10 Tips to Landing Your Dream Internship

Even though summer isn't around the corner, it is important to understand the process now and start to look for positions sooner rather than later.  If you are anticipating a spring internship, I suggest that you begin applying now if you haven't already.  Time is running out!

Here are my tips on how to successfully complete the internship process:

1. Get your resume checked by a professional, advisor, professor or parent.  Make sure your format is presentable, your grammar and spelling is correct and there are no errors with employment dates or job duties. 
2. Cater your resume and cover  letter to each position you apply to. You should never use the same exact resume or cover letter for multiple internships.  They should be customized to the specific position. If you don't think your resume needs revising, just simply change the objective for the position and company. Another thing you can do is reorder jobs on your resume based on relevance to the internship you are applying to. In the cover letter make sure to include the skills you have that match those they desire in the position description. 
3. Connect with professionals on LinkedIn.  Once you identify companies you want to work for, search for the HR recruiters, managers or directors and employees in the department for which you are applying. This shows that you are interested in the position and took the extra step to get noticed. 
4. Start looking for fall and spring internships at least 3 months prior to when you want to start. However, if you are looking to intern in the summer, I would advise you to start looking in the fall around October (yes, nearly seven months in advance) especially if you are interested in large corporations. They tend to post their positions very early on. Don't miss out on your dream company. Get ahead of the game. 
5. Use school databases and master lists to get contacts and start researching companies. 
6. Ask professors if they have any connections or recommendations. Also, attend internship and job fairs when available. 
   
7. The most popular websites that I suggest for looking for internships are: 
1. Indeed
2. Intern Queen
3. Internships.com
4. Ed2010
5. Levo League 
6. The Muse
7. CareerRookie
8. Media Bistro
9. Experience 
8. In addition to checking the listings on these websites, check corporate career websites for specific companies that your are interested in. Large companies do not always put job listings on job sites. 
9. After finding positions you like, are qualified for and have applied to, follow up with a few you are most interested in within 2-5 weeks if you have not heard anything. You can do this by through email, phone or LinkedIn. Try to contact an HR employee or an employee in the department to which you applied. 
10. Once you get offered an interview, exercise proper email etiquette when responding. Reference my previous blog "12 Email Etiquette Tips".  

*I found my four internships through Internships.com, Indeed, my university's communication master list and actually one through Facebook! Utilize your resources and take initiative. You can do it!*

Good luck with your internship search! Please reach out to me for advice or if you have any specific questions; I would love to assist. 

15 Tips for Social Media Etiquette

Since many employers today search for applicants' social media profiles, it is important that your content is clean, appropriate and representative of yourself.  You should never publish anything that you would not be okay with everyone you know reading.  You never know who is looking at your profile and you must be aware of this when you are about to post something.  Once something is on the Internet it is there forever- so make sure you understand and think about that before you hit publish!

Here are 15 tips to help you maintain a positive presence across various social media platforms:

1. Never post in the heat of a moment, when you’re overly tired, upset, angry or intoxicated.  This is dangerous!  Never react when you are not in the right state of mind.  Give things some thought before putting it in writing for the world to see. 
2. When you are publishing posts make sure you are okay with the possibility that any one and everyone is seeing it.  In other words, don’t post anything you wouldn’t want employers or your boss to see.  
3. Do not use inappropriate, discriminatory or derogatory language.  This really discredits your character and not only does it turn off employers, it can offend your followers or friends. 
4. Only connect with people you know, not strangers.  It is more valuable to have people that you actually communicate with in your network. 
5. Don’t get too personal.  Some things should stay private and some things are better off left unsaid. 
6. Be truthful and fill out profiles to the fullest extent.  Never try to be someone you're not and always post information that reflects your own views.  Also, do not exaggerate your qualifications on LinkedIn. 
7. Use an appropriate picture that bests represents you.  Across all social media channels, you should have an appropriate photo.  No cleavage or alcohol in hand. 
8. Edit settings on Facebook for Timeline Review so that whenever someone tags you in a photo or status, you can approve or deny it before it gets shared for all your friends to see.  This helps stay in control of what is available for viewing by your friends and what you want to allow or not allow others to see. 
   
