Figuring It All Out – Jillian Miller: Blog 2

My last blog post was a fun filled time full of why I can’t be an elementary teacher and how I constantly crave Chipotle. It ended with my decision to become a Theatre Major. Like that last blog post, I don’t really know what I am doing, yet here I am at Baker University, hoping to figure it all out. My decision to become a Theatre Major spawned from talks of other majors such as becoming a Music Major or an accountant. I am completely kidding about that second one. My hatred for math rivals that of a KU fan towards a Mizzou fan on college game day. Anyway, while I love music and am quite good at singing, I am not cut out to be a Music Education Major.

1) There is entirely too much time involved and I appreciate what little social life I do have, thank you very much.

2) I cannot sight sing or count out rhythms or tell you what key we are in because I have learned to fake my way through all that over the years. Fake it until you make it, although helpful at times, should not be how I go through life or get my degree.

3) I dropped the education aspect of my degree, so unless I decide to spend an extra two years at Baker, this fact nipped that one in the bud.

I have considered getting a minor in Musical Theatre, but I am working one step at a time here. I am not saying, however, that I know what I want to do with a degree in Theatre. I could become an actress vying for that job in a Price Chopper ad or a prop master for the local community theatre. You know, the glamorous stuff.

Each day I attend classes for my major and am one step closer to my degree… one step closer to possibly knowing what I am going to do with my life.

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How to Fold a Business Letter

You print out your beautiful business letter, you proofread it – it’s perfect! It’s the most stunning business letter ever – and it only took five printings. Then you fold it and something goes terribly wrong. It won’t fit in the envelope.

A business letter on an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet is folded in thirds. Take the bottom edge of the stationery and fold it two-thirds of the way up (or one-third from the top). Then take the top edge of the stationery and fold it over, as if the bottom edge of the sheet is nestled in the top fold, and the top third is folded over and shielding it from harm. If you have trouble aiming for the two-thirds spot (I was fractionally challenged as a child), place the envelope next to the stationery as you are bringing up the bottom edge for the first fold.

Executives will sometimes have a smaller 7.5 x 10.5 inch personalized stationery called Monarch stationery. It too, is folded in thirds. (If you get a hand-written note from your chief executive on this, it’s usually because you have done something right.)

Place a business letter in the envelope with the open side facing the back of the envelope, so when the recipient slides it out, it opens toward them.

When placing a notecard in an envelope, place it fold side down, so the opening is at the top of the envelope. The front of the notecard should face the back of the envelope.

From the Culture and Manners Institute at http://www.cultureandmanners.com

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The Search Continues – Morgan James: Blog 7

The Search Continues…

So what do you do when no one emails you back, or you get no response from the places where you have applied for internships? Well, you just have to keep looking and keep applying. This is the case for me right now in my internship search. There have been a few companies that have contacted me and told me that they have pursued other candidates or that they filled the job with someone else. That’s all well and good; It’s no big deal – just got to roll with the punches and keep going. As I stated in my last blog, I started big and went after big companies and sports franchises. Now I have started looking at scaling back in scope and beginning to look locally and at places where I have connections. Some people may ask why I didn’t do this first, but in my mind it was kind of a safety thing for me. Now I am not trying to sound cocky or arrogant, but I figured I would try jumping into the big pool with the bigger companies and then go to the companies that I had connections with because there is a higher chance in getting hired there than in a place where you know no one. So my tactics may be a little different, but I thought go big or go home right off the bat – and now I am simply going back to what I know and see if I can work something out there. My plan is to work for a sports franchise and sometimes you just have to be able to jump out and try it like I talked about in my last blog.

So you all are probably wondering what I am going to do, or what companies I am looking at now, or how I am pursuing these goals. Well, the answer is quite simple indeed! I am planning on attending the COSMC Interview Day which allows for students to sign up in advance to interview with companies for possible internships and jobs. Some other things that I have been doing to help myself are talking with Kelly Burns and Susan Wade in Career Services about possible internship opportunities and leads that they may have and suggestions about places to look that I have not thought about.

