Having had successfully secured and completed multiple internships and jobs, I was a bit reluctant about attending STARR’s event about interviewing. However, I had one more blog post remaining which I needed to fulfill. Interviewing is an art which can never truly be mastered. Interviewing: Advanced Techniques was the first event hosted by STARR which I attended.  We got a thick packet with plenty of information — ranging from how to dress to what attitude and demeanor we should bring with us to the interview. It was interesting learning about “interview days” — full day long interviews which are conducted by major companies. My favorite piece of advice which we were taught was to always have our resume taped to a wall, so if the phone spontaneously rings with a preliminary phone interview awaiting, one will always be ready to discuss in further detail what the interviewer is looking at. Locking away animals is another requirement for phone interviews… since having a dog bark into the phone that it wants to go outside is unprofessional… I never fathomed this prior. Interview questions are generally broad, but the answers should always be catered towards the industry you’re pursuing… different industries require  slightly modified answers, which may play a crucial part in shaping the interviewer’s opinion.

Earlier in the fall STARR hosted a dinning event in which Baruch students were taught how to properly conduct themselves at a table during interviews… FREE FOOD!!! I’m definitely attending the next iteration of this event and advise that you to do.

Towards the end of the event, it was interactive activity time. We took turns mock interviewing with our peers. Being put on the spot with “professional questions” was an icebreaker which I haven’t experienced in a while. Being the professional I am, I politely asked to connect on LinkedIn… I’m now that much closer to the magic 500!

In conclusion, I’m glad I attended STARR’s event about interview techniques. I acclimated some more tips for interviewing and enjoyed the invaluable experience of being put on the spot with interview questions from my fellow students.

(I totally forgot to reupload this. Please excuse the tardiness. I dont want to retake the class for one little mistake. Please. Than you.)

On december 9th I visited the metropolitan museum of art. It was very educational and I enjoyed it. Here is my analysis of my favorite painting at the exhibit.

            Poppy Fields near Argenteuil  by Claude Monet, is an oil on canvas painting, of a person in a grassy field with a few trees. I originally chose this painting of over the others done by monet because of its very ornamented frame, and because I like landscape paintings. Speaking of the frame, it is gold with an intricate design made of various swirls and circular shapes. When seeing it in person it did not really stand out from any of the other pieces around it which consisted of mostly Monets and Manets works, they were all landscapes. The painting is bisected by the horizon which is made up of trees and mountains in the distance. Above this are puffy clouds with clearly visible brushstrokes, the colors go from a very pale white to a dull gray. The light blue sky can be seen in between the cracks of some of the clouds. Two tall trees about the length of three fourths of the height of the painting, pierce through the clouds, the taller of the two stretches from the grass field and rises up all the way to the top of the painting where its top is cropped out, the trees are located on the left side of the painting in both the top and bottom quadrants. The trees are a very dark green, and the many branches are barely distinguishable from each other because of the thick brush strokes.To the direct left of these two trees are two other trees which are much farther from us then the previously mentioned trees. At the root of the tree furthest to the left lies a pool of light blue which could be a patch of flowers or possibly even a pool of water.

 

On November 7th, I went to a STARR Cover Letter Workshop led by Ricki Weitzen, a STARR Center Career Coach who explained to us the idea of a cover letter and how to write them.  I’ve started my professional life fairly early, I had a polished resume and a Linkedin by the time I was 16. Despite focusing on my career and reading tens of articles on how to write my resume, I never understood, or even cared to understand, the purpose of a cover letter.

This workshop made me finally realize the importance of having a good cover letter and clearly explained how to make one. Through the use of detailed and interesting Powerpoint slides, Ricki explained how to make a good cover letter which would stand out to a potential employer, she explained that a good cover letter should be personalized for the job you are applying to and that it should include facts about you, arguments on why you should get the job, what value you would hold for the company and that you could also include your additional qualifications such as languages you know and programs you might be proficient in.

The workshop was very interactive and encouraged the participants to answer questions after each key point of the presentation. After this presentation I believed in usefulness of the STARR center and I’ll definitely be coming back for more guidance and useful career advice.

Last week Tuesday, I went to my first career-related event at Baruch, a Cover Letter Workshop hosted by the STARR Center. Before attending this event, I was more invested in my student life than I was in my professional life. I didn’t even consider myself to be a professional. But attending this workshop was the beginning of my transition from school to the workforce, from student to professional.

The workshop was led by Ricki Weitzen, a STARR employee, who was very patient to answer my many questions. Through the use of a  detailed PowerPoint slide, she went in depth about cover letters and about how to write them. We learned all about the different ways to format a cover letter and what type of content will make your cover letter stand out to a potential employer. The workshop was also very interactive as we had to participate in quizzes after going over a certain point. We were even put into groups and asked to use our new knowledge to analyze a set of cover letters to determine which was the most effective.  At the end of this section, she gave us a handout summarizing everything she went over that can be used as a reference when we have to write our own cover letters in the future. The final section of the workshop was a brief overview of letters for informational interviews and how to write them. Ricki even told us that she got two jobs offers because she requested and attended informational interviews.

