Tag Archives: EPP

For All You Emerging Professionals

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It is that time of year again! The applications for the Scripps Emerging Professionals Program have come out and it is time to start thinking about career paths and summer internships. I wanted to dedicate this blog post to unabashedly bragging about the program and imploring anyone interested to please apply!

I applied to the program because I did not know what I wanted to do in the future and had many different interests that I could not figure out how to translate into a career. The Emerging Professionals Program helped me gain confidence in professionally presenting myself on paper and in person. It not only helped me revamp my resume and LinkedIn profile, but it also helped me come up with an elevator pitch and figure out how to conduct myself during interviews.

Here are some of my favorite memories and experiences from EPP and hopefully you all can partake in them when you join the program:

  • We began by learning about our strengths and personality types through a variety of tests such as Strengths Finder and Myers-Briggs. I had never taken time to figure out what my strengths and weaknesses are and how they can translate into a career path and these exercises were increasingly helpful in allowing me to think before acting on assumptions.
  • I loved being paired with a mentor who used to work in a career path that I was interested in and was able to give me great advice about her job and possible internships. We have remained in contact even a year later and I feel comfortable reaching out to her whenever I need someone to look at my resume or talk to me about possible career opportunities.
  • I found it helpful to go through speed interviewing sessions with professionals from companies that I might eventually want to work for. I learned that interviewing in person is different from interviewing through Skype, which was something I had not thought of beforehand.
  • It was especially important (and nerve-wracking) for me to have to come up with a one-minute elevator pitch to introduce myself to people in a professional environment. I then had to give this pitch to a room full of people from different companies as well as my own peers.
  • EPP helped me make my LinkedIn page and even took professional headshots for all of us. On top of that, we had resume sessions where my peers edited my resume and gave me helpful advice on improving it.
  • Lastly, we went to a networking event where we were able to meet Scripps alumni as well as other professionals from different industries. At the event, we were able to practice the networking skills that we had learned during EPP and make connections.

I would recommend EPP to any student at any point in their career path because there is always room for improvement and practice when it comes to professional development. At the very least, you get to form a great connection with Career Planning and Resources and meet interesting people who can support you as you navigate your career and personal journey. Learn more about the program and find the full schedule here.
Apply by midnight October 21, for consideration in this year’s EPP cohort.

 

 

 

 

10 Things We Need Before Graduation (aka AnnE’s Graduation Registry)

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It occurred to me recently that upon entering the Real World I’ll need to be armed with more than my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. So I’ve been soliciting advice from real live grownups (and created some of my own) about what we actually need to function in the real world.

FOR THE HOME:

1. A George Foreman Grill

I make really excellent cereal and Poptarts, but my talents end there, hence this recommendation. A George Foreman Grill has you covered for everything from a panini to chicken breasts, and BONUS, it’s really easy to clean.

George Foreman Grill

2. A rice maker

Rice is delicious, cheap, great with absolutely any dish, and really easy to make perfectly once you have one of these gizmos. Much adult. Very grownup.

rice cooker

3. A crockpot

Did you know you can just put food in a crockpot in the morning and when you get home you have a meal?! THAT IS SO COOL. This totally feels like cheating at adulthood, but I’m ok with that.

crockpot

4. A refined taste in alcohol

When attending a Happy Hour or cocktail party at work, it will no longer be appropriate to request vodka and Redbull, vodka and whatever-Crystal-Light-package-you-have-on-hand, vodka shots with orange juice chasers, or Natty Light. Put the “adult” back in “adult beverages” and learn to order something like a boring glass of wine and refrain from openly gagging when drinking a Manhattan.

5. Renter’s Insurance

This advice comes from one of CP&R’s own career counselors, Lesley Bonds, who watched the ceiling of her apartment fall down onto everything she owned because of a broken water heater in the apartment above her. She spent the next few months on friends’ couches until her apartment was repaired and had to pay for all of it herself. Needless to say, she highly recommends renter’s insurance.

6. Laundry know-how

Yes, this was supposed to be something we learned in college, but we didn’t. So, here’s how to fold a fitted sheet, here’s how to know what spin cycle and temperature to use, and here’s what all of those mysterious symbols on your tags mean.

FOR YOUR CAREER:

7. Financial knowledge

This requirement breaks down into 3 sections: budgeting, investing, and saving. We need to learn to budget because allegedly part of this whole career-thing is that someone is going to give us money every 2 weeks or so, meaning, we’ll need to start keeping track of how we spend it. Here’s a helpful guide for learning to budget (and another) (and another)! As for investing, it may not be as essential as budgeting, but knowledge of the stock market does seem to be one of the topics that is important at boring grownup dinner parties, so we should probably learn about it. (Here are a few other reasons investing might be important, in case you aren’t convinced.) Which brings me to the hard one: saving. As I said, money is going to be put into our account EVERY MONTH. THAT’S SO EXCITING, but according to my budget, I can’t spend all of it on ice cream and Golden Oreos… A lot of that salary is going to need to be saved for future expenditures like vacations and houses, but also for more prudent investments like retirement. This seems like a lot, but we still have 2 months and CP&R regularly hosts finance workshops that I highly recommend!

