Tag Archives: application

Cover Letter Tips

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A tried and true blog topic but one that always merits revisiting.  I have written at least seven cover letters in the last week and at this point I very much identify with this little girl.

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Despite my cover letter fatigue, I thought I would give a few things I keep in mind when approaching these daunting documents.

DON’T SEND IN THE SAME COVER LETTER TO EVERYTHING

Recruiters can sniff out a generic cover letter in five seconds flat.  A cover letter that does not speak to the company you are applying for or why you want that specific position is a waste of time to them.  Even if you very much want the position, they’re not going to know that from a generic cover letter. Where else can you interject a little personality into your otherwise cookie cutter application?  My strategy is to copy/paste the job description into a blank word document.  I then go through the description and highlight two types of things. 1) I highlight the responsibilities of the job and I make sure I can identify an ability to compete that task.  2) I highlight the soft skills that they ask for like positive attitude, professionalism, and reliability.

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But you can reuse some material…

Although I very mindfully make sure that my cover letter meets the job description, I do have sentences/paragraphs that are standards across my cover letters.  After all you can’t really write everything from scratch.  Remember that cover letters are living documents, you can touch up these sentences/paragraphs as you send in more applications, making the wording better as you go.

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Above all, remember your audience:

Your goal is to make at easy on a recruiter as possible to find the information they need in your resume.  Clearly identify how you are a good fit for the position and back it up with evidence/relevant experience.

That being said..

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Managing Deadline Stress

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In the last week I have found myself extremely stressed about upcoming internship deadlines.  This stress comes amidst looming paper deadlines and the stress that comes from the semester hitting its stride.  The endless applications and emails to send out have been especially weighing.  It happens every year but it doesn’t mean it’s any less difficult. Entertainment specifically is stressful because its application process comes late.  With summer rapidly approaching, it’s hard not knowing what your plans are.  Here are a few things I am trying to remember to do as deadlines become more stressful.

Break up larger tasks:

I find that I am most stressed when I think about all I should accomplish in its totality.  That looming to-do list leads to needless anxiety.  It has been helpful to break down the bigger tasks into more manageable parts.  You can only do so much at once.  Accomplishing a specific, small goal towards a larger task gives you a sense of satisfaction.  And during stressful times, it can be a much-needed boost.

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Mix up your to-do’s:

Writing cover letters for hours on end is not only monotonous but can be counterproductive.  I have found that I do my best work on tasks in small bursts, as inspiration strikes.  When I sit down to be “productive” I have a small list of tasks to complete.  As I lose interest in one, I immediately have something else to turn to.  That way I am still productive while giving my brain time to think of the right bullet point on a resume or turn of phrase for a cover letter.  This prevents working time from getting to monotonous.

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Breathe:

The best thing you can do is to take a deep breath.  It will all work out one way or another and while doing something about the future is good, stressing needlessly is counterproductive.

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Although times can get tough, there are manageable things you can do to accomplish all you set your mind to!

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4 Tips for Answering That Tough Job Application Question

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My first semester of college was a definite challenge, as it is for many people. On top of the stress of classes, being in a new environment, and making friends, I was trying to figure out what medications I needed to manage my bipolar disorder. Come finals week of that semester, I had figured out the right dosages and was feeling better than I had in years, but the process had been stressful enough that I had to drop down from four classes to three classes and move out of the room I shared with two other students into my own single room. Basically, during my first semester of college I was fighting my own brain, and it was a terrible experience.

What you just read is the raw material for the story that I used on my last job application when asked, “What is a struggle you have overcome?” Now, how can you spin that story so it’s ultimately a tale of overcoming something? Here are a few tips!

