Student Worker

Let me begin by saying I'm sorry if this sounds like whining, but I will try to get my point across without calling for too much self-pity.

I know a lot of people are in the same boat as me. In order to make it in the real world, we've been told to go out and get internships (most often they are unpaid ... in fact, with Metro/Gas expenses, most often we are making negative money). But, what most people aren't telling us is that on top of your internship responsibilities, you still need to attend your classes, do your insane amounts of reading and finish all your homework ... yes, even that 24-page paper due at the end of the semester.

It seems easy, do some textbook reading on the Metro, finish some homework at work ... but you're supposed to be WORKING, that's what an internship is for, to get experience and a good recommendation.

Then, on top of your internship/job, your homework and your classes - you have friends. Don't forget about those people sitting on your couch watching True Blood with you every Sunday and texting/e-mailing you all week at work about the weekend plans.

It's a tough balance, one that I haven't come close to mastering. You're constantly exhausted, overwhelmed and occassionally quite moody. So why go through it?

Honestly, our professors, administrators and parents are right - you're going to have an easier time in the real world if you have some work experience, related to your major or not. That's not saying you can never get a job without previous experience, but look at the slimming job market and horrible economy we're going to face when we leave UMD. Be real guys, take the unpaid work now and you'll HOPEFULLY make the big bucks later. It's cliche, but it will lead to bigger and better things.

Also, nothing will prove to you that this is or isn't what you want to do with the rest of your life than getting a semester of practice in, and trust me ... it's better to find out before you're stuck 9-5 in an office for 15 years and then have a mid-life crisis, hating your career and the life you've built around it. Get that crises out of the way now.

Have fun at work too. It's alright to use your lunch break to do something fun. Or take a 15 minute break with a co-worker to have crossword competitions or Office Olympics (yay Jim!) or even do a cake run in the middle of the day.

It's okay to tell those friends you're too tired to go to Santa Fe on Thursday night, if they're you're friends they'll understand, and maybe even one of them will stay in and watch a movie with you. Make a playlist that's going to calm you down after a bad day. Choose a homework day. And don't forget, you're only here once ... it's okay to be a little tired at work so you can celebrate that friend's birthday party. Even your boss has fun once in a while. And, if you need to ... turn the music up loud and just scream!

Image courtesy of alwaysauditioning.com

The Search For a Job

Okay, if you're trying to get a spring/summer internship/job, you might know what I'm going through right now. It's torture.

Right now, I feel as if I'm applying to 25-plus magazines and papers for the summer. Of course, there are some I want more than others, but as my EIC over at Capital News Service told me, "You don't even know if you will be offered the job, so save your no for when you actually have an offer!"

In the course of shoving my resume in the faces of recruiter after recruiter, bragging about even the most minor achievements in my life and xeroxing clips of my writing, I have gone through tons of interviews, not including the ones during the journalism job fair.

So, I thought in the spirit of piggy-backing on all of our professors, parents, bosses, etc. I would give you my personal tips on how to make yourself stand out during an interview, without the typical dress appropriate, be on time, etc.:

1. Highlight what you think is the best part of your resume, don't let the interviewer dictate what's important. If you decide what the best part of your resume is, then you will be passionate about that experience/job/award/whatever it is when you are talking, and the interviewer will pick up on that enthusiasm.

2. Wear something colorful. It's so easy to fall into the black, whites and greys when you're getting dressed up in your business attire, but guess what? Everyone else is wearing those mundane colors too. It's as simple as girls putting on a pink scarf or flowery blouse. Guys, replace that navy tie with a nice orange or green one. I'm not saying go crazy flashy, just make it memorable, so when the interviewer is going through all 200 resumes on his desk, he has something to remember you by, because lets be honest, in the jungle of college students we can all blend together.

3. Look interested. It's very easy to fall into an interviewer's trap, most of them will try to ease you into a conversation and you will become relaxed... which is great, BUT! Don't get too relaxed. Never slouch, never look at your watch, never twitch. Sit on the edge of your seat and lean forward. Keep your hands on the desk/table in front of you or in your lap so you don't fidget.

4. Smile. Even if you're shaking and stuttering out of nerves, a simple smile can help you win the heart of an interviewer. It shows your a human being, not just another robot going through the motions to get a job.

5. Find some common ground. If you are talking about an experience you had an the interviewer seems interested, or mentions that he's done something similar, don't just brush over it with an "oh really?" Ask him about their experience. Everyone has egos, and people want to talk about themselves, especially if they share a bond with you, so let them talk, it will help you relax and give you a starting place to work from. For example, if you travelled over the summer, ask if they've ever been to where you went, or what they did for a summer vacation. Not everything in an interview has to be 100% about business.

6. Ask questions. The only guaranteed question I have had in every interview, ever, is "Do you have any questions for me?" As much as you would love to say "NOPE" and get the heck out of there, DO have something to ask. I'm not saying ask what your starting salary would be, that's getting a little ahead of yourself, but something as simple as "what would you say is the best part of working with your company?" or "how do you think the role of interns in your office has changed with new technology coming into the work place?" will be simple enough. Asking questions proves you're actually interested in the job and not just applying to earn some summer cash. It means you want to be informed, no matter how much you already know about the company.

