Claire Klieger – Page 12

Vampire Teeth and Other “What Not to Wear” items for OCR Interviews

By Claire Klieger

I guess the Twilight series had a more profound impact on college pop culture than I thought because earlier this week we actually found some fake vampire teeth in our waiting area at Career Services. (Sorry, if they were yours and you were hoping to claim them, I’m afraid they’ve already found their way to the trash). While it should be obvious that fangs are inappropriate interview attire (and I would think inappropriate to bring to Career Services in general—but hey, maybe that’s just me), students do often agonize about what is appropriate to wear to interviews.

vampire teeth — Taking the "bite" out of interview attire.

As we enter into the start of OCR interviews this week, here are some tips:

1) Go easy on the “pieces of flair.” I once saw an interviewing guide that encouraged people to wear no more than 13 accessories, but I think even that is too much (frankly, I’m not sure I could even list 13 different types of accessories). Any jewelry you wear should be fairly subtle. Avoid overly large or dangly earrings and especially if you have a facial piercing, you may want to consider removing it for the interview. Essentially, you don’t want to wear anything that will distract from what you are saying.

2) Skin is not in. As popular as they may be at frat parties the world over, short skirts or low cut tops are not a good idea. Trust me ladies, those are not the assets you want to be stressing in your interview. Skirts lengths should be right around your knee and while you certainly don’t have to wear a turtle neck, use good judgment about necklines.

3) Know “the uniform.” What you wear to an interview depends a lot on the culture of the organization in which you’re planning to work. For more conservative industries like finance and consulting, this means wearing a dark suit, and ideally, for women, a skirt suit. However, for interviews with say….Polo Ralph Lauren, what you wear is a chance to highlight your fashion sense, which is much more central to your job. Similarly, for interviews at tech organizations that often have a more business casual working environment, you may look much more like a member of the team if you dress in business casual attire.

What you wear to an interview should be something that makes you feel confident, which, in turn, will help you come across that way to a recruiter. The best attire draws the attention to your face because ultimately, you want to remembered for what you say, not what you wear.

Avoiding OCR Pitfalls

By Claire Klieger

One of the best ways to successfully survive OCR is simply by avoiding some of these common and often detrimental pitfalls:

Form/Generic Cover Letters. Yes, we understand the appeal of these as, naturally, it takes a lot less time to simply replace the name of the employer for each letter and included lots of phrases like “your company” or “this position” and “I’m really interested in working for _______ because it is a leader in the industry.” But guess what? Employers aren’t stupid and can spot these a mile away. Why would an employer want to hire someone who can’t even be bothered to take the time to write a letter specific to them or, worse, doesn’t understand why they want to work for them? If you choose to go that route, don’t be surprised if you don’t get many interviews.

Typos. This sounds obvious but I can’t tell you how often we see very blatant (and often embarrassing) typos on resumes and cover letters. I even once witnessed a recruiter cancel a scheduled interview with a student on the day of the interview when he noticed that the student had misspelled his major. What the employer gave as his explanation is the reason why this is such a detrimental mistake, “What this says to me is that this is someone who doesn’t have good attention to detail and is careless and I don’t want someone like that working for me.” So please, please, proofread (don’t just rely on spell check).

Applying to all the available positions at an organization. While it’s fine to apply to more than one position simultaneously at a single organization, applying to every open position simply sends the message that you don’t know what you want. Limit your applications to positions that are similar enough (in skill types) that it is reasonable for you to be interested in them.

How to Survive the OCR Tsunami

By Claire Klieger

It’s ok. You can admit it if the thought of the impending OCR process makes your palms sweat. How will you stand out among the sea of impressive applicants from Penn? With loads of info sessions daily and those waves of deadlines and the added drama of all deadlines being at midnight, where do you even begin?

1) Accentuate the Positive. Rather than getting stuck on the ways you think you aren’t competitive, focus on what strengths (and you all have them) you bring to the position. The easiest way to do this is to first understand what skills an employer is looking for so…

2) Know the industry. Following what’s going in the industry is critical to setting yourself apart. Not only will it help you better understand the differences between major players, but also establish yourself as someone who is genuinely interested in this line of work.

3) Research the Employer. Employers want to hire someone who is excited about working for them. You can’t create this impression well if you don’t know much about the organization. So, hop to it! Scour their website, Google them, and ideally, talk to people who work there (don’t forget about PACNet).