  • Make your answer all about how you solved a problem. The moral of the story needs to be how you solved a problem, whether that problem was the faulty wiring in your brain or the heavy workload, or anything else. Just think about how you “fixed” whatever struggle you were facing.
  • Don’t stray too far from the truth. I’m a writer, so I absolutely understand the impulse to make your story seem more intense than it truly was. However, when it comes to these stories, don’t  stray too far from the reality of what happened. Avoid the possibility that you might be caught in a lie. In any case, everyone has overcome something in their lives; I’m sure you can think of some problem you’ve had to solve. My own story about coping with my mental illness certainly doesn’t make me sound particularly heroic, but it doesn’t have to: it just has to be about how I applied a skill to a difficult situation.
  • Rephrase the question. If you’re having a hard time thinking of how to answer the question, try rephrasing it in your head before answering it. A question along the lines of, “What is a struggle you have overcome?” can be rephrased in a few different ways. For example, “How did I make my tough situation less tough for myself?” or “How did I use my skills to solve a problem I faced?”
  • Highlight an important skill you learned or demonstrated. Make sure the reader knows that your story taught you something that is relevant to the job you’re applying for, whether it was how to manage your time, how to prioritize, how to put your trust in a coworker, or basically anything. Alternately, show how the situation gave you the chance to apply a skill you already had.  I “fixed” the problem I faced during my first semester of college by knowing when to ask for help, which was a skill I already had, but was able to apply in that situation.

I hope these tips have been helpful, and can help you write a better answer to the ever-so-popular question along the lines of “Describe how you have solved a problem.”

How to Crunch When Things Get Crunchy

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It’s finally here: Crunchtime. Colloquially referred to as “hell week” on school campuses across the country, we’ve reached that point in the semester when it seems like literally everything that could possibly be due has suddenly made itself known to you–like the Murphy’s Law of due dates, if you will. Not only that, but it’s also that same time of year when students begin to hear back from all of the various opportunities they have applied for, such as jobs, grad school, spring/summer programs, etc., adding yet another thing to weigh on our already very occupied minds. Sometimes I find myself looking around at everyone around me doing all of these amazing things and working their butts off, and find it hard to believe that another whole semester has passed without even realizing it. It happens each and every year, but it always manages to catch me off guard.

This is how I feel when I think about how much I have left to do this week……slow zoom and all.

Obviously, not everyone is going to have the same “hell week” experience–it really depends on how many finals you have scheduled, how you’ve managed your time thus far, if you’re doing thesis, etc. But, from what I have gathered, the last few weeks of the fall semester are generally not the most pleasant of times for the vast majority of students. The worst part of all of this, for me, is that it’s not even that cold yet! Hello!?!!? It’s December! I just want to start busting out my various holiday sweaters I’ve been preparing to wear every single day of the week! But alas, not even a cold winter chill can assuage the end-of-semester funk I’ve been in the past few days.

Fun fact: Jimmy totally raided my closet for this segment.

A lot of this stems from the fact that, as a senior, I (still) don’t really know what I’m doing after I graduate. Many of my peers are just now receiving news–both good and not so good, as is to be expected–that will start them on their post-grad paths to becoming the accomplished, successful women and men that will change the world someday….or something along those lines. Point is, it can feel kind of discouraging to look around and see such great successes happening all around you, especially if you’re still waiting to hear back from wherever, you didn’t get the news you were hoping for, or if you just haven’t had enough time to focus on anything other than your school work this semester. This is not to say that all of these feelings aren’t valid things to be feeling. On the contrary! Take it from me, the queen of letting things pile up–these are all very legitimate concerns to have, and should be treated as such. Don’t lessen your own needs by comparing them to the needs of other people around you, because it’s not all that helpful for anyone involved.

Thanks, Most Interesting Man In The World. I believe in you, too.

