Kema Christian-Taylor, Author at Job and Internship Advice, Companies to Work for and More | WayUp Blog

This Might Just Be the Best Job on Your Campus

Apply now to be a WayUp Campus Rep next Spring!

Samantha Koury is a junior at Simmons College, just outside of Boston, and a WayUp Campus Rep. A business management major, Samantha hopes to work in human relations or real estate after graduation. She loves all things dogs, bagels, and the winter season. In her free time, she enjoys chowing down on brick oven pizza and rooting for the Rex Sox and Celtics! Here’s what she has to say about her experience repping WayUp and getting college students jobs!

What was it like getting started as a WayUp Rep?

Getting through the program requirements took a fair amount of effort: at first, I remember thinking I got arthritis in my fingers from the amount of texts I sent to my friends asking them to sign up. It was really tricky figuring out how to best pitch the company and actually get students signed up. If you were to tell me I would have over 400 sign ups at the end of this semester, I would have laughed in your face!

So, what changed?

I started to figure out strategies that worked for me, like tabling and posting on Facebook. I learned to connect with people through direct messages–ask how school is going and always be the first to tell them about an opportunity on the site if I knew they were looking for a job. It’s super important to not sound “salesy,” but to be genuine about helping students!

What is your favorite part of the job?

Each week, my manager sends a new incentive to keep me motivated. Along with the cash money you get for each student sign up, you also get the chance to win TONS of fabulous prizes for completing incentives and winning challenges, like WayUp swag, and gift cards to cool companies like Chipotle and Shoptiques! Girl scout honor code here, I have never once been bored throughout the semester getting friends, peers, strangers, and more to sign up and get their life and resume going.

What are the top 3 skills you learned as a WayUp Campus rep that will help you thrive in any career?

Public Speaking: As a Campus Rep, I got a lot of practice speaking in front of large groups, like classes or student organizations.

Social Media Skills: I am now able to concisely pitch WayUp, or any company or product, using different tools like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and more.

Targeted Communication: I learned through this role not to go into an art major class and say, “Hey! Companies on WayUp are hiring math tutors…sign up!” There was definitely trial and error at first, but I’ve really learned how to get my point across powerfully and effectively.

Any success stories? Who #gothired?

I got a message on Facebook from a girl at my school who I didn’t know: she thanked me for introducing WayUp into her life! Turns out, she got a job at the Cheesecake Factory just down the street :).

What advice would you give to new Reps?

This job is all about you and your success. Stay close to your manager, reach out to groups you may not be familiar with, help other students who are in the same boat, and most importantly, GET PAID DOING IT!

What’s on your plate for next semester?

I will be taking full-time classes, working for my internship in Boston, and helping students on their “way up” as a Campus Rep again in the Spring!!!

Student Runs Hottest Instagram at Penn State, PSU Eats

Senior year can be a hectic time, but that hasn’t stopped this full-time student from managing the hottest (and most delicious-looking!) Instagram at Penn State, PSU Eats. While she has asked to be anonymous for the purposes of this interview, she gave us some important insights into how she engages and interacts with over 7,000 followers, all while handling the exciting demands of her last year in college.

Tell us about you! What are you studying at Penn State?

I am a Senior at Penn State majoring in Biobehavioral health looking to go to graduate school and become a Physician Assistant. I am in a sorority at Penn State and extremely involved with “THON,” Penn State’s Dance Marathon which I will be dancing in this year!

Tell us how you first got into social media.

I’ve always been a big fan of photography, but with my major, I was not able to take classes or get involved in clubs that would allow me to express my creative side–so I had to turn to social media to do so. There was no account at Penn State like the one I created, and I just knew Penn Staters love food and that this account would be successful.

What are your biggest concerns when you are posting on social media?

I don’t really have concerns with posting pictures. If it’s not a great picture then it won’t get as many likes as others, but I can just post a new and better one a few hours later to make up for it.

What is your favorite post that you’ve ever done?

I don’t have one specific picture that is my favorite, but the pictures that are able to incorporate the Penn State culture are the ones that get the most love from my followers — those are definitely my favorites. These pictures include Penn State Creamery ice cream on graduation day last year, or a picture of a Beaver Stadium Chicken Basket at our last home game of the season this year.

What has been the coolest experience you’ve had through your site?

