Cover Letter Woes

So I've been totally ignoring this blog - and I'm not saying that this post is any indication of my return to weekly posts - but I had to post a link to this absolutely embarrassing cover letter sent to JP Morgan.  Given my line of work, I generally try to refrain from laughter at the expense of college-students/internship-seekers, but I'm hoping this letter will encourage future cover letter writers to avoid appearing like a pretentious, clueless, and lazy (note the typos and mention of Morgan Stanley) applicant.

Make the Local Exotic

I see many students each year bent on doing internships in far off and exotic locations.  There's the pre-med student intent on working at hospital in Zimbabwe, the aspiring teacher hoping to teach English in Argentina, and the economics major looking for a finance internship in China.  Well the awesomeness of doing an internship in any of the above locations is hard to deny, securing an internship abroad is no simple order.  Things to consider include the cost of living abroad, travel expenses, necessary visas and/or vaccinations, health insurance, and many more.  Moreover, all these internships can be done in one's own backyard - just try contacting your local hospital, school, or financial planner. Yes, I know, Sturdy Memorial in Norton, MA lacks the cache of a rural health clinic in Africa, yet it's practical and sustainable as you can continue your work there throughout the school year.  While I'm all for the value of international experiences, it's not necessary to travel 5000 miles to gain practical skills and work experience relating to your future career goals. So here's to making the local exotic!

Congratulations to the Class of 2011

And to the new graduates, remember, it's not too late to make an appointment with career services!

The Numbers

NACE recently published the results of its annual internship and co-op survey.  The results not only speak to how valuable an internship can be in terms of achieving a full-time offer, but also demonstrate the value for employers who take on interns. As the chart on the bottom indicates, companies that hire candidates with internship experience at their own organizations stay on longer - a major concern for many employers hiring recent graduates.  This information is not too surprising, but certainly affirming for the work we as career counselors do.  And yes, I also think the bird graphic is sort of odd.

Should You Be Willing to Work for Free?

As I work to promote (and craft) my own professional brand, I've found myself looking to the advice of personal branding guru Dan Schawbel. A recent article he wrote on landing your dream job had a lot of good points, but one that really stuck out to me was the advice to be willing to work for free.  Work for free?  Some of you might be saying "no way!"  However, investing your time and finances into pursuing an unpaid internship or professional development experience is, in my mind, not that much different than investing in your bachelor's degree.  Perhaps it's even more valuable!  These days it's your internship and work experience, not your college degree,  that's heightening your chances of getting your "first big job."  Is this a hard sell for those students or recent college grads who are already dealing with huge amounts of debt? Well, yes.  However, a network-building, career-enhancing position doesn't have to be full-time and it doesn't have to replace all other income generating opportunities.  When the time arrives, you'll have to ask yourself if 6-months of busting your butt to juggle an unpaid internship and paid retail job are worth in order to bring you that much closer to your dream career.

Don't even think about doing something like this . . .

This e-mail reeks of entitlement.  No matter where you are in your professional development, and especially if you're in college, this kind of rude and unprofessional language is totally inappropriate. Beware bad karma and a paper (or e-mail) trail, it might just come back to bite you in the a**.

Making the Most of Your Summer Internship

At last week’s pre-departure orientation meeting we reviewed business etiquette, professionalism, and what it means to be a successful intern. And while we touched on the importance of making the most of your summer, I wish we’d had the time to really break it down for these students about to set off on what could really be a vital career exploration experience. For those of you soon-to-be-interns, here’s some advice on making the most out of your experience:

• Ask to help out on the projects you’re interested in. Don’t wait to be asked, rather inquire as to whether you could take on some additional responsibilities helping out on that project that has really piqued your interest. Not only will you demonstrate you’re a high achiever and self-starter, but you’ll have the chance to take on some interesting work you might not otherwise have had access to.
• Shadow and/or talk to people outside your department. Many students take, for-instance, a marketing internship, but are also considering human resources as a possible career path. If you’re at a company or organization that has other departments you might be interested in, see if you can spend a day or an afternoon not only building your network, but getting a feel for what this kind of work is like. Once you’re a couple of weeks in, talk to your supervisor and see about arranging an informational interview or a shadowing opportunity with others in the company.
• Ask smart questions. Don’t understand something? Want to learn more about a company project? Wonder what it means to be “Executive Assistant to the Vice President?” ASK!

Plan B

We have a good number of first-time visitors to our office this time of year, specifically asking the question: "I didn't get the internship (or two) I applied for, what now?"  While these students certainly still have options, it is worth pointing out that when you are applying to your first-choice internship, you should be also applying to some Plan B internships and jobs - and applying to lots of them.  A Plan B position could be something you'd love to do, like to do, or even a position you'd only consider doing under the direst of circumstances.  While you might love to be in New York City for the summer, it a good idea to apply to some jobs near your home as well.  When you applied to college, you probably didn't apply to only one school (early decision aside) and it should be the same case with internships.  Fact of the matter is, it's often hard to tell what a position might really be like until you have the chance to speak with a supervisor, learn more about what the position entails, or do some more research about the organization you'd be working at.  So while you might find your dream internship in February, please, do not wait to hear back before moving forward in the search.  Apply to some Plan B positions and you won't be left scrambling for an internship in May.

Planning Ahead 101

This morning I met with a young woman who impressed me for the first five minutes of our conversation.  This young woman, let's call her Beth, was able to clearly articulate what she hoped to do this summer, after graduation, and was both personable and polite.  Perhaps most impressive, she had already applied for several internships, secured several interviews, and was working on putting together her internship "Plan B" for the summer.

However, when Beth proceeded to ask me about summer funding opportunities through our office - a small part of my career counselor heart died a little.  Now, all applications for summer funding were due last week.  Beth, who might have made an excellent candidate for one of our 30+ $3,000 grants for unpaid internships, had missed the boat.  Don't get left standing on the dock, plan ahead! Oh, and read any e-mail from your career center with the word funding in the subject line.