4) It’s not quantity, it’s quality that’s important. Sure, you can’t apply to as many positions if you target each cover letter for the individual industry/job type (with a few sentences specific to the employer), but it is definitely time worth spending.

And, of course, use Career Services as your life preserver! There is a great online orientation to OCR as well as some useful FAQs on our website.

New Year’s Career Resolutions

By Claire Klieger

So, in addition to the pedestrian (and come on, let’s face it, usually not very realistic) vow to eat less junk food (in my case, it’s chocolate, which I’m drawn to like a honing pigeon) and exercise more, how about giving yourself some new year’s resolutions that don’t require you to sweat like a pig or give up Ben & Jerry’s? Here are some that you can apply to your search.

1) Don’t procrastinate. This one is particularly hard for me as I’m a person that typically needs a deadline to truly get my butt in gear. So you know what? Give yourself deadlines to help you better manage your time. If that internship application is due on January 18^th, give yourself the deadline of submitting your resume to be critiqued by Career Services by January 14^th so you have time to have it appropriately reviewed and updated before you submit. Amazingly (or rather, not so amazingly), you’ll feel a lot less stressed about the whole process. And, if you have trouble keeping that resolution…well, that’s what walk-ins are for. Check your school’s page for details about hours.

2) Roll with the punches. The job or internship search can often be a major blow to the ego. At some point along the way, you will likely face rejection. It is easy (and natural) to take these instances as personal blows but try to see the bigger picture. Just because you weren’t selected for an interview or offered a position, doesn’t mean that people didn’t think you had valuable skills and abilities. It just means that they encountered other people for whom they thought that specific position was a better fit. Your best strategy? Be ready with a counter punch by speaking to a counselor about ways you can improve your game plan (resume, interview skills, etc.).

3) Be more flexible. I’m not talking about yoga contortionist flexible, just keeping your options open. There may be many things that you’re interesting in doing this summer or after graduation. There is no reason you have to focus on just one possible path. Explore opportunities in multiple areas that peak your interest and give yourself more options by being willing to apply for things in locations or organizations that are not on the very top of your list. Remember that every experience will give you skills that you can apply to other opportunities in the future.

Career Strategizing from a Land Far Far Away

By Claire Klieger

So you’re studying abroad (or plan to) in some place breathtakingly beautiful like Lyon, France or Dunedin, New Zealand and you think, “how am I going to look for an internship and stay connected from here?” (Actually, what you’re probably thinking is “how am I supposed to concentrate on anything productive while I’m here?” but that’s a different blog).

Believe it or not, it is possible to conduct an internship search remotely. Thanks to the wonders of the modern age, unless you’re in some place like Antarctica (and let’s face it, probably even there), you should be able to search for and apply to opportunities online. The tricky part, of course, is interviews. While you clearly can’t be there to interview in person, you may be able to do a phone interview or video interview via Skype. Naturally, it helps if you clearly state the fact that you are abroad in a cover letter and include dates you would be able to work.

Here are some other ways to maximize your search.

1) Plan ahead. If you’re interested in interning in the US upon your return, before you go abroad, you should ideally identify some organizations of interest and check PACNet to see if there are Penn alums working there with whom you could arrange some informational interviews and network. It’s also worth making a stop by Career Services to meet with a counselor to have your resume and a sample cover letter critiqued and develop a strategy for your remote internship search. In addition, we offer special resources to students studying abroad spring semester who are still interested in OCR positions.

2) Make the most of your time abroad. If you feel inspired, get involved on the campus you’re visiting. Especially if you’re interested in working in the country in which you’re visiting, do as much networking as you can. Connect with Penn alumni via PACNet and the many Penn alumni clubs abroad (no, I’m sorry, there isn’t one in Antarctica—maybe that’s not the best destination after all). And check out our online presentation on finding work abroad.

3) Stay connected. Just because you’re abroad doesn’t mean you can’t touch base electronically or by phone with contacts (ahem, and Career Services!) from that chic café in Rome.

4) Embrace your experience. As someone who spent 11 years abroad as a child, I know full well how living abroad can change your life. Take time to be “present” and experience your new surroundings. There are skills you will acquire that will make you more marketable to employers—a more international perspective, the ability to see things from someone else’s point of view, the ability to work well with a diverse group of people, etc.

So, before you go you’ll want to pack your bags, make sure your passport and visa documents are in order, and also stop by Career Services! Oh, and if you feel like sending us a postcard, that would be pretty awesome, too (you know, so we can live vicariously through your travels).