Tag Archives: applications

The Secret to Standing Out

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When thinking back to your pre-college days, you probably remember college counselors explaining that the most successful college applications project a cohesive image of who you are as a person, not just as a student. In essence, the most successful college applications reveal your passion.

Applying to college and applying for jobs or internships isn’t as different as it may seem.

Both admissions officers and employers hope to accept or hire students with an enthusiasm for a subject that they hope to continue exploring. It is the most passionate people who have what it takes to change the world, or at least one small corner of it.

The message that you projected about yourself on your college application was successful enough to get you here. Now, you can use Scripps’ resources to continue developing your passion through clubs or even the classes you choose to take. When applying to jobs or internships remember the experiences you’ve had that excited you most and added to your growing passion(s).

When I applied for my summer job, I noticed that my soon-to-be manager had titled her notes for our interview not with my name, but with “The Feminist.” This was the identity that my resume had projected. And this was the identity that she was curious to learn about in the interview.

In our interview, my manager asked me about feminism right away. She was intrigued by my passion and my projects. She was excited to explain that the CEO of the company I was interviewing for was a woman. She elaborated and described how the company takes a lot of pride in being a company run by women and selling largely to female consumers.

Here at Scripps, my identity as a feminist is not as uniquely appreciated as it was in my high school or it was in my summer workplace. We are a community of intersectional feminists here at Scripps so it is my other passions, like writing, that are indicative of my identity in my communities here. Even within informal groups, like friendships, our passions can create our identities. When studying at the library, my friends will ask me questions relating to writing because they know I love to analyze literature. My identity has been formed by my passion for prose.

Applying to and becoming a CP&R blogger here at Scripps is a unique bullet point for my resume, as well as a small weekly commitment I enjoy. Together with my other commitments and scholarship related to English, being a CP&R blogger exemplifies my passion for writing. Perhaps at my next job interview, my employer will title their notes for me as “The Writer.”

So, whether you have one passion or five, nurture your interests inside and outside the classroom. You will be able to create a lasting impact on your interviewer and have an array of experiences to choose from when asked about your passion. After all, if a subject is truly your passion, cultivating it and investing in it should be an enjoyable way to develop your career. 🙂

What You Need to Get a Job

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Yes, this post is a little preemptive; I don’t have a job yet. But I’ve created a pretty good system. Hopefully, you can get some ideas or inspiration!

 Organization

Spreadsheet: I’ve applied for a LOT of jobs and started to lose track, having this spreadsheet made everything so much easier. I used Google Spreadsheets, but I’ve created a mini-version below!
Screenshot 2015-04-27 10.41.14

Dropbox: Save everything to a Dropbox folder. You can get it for free, and trust me when you FINALLY get those accomplishment statements just right, you don’t want to lose them to spilled orange juice on your computer. I use separate folders within my Dropbox to make sure everything is easy to find.

  • Burrito Resumes: CP&R teaches us to make a Giant-Chipotle-Burrito-Resume containing everything we’ve ever done on it, and I have one. However, I also found it easier to have a Recruiting Burrito Resume, HR Burrito Resume, and Diversity Burrito Resume. This way, I just open the one that is most related to the position I’m applying for, save it as the name of the new position and make edits according to the position there. Saves me a lot of time!
  • Current Applications: Any companies that have “Priority Positions” have a folder within Current Applications, which helps me remember what I still have to do.
  • Finished Applications: When I finish an application I move that folder from the Current Applications to Finished Applications and change the name of the folder to the name of the organization and the date (ex. Google (4/24/15)), to help me keep track of when I should follow-up about various jobs.

To Do Lists: I run my entire life through Tasks on my Google Calendar, so that’s no different for job applications. Every Sunday night I look through my priority positions and plan when to apply for each and I factor that into my homework schedule.

Networking

LinkedIn: Use the Advanced Search feature! It helped me find connections I would NOT have found otherwise. Click Advanced Search, enter the company name, and search for current employees. Then when you find a second-degree connection, ask your first degree connection to set up an introduction. Yes, it’s awkward. But I guarantee that it will be worth it. Plus, your LinkedIn connections almost certainly want to help you, or they wouldn’t have connected with you in the first place.