7. Be grateful. Interviewers don't have to take their time to talk to you, so make sure you thank them properly. Give them a parting handshake and a "It was great meeting and talking with you today" or "Thank you for talking to me today" before you bolt out of there. AND make sure you follow up with a thank you note. Try to make it a real letter rather than an e-mail, but you can always do an immediate follow-up e-mail, just to show you are that interested.

8. Follow-up. If the interviewer doesn't call you in the timeline he/she gave you, call them. Of course, make sure you give the company at least a week, or however long they told you it would take to make a decision. Really, it's OK. I know most people are afraid to seem too needy, but guess what, that's what they want! They want someone who is so interested in getting the job they will take the gutsy move to call and say "hey, have you made a decision yet?"

These are just a few tips I've picked up along the way. Everyone has their own interview technique, but the most important is to show you, not some robot give-me-a-job version of you. Let your personality shine through in an interview. That's the best tip I can give you.

-Allyson

Just a Lil' Economic Downturn...

On Wall Street, many brokers had this same reaction as they watched the market fall. Today the market was up but who knows what will happen tomorrow... (photo courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

We’re going to talk the economy. Wait… wake up… stay with me here.
I’m not going to go into details on why the economy is undergoing the biggest crash in 50 years, or the details of a $700 billion bailout plan.

I want to talk about how this economic downturn is going to affect all of us, whether we like it or not, because frankly everyone should notice and care. My goal isn’t to scare you… just wake you up a little.

With the economy on a slippery slop and a $700 billion rescue plan that will put our country in debt (possibly over $1 trillion) for decades to come, we’re going to be facing a lot more challenges than we thought we would as freshmen.

Let us start close to home, our one and only UMD. We’re about to face big, big, BIG cutbacks in the funding from the state. Maryland’s Gov. Martin O’Malley is proposing enormous budget cuts, and education is going to take a hard hit, so in-state and out-of-state students, get ready for a tuition increase to make up for lost funds.

The governor is proposing cutting back $20 million in annual grants and transfer funds for the University System of Maryland. That means between all the colleges in Maryland – Frostburg, Salisbury, UMBC, Towson, etc. – we are going to be fighting to get funds with less money in the pot. Maryland is already facing challenges with the state because Maryland thinks UMD is a “privileged” school and already has enough funding.

Aid programs are also going to take a hit. BRAC grants are going to be reduced by $1 million. On top of that, $1.2 million will be saved by reducing 582 people from the Educational Excellence Awards which provides need-based aid.

Housing? Forget about new dorms being built. The state has already frozen a project to build a new dorm with room for 650 students. Any additional housing brought to this campus for the time being is going to have to be private. So people, start house hunting for next year now if you’re not already set. The private companies can’t make it happen either.

Watch how your classes change next year as departments across the university are facing millions of dollars in budget cuts. That means less resources, possibly faculty lay offs and your small classes might just get bigger.

The new journalism building, Byrd Stadium renovations and Tawes updates are going to probably be the last updates to the campus we see in a while.

Ok, let’s look into the future now. What does everyone come to college for? Jobs? Well, start making yourself the best person out there to get a job, get internships, after school jobs and start to network because, baby, it’s going to be tough.

Thousands of students are going to be entering an ultra-competitive job market at a time when few jobs are going to be available. It’s not only newspapers making huge layoffs. While AIG is taking a $444,000 retreats with their bailout money, smaller businesses all over are going to have to make cuts.

The good news? We’re usually willing to start working at lower salaries. So if you’re willing to take a mediocre salary, you’re a golden replacement to people hanging on to their jobs to get their retirement benefits.

So again, not trying to scare you, just making sure you all know what’s in store. Maybe you’ve lost money in investments, maybe you’ve never invested. Either way, keep an eye on your money and the market. And cross your fingers.

Talented Terps

Let’s face it; the University of Maryland is littered with thousands of ultra-talented students.
Forget about our sport celebs, the Greivis Vasquezs and Chris Turners who take over our televisions and our lives for the majority of our school year. I’m talking talented students who will be making millions for something other than a good arm or a great jump-shot.

First, lets look at the ghost of talented UMD students past. Everyone knows Jim Henson, after all, we do have a bench with his statue along with the very famous Kermit the Frog. Did I mention Henson created Kermit, along with the rest of The Muppets after designing his own major at UMD?

Then we have the creator of all things sportswear, from college jerseys to Olympic ski uniforms. I’m talking Under Armour, created by UMD graduate, Kevin Plank. Now, Plank’s company creates some of the top sports gear, competing for logo space on jerseys against well-known and long existing companies like Nike and Adidas.

In the ranks of celebrity alumni we have television news anchor Connie Chung, Carl Bernstein (who never actually graduated), Larry David, writer and producer of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "Seinfeld," a number of Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winners, and countless CEO’s and founders of huge corporations including Google and Walt Disney Productions.

Now we have a fresh batch of talent, the students who have started their own businesses while attending Maryland and who have graced the pages of Unwind! Enterprise.

There was Matt Polley who started a lawn mowing business, Matt’s Lawn Care. Then we have Jimmy Lyons, who started FeedtheTurtle.com despite heavy competition from popular CampusFood. And Johnny Graham who started his own record label on our campus.

At a school that offers business dreamers loans through the Hillman Project, a technology boot-camp for young entrepreneurs and one of the top business schools in the country, it’s hard not to bring in some of the best and the brightest.

So what does the ghost of talented UMD student future have in mind? Stay tuned to Unwind's Enterprise section to find out.

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