Where Does the Time Go?

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Let the countdown begin…14 days left until the end of the term (including weekends but not today). Which means I’ll be off to Cape Town in 17 days! Ahh I’m so excited. And nervous. And overwhelmed! Where has this term gone?

I kind of know the answer to that question. Between taking ID 2050, 2 other not-so-easy classes, working in the CDC and Admissions, and participating in other clubs, this term has been a whirlwind of meetings and homework. And I know many other WPI students are in the same boat. With so much to do, it can be really difficult to take on anything else. Especially finding a job/internship.

I could push looking for an internship back until after I get back from Cape Town. But I know from experience that some companies start the hiring process in the fall. I don’t want to miss out on an awesome opportunity just because I’m too busy. So how can you “do it all?”

Here are some things I’ve done to help streamline the internship/job search process. (There are many other things out there that you can do too!). With a little motivation and good time management, you CAN “do it all.”

1.) Take an hour to revise your resume! – Set aside an hour to revise your resume (once every few months – maybe over a break). This will be one thing less you have to do when you submit an application.

2.) Create a resume-ready list of projects you’ve completed!– After you’ve finished a project, summarize it in resume-ready format. While you’ll probably not use all the projects you’ve ever completed on your resume (as a junior I can attest to that), you should still summarize all of them…no matter how small they are. That way, if a project you did A-Term of you sophomore year relates to a job you are applying for senior year, you won’t have to try to remember what you did. Just copy, paste, proofread, done! (I have a file on my computer called “Gianna’s Projects.” Its great to review before interviews too!)

3.) Get automatic emails from saved searches on JobFinder! – While I don’t recommend solely using this in your job search, it can be a great way to “stay in the loop” of the new jobs posted on JobFinder. What you want to do is set up a “Saved Search.”

To do this:

• Open JobFinder. (New to JobFinder? Click here for info on how to get started!)
• Go to the “Jobs” tab on the upper navigation bar.
• Click on “Advanced Search” to the right of the job search bar.
• Fill in the desired criteria (major, internship, full-time, industry, etc.), then click “Search” in the bottom left corner.
• Click the “Saved Searches” link directly to the right of the “Advanced Search” link.
• Decide on a name for your search. It could be something like “Chem Eng Internship Search” or “All Full-Time Positions.” Type the desired name into the “Title” field.
• Use the drop-down menu to choose how often you want the results to be emailed to you (daily, weekly, monthly, never).
• Click “Save.”
• Done!

Now JobFinder can send the jobs to you!

4.) Make it fun!!! – This may seem crazy, but something I do to procrastinate homework is look for jobs. I like looking for jobs because its new, its exciting, and there are so many possibilities! What can I try? Where can I go? Where do I see myself in five years? Twenty years? I think it’s really cool to imagine. We have the opportunity right now to go anywhere and do anything, so why not make the most of it? Dream. Imagine. That’s my attitude when I look for jobs. It makes the whole process a lot less daunting.

I hope some of these tips are helpful! Good luck to everyone as the term is winding down!

<3 Gianna