As I’ve said, this time of year is when emotions can run particularly high, so the added pressures of “getting it all together” can often make you start to question a lot of things that you’ve done up to this point–have I taken the right classes? Should I have spent more time on that last essay? Did I apply for enough jobs? Could I be doing more? As far as the last question goes, the short answer is, yes, we can always be doing more. Long answer? We certainly can always be doing more, but the real question instead is: is do we need to be doing more? For example, there will always more opportunities to apply for, that’s for sure, but just because they exist doesn’t mean they are the right kinds of opportunities for you. Sure, there will likely be some disappointments as you start to hear back from internships, summer jobs, and even study abroad programs, but that doesn’t mean something else isn’t waiting for you somewhere else. That’s why resources like CP&R are so helpful, especially when the existential what-am-I-doing and how-do-I-adult kinds of questions start to come about, usually during stressful times such as these.

Ok but seriously, how do you adult?? Did I miss the instructional booklet that accompanies growing up?? Taxes?? Mortgages? What are THOSE???

The point is, when the going gets crunchy, you gotta crunch right back. This means working hard, taking care of yourself, celebrating with your friends when they get the good news they are hoping for, and consoling them if things don’t work out. Be excited for the cool things that your peers will be doing after they graduate, but don’t put yourself down if you’re not quite there yet. We’re all at such different places in our lives–be it in terms of our majors and intended fields of study and work, or emotionally and mentally–it wouldn’t make sense for us all to be doing the same kinds of things anyway. So, for now, focus up and finish up this semester the best you can. For my fellow seniors finishing up their thesis projects, we got this! It’s not like we have choice, but we’re almost there and its gonna be awesome! To everyone preparing for their finals and projects, and those starting to apply for jobs and internships next year, keep on keepin’ on–you got this too, believe me.

Just think: winter break is only a few weeks away, and then we can all sleep in as late as we want~! Talk about a great reward for all of our hard work 🙂

BRING ON THE CAT NAPS!!!

Exciting News…

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This fall semester I will be studying abroad in Brussels, Belgium. Part of the reason why I chose Brussels is the hybrid program CIEE offers students. Students take 2 classes with other study abroad students and 2 classes directly enrolled in the university. I was also able to get a homestay [without even knowing French or Dutch!]. The coolest part of the program is guidance in securing an internship for the semester – they still say it is competitive, and that they cannot guarantee anyone will hire you, but they give a list of possible internship places, of which you can apply to 3.

Applying to non-summer internships was new for me, but I approached the internship search the same: I looked through all the descriptions of the companies and internship positions before choosing which 3 companies I wanted to apply to. I wanted to try working in a new environment, one where I could really see my economics lessons in real life. The companies ere all international, however I still checked out websites that spoke to the business culture of Europe.

Also, all 3 internships are in the private sector, a sphere I have no experience in it. Though my experience is all in the public sector, I connected experiences and situations I’ve had to deal with at the office to the skills the companies wanted. For example, I used my extensive work experience to show I can learn new applications/programs quickly. Also, my experience on teams [sports, political campaigns, on-campus clubs] helped to show that I understand group dynamics. So, even though I had no real experience in the finance, public relations, or marketing fields, I still found that I had the skills required to be applicable for the job.

A week after sending my applications out, I received an email from one company who wanted to interview with me. I was extremely nervous [I had never had an interview for an office abroad before] but I, again, approached it like domestic interviews. [Skype interviews are great too, you can wear a blazer and shirt with slippers and gym shorts]. The interview was with 2 people working at the company, and they asked the nonspecific questions I have gotten before. I was nervous I wouldn’t be as competitive as others with degrees in business and experience in business, so to compensate I prepared extensively by researching the company’s history, clients, management structure, current projects, etc. During the interview I felt confident when they asked me how much I knew about the company, what I could see myself doing there, why I was interested in the company, and what skills prepared me for it. Though sometimes the video and audio recording was off, the 40-minute interview went smoothly. And…

I found out today that I got the internship! I’m excited to be taking a chance and seeing what it’s like to work in the private sector, in Europe, for a full semester, doing something totally different than what most people with my major do!

Is there anything you’re going to do that’s new/exciting this semester? Any position that, though is completely different than the track you’re on, sound cool?