Tag Archives: support

All In This Together

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First of all, hello! My name is Dorie, and this is my first blog post for the site. I’m so excited to be a part of this team of insanely smart, talented, wonderful, blogging ladies! I thought I’d keep the topic of my first post close to my own heart, by touching on a very important issue that can sometimes be overlooked in times of heavy stress (hello, thesis!!!): having a strong support system.

Honestly, sometimes I feel like I’m trapped in one of those unfortunate, black and white infomercials where nothing is going right.

I feel you, girl.

As a senior (…it still sounds so weird to me), I feel like every time I see a fellow student—be it in-between classes, briefly in the dining halls, or loitering around Seal Court—the conversation goes something like this:

One of us: Oh hey, how’s it going?

The other one of us: *Dying whale noises, accompanied by various hand gestures indicating both complete exhaustion and an inability to properly articulate how busy everything is right now*

It boggles my mind how much we are expected to be juggling right now: thesis (for all of you taking it on this semester), all the work for our other classes, part-time jobs, thinking about and making plans for our futures, figuring out finances, applying to grad school, finding careers, moving across the country/world, networking, interviewing—not to mention the social and personal lives we are trying to maintain in the meantime! Between relationships, friendships, family things, and all the aforementioned things, it’s really quite overwhelming how much we have on our plates these days. This is not to say that only the senior students are feeling this way: definitely not the case. For me, it just seems like I am at this giant precipice in my life, and the various pressures that are pushing and pulling me one way or another can sometimes feel suffocating, limiting, and totally disheartening.

When I start to feel this way—sometimes hopeless, and often times lost in this sea of responsibilities, expectations, and life decisions I will have to make eventually—all I have to do is remember what that wise sage Troy Bolton once sang to me, all those years ago: “we’re all in this together.” Amidst all the midterms, thesis deadlines, and job applications, it is so easy to feel like these struggles are unconquerable, and that everyone around you is, somehow, handling everything just fine, while you are drowning under the sheer weight of everything you need to do each week. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s not just you. In fact, I’m here to tell you that you are probably handling everything way better than you’re giving yourself credit for. Trust me.

It is so important to remember that, as overwhelming as everything might feel right now, there are so, so many resources on this campus that are here to make your life easier. I’m not just talking about Scripps resources—although there are tons that you can definitely take advantage of (like the CP&R office!)—I’m talking about the strong, powerful individuals you have been learning, living, and laughing with for the entirety of your life here at Scripps. Be it the people you live with now, a study group you are a part of, or your roommate from freshman year that now lives across campus, there are people all around you, both on-campus and off, that are more than willing to help you through these tough times, if you give them the chance.

Look, I know better than anyone that asking for help can be scary—there is a certain vulnerability and weakness about opening up that can sometimes discourage you from getting the academic, mental, and emotional support you might really need, especially when the going gets tough. But, just remember that you’re not alone in feeling stressed, or inadequate, or even that there is no way you’re going to be able to finish this thesis by the second week of December (although this last one might be a little biased). And, if getting the support you need comes from someone that isn’t a part of the Scripps community—such as your family, or your friends from high school—that’s not weird, I promise, just do whatever you have to do! Checking in with your friends and family on how you’re doing can feel so reassuring, and even if you might not know how to begin the conversation, you will definitely feel better after the conversation ends.

So, just remember, we’re all in this together, even if it doesn’t feel like it. The next time you feel like you don’t know what you’re doing, try and remember what a good friend of mine once said: “It’s okay to have no idea!” Just as countless numbers of students have done before you, you will make it through this. Will there be ups and downs? Absolutely. Will there be highs and lows? No doubt about it. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak, and there are more people than you can probably think of who are all rooting for you, and are more than willing to go out of their way to help you get there. All you have to do is let them.

(Did you really think I could end this post without leaving this here for your viewing pleasure??? Please. You’re welcome.)

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.

Don’t You Wish You Worked at CP&R?

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I know that this blog post is coming on the heels of Thanksgiving, but there’s nothing like a national holiday devoted to being extra grateful to make me feel…well, extra grateful for all the help I’ve had.

I interact with the Career Planning & Resources office as a blogger, a career consultant, club leader, and of course, as a student; my multi-faceted experience has only made me more grateful to have a supportive network of women I know I can trust when I need help. Valinda has been incredibly supportive as the manager for this blog, and I appreciate the weekly updates she sends out so that we bloggers feel like part of the CP&R team, even though we might work from home. Grace is essentially my safety net when I’m on duty as a career consultant, and words cannot express how thankful I am to know she’s there when (not if!) I bungle an incoming phone call. She has the voice of an angel and could probably calm a stampeding rhino. I’m grateful to Lesley for walking me through the process of taking a Meyers-Briggs personality test. When students come in wanting to take one, I’m able to help them more effectively because of Lesley’s amazingly thorough explanations.

I’d like to offer a special shout out to Gretchen for training all of us career consultants back in August before school started. I’m grateful to her for a solid foundation in practical, career-related knowledge that I can use to effectively help my peers. Gretchen also does an amazing job of making our weekly job training sessions enjoyable and ensuring that we on the student staff feel like we’re part of the CP&R team.

Before I came to CP&R, I thought team building in offices meant awkward bonding activities and weirdly complimenting each other. Gretchen, on the other hand, has built our team by touching base as a group every Friday and providing a safe space to share feedback. I’m hoping to improve my own leadership skills by incorporating these practices into my extracurricular activities. I don’t know how else to say this, and most of you might think I’m weird for saying it, but I actually look forward to our regular training sessions. We’re all relaxed and comfortable being ourselves–Gretchen breaks out her killer Boston accent, Laurie and Janine practice being ninjas with the coasters, I make awful puns, and Megan and Chandra act like they’re too normal to be silly with the rest of us. I’m reading my post and okay, that doesn’t sound as funny as when it’s actually happening. Just trust me when I say you have to be there for it.

Last but certainly not least: Vicki is a bomb director and decision maker. She’s calm, cool, and collected in any event. A few months ago, I was working on a scholarship application in the CP&R Library when I realized that I wanted to make changes to a resume I had already submitted. The changes weren’t absolutely necessary and I believed the benefits might somehow outweigh the cost, but I didn’t want to attract negative attention to my application. Vicki showed me how to navigate this potential sinkhole by making my message about the reviewer instead of myself. In my short time at CP&R, I’ve witnessed Vicki handle sensitive situations with tact and poise. I’m grateful to Vicki for her emotional and professional support. I know that what I’ve learned from Gretchen and Vicki I’ll take with me even after I graduate. After barely three months here, I can’t imagine anywhere else I’d rather work on campus.