Tag Archives: life after scripps

Networking Adventure

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What a Saturday! Over the weekend I had the opportunity to go to three networking events!  They were all one right after the other but I was able to attend all three (somehow).  Two were on campus and one was in LA.  All were absolutely wonderful and insightful but I am going to focus on my trip to LA.  First, a little background…

Earlier this week I ran into several recruiters at the Harvey Mudd dining hall.  They were representatives from Universal Creative, the theme park attraction designers in the company.  They were advertising their panel and their flyer indicated opportunities for Theater majors!  Naturally curious, I attended the event that night.  They described their division of the company; they do everything from conceptualizing to implementation of new attractions and experiences at the Universal owned parks.  They hire a variety of engineers and artists to make these visions come to life and operate in efficient, safe ways.  I really enjoyed interacting with the representatives and hearing them speak.  I wasn’t sure where my interests and passion for creative management/organizing fit into their organization but I left my resume anyway.  A few days later I got an email inviting me to their learning center at Universal City Walk for a networking event.  Still unsure if I was really interested in this field, I decided to take the opportunity anyway.

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I usually feel very confident about networking but this event was unlike anything I had been to before.  It was far less casual than the networking events I had been to.  The conference room was divided into engineers and “creatives” (art/architecture/theater).  Upon speaking with the other candidates, I quickly realized how out of my depth I was.  Many were extremely passionate about theme park design, touting portfolios and chatting about other professional mixers they attended.  Not that they were unfriendly, but I felt out of place in an industry that I stumbled into less than a week before.  But the recruiters must have seen something in my resume, so I plowed ahead.  I had a lovely conversation with the intake representative, trying to be as honest as I could.  She guided me towards some areas of their organization where my skill sets might fit and I discovered that she was friends with one of my internship bosses.  Overall, I am still not sure if theme park design is right for me.  But I’m glad I took the opportunity to go outside my comfort zone.  Because although I felt destabilized in the moment, it gave me the confidence to know that I can work through any situation by just calming down and doing it!

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Majors, Careers, Trajectories

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I was recently speaking with a friend about majors and careers.  She was feeling a little down because she was worried that what she might end up doing won’t actually relate to her major.  She’s not sure that the typical path for her major is the one for her but at the same time she is not sure what she wants to do besides that.  Is the time that she is spending on this major going to be worth it?  After all, we’re spending quite a bit of money to be educated at Scripps.  No matter what kind of background you come from, there are still people back home that are counting on you to make the most of your time here.  People have hopes, dreams, and expectations for you.  And that can be a huge burden at times. 

When I first decided to be a Media Studies and Theater double major, I wondered if it would really be a good use of my time.  I didn’t know what I ultimately wanted to do after college.  I felt that I got a lot of strange looks from people for doing the “easy major”, and I wondered if I should have done something more intense like STEM or other social sciences.  Now people don’t question it as much because there is still a direct correlation to what I want to do after college.  I have come to terms and strongly believe that the arts isn’t necessarily easier, it just takes a different skill set.  And although the above is a gross oversimplification of the conversation I had with my friend it did make me think a lot about the pressures others put on us about majors and careers, but more importantly the pressures we put on ourselves. 

Because of my internship experiences this summer, I am extremely passionate about perusing a career in the arts and entertainment but it really made me remember that not everyone has found what they want their trajectory to be just yet.  And that’s ok.  Maybe it’s my mislaid optimism but for the sake of sanity I have to believe that every step on the journey is going to mean something.  You’re going to learn something from everything experience, good or bad.  Because even if you look back and maybe feel some time was “wasted” along the way, you might never have gotten to where you are now without that winding road.  Keep rocking, you’re awesome!

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Taking Initiative in your Internship

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So you want to stand out in your internship position? Well if you do you’re at the right place. Because who doesn’t want positive recognition? The classic advice is to take initiative. Seize opportunity. Much easier said than done, especially for some of my introverted friends out there (love you guys!). Coming into an internship or first job you may not know exactly what it is you want to ultimately do. So how do you target and find opportunities that will be helpful? I suppose the answer is, what’s the harm in trying? In perusing any opportunity that comes your way. The primrose path is rarely straight and you never know what will ultimately lead you to what you want to be doing. I came into my internship with an unclear idea of what I wanted to do, explored a ton, took on responsibilities, and now I can take that knowledge into the future. But I never would have had some of the most amazing experiences if I never took initiative.

The first few weeks in my internship were really spent learning what my place was and learning the basic expectations and responsibilities of my role. And it is of course imperative to perform the tasks you are given to the best of your ability. Make a name for yourself as someone reliable. Someone that will not only do what is required, but do it efficiently and with their brain turned on. How can you make the lives of those around you easier? People tend to remember little things. Things that don’t even require much effort on your part. Like if you are asked to gather and organize information, presenting it in an easy to read fashion. Once you have developed a name for yourself as a reliable worker and quick thinker, don’t be afraid to ask if you can help with anything.

For example, I was brought in as a Film/TV Development intern which mostly consisted of reading scripts and providing written feedback reports on them to executives. But there was also a Virtual Reality division of the company and I was dying to know more. Although I knew very little about VR at the time, IT LOOKED SO COOL! So I saw the team working on a project one day and asked if they needed any help. I didn’t know it at the time but I would end up learning so much about this emerging industry. But not only that, it furthered my reputation as someone who was invested in making the most out of my time. And that initiative will help you stand out in people’s minds in the future. Maybe those who have been working longer will have a better perspective on this, but from what I experienced, it is the little things that make you stand out.

