Internship Season

It’s here! It’s here!

That time of year is upon us when students are out in FULL FORCE seeking the perfect summer internship. I like to imagine everyone as a type of Elmer Fudd, tip-toeing, trying to sneak up on the “waskily” internship. Luckily, students tend to have far more luck than poor Elmer.

One thing that I tend to notice this time of year is the number of students insisting that they have “missed the boat” with internships. No one is recruiting. They can’t find any internships posted. None of the inquiries they have sent out have gotten back to them.

Are you saying these same things? Thinking them?

My advice? STOP.

You did not miss anything, unless you were looking for an internship that would require a security clearance or something in consulting. You did not miss ANYthing. Trust me on this.

Think about it this way: If you are working full-time and you know that you will be getting an intern for the summer, when would you think about posting your open position? Before winter break? Heck, no. Why would you want to do that before your vacation? How about in January? Nope. You are still trying to get that internship position together and work out logistics (Where will the intern sit? Will they be paid/unpaid?). That leaves us with February.

Yes, February.

Postings start going up en masse in February and continue through March.

Let’s hear that collective sigh of relief!

Jobs, Rejections, and the One-Year Trend

This morning on my way into work, I was reading NPR.org on my Android (yes, I have an Android and not an Iphone…). One of the articles I came across, “Landing a Job After A Year of Rejection” struck a familiar chord with me.The story (please read it, it is really good) is about a student with an accounting degree and how she applied for jobs for one year before landing full-time work. What struck me was the absolute defeat that she personally felt. Hearing rejections constantly does no good for your confidence level, believe me. And it doesn’t get any easier.

Working in Career Services, you hear from a broad spectrum of people. You hear from students just starting out in their college career, from alumni who have been in the field for years and are either changing jobs or have been laid off, and everything in between.

The one thing that I can say after years in this job is that it never gets easier. Ever.

Every person is unique and has a special situation. Everyone has a different skill set, education, personal story, and set of circumstances tying them to one place or another. It can be defeating hearing students talk about rejection. About how they worked for years on a degree and feel like it is amounting to absolutely nothing.

Here are a few things that I have learned that, while not entirely helpful, hopefully will make you understand something about the market in which you are looking for work.

1. It is not easy to find a job, no matter what anyone says. Do not listen to the political rhetoric being tossed around right now about how people should just “Go get a job.” There are 4 people for every 1 opening. Those are terrible odds for anyone looking for a job. Great. So what? This means that if it takes a while to find a job, please don’t be too hard on yourself. I know it is difficult not to beat yourself up, but the worst thing you can do is give up. Do not give up!

2. There are no “safe” degrees. Notice that the girl in the article earned a degree in accounting. She thought that was a safe bet. All job markets and sectors are tight. What does this mean? This means you should focus on pursuing an education in something that you have a passion for. Have a little faith that things will work out.

3. You are not alone! There are many, many people out there who are unemployed. Take some time to go out, do some volunteer work, and meet the other people out there who are in your shoes. Talking through frustrations with people going through the same thing while doing some good in the community can work wonders on your attitude about life. Believe me on this one… I know from personal experience what happens when people spend all day job-searching and never leave the house.

4. Keep your chin up. Yes, it took the girl a year to find a job. However, one year is NOT forever. Keep on talking to people and building your community, follow leads, learn from your mistakes, and good things WILL happen. Even on days when that seems impossible, just keep repeating to yourself that everything will work out. Fake confidence if you have to.

Remember, too, that we are here to help you, even if you just need to use us as a sounding board for ideas or frustrations. We are very good listeners… I promise.

“Dear College-Age Katie, …”

You may or may not have seen the new trend for celebrities of writing a letter to their 16-year old self. Well, it is a nice idea, but I don’t work with 16-year olds… I work with college students. However, when I was thinking about myself in college and what it was like during finals week (or the END of finals week), I realized just how different I was and just how much I have learned since then.

So, without further ado, here is a VERY SHORT letter to my 20-year-old self.

Dear 20-Year-Old Katie:

For crying out loud, never cut your hair that short. Ever. I’m serious. Some day, you will realize that chin-length bobs are pretty much the most fabulous things ever and you should stick with that for a while. Also, stop fighting the waves. When you have a job someday, you will figure out just how much it stinks to get up early JUST to straighten your hair.

Speaking of jobs, don’t listen to your mom and dad when it comes to jobs. Remember how much you enjoyed being in England and taking those medieval history classes? Yeah, go for that history degree. Believe it or not, you can (and will) get a job with that liberal arts degree. Remember that doing what you love in college will mean that you enjoy your college experience a lot more AND your grades will be awesome because you are doing what you love. Learn to hone your skills and work on your communication skills. It will be your communication skills and ability to learn quickly that will land you that job after graduate school.

