It’s internship hunting season and, thanks to the economy, it’s more competitive than ever. That means it’s more important than ever to make a really good first impression. Being that I spent the past week alone sifting through over 100 applications for CollegeCandy’s summer internship positions, I know a thing or twelve about what makes a successful application.

If you want to spend your summer beefing up your resume, learning the ropes and, most likely, getting someone else’s coffee, take a few of these things into consideration:

Stand Out.
Most internship coordinators receive a lot of applications, making it incredibly difficult to remember every single one they looked at. If you want to be remembered, you gotta stand out.

Resume Do:
Move away from the traditional/boring resume format and try doing something a little different. (You can find ideas online.) I once received a resume that had a great pop of bright green on the top and a very simple green line down the left side. Three years later, I still remember that applicant.

Resume Don’t:
Say something stupid. My friend was recently reading through internship applications for a position at her advertising firm. Under “interests” one applicant listed: “Facebook creeping, collecting bar wrist bands, and beer pong.” Not only was she under 21, but she was completely unprofessional. Yes, she was trying to be creative and stand out, but this was clearly the wrong way to do it. Read More »

Job Wanted.

When we all entered our senior year of high school, the question on everyone’s mind was where they’d be going to college. We worked our asses off to get decent SAT scores and spent every weekend for months writing essays about why we were more wonderful than the thousands of other students applying for the same coveted place on campus.

Four years and a degree later, I now find myself asking a different question: I did all of this for what, exactly?

Of course, I’ve had the time of my life in college. The parties, the late night gossip fests with my roommate, the 4 a.m. diner visits – all of it was totally worth memorizing SAT vocab words and relearning geometry. But when it’s all said and done (which in my case is way too close for comfort), with $120,000 down the hole, what does my little graduation certificate get me exactly?

Apparently, not much. Read More »

"Dude, we totally should have done the 10 year plan."

God, am I lucky to still be in college.  And no, I’m not just talking about the amazing carefree, party animal, parent-less lifestyle of mine (life literally does not. get. better).  I’m talking about the luxury of not having to deal with the real world in a currently not-so-great world.

As if graduating and moving on to becoming an adult and a real person (ew) isn’t bad enough, struggling to get a job doesn’t make it all any more appealing.  Nothing sucks more than going for an interview and then waiting to hear back…only to realize there is a great chance you won’t. Ever. At all. Just imagine how the class of 2009 feels, as fewer than a fifth of the graduating seniors have job offers. A fifth!!  The frustration and aggravation is awful, and people are being forced to completely alter their original life plans.

As a result, graduates are looking for alternatives to work, such as volunteering and participating in public service programs (applications for the Peace Corps were up by 16 percent this spring over last year!) and even going abroad to find other options. Others are expecting to attend graduate or professional school.

Even the lucky ones who do actually get offers aren’t so lucky.  Jobs for new college grads are paying less than in previous years. Read More »

I’ve learned a lot about myself in these months since I’ve graduated. Most importantly I’ve learned that I have severe and occasionally life-threatening problem with jealously. I like my friends, some more than others, and I want them to do well. However I don’t want them to do well until I’m doing well. That’s fair, right?

It takes enormous amounts of effort for me to congratulate a friend upon hearing they got a job. Literally, I have to type one letter at a time while I suffer from a self-induced panic attack. I practically have to have Xanax on hand 24/7 in case I get one of those excited voice mails (I no longer answer the phone, too risky having to fake enthusiasm) telling me that someone got offered a job. Read More »

Farting is always inappropriate and embarrassing.  I will never support any form of butt cheek musicals.  However, I may be forced to change my mind after seeing this little piece of earth-shattering news: Tiger Woods farted.  He farted on the 18th hole of the Buick Open.  Oh yes people, this is news.  This is, in fact, the #1 most searched term on Google right now.  Shocked?  So am I.

However, if this story has taught me one thing, it’s that farting can overshadow more important events (like winning a golf tournament).  Sometimes that’s exactly what you need – a distraction.  Now I doubt that Tiger Woods farted to distract the world from him winning yet another golf thingy (yeah, I don’t care for golf), but seeing all this attention makes me wonder when else we could use a well-timed fart… Read More »

After slaving away on that perfect resume and writing what feels like hundreds of cover letters, you finally landed the big job interview. Yay for you! You’ve wowed someone with your accomplishments and degree, and now it’s time to blow them away them in person.

This is a pretty big deal.

You’ve heard it before, but you only get one chance at a first impression so it’s important to make sure that you are 110% prepared for the big day. You will undoubtedly be one of many interviewing for the given position, which means you need to go above and beyond all those other people to prove why you are the best suited for the job.

How can you be sure you are ready for the interview? Read More »

We’re halfway (kind of) through winter, which means that we’re closer to spring, closer to summer, and thus totally consumed with job and internship stress. If you’re anything like me, the prospect of sitting across from a scary Human Resources employee while interviewing for your dream job seems almost as bad as not getting Spring Break this year. What if your resume has a typo? What if you forget your cover or letter or your hangover manifests itself during the Q and A period? And, the worst possibility of all, what if you aren’t dressed right??

I have heard my fair share of interview outfit horror stories. A friend of a friend was stopped in the middle of describing her extracurricular activities and told that, in the future, she should try and wear a more “modest” top. My brother wore blue corduroys to an interview unaware of the fact that the company had a shirt and tie dress code. And I can only imagine the looks that some girls must get when they forget that American Apparel spandex do not – I repeat DOES NOT – qualify as pants. Read More »

At your job interview, you might think it’s your potential employer’s responsibility to ask you questions, not the other way around. Well—yes and no. They won’t be able to get a good idea of how you’ll perform if they don’t ask you questions, but finding a job is all about finding a good fit, and that means you should be posing some questions as well.That’s all fine and good, you might think to yourself, but what do I actually ask?

Good question (see—you’re on your way already!). First of all, stay away from asking about salary. I know the first thing on my mind when I go to a job interview is how much I’m going to get paid, but you can always negotiate that with the employer if you’re offered the job. One time when it is okay to ask about salary is if you’re really not sure whether the job or internship you’re interviewing for even pays (yes, sometimes it’s unclear). In that case, ask away.

It’s always a good idea to ask a question that isn’t really a question for the purpose of selling yourself. For example, you could say something like, “I love learning from a wide variety of people and cooperating with lots of different working styles. Is there an opportunity for me to do that here?” Since the answer is yes (duh), the employer will remember that an integral part of the job is really important to you. Read More »

You scored an interview for the job of your dreams. Your suit is clean and crisp, and not a hair is out of place. You arrive at your interview feeling nervous but confident and ready to impress. You meet your interviewer, you shake hands, and…yeah…sweat city. AWESOME.

Sound familiar? Excessive sweating is quite common in nerve-racking situations such as interviews, blind dates, and public speaking…and clammy hands are certainly not the way to make a great first impression on your boss-to-be.

Regardless of where and how severely you sweat, there is a solution. DriOff Gel from Hill Dermaceuticals helps to tame your perspiration.

What’s best about DriOff Gel is that it can be used anywhere on the body where sweating occurs, including palms, feet, underarms, skin folds, cleavage, and even the upper lip. Whether you’re bundled up underneath winter’s myriad layers and burning up indoors, basking in the sun on a blistering July afternoon, or suffering from a textbook case of anxiety, DriOff Gel is the solution to all of your wetness dilemmas.