas and methods revolutionized art, and ushered in a new era in modern art. Embracing your individuality and not being afraid to take risks is vital towards making an impact in your career path. Even small aspects that make you unique are important to recognize and show off, in order to expose your individuality and what you have to offer. On your resume, for example, in order to stand out from the crowd, mentioning a tidbit such as helping your parents run the family business, gives employers a taste of your personality and also translates these experiences into soft skills, which incorporate multitasking, communication and drive.

4. Accept your Differences

Sadly, Van Gogh’s struggle with mental health was another infamous aspect of his life. His bipolar disease led him to experience life with heightened emotions and sensitivities. He took his experiences with mental health and transformed them into masterpieces. Accepting the challenges that come your way, and twisting these road bumps into opportunities is possibly the most inspiring lesson to be learned from Van Gogh. His premature death at his own hand is also an important reminder of self-care and the importance of recognizing personal weaknesses in order to work through them in a healthy way.

Over the week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Jane Mangan, a family friend who is the current Vice President and GMM (General Merchandise Manager) for the apparel

brand, Nasty Gal. I was intrigued by her past and her decision to move to Nasty Gal as she had previously worked for Gymboree, also managing the merchandising and marketing departments.

I began the informational interview by asking her about her experience in the corporate world. The past two summers, I worked with one of the head designers for GAP’s menswear. His constant complains over the corporate world made me think I would never step foot in this environment. Jane’s response surprised me, as she instantly disagreed with my boss’ experience, stating quite the opposite. She urged me to start in the corporate world, as it allows you to get your foot in the door. Jane explained to me that she began her career by starting in HR at a corporate company and worked her way into the Marketing and PR department. As a young person in the corporate world, you wear many hats and learn a lot in a short amount of time. Thus, spending a few years at a larger corporate company teaches you a lot and allows you to build up your resume.

Right away, Jane brought up the notion of “branding yourself”, but not necessarily in the way I had thought about this idea. She emphasized working for a larger brand name company, because the “brand brands you”. Meaning, by working for a company with good standing in the fashion industry, when applying for a job, the hiring manager will know that you have credibility and be assured that you have a certain skill set as a result of working for such and such company. In essence, the companies you work for give you credibility and brand you. Thus, working at a corporate, larger company in your younger days gives you a brand to work with initially.

Next, I questioned her about her experience as the VP of Merchandising at Gymboree and how different the brick and mortar brand was from the mostly online-based Nasty Gal. She explained to me how Gymboree was an ideal setting for her because, although it is a billion dollar company, the way the business is run feels very family owned. In this way, she found a happy medium here of a hands-on, collaborative environment, which still existed on a large, industrial scale. Here, she was able to run four brands and benefitted from the great systems already in place.

Her decision to move to Nasty Gal was twofold: firstly because of her connection to the CEO, Sophia Amoruso, who enlisted her expertise in product management an merchandising, and secondly, her desire to get expand her knowledge in the digital marketing side of the business, as her expertise was mainly based around brick and mortar systems. As Jane explained to me, NastyGal, although an apparel company, attracted many investors from the tech world, as it was unique in selling a concept and lifestyle online, rather than focusing on the product in a storefront. The brand, founded and
marketed by Sophia Amoruso, who is
also a best-selling author and one of the youngest women CEO’s, was investing heavily in the digital side of the business, rather than focusing on the product they were actually selling. Thus, Jane’s expertise in product itself brought her over, as well as her yearning to expand her understanding of the digital marketing side.

Nasty Gal filed for bankruptcy a month ago, and Amoruso, CEO, stepped down. Although I was hesitant to bring this topic up in our conversation, Jane was very open to the subject and discussed the situation freely, allowing me in on the inside scoop. She told me how because Nasty Gal had placed their eggs in one basket (the digital marketing side), which caused a lack of return on the product, leading the company to file for a Chapter 11. Jane spoke about the necessity of being flexible, especially in the time of restructuring within a company. She also discussed the exponential growth the company experienced, which the CEO, a marketer, not businesswoman, had trouble balancing.

Also, I asked her about how she found her calling specifically for product management. She told me that before she began working in the corporate world, she had no idea that job even existed. After working in marketing, she pinpointed her knack for managing the product itself, which led her to find this sector of the business. She explained to me that it is so important to be flexible and to keep an open mind in order to recognize the different opportunities out there. If she hadn’t done this when she was young, she wouldn’t have found her true calling for product management.

In addition, my love of writing and her degree in journalism was an important point that came up in our conversation. I asked her how writing has influenced her career and the role it plays in her life. She told me how her first entry-level job out of college was with an ad agency where she hoped to use her love of writing. Here, she got laid off, leading her to realize that this wasn’t her true passion and decided to pursue fashion instead. She stressed how invaluable the skill of writing is, and how this translated directly into so many facets of her job, where she is constantly narrating the brand’s different stories, every few weeks.

Finally, I asked for her advice to young women entering the professional world. Jane urged me to get my foot in the door and to work hard to get what I want. Something she has noticed with the younger generation is that they expect a trophy after everything they do, and how over glamourized people’s lifestyles are. It is vital to realize that in order to get anywhere, you must work extremely hard and not necessarily be rewarded right away. Keep in mind that, 90% of the time, work is not glamorous and the grind is too real.

Overall, I really appreciated the time Jane took to speak with me and was inspired by her success and girl-boss attitude.