Some of the coolest things I have experienced since starting this account have involved being able to team up with companies to give out free food or prizes–like WayUp, who is helping me raise money for THON. Other cool experiences are hearing people I don’t know talk about the recent picture I just posted and seeing how it has become known to people throughout campus.

What advice would you give students who are looking to pursue social media as a career?

You will definitely have to be creative and think of ideas that have not been done before. Pay attention to your audience and learn what they like. For example, I am a vegetarian but have learned that pictures of hamburgers, wings, bacon, and chicken baskets are some of the most successful pictures on the account, so I continue to post them to please my followers.

7 Things Every Job-Seeking Senior Needs To Get Hired

Looking for your first full-time job isn’t easy: You want employers to notice your application, but you know you’re up against hundreds of other candidates – including your classmates. Don’t sweat it: You’re going to get hired, especially if you’ve got the 7 items below in your arsenal. Trust us, this senior year checklist will bring all the offers to the yard.

1. Professional headshot

Employers are judging you based on how you present yourself, so if your online job search profile has a picture of you taking a bathroom selfie (is that a seriously a toilet in the background?) or a selfie with your best friend (which one of you is applying for the job?), employers are not going to think you’re serious about your search. We’ve seen the effects first hand of how certain photos can help or hurt students’ chances of getting hired, so put your energy into uploading your best photograph so that employers will see the best side of you! (P.S. If you’re concerned about the cost, ask someone in the photography department at your school to help you out.)

2. Update your public profile

Imagine if you handed in a resume with only two or three details about yourself: Your application probably wouldn’t last 5 seconds in the process. That’s why it’s extremely important to fill out your public profile, which is the equivalent of an online resume during your job search. Include as many details as possible to ensure that employers have a complete picture of who you are as a candidate: your experiences, your accomplishments, your skills and interests. On WayUp, having a robust public profile is a huge advantage because employers search for students with specific skills and qualifications, so the more details you fill out, the more you’ll be able to match with the open positions on our site.

3. Online portfolio and examples of your work

Hands down, you are slaying the job search if you have an online portfolio – whether a personal Squarespace website, a WordPress blog or even a YouTube channel. Having an online footprint of your accomplishments shows employers a consistent and well-rounded picture of you — and allows your hard work to speak for itself. Biggest advantage of all? Employers will be Google searching your name, and instead of finding photos of you at a party from last Saturday at the top of their results (yikes), they’ll see all the productive and impressive ways you’ve pursued your interests. Go you.

4. Email signature

Your email signature is a great way to promote your personal and professional branding. You can upload a link to your public profile or to a video that you created (or one that was made about you!). That way, you make it easy for employers to see that you’re smart about getting your name out there and you’re determined to make your professional mark.

5. Personalized cover letter

If you’re still beginning your cover letters with a “To Whom It May Concern,” then it’s time to hit the delete button. There’s another person on the other end reading your cover letter and the best way to connect with that person is to take the time to research and include a real name in your greeting.

Tailoring the body of your cover letter to each position you’re applying for also goes a long way in getting your application noticed. Yes, it’s a ton of work, but the most important thing to remember is that your personal story should give employers the perfect example of how you will carry yourself professionally — that, and it should be applicable to the position.

6. Letter of recommendation

If you haven’t asked a past employer for a letter of recommendation letter, now is absolutely the time to do it. Having an employer speak highly of you in writing gives future employers faith in your ability to do a job well. Not sure how to ask for one? We’ve got you covered.

7. List of references

If you’re ready with a list of 2-3 professional or academic references who can vouch for your candidacy, you’ll have employers asking, “When can you start?” Employers are always looking for proof that you can walk the walk, so make sure you’ve listed the names and contact information of people who have seen your work ethic and will speak highly of you.

Extra bonus? Most of these items make great answers when family friends ask you, “So, how’s the job search going?” (“Pretty good, just putting the finishing touches on my online portfolio for Google’s background check.”) Good luck, seniors – we know you can do this!

3 Things No One Tells You About Your First Real World Job Search

By December of your senior year, everyone is telling you that you need to get a job. As stressful as this is, you don’t need anyone reminding you because you’re going to find an opportunity – your determination to find a job means that your hard work will pay off: It’s all just a matter of time, so instead, to relieve some of the pressure, here are a few things we wish we’d known during our first real-world job search not too long ago – this helped us keep the right type of mindset and refocus our energies on the positives to come.