9. Use proper grammar and spelling on all sites.  Just because you're not writing a professional email or report does not mean you can write poorly.  Set an example and use proper grammar.  Posts will look cleaner, be understood by more people and help credibility and instilling a positive reputation.
10. Use hashtags well.  Do not use too many.  Only use hashtags that are relevant and helpful to your credibility, growth and recognition. 
11. Keep things positive!  Your tone is significant.  People don’t like negativity.  Use social media as a platform to be positive and engage in purposeful, fun conversations. 
12. Avoid posting about controversial topics or engaging in a conversation that may lead to an argument.  It’s obviously important to have your own views and strongly believe in them, but there is no need to put it on the web for the world to see.  It’s not worth it.  You never know, that one negative comment could go viral (which would not be good in this case)! 
13. Don’t over share or over post. People don’t want to see 20 tweets within two hours from you. If they do, they will most likely unfollow or unfriend you after awhile.  A few posts a day at most is ideal.
14. Be respectful. Treat people correctly.  If someone sends you a nice comment, reply and thank them. Exercise the same etiquette on social media that you would through email. 
15. Stay away from multi-channel connections/automation.  For example, do not connect your Facebook and Twitter. Facebook posts can be too long and tweets are too short and sometimes include mentions that do not convert well on Facebook.  They are two different sites for a reason so use them differently. 

Happy posting! 

Cosmopolitan's Fun Fearless Life Conference NYC 2014

As I have stated in previous posts, it is important to take advantage of networking opportunities and professional events if they become available to you. Her Campus's President and Co-founder, Windsor Hanger Western was invited to speak on a panel for this fun-filled weekend and offered me a discounted ticket so I happily accepted! I have been to several similar, worthwhile events over the past few months, but Cosmo's Fun Fearless Life was by far the most exciting and beneficial.

Cosmo intended to hold a 2-day conference with amazing speakers, but in my opinion, they basically brought the magazine to life! Topics spoken about included career advice, following your dreams, creating goals, the importance of power posing, building your personal brand, fitness, health, beauty, style, financial tips and expressing yourself. Some of the amazing speakers included Cosmo Editor-In-Chief Joanna Coles, Kelly Osbourne, Chrissy Teigen, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, Megyn Kelly, Jillian Michaels, Gabrielle Union and Nasty Gal's Sophia Amoruso. Along with these amazing speakers and panels there were makeup tutorials and free makeovers from Maybelline and a super cute shop with Cosmo goodies like sweatshirts, emergency kits and tanks. We also received a few freebies from Maybelline and Express who helped power the weekend!

I had so much fun meeting new people and learning new things. Here are the 4 completely life-changing lessons I learned:

Drive and Attitude are Key to Success
The founder of Spanx, Sara Blakely, told us the story of how she began Spanx with no relevant experience, no knowledge of the business, no financial help and no encouragement. However, she was able to be so successful because she believed that her product could have an enormous impact on women's lives and self-esteem. With her drive and positive attitude she was able to create this multi-million dollar worldwide brand. She encouraged us to prioritize our goals, stay focused and fake it till you make it.

Weak Ties are Actually Quite Strong
Weak ties are all of the people you have ever met. Strong ties are the people that are close to you. Although the stronger ties care more about you and know you better, weak ties can often be significant down the road in life when a favor is needed or you need a new job. Every connection you make is unique. Your best friends cannot open new door for you, so this is when a persons weak ties come in handy.

Surprising Women's Health Facts 
Dr. Meg Jay educated the woman-dominated audience on ways to reduce your risk of cancer.  I was surprised to learn - along with everyone else - that the #1 cause of breast cancer that can be prevented is alcohol. She recommended that every woman intake no more than 3 glasses of wine per week. She also told us that taking a birth control pill reduces your risk of ovarian cancer later in life.