I’m happy I went to this workshop because it was very informative and helpful; I plan to go to many more career workshops during my time at Baruch. They really do teach you all that you need to know about thriving in a professional environment which will become necessary for when I get a job/ internship in the near future.

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Last Tuesday I went to a workshop led by Ricki W(idk) that discussed cover letters. A cover letter is typically a page long document that many jobs ask for along with your resume. It is a more personal look into who you are as a potential employee; answering a large variety of questions. One main thing that is important to keep in mind is that it should be customized to every single job. You should include why you would be an asset to the company you are applying to and should highlight how your past experience applies to the job you want. This is really important because it goes the extra mile into explaining why YOU should get the job over anyone else. You should include any special talents (being fluent in another language or being certified for any computer programs) that you may have.

Cover letters should be written formally, they should be personable, and should always include more than one form of contact information. Cover letters should not exactly be creative using different fonts/colors unless you are applying for an artistic job. Proofreading is an essential part of finalizing and ensuring that you are confident in your application. In fact, it would be a smart idea to ask others to read through it and give you their first impressions and feedback. It’s important to keep in mind that a potential employer is going to quickly scan over this piece so you need to make sure that your talents stand out.

Although I have previously learned about cover letters, I found this workshop really helpful in terms of reviewing and highlighting what exactly should and should not be included in a cover letter.

At the STARR Career Center, I brought in my resumé to be corrected. I didn’t know what to expect at first because my resumé had been updated last in high school. I have only been in college for a few months, and didn’t know what I could have put to make it reflect my college life. Katherine helped me first by giving me more info on resumés and cover letters. Then she went on to help me update my resumé. She told me what was important to note and what wasn’t, and how to make my experience look more presentable.

At first, I honestly didn’t think she would help me because that that something I was used to in my high school. I thought it was a waste of time. I was pleasantly surprised that she was able to explain everything perfectly. I thought the appointment length was too much, but by the end I didn’t think half an hour wasn’t enough.

I never truly understood why a cover letter was needed. I always thought a potential employer only needed a resume. Now, after attending this workshop, I realized that a cover letter is needed for every job you apply for. It has the ability to fill in many blank spots of your resume. For example, it can explain why I have large gaps of unemployment in my resume. I can show and explain why they should hire me. A resume doesn’t actually do this: however, a cover letter can explain my reason for applying for the job, and what specifically I can bring to the table.

If I were to just give a resume to a job, I would come off as lazy. By submitting a cover letter along with resume, I am able to show that I am serious about the opportunity that the employer is giving me. Submitting a cover letter allows me to be in control of follow up interview as well. At the end of the cover letter, I can specify when I will be able to call them. A cover letter makes me a more attractive job applicant as well as giving me power as a job applicant. Writing a cover letter is a win-win for the applicant, so why not?

A cover letter should include how you found about the job. It should also include why you think you are qualified to work this job. It should also thank the job for even considering your application. It is made up of the typical introduction, body, paragraph form. The letter needs to be formatted like a professional business letter. In addition to this, the same font needs to be used as in your resume. Obviously, proofread and edit your cover letter at the end for any silly, careless mistakes. Thanks to this workshop, I realized that more goes into applying for a job than a resume and an interview.

  I’ve been hearing so much about the STAR ‘N R Center. Everyone you ask in Baruch will always tell you amazing words of wisdom. “Hey, if you want info on x, just go to STAR(With an extra R) Center!”. It almost sounds like magic, until you realize, its the next best thing. Stellar R Center is super cool. They have tons of workshops on all kinds of things like jump-starting careers, internships, interviews, resumes, and even stuff like creating your own major (Unless you’re in Zicklin ha get rekt kid.) With sponsors like RMS, Moody’s, and Tarje (target but spelled right), it offers a broad scope of workspaces and opportunities! Starlet (Insert unecessary R here) Center even has an app! You can get it on your phone and connect with employers and get notified about opportunities near you! Cosmic Fireball Don’t Forget Our Second R Center also helps with networking. If you’ve ever needed an entire place to teach you about being a socially capable adult, this is the place! It’s outstanding. Fixed Point in the Night Sky + An R Center has a really dope website that has a radical search engine for internships and job opportunities! Check it out! You’ll never want to leave, unless you have a neat-o Philosophy test to study for. Then you just gotta take a break from Celestial Body and a dank R Center and really hume your kancepts of philosophy! All in all, i really found Luminous Sphere of Plasma Held Together by its Own Gravity With One More R Than Necessary Center really chill and uber fly!

Until yesterday, I had been putting of my visit to see Star R. That’s right, Carlos. I’m Calling it Star R. I don’t care why they spelled it like that, it’s still really stupid. But anyways, I went to The Star R Career Development Center. I wasn’t too confident in my resume going in there. I didn’t really have much on it aside from my yearly volunteer work during It’s My Park Day.

Naturally, I was a little concerned. But once I sat down, they discussed other things I could put down. I ended up adding 5 new things to my resume. One of those things was helping out around my mother’s jewelry business. Another was the 2nd place prize on an old math team. They also helped me word things properly, to make it really pop. Needless to say, I’m now a lot more confident in my resume.