Your major won’t prevent you from looking into other options.

Family friends and strangers who didn’t even fund your college education might try to box you into a specific type of career based on your major (“Oh, you’re studying English? You must want to be a professor!”). Because of this, it’s easy to confuse a specific field of study with a narrow career path, but your major doesn’t define you or your career path, it is your college experience: registering for classes outside of your major, taking on demanding internships and participating in extracurriculars — which gives you an arsenal of skills that extend far beyond the world of your major.

Ask your parents and alumni about their first jobs out of college and where they are now – you’ll find that most people choose a job that is completely unrelated to their major, so if you find yourself itching to follow a fork in the road and try something new – a startup, a fellowship, a job abroad, then go forth and go for it.

When your friends get jobs, it’s not a reflection on you – but it will motivate you.

Not so fun fact: Your friends may get jobs well before you do, and while you should be happy for them, it’s enough to give anyone anxiety. The first thing to realize is that different industries have different hiring cycles – the industries your friends are choosing to pursue may hire candidates earlier than your desired industry. Your lack of prospects in December isn’t a reflection on who you are as a candidate (or even how well you can do a job) but instead may be all about timing.

The second potential reason that your friends are getting jobs before you is that they have a better search strategy. The silver lining there is that their success will not only motivate you, but also help accelerate your job search. Use your friends as resources – ask as many questions as you can so that you can knock your job search out of the park.

If you’re personable, you’ve already increased your chances.

Employers already know you don’t have 5 years of experience- no matter how many incredible internships you’ve taken on during school, winter break or over the summer, nothing can fully prepare you for a full-time job until you get a full-time job. What companies are looking for in you is potential, a willingness to learn and likeability. Having now been on the other side of the interviewing table, we know that even the most experienced candidate who absolutely crushed an interview got a rejection letter because he or she was flippant, arrogant and quite frankly, unpleasant to be around. Sorry, but not sorry – no one wants to work with someone they don’t like.

That’s why it’s so important to make sure that you’re applying to jobs where you think you’d be a great culture fit. Most organizations will include something about the company culture in the job description and they’ll definitely have it on their website. Find out as much information about the company and its employees as you can. Think about your work habits (are you collaborative and loud or do you like to eat lunch at your desk with your headphones in?). Then, try to picture yourself at the company. Be confident in your skill set, but humbled by the opportunity and most important of all, be kind to every single person you interact with both through email and when you go to your interview. Seriously, if you walk by the janitor, you should give a big, genuine smile and say hello, same as you would to the CEO. Everyone in the office talks, and if you make the mistake of assuming that only one person is the decision maker, you’ll fail the likeability test.

Biggest lesson of all? Relax because you are going to get hired – we know everyone tells you that, but it’s true. It might not be the most perfect job in the world – and it might not be the job you’re expecting, but you can rest assure that it’ll happen and you’ll learn so much about what you can accomplish. Plus, because our job is to get you a job, we won’t rest until you’re employed.

Good luck, Class of 2016 – we’re so excited to see where you land next!

Interview with YouTube Celebrity Katherout

Katherine Berry (Katherout) is a sophomore at USC from the Bay Area studying Business Communication. She is no stranger to the struggles of managing a busy student lifestyle: not only is she a campus tour guide, a trumpet in the Trojan Marching Band, and a member of a few other academic and professional organizations on campus, but she also manages her YouTube channel of over 53,000 followers. WayUp sat down with Katherine to find out how she continues to thrive while juggling all her commitments and what she’s learned from her self-made business.

Tell us how you first got into YouTube.

I stumbled across YouTube when looking for reviews of a product I wanted (Floral Ugg Boots – very eighth grade of me). After discovering some girls that I related to a lot more than I expected, I decided I also wanted to share my opinions and advice through a channel! I began with a horrible webcam – started using my sister’s Macbook – and eventually have transitioned into a DSLR camera to produce my content.

What is your favorite part about YouTube?

My favorite part of YouTube is the support and connection I receive from interacting with viewers. One comment I received on a video said that this was the exact content they were looking for and that I gave them what others couldn’t provide. It was enough to encourage me to continue publishing my ideas.

What skills have you learned as a Business major that have helped your channel thrive?