50-20-30 Rule for Budgeting in Your Twenties
One of my favorite speakers was LearnVest's founder Alexa von Tobel because she offered practical, smart tips for cutting costs, growing savings and learning how to have money for everything that matters most to you. She suggests following the 50-20-30 rule each month. 50 percent of your monthly income should be for essentials such as food, bills and gas, 20 percent should be put into a retirement fund of savings for the future and 30 percent should be used for fun like shopping or events. She also encourages those in their twenties to live below their means and to save for potential emergencies.

Here are a few other tidbits I'll share from this weekend:

• Have 10 outfits in your closet that make you feel awesome
• "You can't be what you can't see"
• "Helping other people helps you find yourself"
• Work backwards to achieve your goals by completing small tasks one at a time
• "Don't underestimate what you can bring to the table"
• "No job is too small, no job is too big"
• "Do one nice thing for yourself every day" 
• "Who you know is what you know"

I was lucky enough to receive a special invitation to Cosmo's VIP Cocktail Party at the Hearst Tower with several notable people. I got to mingle with other attendees, panelists, speakers, celebrities and Cosmo editors while enjoying a beautiful view of NYC. I met my absolute favorite blogger, Perez Hilton and Kelly Osbourne. Such an incredible experience! 

One of my favorite recaps: https://www.levo.com/articles/career-advice/best-career-advice-from-cosmos-fun-fearless-life-conference 

Tips for LinkedIn Beginners

On Monday, November 3rd, Her Campus WPUNJ hosted a LinkedIn Workshop at William Paterson University to familiarize students with LinkedIn and understand its significance. It is never too early to create a LinkedIn profile! There are some truly beneficial features including things you couldn't otherwise include on your paper resume like links and photos. LinkedIn is the best way to make connections with professionals, join groups, and look for jobs and internships, so it's important that students start to do this the very next chance they get.

I'm sure you're wondering - Is it worth completing a LinkedIn profile right now? Yes, start early and be ahead of your competition! Here are ways students can benefit from LinkedIn:

1. Connect with others. Stay in touch with previous employers, current employers, colleagues, fellow classmates, friends, club or team members, professors, alumni, family and more. You never know who you are going to need one day so it's good to connect with everyone possible.

2. Explore opportunities with organizations that don't recruit on campus. If you join specific groups, follow companies, or check your news feed for updates from your connections, you will get to take advantage of the information or events they share.

3. A strong profile can make you stand out among the rest. Getting a job or even an internship is more competitive than ever before. Anything you can do to make yourself shine, do it! Include links to published work, portfolio clips or sample work, add skills, brag about the awards you won, and so on.

4. Research companies and career paths. Although many of us may have distinct interests and passions, we still may not be sure what companies or industry appeals to us the most. A great way to investigate and learn more about particular job responsibilities of those within certain companies is to do relevant searches on LinkedIn. You can learn so much information that is valid and reliable.

Now that you know a LinkedIn profile can benefit your future and understanding of the corporate world, here are the necessary items that need to be completed in your profile:

1. Photo. Keep it professional and appropriate. It should only be a head shot.
2. Headline. This can state your current internship position or career ambitions.
3. Summary. Make this only a few sentences describing your career aspirations and how your skills or experiences have helped you.
4. Experience. Include internship positions, jobs, volunteer work and clubs you participate in. Give a brief description of your responsibilities for each and provide links if necessary.
5. Education. Include the college you attend, anticipated graduation date, major and minor (if applicable), GPA if above 3.0, and scholarships or any other awards. If you want, you can list any relevant courses.
6. Skills. Add all of the skills you think you possess. Once you do so and start making connections, people will endorse you for the skills they think you attain.

5 more tips to make you a superstar among your connections: 

1. Provide endorsements and recommendations for others. If you do something for others, they are likely to return the favor.
2. Comment on discussions and posts in groups you joined. Having a voice in a professional group is great because it will help you build more connections and stay in the know about a certain topic or industry.
3. Customize your URL. LinkedIn URL's are super long. Personalize it if possible!
4. Update your profile when needed and check status updates daily. Whenever you start or end a new job or internship or acquire a new skill make the proper changes on your LinkedIn.
5. Provide contact information. Make your email accessible to your connections. If someone wants to collaborate on a project or recommend you for a job, it would be convenient to have your email readily available.

