In Case You Missed it: January Recap

All of the Articles From January & Everything In Between

Jan 30, 2021

How I Landed MY Internship + How You Can Do the Same

The Search

So, you are looking for an internship? This can be a very exciting process but can also test your patience and resilience. “Internship” is such a buzz word for college students right now and they are vital to future success in whatever field you are pursuing. The beginning search phase of your hunt for the best internship is the time when you can get a feel for what is out there and where you will best fit in.

How do I even begin searching?

A lot of people will give you the advice to look on job sites for internship opportunities. I agree that job sites can be a great tool, but they are not the well-kept secret of internship searching. Why? Well, through research (and a lot of awkward email responses) you will find that companies sometimes forget about their job postings on sites like LinkedIn or Zip Recruiters. A job could be posted there, but the company could have filled that role six months ago and never updated the job posting. This inevitably leads to sitting around and hoping that your application is being looked at. I am in no way saying do not use LinkedIn or Zip Recruiters, I am saying there is a better way.

Eliminate the middleman and go directly to company websites to get the 411 on their internship opportunities. Human Resources staff and recruiting teams are constantly updating those job postings as those are where they want people to be applying through. I know this from experience, out of every internship and full-time position I have had, 90% of them I have found through company websites, not LinkedIn.

Applications

Now that you have found the internships you want to apply for, the most daunting part begins. The topic of applications must be broken down into three subtopics: resume, cover letter, and portfolio. These three key components, if prepared and created properly, will land you the internship you always wanted!

Resume

To start off, I want to make sure all my readers know that I have published a newsletter, You Can Always Make Your Resume Better, that goes into great detail about how to build a proficient resume. In this newsletter, I want to add in a few extra points. First things first, creating the perfect design is crucial. Focus on an easy-to-read design that flows like a story. You want someone that is reading your resume to be able to find exactly what they are looking for without having to look too hard. I recommend taking more time on this step than what you might think you need to. Do not just throw everything on a page in bullets, be bold. I made my resume on the platform Canva, and so can you. So, check that out if you need an idea of where to start.

Cover Letter

Just like the resume, I also have a previous newsletter on my website titled, Cover Letters Are the Secret Weapon You Need to Master, going over everything you need to include in your cover letter. Go check that out for even more detail than what this section will provide. Like I said in my other newsletter, your cover letter is your secret weapon. Use it! The purpose of a cover letter is in the name, letter. You want to use this space to write personally about yourself, the company, and why this is the internship for you. Focus specifically on writing about how your previous work experience and current goals align with the philosophy of the company. Keywords are the name of the game in this section, so make sure you look over the companies “About Us” page and grab things from there to sprinkle in your letter.

Portfolio

When it comes to a portfolio, this might only be for specific types of internships. Some applications do not have a portfolio section for you to add, but if they do, take advantage. Go through old high school and college projects and presentations that could have specific relevance for the internship you are applying. For example, if you are applying for a social media internship, you could go back through one of your digital art classes and find pieces you created that could be cool to show off your computer and design skills. Another example would be if you are applying for a general business internship, you could find an old presentation you had to create breaking down an advertising/marketing plan. This is all up to you on what you want to share with the company as it pertains to their company’s goals. If you are on the fence about pieces to include, do it. It will show you are confident, bold, and wanting to share past experiences with pride.

Interview Process

You have made it to the interview phase! First, take a moment to celebrate because getting here is half the battle. Interviews are all about bringing life to your resume, cover letter, and portfolio. Be yourself and be prepared. Look up classic interview questions and practice your answers. Focus on being specific and talking about what you were able to accomplish in your previous experiences. There is not too much advice you can give for this other than being yourself. Every company wants to hire people that are genuine.

Follow up

After the interview, make sure you send an email to the people that interviewed you – regardless of how the interview went – saying thank you for the interview and that you look forward to hearing about next steps. This is a great way to stand out and keep your name in their heads when the time comes to select an intern. Then the life of getting bagels and coffee begins! You’re going to love it.

Conclusion

All the steps above are exactly what I followed and how I landed my internship in college, and exactly how you can too. Roll up your sleeves and start the journey!

Covid-19 at Home Workout Plan

Let’s Stay in Shape!