Talking: I mean just what I said, talk to people. Tell your friends, family, and coworkers about jobs you’re applying to or companies that you’re interested in. They might know someone there, they might have other connections, etc. By not talking about it, you could be missing out on those connections!

Back-up

Weirdly, I’m not talking about saving your applications in multiple places (… but do that too please). I’m talking about the people who back you up. Job searches are ridiculously frustrating and disheartening. There are constant ups and downs. Make sure you have those people who are going to scream and jump around your room when you get the interview you’ve been waiting for, and will find a way to get you there, no matter how inconvenient. Don’t try to start a job search without a person who reads every single cover letter to catch all your typos and constantly reminds you to flaunt your accomplishments. Most importantly, you need to have the people you can cry to when everything falls apart. These are the people who will relentlessly remind me that it’s all going to work out, even when it seems more likely that I’ll finally get my Hogwarts letter than have a job by graduation. These people let me mope and watch Netflix when I receive rejection notices, bring me chocolate, and post notes around reminding me that it’s going to work out eventually. I would not have gotten this far in my job search without them; don’t try to do this alone.

Double-Check Your Resumes

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It’s crunch time when it comes to job applications, and that means little things get overlooked. Time to double-check your resumes and cover letters for these problems, because I definitely made several in the past week. Learn from my mistakes.

  1. Add relevant coursework! (Using titles people will understand, so no “Core III”, just call it “Sexuality of Citizenship in the U.S.”)
  2. Say more than what you did. (We all know servers serve food. Talk about communication with customers, organization, multitasking, etc.)
  3. Make sure your experience is in reverse chronological order. (Most recent up top!)
  4. Check your verb tenses! (If the job is current, use the present tense. If it’s an old job, past tense. Previous training or project for a current position? Still past tense.)
  5. Check ALL your numbers! (All of them. Several of my resumes say my current zip code is 91771, I only noticed last Sunday.)
  6. Seniors: ADD YOUR THESIS (in the Education section). It’s really very cool that you wrote one. Take some credit.
  7. Juniors: Yes, you can use your volunteer experience or club leadership experience on your resume. You’re not just making it longer either; these experiences helped make you the awesome candidate you are, so add them!
  8. Sophomores: Time for your high school to go! Use that room for some of your accomplishments!
  9. First Years: YOU HAVE A RESUME?! HERE’S A HUG.
  10. Not sure where to start? Check out the resume book and get inspired by current seniors and recent alums!
  11. Make it one page! (No science majors, not you.)
    1. Need more space? Make your margins between .5-.75”, make all paragraph breaks font size 5, don’t have one word taking up all of an entire                line.                                                                                                                 (^Like that. Don’t do that.^)(You’re missing ^ALL THIS SPACE^.)
    2. Need to fill space? Make you name BIGGER (you are the star of your resume!), add a skills section (computer, language, etc.), add awards (like Dean’s list or scholarships), and add relevant coursework!
  12. Consider creating your own template rather than using Microsoft Word’s. It doesn’t use space efficiently.
  13. Speaking of templates not to use, probably don’t use these.
  14. Don’t use the same verbs under every position. (Check your Career Services Guide for “Action Words”!)
  15. Lastly, feel free to tell your parents to blame me for this one: No. You don’t need an objective statement. I promise.

The Gift That Is the “Present”

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Now I don’t know about you, but I am a huge sucker for quotes. You name ’em, whether they’re regarding life being too short for crappy coffee or Andy Warhol’s interesting observation that “In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.”

Andy_Warhol_by_Jack_Mitchell

He’s quite the character! Photo via Wikipedia

But before we start looking too much into the future, like Andy Warhol, let’s focus on the gift that is right before us, the ‘now.’ Well college, as most of you know, is quite the whirlwind accompanied by the never ending to-do list. But how lucky are we, that we always have something to do? The very fact that we get to learn and explore our passions-its a blessing that often times gets pushed under that Core paper or the varying assignments one faces in a given week.

