One of the things I advise the dozens of college students who write for The College Fix is that – when it’s all said and done, they’ve got their diploma and they’re ready to take on the working world – the last thing a potential employer is going to ask them is: “So, whadd’ya get on your art history final exam?”
No, they are going to ask to see professional writing samples: clips, blogs, student newspaper experience, so on and so forth. They want to know – can you hack it in our office? Whether it’s politics, law, public relations, journalism, advertising or similar fields, professional writing experience matters, especially when you’re fresh off the college boat.
And it’s not just me saying that. Katherine Goldstein of Slate recently wrote on “12 tips your career counselor hasn’t told you” – and a few of her thoughts are similar to my own:
When I read “senior thesis” my eyes glaze over. Despite the fact your academic advisers have convinced you these are really important, most people don’t care about them in the real world. Be wary of dwelling on what your topic is and PLEASE do not attach a chapter with your application. Writing a senior thesis has nothing to do with journalism. I’ll never open it, and I’ll resent you for sending it.
I don’t really care what classes you’ve taken, either. I’m much more interested in what you’ve done that relates to the skills needed for the position than I am in what you’ve studied. An interesting Tumblr account, a vibrant Twitter presence, or a personal blog on a topic you are passionate about is 10 times more compelling to me than your course load.
Your college and GPA aren’t as important as you think. This may be the biggest blow to you, grasshopper. In general, I don’t care about your GPA or whether you went to an Ivy League school, so definitely don’t expect this alone to swing open any doors for you. Of all the entry-level people I’ve hired, the one that went on to have the most successful career in media never finished college. If you are still in college, you should mention where you go and what you study. But the further out of college you are, the less I want to hear about where you went or how you did there.
Among her other advice was to keep the cover letter short and compelling, don’t undersell yourself or write in formal, stilted expressions. Another important tip – tell your potential employer what you can do for them, not what they can do for you:
Explain how selecting you will benefit me. This is where candidates often get it totally backward. I frequently read lines like: “I am applying for this paid internship because I think working at Slate would be highly beneficial for me, and would do a lot to help my future job prospects for a career in media for after I graduate from college.” I know how working at Slate would strengthen your résumé. But I am looking to you, candidate X, to solve a problem for me. My problem is that I need good interns. Explain to me how choosing you will solve my problem. Here’s how one candidate convinced me that his skills were pertinent to the role I was hiring for: “From my editorial experience as managing editor of 34th Street Magazine here at Penn, to my experience in news and culture blogging at LAist.com last summer, I’ve picked up the tools I need to perform as a Slatest intern with excellence.”
Click here to read Goldstein’s advice in full.
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