It is no secret that we all spend most of our days at home now…indoors…overall, not moving as much as we usually do. No, walking from the couch to the fridge does not count as “moving.” Now more than ever it is important to stay on top of your health! This newsletter is going to break down some of the simple, easy to do workouts I have been doing at home to healthy during these very hard times of emotional eating. All of the workouts can be done with no equipment, or you can extend these basic movements and add equipment to give yourself a challenge. I tried to include workouts based on what I can assume most people have in their homes. The goal of each of these workouts is to get your heart rate up, move around, and pump some iron! So, if you are in between workout routines or overall fitness plans, get off the couch and try these out!

Workout #1: Push-up + Tri-up

This workout is sweet and simple. The way I like to work out is by using the drop set method or the burnout method. The drop set method is once you reach the heaviest weight possible for you, you repeat those repetitions deescalating back down to a light weight. Burnout method is just that, doing as many reps as you can until you can’t do any more. Both are going to come into play with this workout. This workout is going from regular push-ups to close arms push-ups, hence the “Tri” part in the name. The close arm push-ups will help you focus on triceps while the regular push-ups will focus on your chest. Don’t be afraid as you go up the pyramid and back down during the drop set to let your knees touch the ground if it means you can keep going. Images are included below of what the workouts should look like to help visualize the movements. YouTube is also a great resource to watch people break down these movements in more detail. Here is the breakdown of the workout:

Workout #2: Legs, Legs, Legs

Everybody likes to make jokes about “leg day,” but leg workouts I have found usually leave me feeling sorer than any other exercise. I always wake up the next day and can barely walk, as I know most of you have probably experienced as well. The goal of this leg workout is not to reach the point of immobility, but simply to give your legs the movement and exercise they deserve and are there to do. All of these exercises you can do with or without weights. Same as the last workout, the target is to go up the pyramid in reps and then back down. Let’s do it:

Workout #3: Bicep curl + Shoulder press

To effectively target your biceps and shoulders specifically, I find it best to do with dumbbells rather than only body weight. Therefore, for this last workout you will need a form of weighted object. Objects you might have around the house that would work are dumbbells, cookbooks, a bag of flour, etc. It’s 2021 and you have been at home for ten months, people, get creative! This workout is structured similarly to the previous two, using the drop set method and the burnout method. It is short and quick but will give you a great workout. Make sure you grab a weighted object that is easy to hold and you can do plenty of reps with. Even though it might seem easy at first, by the end, even 10-pound object will feel like 40 pounds. Let’s get to it!

Conclusion

That’s a wrap! Now, you might look through this list and feel like these are the 3 simplest workouts you have ever seen. You are right, my friend. These are supposed to be easy as we have not been exercising and moving our bodies to their full ability in way too long, so these are great workouts for people to slowly get back into daily physical exercise. Also, if you take these workouts seriously and push yourself with trying to go from set to set (with minimal breaks) you will notice they are not as simple as they look on paper. Exercise is so important for the body and the mind. So, take these 3 workouts and get yourself moving. Your body and mind will thank you for it!

All images included in this newsletter were found using https://www.google.com. I do not own any of these images.

How to Network on LinkedIn… And Hopefully Land a Job

I love LinkedIn. Why? Well, it is a place where you can chase your ambitious career dreams. It does not have the energy or vibes, as the kids are saying, of other social media apps. This is because LinkedIn is strictly used for networking, posting about professional topics, and job searching. I wrote a newsletter on LinkedIn earlier last year to be an introduction for people new to the site.

This, however, is more in-depth on how to take those next steps and maximize your time on this application. If you are interested, keep on reading! But come on, you know you want to keep reading.

Networking is Scary

The word networking is everyone’s worst nightmare. Introducing yourself to people with the intent to talk about potential job opportunities and overall introductions about business is terrifying.

The first thing to remember is we have all been there, and this will not be the last time you are doing this either. That big corporate big-wig who you are too nervous to approach, has literally been in your exact shoes with an even older corporate big-wig. Now that we have given the friendly reminder that we are all doing this together, brush off any angst and let us get to work.

Where to Begin

I begin my networking journey when I am searching for a job and perusing the job listings page on LinkedIn or a company’s website. This will maximize your chances of coming across something that catches your eye. Either a potential company or specific job you might want to apply and work for, or an industry you want to explore and make connections in, etc. LinkedIn is also great because it is filled with advertisements from a plethora of companies that have paid to be sponsored on their site. You won’t just see the typical big-name companies.

LinkedIn has a great feature where you can “pin” or save job listings that you want to apply for to check them out after your search. When looking for a job, I would utilize this feature all day long!

Got a List of Jobs/Companies?