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Life Lessons from the Theatre

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Moving to a new city and working full time, while only for the summer, was a challenge.  And while many things changed I found that a few lessons that I learned outside of the workplace have been surprisingly applicable in it, especially in the intern role.  Here are a few life lessons that I learned from Theatre that have served me well in the workplace…

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People want results, not excuses.

When something goes wrong, excuses are many people’s first response.  It’s a way to defend ourselves from personal attack when things don’t go according to plan.  By placing the blame for a mistake on outside forces, we make our egos feel better.  But blaming things outside of our control doesn’t help with our personal growth or increase other’s trust in our abilities.  Mistakes happen.  Everyone understands that and everyone has made stupid mistakes.  In my experience, you earn far more respect by owning your mistakes and following through on promises to make amends.  If you can follow up a mistake by doing better next time, people remember and respect that.  They don’t want to sit around listening to excuses all day, they want to know what you’re going to do about it going forward.  Like in theater, you can say “I missed my cue because I was grabbing a prop” or you can say “I’ll be there on time next run through”.  With the second response you acknowledge the mistake and show how you’re going to improve going forward.  I find it’s the same in the workplace.  As an intern because you’re often asked to do new projects at the drop of a hat.  As you are still learning, mistakes happen, and by following them up with an appropriate response, you can show your employers your maturity and ingenuity.

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Prepare what you think is going to be helpful, not what’s going to boost your ego.

With a natural desire to impress your superiors or stand out in some way, it can be tempting to try and work on the coolest and most innovative project aside from your daily tasks.  Something where they will praise your innovation.  And while creating something amazing can be really impactful, I’ve discovered the best way to make a positive impression on your employer is to spend your time on projects that will serve a need in the company and not on projects that are flashy or cool.  People are very appreciative when you find a way to make their lives easier.  Like in Theater, simple things like coming on time and being prepared, learning your lines ahead of time, and solving small problems before your superior has to will earn you respect.  So you don’t have to be a genius innovator to stand out in the workplace as an intern but if you pay attention and can find simple ways to leave the company better than when you found it, people will remember you.

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Tales from the Trenches: Interview Stories

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It’s that time of the week again: story time with Emily! This week I want to share a couple of tales of the infamous interview processes that plague young adults today. Let’s just start this off by saying that I actually really enjoy interviews. I like meeting new people, I would like to believe that I’m fairly in tune with my workplace habits, and I can think pretty quickly on the fly. But just because I like interviewing, does not mean that I’ve consistently had an easy go of it. The following are a few of my favorite interview moments. I learned a lot from them, and I hope that you can too!

The Interview that Never Was
One of my first jobs was at a creative center that I had no previous experience working in. I was interviewing for an administrative position, but at the last minute, the job changed. I received an email saying that the position that I was originally applying for had been filled, but I was welcome to come in and “have a chat” about a secondary opening that they had. I needed a job, and wasn’t going to be picky, so I proceeded to schedule a time to “have a chat” with the director of the center. I arrived early at the office in interview attire, ready to sell myself and my work ethic, only to discover that the director had already offered me the job and wanted to meet to set up my schedule. I was relieved and excited, but the experience taught me to always clarify what meetings are for and what is expected of you. I could have saved myself a whole lot of time, energy, and worry but just sending a simple email.

When Personalities Collide
This experience is fairly unavoidable unless you can be friends with everyone, but it is still absolutely worth talking about. I was applying for a position in a gym, and I had experience up the wazoo. I’d worked in my dance studio, assisted in fitness classes, been a dancer and a runner for years, and had a personal interest in wellness, just to name a few of my talking points. However, I knew almost immediately that I wouldn’t be getting the job. The interviewer and I had very different personality types, and she seemed thoroughly unimpressed with every answer that I provided. I kept smiling throughout the interview, but I never received a phone call regarding the job, even after I followed up. Interview and application experiences such as these are (unfortunately) not few and far between. In this situation, I still encourage you to be yourself. If nothing else, a bad interview is just good practice for the next one!

Family Business 
My first job was the summer after high school. I was working as a camp counselor, and the camp was held in the park that I’d grown up playing sports in. My dad was then the head of the youth soccer organization and knew a lot of the people that I worked with. This didn’t even up effecting my work environment that much, but it makes things considerably strange during the interview for this job. On a couple of questions, the interviewers made comments about the nice things my dad had mentioned about me, how great my dad was, and how if I was anything like him, they knew that I would be a great addition to the team. This whole thing made me feel pretty weird, and I was honestly quite disappointed. I’d applied for the job all on my own, and it was really disheartening to feel like my merits and achievements were being looked over. Now, of course, I understand the importance of networking and using your contacts, but it’s equally as important to make sure that your work is being appreciated for you, not for your relationship with another person.

Those are just a few vignettes from my job experiences. Interviews are crucial learning opportunities, and I hope that these have provided some insight into the odd things that can happen during a job search. Do you have any funny interview stories? I’d love to hear them, so please share in the comments below!!