At times I get discouraged and just want to quit, but this is something that is too big to just quit and walk away from. It has been said that internships help make students more marketable out of college and are something that everyone needs in order to get professional experience before they graduate. I think that Baker has something really special here by requiring students in some majors to do an internship, because some universities do not require it at all and that in turn hurts their students. The Baker students that do an internship come out of college well-rounded and a lot more marketable to employers because they have life experience, and have knowledge of how the real world works. I wish every major was required to do an internship or practicum in order to graduate. The benefits only help students in the long run.

Every day is a new day with new opportunities – they just need to be discovered. So with that being said, I make it a priority to try and find a new internship or an employer each day that I can apply to until I get that vital internship that I need and want.

UPDATE: This just in! I have an interview with one of the companies that I applied with! Words cannot describe how excited I am for this opportunity and for this interview. I hope all goes well! Tune in next time to see how my interview went!

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Meet Jillian!

Jillian Miller: Blog 1

My name is Jillian Miller and not knowing what I want to do with my life is the game. I am a sophomore here at Baker who is heavily involved in theatre, choir, and my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. I love to quote movies, tweet, hang out with my friends and family, and have a constant desire for a Chipotle burrito. I am not eloquent, so bear with me as I ramble my way through these blog posts. Now, while I am currently a theatre major, I came to Baker wanting to be an elementary education major. My whole life had been leading up to having my own classroom and shaping the young minds of America into perfect little citizens, but that came to a screeching halt when I realized that I hated planning and being critiqued and low and behold, that is exactly what my life would have consisted of if I continued on my chosen career path. I had to move to a plan B, theatre. Do I love theatre? Absolutely. Does it make me want to rip my hair out? It most certainly does. Will I stick with theatre? We shall see.

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The Search is On – Morgan James: Blog 6

Over Christmas break I realized that it was time to get back on the internship train and try and find an internship for this summer. To start off, I made a spread sheet of the companies I wanted to work for and the deadlines for their internship programs. After that, I started to work on actually applying for these internships and looking for other companies that I may have missed or that I didn’t think of looking at for internship opportunities. Being a Sports Administration & Business Finance Major, I looked at a lot of sports teams and companies, and then for the finance side I looked at financial companies and also looked in the financial divisions of sports teams as well.

In addition to just googling and looking at companies, I have decided to join a site called Teamworkonline.com which is a database that shows what teams are looking for and have job offerings, internships, and many other opportunities. I highly recommend that you try and find a site or multiple sites like this in your field of choice. Make a profile that looks professional and start looking through the job boards and filling out applications as they come about or you find ones that you like. These sites are important because they spread the range from just a local search to a nationwide search. I found that sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone and be able and willing to step away from home for a bit in order to fulfill an internship. Growing up, my parents told me that I should dream as big as I want and to not let anything stand in my way of fulfilling that dream or goal. In this case, if you want to work for a big company and they do not have a branch near here or where you are from, do not be afraid to apply to them and figure out living arrangements in that city. In real life, sometimes things are not always easy or what you are comfortable with and part of growing up is doing something new and learning how to step outside of one’s comfort zone.

In addition to stepping out of one’s comfort zone, one must not get discouraged with not getting called or not getting a response back right away. I have applied for over 20 internships and have not heard anything from any of them. Whether I got cut from the applicant pool, am still in the applicant pool, making it through the cut lists, or many other scenarios, I am not sure, but I have just been calm and kept applying. Someone once told me that you must apply to 50 internships, to get 10 responses, to get 5 interviews, to get one job. The real world is a vicious circle and is very competitive; some job fields more than others but you cannot get discouraged or give up on applying. If you want a job bad enough or a career path bad enough, you can achieve it. Now, you may not be able to hit the “home-run” at first bat and it may take a while to work your way up the ladder, but start small and work your way up the ladder. You will eventually get there.

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