Now that you have this great list of jobs and specific companies that have caught your eye, here is what I have found to be the best next step. After you apply for the job, I would then search for the company on LinkedIn. On their company page, you will see a tab that says “People.” Click on that tab and scroll through the list of people who work for this company. This is now where you get specific. Create a list of the people who work in the department of that company you are applying for; they are your targets. If you are trying to land a sales job, look for other sales representatives at the company or the Vice President of sales. Then, look for Human Resources or recruitment employees as well. This list will come in handy as these are the people you will be reaching out to to connect and network with.

You might be saying to yourself, “Griffin, this seems a little weird to send out a bunch of messages to people at a company about wanting to connect or work there. I would rather just do it the traditional way.” I am here to tell you that I have not gotten one negative response to a message I have sent out (yes, 9 out of 10 times I got a response). I can also tell you there is not one company that does not want a hardworking, creative person working at their company.

The traditional way was so 2020, the job market is tough out there and if you cannot adapt to the new methods of getting your name in people’s faces, you are looking at an incredibly long job search. This is what LinkedIn was created for, use it!

The Message

You have your list of people to reach out to, check. You have the companies, check. Now it is time to prepare messages to send to these people. The way I have done it is to create a template, and then add in personal flares for each person or company. Lucky for you, I am here to help create that template for you. I am going to write below a really basic example message I would send out to a company or person working for that company.

What I want you to do is use this as inspiration and add personal touches to each message to increase your likelihood of getting a response. Let me make that clearer, do not copy and paste the message below into your text box, you will sound like a robot. You do not want the recipient knowing you have been sending the exact same message to a bunch of people (even though you have, LOL).

Think of this as a cover letter that you get to send directly to an employer instead of to a company as a whole. If the person is in HR and has worked there for 10 years, add a piece into your message about how you noticed they have been at this company for a long time and you would love to learn more about why this company seems to be special to that person. Let that person know you have read up on them and their company.

Like I said, there are a bunch of things you can say. Below is the basic template message to give you inspiration:

Header: I see [insert company name] is hiring. Here is why I would be the perfect fit!

Message:

Hi [insert individual recipient’s name],

After looking over the [company name] website and career page, I see that there are many job openings. I just graduated from [insert your college name, Go Cougs though] after four wonderful years and I am ready to start my career! What I bring to the table other than my vast previous work experience is relentless reliability, boldly adaptive nature, and always being engaging for impact. I believe I can bring great value to this organization and would love to learn more about the opportunities presented. I am looking for roles in marketing, sales, business development, or HR. I have attached my resume to this message, and you can find the same information and more on my LinkedIn profile as well. I would love to schedule an introductory phone call with [insert company name]. Feel free to connect me with other people in the organization as well if need be. I look forward to hearing from you and learning about the company.

Best,

[Your name]

Email: [Your email address]

Resume attached* [Then attach your resume, obviously]

See how easy it is! I want to reiterate that this is a very basic message and should not be the only things you write. Make it more personal and show that you have put time into shooting your shot. This example should be used as a template that you alter and expand on for every person you send it to. The worst that can happen is that the person either does not respond or says something along the lines of, “the job is not available anymore.” But, hey, at least you tried.

It is also important to note that this template is specifically for job searching purposes, so if you are just looking to add connections, you can send a much simpler note.

What Now?

Keep grinding away on these messages and exploring all that LinkedIn has to offer. This process can be mentally draining because you might not find a strong response rate. Do not let that shake your motivation. Like the old saying goes, “Nothing good ever comes easy.”

Other Options

If you are not finding success on LinkedIn, you might be surprised by this, but Twitter is the next best thing. I know, it is surprising to hear that Twitter is not just hub for memes and celebrity drama. You can actually make meaningful connections and network there too!

Take it from me, a young Griffin once wanted to work for a company called Stocktwits, and so I followed the CEO on Twitter and I reached out to him via direct message. I wrote to him about how I have been following the company for years and would love to learn about potential job openings. You probably won’t believe me, but he actually replied. It didn’t stop there either, he connected me with the Stocktwits HR team, and I got to talking about career opportunities at this company. You can have this same story with a company you are interested in!

Use the same principles and formulas that worked on LinkedIn and take it to Twitter as well. Just make sure you don’t have too many damning retweets on your profile, employers might not find them as funny as you do.

To Conclude

This newsletter is here to inspire you all to try something new and step out of your comfort zone. That is how all successful people became successful. They reached out and took what they wanted. If you are in between jobs, industries, or schools, then this is strategy should be your next heading. We all know how powerful these social media applications are, so take advantage of them. You never know what might happen!

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