Realize that life sometimes stinks. The universe is unfair. The main thing is to not let the tedious, icky parts of daily life drag you down. Roll with it. Keep a sense of humor about everything. Mostly, remember to laugh at yourself. You are going to do some REALLY dumb things in grad school, so you had better get used to laughing at yourself.

I will leave you with that information. Take it or leave it.

Love, Katie (age shall remain secret)

 

In the end, realize that while you are in school and paying to become an educated person, some of the most important lessons cannot be taught in school. You have to experience them.

If you had to give advice to a younger version of yourself… what would you say?

FYI: You Are Not Special Anymore

Remember how back in elementary school, you were taught that you were special, like a snowflake?

Well, I have some bad news for you. You are unique, yes. Everyone is made up of a special combination of skills and personality traits that ensures that no two humans are alike.

However, because we are all unique, no one is special, not even you.

My parents (unlike some other parents — see Helicopter Parents and Parent-Driven Child-Entitlement Syndrome) always told me that I was unique and was really good at things, but they always reminded me that “…someone will always be better than you at XYZ skill. That is why you work as hard as you can.”

Is not being special such a bad thing?? No. Not really. Why would I crush your dreams like this? WHY!?

Simple. Employers want employees who are confident, but not arrogant. One must be humble, yet learn the proper way to approach people about jobs and internships, and learn how to sell oneself in an interview. This takes LOTS of practice. Trust me.

Another thing that we in career services see on a daily basis that must stop (other than the arrogance), is impatient people emailing employers demanding that they pass along information either about a job posting or demanding that someone pass their resume along to a human resources person. I feel like this also stems from the arrogance previously pointed out.

Does this mean it is wrong to ask an alum or contact to pass along your information? No. By all means, ask. However, it is HOW you ask that is very, very important. Again, this is something that takes practice. When in doubt, send the email to us at Career Services first! We will make sure your email hits the right “tone” before you send it along to a potential employer.

So – Lessons to learn from this?

1. Arrogance never sells. Learn how to properly curb your confidence and sell yourself in the RIGHT way. Set up a meeting with a career adviser to do a mock interview first.
2. Emails last forever, so don’t be pushy. Again, email it to us first. Tone is everything and we want to make sure you get it right.
3. You are an adult, therefore your parents should never contact (phone or email) anyone on your behalf… not even the University. I know they do it because they love you, but at some point, you have to cut them off. Now is the best time to start.
4. Patience is a requirement, not just a virtue. When emailing or calling about internships or jobs, learn to give people a couple of weeks to send you a response. That person is probably really busy (since they work full-time) and to be quite blunt, you are not a priority. Give people at least 2 weeks to answer. If, after two weeks, you hear nothing, then politely follow up to see if they received your first email.

 

The Fine Line of Appropriate and Inappropriate Interview Appearal

Like every other morning before this one, I rode the bus to work. I always see, hear, or smell interesting things on the bus – always. That is to be expected on public transit in a college town. What I saw this morning was not surprising at all, but it did make me wonder where women get their ideas about what is appropriate and what is inappropriate to wear to an interview.

Ladies, we need to have a talk. No, not that one. If you didn’t learn that in school, then ask your parents.

Where – I repeat – Where did you learn what is acceptable to wear in an interview?

Before you answer, do not even think about saying anything that resembles “Sex in the City,” or “What not to wear.” I’m sorry, but we live in Indiana, not New York or Paris.

At this point, you have to be wondering what the heck I saw that could throw me into a rambling spiral like this. Well, there was a young woman on the bus this morning dressed, quite obviously, for an interview. From the waist up, she looked fabulous! She had on a black suit jacket and dressy, trendy shirt on with a long necklace. The jacket was clean and tailored and her shirt, while not a collared button-up, was high enough on her chest to be appropriate. Lovely outfit (so far).

Then there was her skirt… or lack of it. Okay, have you ever seen those movies that take place in the fifties and the girls in school are required to kneel on the floor to see if their skirts touch the floor? I’m not saying you should go to that extreme, but I should not be able to see your upper thigh at ANY time (NO NO NO!). I am not saying “wear a skirt like your mom.” I have 2 black skirts at home that  are knee-length, but fitted and stylish while remaining professional. Yes, it CAN be done.

Here are some general rules when shopping for professional dress:

1. Are you in college? Then do not buy anything for an interview from the “Juniors” section. I’m serious. You are not a junior anymore.
2. Dress for the job you want. For many jobs, this means overdressing. I don’t care how casual the job may be once you get there, you have to GET the job first, so dress to impress.
3. If you have nagging doubts in the back of your mind about a piece of clothing that you are wearing, it is probably time to change. Unless you are fully confident and comfortable, you will not do well in the interview.

When in doubt, pull on a pair of black pants. They still look good with heels and if you pair tailored pants with cute jacket and the right accessories, you will not look too conservative. I promise.

To recap: