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

9 College Students Who Deserve a James Harden Side Eye

Olympic Gold medalist and famous NBA basketball player James Harden may be a legend for his skills on the court, but when a reporter approached him asking if he’d got his rhythm back, Harden showed the world that he’s got his side eye game on lock.

SWERVE.

At WayUp, we can think of several people — college students, to be exact – who deserve this reaction, and there’s no doubt that if Harden were back on campus, he would agree. Here are the 9 types of students who need a James Harden side eye.

The kid who can’t stop talking about how much homework he has to do.

You’re pre-med: you know what you signed up for.

The kid who leaves her humongous shower caddy and 5,000 hair products in the shared bathroom.

The kid on the Senior Gift committee who keeps asking you to donate to your school.

But lol that you think I’m rolling in dough.

The kid who dumps out all your laundry that you left in the dryer for only 5 mins overtime.

Sleep with one eye open tonight.

The kid who skips 7 classes in a row and then asks for your notes.

Here’s what’s NOT going to happen.

The kid who keeps challenging everyone to a dance off at every party, but looks like this…

The kid who tells everyone she’s going to fail and gets an A every time.

The kid who brags about getting a job before everyone else.

Let me stop you right there.

The kid who never pays you back.

Thanks, JH. You’ve empowered us to shut it down with a single look.

BAI.

Back to School 14 Day Get Hired Challenge – Day 6

Our Back to School 14 Day Get Hired Challenge will get you in career shape this January. Your next challenge is…

Day 6: Time to Stalk Some Companies

Today, it’s time to put those Facebook stalking skills to good use and research the companies you’re interested in. Check out the job opportunities in your WayUp dasbhoard, and click on the “company info” portion of each job. Take a look at their mission and go to their website. What’s their mission? What’s their value prop? What do they say about their employees? Take notes so that you can be prepared when you apply (which, when you do apply should be as soon as possible since job opening get taken down quickly!).

Next, take a look at the company’s social media handles. What types of Facebook and Instagram posts do they have? What about their tweets? Look at the type of content they’re producing on social to get an idea of who their audience is. You’ll be much more prepared for the interviewing and hiring process when you know as much about a company as possible. It shows that you’re truly invested in the company, which employers love to see!

Fun tip: Our very own employee, Alex K, a recent grad who was hired on WayUp, says he looked up WayUp’s co-founders on YouTube before his interview. “It helped because I was able to find that interview I showed you where Liz and JJ basically outlined what they look for in a job candidate — someone who is smart, honest, hungry — and how they test these traits.” This information helped Alex to position himself as the perfect candidate for WayUp. He was hired not long after!

5 Summer 2016 Internships You Can Apply For Now

Remember that kid last year who was bragging to everyone about getting a summer internship in January? He’s. Going. Down.

This is the year — your year — to get a summer internship before the last second in the semester. The companies below know the early bird gets the worm, so they’ve posted summer internships on WayUp – meaning this is your chance to secure an internship for the summer now.

1. Express – Merchandising Intern

Calling all Fashion students! As a Merchandising Intern, you will collaborate with the primary Merchant to execute and promote the Express line. You will have your finger on the fashion pulse, reading publications on the latest trends and styles and collecting customer feedback to better understand the competitive landscape.

If you have a 3.0 or higher, and you’re able to juggle multiple tasks well at once, this is the position for you! If hired, you’ll be paid $13-16/hr.

2. Greenlight VR – Graphic Design Intern

Do you love making data fun and digestible? Greenlight VR provides business insights to the Virtual Reality industry, and they’re looking for a Graphic Design Intern who can take all the industry data and research the company has conducted and transform it into engaging and visually appealing infographics.

If you’re skilled with Photoshop and Illustrator, love working in a startup, and can stay on track even when you’re working remotely, this position is perfect for you.

3. Reynolds and Reynolds – Summer Sales Intern

Reynolds and Reynolds offers products and services for automotive dealerships. As a Summer Sales Intern, you will receive training, traveling on-site with Outside Sales Representatives and getting hands-on experience. You’ll learn everything from lead generation to collecting competitive intelligence. To qualify, you must be a sophomore or a junior in college. This internship will begin on May 16, 2016 and end on August 5, 2016.

Among the many perks available for student hires, R&R offers company sports leagues and company cook-offs, a free on-site fitness area, as well as discounts on cars, cell phones, and entertainment!

4. Enerskin America – Customer Relations Development Intern

Coined the “gear of champions,” Enerskin is a company that’s created game-changing athletic compression gear. As a Customer Relations Development Intern, your primary role is to handle customer inquiries and ensure that customers are happy. For this role, your writing skills must be on point, and you should feel comfortable juggling multiple projects at once. The position pays a monthly stipend and interns will be based in Long Island City, NY.

5. Center for Resource Solutions – Green-e Energy Verification Associate

A nonprofit dedicated to sustainable energy, Center for Resource Solutions is the catalyst behind policy and market solutions to big problems like climate change and energy efficiency. As a Green-e Energy Verification Associate, you will help to form partnerships with like-minded organizations, research international renewable energy markets, and review and process an annual report on the supply and sales of renewable energy. Perfect for environmental studies majors!

The position pays $18/hr, and is located in San Fran!

You shouldn’t have to wait until the end of May to get a job from your dentist’s wife’s father. Apply on WayUp now so that you’re ahead of the game!

Back to School 14 Day Get Hired Challenge – Day 5

Our Back to School 14 Day Get Hired Challenge will get you in career shape this January. Your next challenge is…

Day 5: Put Together 3 Cover Letter Stories

Let’s be real here: no one wants to write a cover letter. In fact, our company set out to make the application process easier for students, replacing the dreaded cover letter with a couple of questions, so that students could apply and move on with their lives. Unfortunately, demand is high for cover letters, so every now and then, employers will ask for one on WayUp.

One of the most important parts of your cover letter is your story: usually at the start of your letter, it’s a way to catch an employer’s attention with an interesting narrative about you and then convince them that you’re perfect for the job in one paragraph. Nbd!

The good news is that you can save time agonizing over these first 3-4 sentences by think about your past work experience, your classes, or your extracurriculars. Have you ever been in a situation where people were relying on you to make a decision? Did you discover an innovative way of handling a crisis? Take a look at some of the job listings you typically apply for and see if there’s a common theme in what they’re asking: for example, customer service positions probably require someone who’s a problem-solver and attentive to the needs of others. Sales positions probably want someone outgoing and influential (can you get people you don’t know signed up for any product?). Think about the top 3 roles you’re interested in and write a story that caters to the skill sets of each. This way, you’ll be able to swap out different starting paragraphs for the different roles you’re applying for instead of sitting down to write a completely new cover letter each time. Keep in mind that you will still have to tweak each cover letter to each job, but this will save you a ton of time.

Ready, set, write!

P.S. We put together a cover letter guide to help you out. Download the WayUp Cover Letter Guide.

P.P.S. If you’ve decided cover letters just aren’t your thing, here are a few of the many jobs on WayUp that don’t require a cover letter.

3 Weaknesses You Can Use to Your Advantage

As a college student or a recent grad, it’s easy to feel like you have more weaknesses than strengths. You haven’t had time to develop your skills like some of the senior-level executives have, and it’s discouraging to see all the entry-level openings that require 2 or more years of experience. It’s part of why I wish WayUp had been around during my first job search – it levels the playing field for all young professionals concerned about hopelessly competing with a more experienced crowd.

Now that I’m on the WayUp team, working so closely with the college students hired on our site, I’ve noticed that there are a few perceived weaknesses about students which call for a different perspective. Certain qualities which can be initially viewed as weaknesses in the workplace can actually give younger employees a distinct advantage, as long as they’re used in the right way.

Inexperience

In her Commencement speech to the Harvard class of 2015, Natalie Portman validated recent graduates, saying that “inexperience is an asset and will allow you to think in original, unconventional ways.” She painted a picture of how at times, experience can be crippling, describing a famous violinist she knows who can’t compose:“He knows too many pieces, so when he starts to think of a note, an existing piece immediately comes to mind.”

The surprising advantage to being inexperienced is that you come in with a clean slate – no preconceived notions or expectations, no limits to what you can or cannot do. At WayUp, we’ve seen this in the way our two college-age interns, Jess and Hannah, a senior and a junior at Cornell changed the course of our company through our big rebrand from Campus Job to WayUp. We had wanted to change our company’s name for months (we were tired of people saying, “Wait, you have jobs off-campus? Wait, you have entry-level jobs?!”). Though each person at our company had the experience and the capability necessary to conduct this change, it was our college-age interns with not even a year of experience under their belt who came up with our new name and designed our new logo, serving as the catalysts for one of our company’s biggest moments last year.

College students and recent grads: You have the ability to make a creative and pleasantly unexpected impact on any company by innovating and implementing new ideas. Regardless of inexperience, if you work hard and continue to think in new ways, you will tackle whatever you take on.

Introversion

According to Susan Cain, author of the book “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,” 50% of the world is composed of introverts. Despite this somewhat revolutionary number, that percentage may as well be less than 10%: The workplace has assertively valued extroversion, rewarding and promoting the employee who speaks up in meetings and loudly states his or her opinion.

As recent grads forging the way through our first jobs out of college, both my friends and I would recount stories where we felt that we had nothing valuable to contribute to meetings. We quietly offered up one opinion while senior level executives went back and forth on a particular proposal. Dealing with college students on a regular basis, I’ve noticed just how quiet they can be. (In fact, our team regularly interacts with students who have a chronic fear of the “Reply All” button, resulting in a few pretty disjointed and confusing email chains.) However, what I’ve also noticed is that while it may be tough to get introverted students to speak up, they have a tendency to be extremely thoughtful and excellent listeners. As an introvert myself, I took the opportunity to take in the environment around me and observe how my co-workers and upper management tick. It’s extremely valuable to have an employee who thinks and listens before they speak or act because it means that when they do decide to move forward in voicing their opinion, it tends to be a careful and thorough idea.

Making mistakes

Making mistakes isn’t something that is unique to young employees: Everyone makes mistakes, but because younger candidates haven’t learned all the professional protocol, there can certainly be a steeper learning curve. We’ve seen everything from students who cleared their hard drive and lost the entire footage for a contracted video to a student who showed up to a Skype interview shirtless.

The advantage for young professionals when they slip us is that they quickly figure out the right and the wrong way to go about their professional lives. They can learn from their mistakes, take ownership and figure out a way to overcome the minor bumps in the road. At WayUp, we even encourage our employees not to apologize – after all, mistakes happen – but instead, to find a way to make it better.

If you’re a young employee, find a way to leverage the weaknesses you have into strengths – and if they can’t be transformed, work as hard as you can to improve them. It may feel more like growing pains for a few months into your first job, but don’t discount yourself: Instead, create the opportunity to prove to yourself that you have an incredible contribution to make and your career will flourish because of it.

Back to School 14 Day Get Hired Challenge – Day 4

Our Back to School 14 Day Get Hired Challenge will get you in career shape this January. Your next challenge is…

Day 4: Ask for a letter of recommendation from 3 people today

Now that you’ve completed the first three days of the BTS Get Hired Challenge and have allowed your work to speak for itself, it’s time for other people to validate your professional skills. Employers will like you – but they want to see that other people like you, too. Having someone else vouch for you helps to create a consistent picture of your candidacy and your ability to perform well in the workplace. That’s where asking for a letter of recommendation comes in: you need to be ready with a few in your arsenal so that this doesn’t slow up the hiring process. Your challenge today? Ask for not one, but three letters of recommendation. Here are a few tips for how you can go about doing this:

Choose someone who knows you really well and who is your biggest fan. This should be someone who has complimented your work multiple times in the past and can attest to your work ethic, like a professor or a former boss. Your mom, your friends, and your significant other cannot be the ones writing your letter of recommendation (as awesome as that would be).
When you send the email requesting a recommendation letter, jog the person’s memory by attaching a few of your top papers or projects to help them to remember the great things about you. This also gives you some control over making sure that your top work is mentioned in the letter.
Ask well in advance (today’s a good day, for example! :D). People are busy and a good recommendation letter takes time. Make sure to also let them know if it’s a time-sensitive request and politely ask if they can complete it by the date you need the letter.

For more tips on requesting a great letter of recommendation, check out this article. See you back here for Day 5!

Before It Closes: The Job Every CS Major Wants

Adobe just posted an entry-level position on WayUp for a Web UI Software Engineer, and we’re putting it on blast for all the CS-loving seniors and recent grads out there. Rated as 4 stars on Glassdoor and with $2 – 5 billion in revenue each year, Adobe is a company bound to be a lucrative position for any qualified young professional. Especially when you consider that the average starting salary for a Software Engineer at the company is over $100k per year.

As a Web UI Software Engineer, you will directly impact the user experience by designing new web-based user interfaces. Your role will also involve collecting technical requirements for optimized data visualization and solving “complex business and technical problems involving large-scale data aggregation.”

To apply, you must be pursuing or have received a BS in Computer Science or a related field, have software development experience with modular JavaScript frameworks, and be a detail-oriented self-starter.

This position is open to all schools, and it only has 16 applicants spots available! If you’re ready to join an incredible and well-known company that’s transforming the digital landscape, apply on WayUp today .
P.S. If you’re more interested in pursuing an engineering role, say, at one of the world’s leading producers of entertainment, Viacom is also hiring an Associate Software Engineer.

Jobs With No Cover Letter Required

As students, the last thing you want to write–in addition to all the papers that you have to write for your classes–is a cover letter. We here at WayUp totally understand, and in fact, most of the jobs for college students and recent grads on our site don’t require a cover letter. All you need to do is click apply – or answer a few questions about yourself.

We pulled together a list of 5 opportunities that pay well and don’t require a cover letter! You can kiss that blank Word document goodbye.

Grants Management Intern ($15/hr) – Carnegie Corporation of New York

Founded in 1911 by Andrew Carnegie, the Carnegie Corporation of New York is one of America’s largest grant-making foundations. Dedicated to the advancement of knowledge, international peace, and democratic values, the organization is looking to hire a Grants Management Intern who will make sure operations are running smoothly and help own the grants management process.

The position is part-time (so you can manage it along with your school work) and pays $15/hr!

Executive Assistant – Genie

Genie is a tech company that is creating an augmented reality platform changing the way consumers interact with products. As an Executive Assistant, you will own the office management process, handling conference calls, keeping track of client agreements, and making sure expenses are in order. This position is perfect for someone who is well-organized and isn’t afraid to assert their opinion.

This position pays $10 – 20/hr.

Growth, Empowerment and Merchandising Rep – Chloe + Isabel

If you’re social media savvy, this position is perfect for you. Chloe + Isabel is a fashion jewelry brand looking to set self-starting college students up with real world marketing experience. As Growth, Empowerment and Merchandising Rep, you will sell Chloe + Isabel jewelry through creative social media posts, on-campus marketing to various student organizations, and in-person and online pop-up shops. The position has flexible hours and you not only will earn 25-40% commission on all personal sales, but you also get a discount on the jewelry!

Social Media Specialist – Newman for Senate 2016

For government majors and students interested in politics, Newman for Senate 2016 is looking for a Social Media Specialist. This specialist will work closely with the staff to spread the campaign’s message across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you have a way with social media, this position could give you the resume boost you need: what employer wouldn’t be impressed by a student who positively impacted a candidate’s social influence? This position pays $500/month.

Marketing Communications Manager – Skyfit

Skyfit streams live and on-demand classes for avid runners. As Marketing Communications Manager, you will be in charge of customer support, addressing customer inquiries and ensuring that customers have an incredible workout experience. You should apply if you’re passionate about fitness and have excellent communications skills.

The position pays $10/hr.

We hope these jobs with no cover letter required help you speed up your job search! Good luck and don’t forget to apply on WayUp!

Back to School 14 Day Get Hired Challenge – Day 3

Our Back to School 14 Day Get Hired Challenge will get you in career shape this January. Your next challenge is…

Day 3: Create an Online Professional Portfolio

Nothing impresses an employer more than seeing ambitious college students who know how to exhibit their work in a professional way. Your online portfolio helps with your online presence so that when employers search your name (which will happen if you’ve applied to a particular position), they can see all the projects you’ve been working on. Check out this online portfolio from an incredibly talented student we hired on WayUp for a photography position, Julia. When we initially asked her for examples of her work, and she sent over that link, we were wowed.

A few really cool things we can learn from Julia’s online portfolio:

Her name is prominent – it’s clear that the website and the work is hers
She added her social media handles. You should be smart about displaying and linking to the other outlets where you promote your work: for example, if you use Instagram to post your original photographs and designs, make sure to include your social media handles in your online portfolio so that employer can follow you.
Her work is very well organized by location and by type in the Projects section of her portfolio – it’s easy to navigate.
She incorporated a blog to show off that she’s not only a photographer but also a writer. This is great because it shows employers that she’s versatile. Not only that, but her blog is linked to her photographs in such a way that it shows that she’s clearly passionate about what she does.
She included an “About me” section describing herself and her passion along with a contact form, allowing her to receive requests for part-time gigs and projects.

Whether you want to publish your research on a biology project, show off your sick backend developer skills, or map out the strategy and data you discovered working in sales over the summer, use your online portfolio to house videos, articles, photographs, and other types of work. Start off using Wix or WordPress – these sites have tons of templates to help you show off the best version of you. Good luck and we’ll see you back here for Day 4!

Back to School 14 Day Get Hired Challenge – Day 2

Our Back to School 14 Day Get Hired Challenge will get you in career shape this January. Your second challenge is…

Day 2: Add your fall or winter job to your resume

To those of you who completed a fall or winter internship recently: that’s cool – who else knows?

No one if you don’t update your resume. One of the most important parts about your resume is the Experience section, and if you aren’t prepared with your updated info, you won’t be able to show off the additional skills you’ve learned to employers.

Here are a few tips to make this process painless:

Make sure there are NO grammatical errors. HR Managers will talk about your resume. And the word on the street is that if you have any errors on your resume, you won’t be given a chance. If you’re confused as to why, here’s how the same accomplishment on your resume can come across to an HR Manager:
- Example 1: Increased traffic to website by 30% – Wow, this student really knows how to grow an audience!
- Example 2: Upped traffick 2 cite by 30% – *Toss*
Use commanding action words like increased, implemented, and coordinated. Your resume should scream, “I took charge, and I did the damn thing.”
Try to use no more than 3-4 bullet points to describe what you accomplished during your position. Your resume should be clear and concise – no longer than a page.

Final step? Make sure to upload it to your WayUp profile so that you can apply to jobs with ease!

Extra bonus: Need a resume template? Download WayUp’s Resume Template to help you update your resume!

Day 6: Time to Stalk Some Companies

Day 5: Put Together 3 Cover Letter Stories

Day 4: Ask for a letter of recommendation from 3 people today

Day 3: Create an Online Professional Portfolio

Day 2: Add your fall or winter job to your resume

NICE!