8. A baby lamb voice

If you aren’t lucky enough to know Grace Ditsworth, this title might not immediately make sense, so I’ll explain: Grace has a voice that can calm any pushy employer, annoyed parent, or overwhelmed student and quickly convince them that everything really will be ok. This voice will be absolutely necessary in any stressful work environment, airline confusion, and family engagements. DO NOT graduate without it. So far, I don’t have any references for how to attain it, but I’m hoping that Grace will teach an EPP class on it soon.

9. An (Updated) LinkedIn Profile

There’s much debate about this, so let me start of by saying, Pre-Med Students: no, I’m not talking to you; please don’t get frustrated with me. Everyone else, why not make one while you can still get help from Valinda Lee (Assistant Director of CP&R and Scripps’ Unofficial LinkedIn Master)? Pros: more and more people are using it these days; networking becomes super easy; and (my favorite part) there’s no one page limit! Cons: yet another thing to do.

FOR GENERAL SURVIVAL:

10. Bravery.

Let’s face it, there’s a theme to my blogs this semester: THE REAL WORLD IS SCARY. We’re leaving our very comfortable Claremont bubble and aren’t really sure about what’s ahead. But, as Rory not-so-eloquently states in the penultimate episode of Gilmore Girls, “There are a just a lot of things right now in my life that are undecided. And that used to scare me but now I kinda like the idea that it’s just all kind of… wide open.” So we’ll need to be brave and gain a sense of adventure.

 

… while keeping our parents on speed-dial and remembering that we can continue to make appointments with CP&R even after graduation.

Application Time Part II: Procrastination

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So, you know that post Emma wrote back in November about how it’s application time? This is Part II. Because yes, I did turn one application in that week and then proceeded to procrastinate on the rest of them. I told myself that I had exams to study for and papers to write. (And to be honest, Netflix to watch…) I told myself they’d get done over winter break. Yet as soon as winter break came around I had to spend time with family and friends and read the books that I’ve been meaning to read! (Annnnd watch some Netflix…)

But now it’s February and I’m running out of excuses. So I’m going to procrastinate by writing a blog post to help YOU to stop procrastinating, and maybe I’ll get inspired as well.

We’re going to make a toolkit! (Using several tips I learned at the Time Management Workshop hosted by CP&R as part of the Emerging Professionals Program.)

What you need:

Motivation!

  • Think about what you’re applying for and why! If it’s something you’re passionate about, that might make you excited to start your search for the perfect job or fill out the applications that will secure it.
  • If the prospect of the job itself doesn’t motivate you, try rewarding yourself after. If you filled out two applications, then you can spend a half hour on Facebook. After you hit “submit,” you definitely deserve a night of Netflix.

Information!

  • Google is every college student’s best friend. Google information about the field you’re looking to go into. You can find prominent companies or positions in that field. You can also find general descriptions of your ideal job so you know what you’re working towards!
  • If that seems like it requires a little too much effort or you’re not sure where to start, make an appointment at CP&R! My first appointment helped me so much. I learned how to look for jobs on ClaremontConnect, find Scrippsie Alums through Life Connections, and how to make my resume look like I’ve actually done something. (#undergradlife)

Application! (Had to keep with the –ation theme.)
Now you just have to do it and this is where the time management comes in, but thanks to the workshop I have a few quick fixes for that!

  • Do applications stay at the bottom of your to-do list in lieu of this week’s reading? (And this week’s episode of Sherlock?)
    • Try using the site “Remember the Milk” or download the app “Remember the Milk”. (It’s free!) You can (and should!) set due dates for each task, and the app will send you notifications or emails about what tasks you need to complete today. This way you can’t keep all your applications at the bottom!
  • Do you not know your schedule well enough to know when you could have you “Remember the Milk” tasks be due?
    • Try taking a closer look at what you’re doing each day with either of the worksheets attached below. If scrolling through Tumblr takes the 5pm-7pm slot three nights a week, maybe one or two of those slots could go to applications!


  • Do you automatically type “facebook.com” every time you open a new window in your browser and get stuck scrolling through your newsfeed instead of opening the application you intended to turn in?

Now stop reading the blog and START APPLYING!!! Right now. 

No. Don’t open Facebook in a new tab.