Although it’s tempting to constantly be thinking of the future, it can detract from the very life and cosmic motion that is happening all around you. “But I need to find internships and apply to grad school and get good grades so I can get that scholarship! I have to be thinking of my future!” -Most college students at one point in time. I’ve been there, too; certain weeks all you want to think about is them ending, but tryyyyy to be more present focused and maybe you can enjoy them more. It will most likely lead to higher productivity and better utilization of your study time, as you’re giving all your attention on the task.

One of my many favorite quotes that always puts me in the right frame of mind is this one, by Indian Yogi Paramahansa Yogananada: “Live quietly in the moment and see the beauty all before you. The future will take care of itself.” Whether applying this philosophy of being in the present for school, internships, or career related opportunities, being mindful of the moment, rather than worrying about future ones can make all the difference.

So don’t worry about getting your 15 minutes of fame one day, focus on making those 15 minutes count right now. Whether that means looking for internships, writing your resume, speaking to alumnae, networking, or just planning out your goals.

Start by creating a timeline with dates when you want to achieve your goals. If that means getting an internship, then create an excel file with all the possible groups you’re interested in working with, deadline dates, what you need to submit, and start moving on from there. And don’t ever forget that you are not alone. Resources are always available to help you, and above all else plan to make a stop by CP&R!

Any helpful tricks that make internships easier to handle or other methods so you don’t look at stressed as Andy below?

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He’s still quite the character! Photo via Cultivating Culture

Let me know, would love to here from you!

Stay rad folks,

Isabella

When Yes Means No…

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If you know me at all, you know I’m a big fan of consent-culture, and I like to talk about it… a lot. I really never tire. I can defend enthusiastic consent until the person listening to me would rather help clean up after Pirate Party than listen to the rest of my lecture. I can explain why no means no, maybe means no, I-don’t-know means no, and silence means no. There are even times when I’ve adequately explained how a yes can mean no. This week I discovered another way a yes can mean no.

However, in this context, I’m not talking about consent-culture. I’m talking about job offers. Because this week I said yes to an amazing job offer, but that meant saying no to every other company I applied to.

Since October, I have applied to 21 jobs and internships. (And I’ve unofficially contacted recruiters and sent resumes to at least 5 others!) I’ve heard back from 8. I’ve been denied from 4 without interviews. I’ve been denied from 1 after the first interview. One company interviewed me, but I haven’t heard from them since, and the other requested an interview an hour after I accepted my job for the summer.

After 6 months of searching, I’ve received 1 offer.

As I debated this offer the what-ifs continually came to mind. I kept thinking, I love this job but what-if a better option comes along? But then what-if I turn this down and don’t receive another offer? What-if I haven’t done enough research and these companies aren’t a good fit for me? What-if I take this job, and I’m not any good?

Saying yes to this company meant saying no to any other opportunity… Including the interview request that came an hour after my acceptance.

But I can only say what-if so many times. Eventually, I have to make a choice and I have to trust myself. So, I said yes to the company that gave me an offer, and I politely declined an interview with the other company. No more what-ifs, I’m all in. I can’t wonder what would happen if I waited. I can’t speculate about where that interview would have led. And the best part is, after a day or two of processing, I don’t want to.

I know I took this job because it’s exactly what I want to do. I get to be an Operations Intern at a tech company and develop and improve company processes as well as manage and create resources for the employees. I get to live and work in San Francisco. Lastly, the parts that will never cease to amaze me are that they created this position specifically for me AND they are going to pay me. I can hardly believe that I got the internship that I was told didn’t exist.

Home sweet home as of May 18th!

Home sweet home as of May 18th!

Needless to say, I have no reason to go through any what-ifs. My yes to this company means no to the 14 companies who didn’t get back to me in time. I guess that’s their loss… But I officially can’t wait for summer and I’m so glad 6 months of hard work led me to this opportunity.