I think if anything it’s my YouTube channel that has led me to thrive in business. I have an expansive knowledge of marketing and branding, as well as organic business development and customer loyalty. My classes have reaffirmed best practices and have promoted me to continue to build my target audience and capitalize on collaborations. I now look at corporate sponsorships through an entirely new lens.

What is your dream job?

CEO of The Walt Disney Company!

You give a lot of advice to people in college and people who are looking to go to college. What is the best piece of advice that you ever received? What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever given?

I think one of the reasons I had such a positive experience with the admissions process was that I did my best not to compare myself. Many of my peers of similar backgrounds may have applied to key Ivies, but I knew that my talents would be best cultivated at a school with a wonderful community of spirited and ambitious individuals that love to involve themselves on campus. It’s hard to forget prestige and only look at the school’s fit for your interests, but once I did that, I made the best decision of my life.

As far as the best piece of advice I’ve given about admissions, it would be to not let myself believe that I’ll get anything I want until I actually have it – especially with college apps. That philosophy will enable you to put just as much effort into safeties as reaches. Nothing is certain and the process is broken in many ways, but just know that as long as you dedicate yourself to the applications, the results will prove that.

Check out the advice video Katherine made for WayUp below!

What has been the coolest experience you’ve had through your site?

I think one of the coolest experiences was actually meeting and developing a wonderful friendship with the first channel I ever watched, MVMmakeup. Marlee’s personality came through in such a vibrant and engaging way that I really wanted to get to know her! Although our relationship started online, when we eventually met in person in San Francisco, the connection was totally there. I even got to see her in Hong Kong over the summer while I was interning abroad in China!

What inspires your videos? How do you continue to stay creative?

My videos are inspired by the gaps I see on YouTube. If there is a video I could really use but can’t find when I search for it, that’s the void I become determined to fill. I do my best to research and find the content that will best serve my community in ways other channels don’t. Continuing to stay creative is the biggest challenge, especially because I don’t even consider myself to be a creative individual. I usually rely on my viewers to tell me what they want to see next if I’m stumped!

Who do you look up to?

In the media, I look up to empowering yet hilarious female figures like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling. On YouTube, I really look up to creators that are able to balance multiple commitments effectively. For example, Casey Neistat creates compelling vlogs daily while developing his own startup with a wife and baby at home. I look up to people like HelloKaty, who is honest about how much of a struggle it has been to keep up with schoolwork and push out the best videos possible according to a schedule. Anyone trying to further themselves while innovating on YouTube is a major idol to me.

Starting Up from the Ground Up

In December of 2014, I was knee-deep in my second “real-world” job search which was slowly turning into a mild quarter-life crisis. I had spent a year and a half living the stereotypical “startup life.” I worked in a glamorous office in Soho where everyone was under the age of 30 and got free Ubers home every night — one time I even met Kanye West (he’s shorter than I had imagined, but that’s a story for another time). Ultimately, that company wasn’t the place for me and as a result, I decided this time around I was going *corporate.* When a friend urged me to meet with Nikki, the first employee at WayUp (what was then called Campus Job), I was hesitant, but I met Nikki in a Starbucks nonetheless.

To make a long story short, Nikki pitched the idea of WayUp, told me about her experience with the company so far and gave me some background on the two co-founders, Liz and JJ. I was immediately hooked, and she could tell.

I’ve been at WayUp for exactly one year now, and I can safely say that I’ve never regretted my choice. That being said, joining a small tech startup early on is hard –like really, really hard. I’ve learned more in the past year than I can say but, in the interest of time, I’ll let you in on the most important gems…

Seek and accept weapons you’ve never used

When I started at WayUp, there were two full-time employees and no set teams. I was technically joining the “Marketing Team”….which at the time was just Nikki. I’d never worked in marketing before, and I had definitely never helped build a company from the ground up. Not going to sugarcoat it: I was scared and I knew the learning curve was going to be tough.

This experience allowed me to learn one of the most invaluable skills in my career: You can’t predict anything and you’ll never know everything. One of our company’s core values is to seek and accept weapons you’ve never used. It’s a terrifying concept, but working in a small company environment allows you to understand your strengths and develop new ones faster: You’re forced to ask for help, learn from your team members and figure out what the hell you’re good at. You’re never going to know exactly what to do and sometimes you just have to throw shit at the wall and see what sticks. If you’re wrong, hopefully it wasn’t a million dollar slip up and no lives were on the line. (That being said, you should probably make sure there aren’t actually lives on the line.)