Good luck creating your LinkedIn profile. Sell yourself and make new connections everyday! 

The Significance of a Professional Portfolio for College Students

It is never too early to start creating your professional portfolio! Even as a freshman in college, you are writing papers and starting to make your networking connections. Because of this, it is important to start compiling materials early on.  As time goes on it should be constantly updated, but beginning this project ASAP is worth your while.  A portfolio showcases your talents, strengths and achievements.  Employers for any job or internship you apply for in college would love to see samples of your work to better access your ability and see what goals you have. Plus, just having that portfolio on an interview will immediately impress the interviewer since there are still so many college students that do not take the time to make one.

Why should you create a professional portfolio? 

You should start compiling your very best pieces NOW! After each semester concludes, you should update it as necessary since your writing abilities and skills will improve as you take more challenging courses.  Keeping a record of your best accomplishments helps you to self-monitor your growth and progress. This portfolio with set you aside from the rest. We all have unique experiences, but what make yours special? Your portfolio will show details that your resume or LinkedIn do not. It is personal, yet professional.  It gives the people reviewing it a better sense of who you are, the work you are capable of and how creative you are.

What things do I need to create this portfolio?

1. 3-ring, hard binder. Get a neutral color - either white or black. A half an inch or one-inch binder will suffice. 
2. Clear, plastic, protective inserts. You need to put all your clips and samples in these inserts to protect them from getting wrinkled, stained or wet. 
3. Collected materials.  These are all of the pieces you want to include - papers, presentations, releases, emails, recommendations letters, awards, etc... 
4. Table of Contents.  After you order your materials, type up a table of contents. No need for page numbers - just simply list the pieces in order so people know what it includes. 
5. Resumes, cover letters and reference list.  Print out five copies of each and put them in the front and back sleeves of the binder. Resumes and cover letters should go in the front sleeve with your resumes on top and the reference list in the back sleeve. 

What pieces should I include? 

1. Papers, presentations, reports or assignments from relevant classes.  You should have received a B or higher on any of these pieces you want to include.  They also must be relevant to the job and internship positions you want. For instance, if you aspire to be a marketing professional, do not include that paper you wrote for History class.  If you have yet to take a related class since you are a freshman, include a paper from your college writing class because the writing topics are more general. 
2. Kudos Emails.  If you have ever received an email or note from a professor, employer, supervisor, co-worker or advisor that praised you for your work and efforts, include it! Having written proof that you were commended for excellent work is essential.  
3. Awards and Recognition.  Include any copies of awards won, scholarships awarded, your most recent Dean's List letter or an acceptance letter from an honor society. 
4. Writing Samples.  Any writing samples you have done outside of the classroom like blogging and newspaper articles would be great additions. 
5. List of professional development activities attended. If you have attended any workshops at school that relate to LinkedIn, interviewing, resume or cover letter help, social media etiquette, etc... put it on the list. If you have attended any professional events like career conferences, professional speaking engagements, networking events or webinars these are key things to add. Employers will love that you took initiative and went out of your way to find these special events. It shows that you enjoy learning, are passionate, want to make the most of your college experience and do whatever it takes to benefit your professionalism. TIP: Make sure you remember things from these events! It is very likely that an employer would ask you to tell them about topics discussed and would want to know what you got out of it. 
6. List of community service and volunteer work.  If you donated to a charity, attended a charitable function or participated in a philanthropic effort for your sorority or fraternity, create a list and include a brief description (a few sentences) on how you contributed to it and how this benefited the cause and yourself. 
7. Recommendation Letters.  By the end of your college career, you should have asked for at least TWO recommendation letters.  This can be from your professors, faculty or staff members, internship supervisor, employer or advisor.  If you developed a strong relationship with any of these figures they should be the ones you ask first. It would be preferred you get a letter from someone that knows you on a more personal level, rather than from a professor you never stayed after class to talk to or email! 
8. Samples of work from previous internships, if applicable.  Email or print some of your assignments from your internship(s) to keep a record of your work. Pick a few pieces to showcase in your portfolio. 

Good luck with your portfolios! As always, leave a comment and I would be happy to provide you with some more advice.