Happy Spring! This time of year is what college students may call Application Season, the rush to get resumes updated, forms filled out and cover letters written. These jobs can be for a variety of things– maybe it’s an internship or job for the summer, maybe it’s a leadership position on campus. Whatever the reason, it can often be stressful to manage all of the professional aspects of your life as well as keeping up with day to day tasks. I am currently working on two large applications, one for an internship at the capitol and another one working as a camp counselor in my hometown. I finished two other applications a while ago and I am going to write a little bit about what I’ve learned throughout the process.
The number one thing I learned was to use resources available to me. I have had many meetings with various people at the Career Development Center to help me understand things I had never thought about before. What should I put here? How long does this need to be? How do I send this in? There were many questions that I had that I had no idea how to figure out, but once it was explained by someone who had done it before, things became clearer. It is also good to use the Career Development Center since these are the people who know of good opportunities. Showing them you care about your applications and sharing your interests allows them to understand what you like and maybe come upon jobs that they believe you would enjoy.
Another tip I have is to get things done in sections. Right now I have a to do list of each different part of each application I have so nothing gets lost in the process. Then from that, I choose a few things to put in my planner for that day. Knowing I need to work on one cover letter and fill out a few pages of an application is a lot better than looking at a list of twenty things you don’t know how to do.
My last tip is to be mindful of what you’re putting on your resume and cover letters. Always make sure each of these is only one page and that the stuff that is the most relevant to the specific position is at the top. Interviewers only want to spend a few seconds on your resume so it’s important that you make those seconds count by showing them the best things you have to offer.
Applications are an important part of college and life, and can be really stressful sometimes. It’s important to start early and to use the resources available to you. Hamline students can use the Career Development Center included in their tuition while they’re a student and up to three years after they graduate. It is located in the Drew Science Center, and you can schedule an hour long meeting, or just use drop in office hours for a fifteen minute time slot. Happy applying!