Sleep when you’re dead

You know that nervous energy you get during college finals in the library when you’re tired, but weirdly giddy at the same time? Your brain is alert, and all your friends are buzzing right along with you? That’s what a late night at a startup feels like. If you’re in the office past your bedtime, it’s because you’re so determined to finish a project that you simply can’t leave. You’re bouncing ideas off your neighbor, jamming out to the new Bieber album while you create a product roadmap about user engagement and your is CEO singing weird show-tunes to herself in the corner. That is when the magic happens and you won’t find it anywhere else, so as much as I Iove sleep (probably more than the average human), I would never trade working a few late nights for a 5 pm exit time.

Startups are a mess!

Recently, Jonathan Ehrlich, former Head of Marketing at Facebook and current Venture Capitalist investor came to chat with our team. “All companies are a mess,” he told us, “Even the ones that look perfect from the outside. But, they’re a beautiful mess and if you’ve got a shot, don’t fuck it up.”

When things get messy, you have to brush yourself off and keep going. In Startup Land, you might work all night on something that gets completely scrapped the next day. You might find yourself taking on projects that have nothing to do with your position. It can be incredibly frustrating and those are the times when the whole thing feels like one big, giant, horrifying mess. It’s how you deal with the mess that helps you grow. When you get through tough times with a dangerous “can-do” attitude, you’ll quickly gain an awesome sense of leadership. This is arguably the toughest part of working at a small startup, but it’s also the most valuable.

Don’t get me wrong, the startup lifestyle isn’t for everyone. We’ve all willingly sacrificed a few things here and there to help build this business, but watching this company grow from a team of 3 to a team of 30 is proof enough that when you’ve got that shot, you go for it, and you go for it together. If you do decide that joining a startup is the right move, I promise that you will not learn faster, work harder or have more fun anywhere else.

Harvard Admissions Summer Intern

A graduate of Harvard University with a degree in English, Kema interned in the Admissions Office during her sophomore summer. Here’s what she has to say about talking to hundreds of students applicants (and their parents!).

What did your role involve?

I was in charge of giving on-campus tours, conducting info sessions, meeting 1-on-1 with families and students, and answering about 200 student emails a day. (There were 4 interns working in the recruitment office that summer, so that was about 800 emails a day split between us!)

What was the most challenging part of the job? What did you learn?

It was definitely tough handling the high volume of student questions per day – especially since many students would respond with follow-up questions. On a personal level, I was motivated to give students the confidence to apply because remember how scary it was when I was a senior in high school. On a professional level, it’s a great lesson in customer support: the way that you make any organization – including a university! – successful is to ensure that the customer knows there’s a real person on the other end who truly wants to help. In a way, my job was to help make Harvard more human to these students.

I was also able to acquire the mindset “do as much as you can, as soon as you can.” It taught me to handle immediate tasks as they came up instead of wasting time complaining about how much work there is to do.

You probably got a ton of “How do I get into Harvard?” questions. How did you handle them?

We never told students that there is an exact formula for admission because there isn’t one (which is a good thing since it allows for the diversity of the student body). What I will say is that you don’t have to be at the top of your class in order to get in. One of my favorite days on the job was when my 3 coworkers and I were giving an info session to a group of about 100 people. One of the students raised his hand and asked, “Do you have to be a valedictorian to get into Harvard?” We all looked at each other and said, “I wasn’t the valedictorian.” One of my coworkers even added, “I made B’s in high school,” which made everyone laugh. You obviously have to work incredibly hard, but I do think there’s a myth about there being one type of person who’s a shoe-in for acceptance.

What was your favorite part about giving tours on campus?

Harvard is a historic school (founded in 1636!), so it’s hard not to enjoy people’s reactions as you explain the significance of each building on campus. We would share anything from nerdy facts to fun facts like, “Natalie Portman lived in this dorm!” Plus, I loved my time at Harvard, so it was great being able to share that with other people.

What were some fun perks to this job?

Free on-campus housing and meals! I was able to save a ton and make money! (Kind of like students who get jobs on WayUp.)

You must have met with a ton of parents trying to get their kids into Harvard. Were they intense?

Oh, absolutely. I once had a one-on-one meeting with a family where the dad interrupted me to ask about my SAT score. We kept that information private because we didn’t want to give students the (wrong) idea that a certain score would be the deciding factor in their acceptance. I kindly declined to answer and the dad was not having it. I was like, “Do you have any other questions for me?” and the dad snapped, “Well, I asked about your SAT score, but you didn’t answer my question.” His son was so embarrassed – he apologized for his dad right in front of me! So awkward. But at the same time, these parents really just want the best for their kids, so it’s always important to keep that in mind.

What was the craziest experience you had working in the admissions office?

While we normally only speak to high school upperclassmen and their families, I once had a dad contact me asking if I would talk to his two sons, a 6-year-old and 10-year-old, about getting into Harvard. I checked with my supervisor, who said that it was ok to take the meeting, but I was pretty nervous: even though I’d dreamed of going to Harvard since I was 8-years old, I didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on two young kids.

Thankfully, I was able to turn it into a talk about the importance of higher education rather than stressing two kids out about getting into Harvard before they’d even started middle school. The family was so sweet and the dad was especially thankful: “I just want them to have high goals and see someone who achieved them, so thank you.” It was so heart-warming.

Any advice you’d give to students who want to intern in admissions?

If you’re passionate about your school and eager to help students, you’re already the perfect for the job. You can’t do this job well if you’re not empathetic: it’s so important to put yourself in applicants’ shoes and add a personal element to the advice and information you’re giving — it makes the meeting more genuine and worth their while.

You also need to have great memory retention: all the important facts about the school, all the information that’s not acceptable to share, and all names of the students you meet in person. The latter is extremely important since these students will very likely follow up with you by email or on the phone. Since you’re representing the university, it makes them feel so valued when you remember who they are.

3 Career Lessons I Learned Working in Live Television

This post is from our good friends at campus.about.me. campus.about.me helps students get discovered and excel on and off campus.

Working in live television is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a high-pressure environment and you get one shot to get it right.

I still remember the first time I was on live television as co-host of a show on Nickelodeon. As we broadcasted live into millions of homes, I felt like my heart was going to explode through my chest.

Over the years, I came to love working in live TV, and the simultaneous rush and finality that it provided. This experience taught me some amazing lessons that can be applied to our lives and careers.

1. “Winging It” Is Easy When You’re Well Prepared

So many things can go wrong in live television. From celebrities canceling five minutes before they’re scheduled to appear to non-functioning teleprompters to microphones that don’t work, it all can, and will, happen.

In my first few years on TV, when I experienced something unexpected, I would panic. But with time I learned that the more I prepared I was, the better I could handle these situations. Making something look easy takes a lot of work.

2. Make It Happen

Early in my career, I was part of a team that launched a live television program for a major television network. The challenge was that we had a small budget, lean staff and limited access to resources. Fortunately, our show producer taught us to how to adopt a “make it happen” mentality.

“Make it happen” meant not focusing on the problem, but rather creating a solution. Graphic designer out sick? No problem. Here’s Photoshop, figure it out. A segment that airs in three minutes was just rejected by the legal department? Okay, rewrite it, right now in 90 seconds. When you adopt a “make it happen” mentality you shift from focusing on why something can’t work to how to identify a creative way to make it work.

3. Finish Something

One thing I loved about working in live television was that we created and delivered a “product,” or show, every single day. Then the next day we would do it all over again. It’s like pressing send on an important assignment that you just finished and being released from all of the pressure.

This experience taught me the power of completing projects and staying focused. When you finish projects, you create momentum, develop a strong track record and have something to add to your Backstory.

12 Reasons Why Thanksgiving is the Best Holiday for College Students

There are a lot of downsides to Thanksgiving: the infamous turkey dump, impending finals, having your family members debate whether or not you’ve gained the freshman 15, to name a few. Despite this, there are so many things to be thankful for as a college student. Here are 12 reasons why Thanksgiving is the best holiday ever.

1. If you go home for Thanksgiving, you’ll be surrounded by free food.

2. In fact, there will be so much food that you can probably take some back to school with you.

Another week avoiding dining hall food #ftw.

3. If your hometown is on the West Coast or in the South, you have EVERYTHING to be thankful for.

Bless you, golden sun.

4. And even if you live somewhere cold, well, at least it’s not the dead of winter yet.

5. There’s a 1,000% chance that “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” will be on TV.

It’s still perfectly acceptable for you to be excited about this.

6. You can turn up with all your friends the night before Thanksgiving.

7. And after that, you get to spend quality time with your family.

8. But not too much quality time.

Four days of everyone asking how much weight you’ve gained is enough, thanks.

9. If you aren’t going home, be thankful that your relatives won’t be prying into your relationship status.

10. Or asking you why you don’t have a job yet.

11. The holidays aren’t over, so you can look forward to all the ugly sweater parties when you get back to school.

12. And speaking of clothes, you WILL be hitting up Black Friday.

So yeah, today is pretty much the best day ever.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Here’s Why Your Friend Got the Job and You Didn’t

Conducting your job search at the same time as a friend can be awkward, especially if you’re inclined to be competitive. While your family, professors and career counselors will caution you against comparing yourself to others, if one of your friends is getting the jobs he or she wants, you can benefit from taking a look at his or her game plan. Here are some of the strategies that led to your friend’s success.

You had your heart set on your dream internship. Your friend diversified his search.

You fell hard for what you thought was your dream internship, daydreaming of a scenario where your interviewer dumps a pile of applications into the trash and says, “You’re the best candidate we’ve ever had. You’re hired.” Instead, a few weeks later, you receive a disappointing email that the company is moving forward with another candidate.

As a college student or recent grad, you’re young to the workforce, which means that while you may have an idea of what you’d like to be doing, you don’t always know what your dream job will be until you start experiencing different roles. Even the best job candidates in the world have had to deal with rejection: Putting your eggs all in one basket only exacerbates that final “no.”

Your friend knows this and prepares by applying for multiple internships. He recognizes that there isn’t just one job that speaks to his skill sets or one job that he can excel in.

Keep your options open. Ask your friends and professors to give you feedback on your strengths, and take some time to make a list of the things you enjoy doing – whether in past internships, in your extracurriculars or in your classes. Then, apply for as many jobs that speak to your qualifications and interests as you can to increase your chances.

You sent a one size fits all cover letter. Your friend tweaked her cover letter for each application.

Fact #1: A combination of great qualifications and a solid cover letter will get you an interview. Fact #2: Because hiring managers are seeing hundreds of cover letters per week, they can tell how much effort you’ve put into yours. Making the mistake of using your cover letter as a Common App for jobs won’t do you any favors in terms of standing out from the crowd. Doing so will only prompt employers to wonder if you even read the job description.

Your friend reviewed each of the job description qualifications and altered her cover letter to match. If a company emphasized the need for a candidate with strong customer service skills, she included a story in her cover letter about a time when she single-handedly supported 100 customers, collected and acted on their feedback and improved the retention rate by 30% — an example which made the hiring manager think, “We’ve got to bring this candidate in.”

You didn’t provide specific examples to your interviewer’s questions. Your friend had an example prepared for each of his skill sets.

During an interview, one of the biggest turn-offs is when a candidate is asked a specific question–“Tell me about a time when you were detail-oriented and caught an error that everyone else missed”–and he or she responds, “I’m very detail oriented – I’m always double checking my work. I think that’s why I would be a great fit for this position.”

Based on this general and vague response, your interviewer hasn’t received an adequate answer to the question. Interviewers want to know that you can accomplish exactly what you say you can accomplish: Your friend knew this and was able to tell a specific story which helped the employer to confirm his ability to do the job well. (After all, if you claim to be as detail-oriented as you say you are, you should have no trouble coming up with an example to back it up.)

You didn’t Google yourself before the interview. Your friend cleaned up her online presence.

You sent in your resume, your cover letter and the most glowing recommendation letter you’ve ever received — unfortunately, you didn’t think about where else employers would be getting information about you. Eighty percent of hiring managers use social media to vet candidates: If they see something that makes you look less-than-professional (note: you doing a keg stand at that frat party last Saturday), it will ruin your chances.

Your friend knows this and started cleaning up her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to make sure that the way she presented herself in her application was consistent with the way she presented herself on her personal accounts. Whether this meant deleting photos or changing her privacy settings, she ensured that her own accounts wouldn’t keep her from getting hired.

If you discovered that you’re doing any of the things on this list, it’s time to change up your strategy. Be smart about your job search and the way that you present yourself, but most importantly, don’t be afraid to reach out for support: Even if you’re competitive with your friend, chances are, he or she will be willing to give you the tips you need to succeed.

NICE!