#Resource

Tag: #Resource

“Thank you for the interview opportunity!” How to follow up after interviews and write thank you notes

Following up after job interviews and writing them a quick “thank you” note after the end is a good way to ensure that you still remain in the interviewer’s mind and demonstrate your interest in the role. You should also follow up with a “thank you” note after networking conversations/informational interviews, as they are a great way to show your appreciation and strengthen your existing connections. But how does one write a good “thank you” note?
There is no single right way to pull it off but some general conventions still apply when writing thank you notes following a job or informational interview. When sending a note, be sure to:

  • Send the thank you/follow-up email to the interviewer within 24 hours of the interview. Hiring processes can be done quickly, so hand written cards to follow up on job interviews might not be feasible. However, for informational interviews, sending a written thank you note within a week is a good way to stand out and show your extra appreciation (this can be done in addition to the 24-hour email).
  • Refer to when the interview occurred.
  • Refer to important parts of your conversation with them, such as highlighting a specific piece of advice that resonated with you.
  • For job interviews, reaffirm your interest in the position and why the interview made you even more interested in that position.
  • End with an invitation for further follow up.

Here’s an example format of email to guide you:
Subject: Thank you for the interview opportunity

Dear Mr./Ms./Mx. [Interviewer’s Last Name],
Thank you for speaking with me yesterday about my interest in the [job position you are applying for] role at [organization name]. I sincerely appreciate the time you to took to explain the position and all that it would entail.


I enjoyed our discussion on [add specific references to the conversation]. It only further reaffirmed my interest in the position, as it [explanation of why you are interested in this position]. I am confident that my prior experiences have prepared me to jump right into the role, especially [very brief explanation of why you think you are qualified for the job].


Thank you again for your consideration and for providing me the opportunity to meet with you and your team. Please let me know if there is any other information I can provide as you move forward in the hiring process.
Sincerely,
[Name]


You can find examples here and find more here. If needed, the Career Center has thank you cards available for your use. And, as always, if you need help writing a follow-up note or anything else, you can always make an appointment there!


Raisa Fatima ’23, Career Peer Educator

Hiring Timeline and Internship Programs Series Part 2: Rotational Internships and Educational Programs

While summer is great to enjoy your time off, it is also a good time to start searching or applying for internships. There are many programs for anyone interested in a career relating to the #BE community. We have already covered many summer internships and their hiring timelines in Part 1, which you can see here. This week, we have Part 2 which covers Rotational Internships and Educational Programs.
Rotational Internships require you to work in multiple roles. Some of these types of programs are full-time jobs geared towards new grads. Educational or Training programs involve the participant’s learning.
Most applications for Rotational and Educational Programs open around July or August and the deadlines are usually in September or October for the following summer. It would be wise to plan ahead as during Lawrence’s academic year, you may find yourself busy with classes when these deadlines arrive. Here are some internships to start your search over the summer categorized by when their applications open to help plan out your application process.


Applications opening in July:

  • Cigna: Sales Academy – Deadline in October. For graduates who have had their Bachelor’s for 0-3 years.
  • Cigna: Actuarial Executive Development Program (AEDP) – Deadline in November. For graduates who have their Bachelor’s degree and professional experience for 0-4 years. Successful completion of minimum one SOA examination strongly recommended.

Applications opening in late August or early September:

Ongoing Applications:

Others:

  • Spotify: FAR Program – Deadline is in mid-February. This program is for recent graduates who identify with one or more underrepresented groups.
  • Glaxo Smith-Kline: Future Leaders Graduate Program – This 2-3 year program includes various opportunities in business, marketing, R&D and more!
  • Northern Trust: Opportunities and Student Programs – 12-18 month program for recent graduates. 3.0 GPA preferred.

Educational and Training Programs :

  • JP Morgan Chase: Winning Women Program and Advancing Black Pathways Program – Chase’s Winning Women Program is for currently enrolled female undergraduates that is open from May 2021 and closes by late June. Advancing Black Pathways is for students from underrepresented groups, first generation college students and others facing significant barriers when entering the financial industry. Applications are currently closed but if this interests you, feel free to keep an eye on it for next year!
  • International Monetary Fund Research Assistant Program – For recent graduates with a GPA of 3.5 and higher.
  • Disney: International Exchange and College Programs – The International Exchange program is for currently enrolled undergraduate students while the college programs are for both students and recent graduates.
  • Harvard Business School (HBS): Summer Venture in Management – Not to be confused with HBS’s CORe business classes, this management program is geared towards students who are from groups currently underrepresented in the corporate world, are first generation college students, or from schools whose graduates are underrepresented.

Once again, the majority of internships open during August/September and end up closing in the middle of our fall or winter terms, which makes it difficult to apply while handling all your other responsibilities at Lawrence. You can schedule an appointment with Grace, our #BE advisor (she’s available all summer too), or with Raisa, our CPE, to get help in planning ahead and preparing your applications!
Raisa Fatima ’23 Career Peer Educator

Hiring Timeline and Internship Programs Series Part 1: Summer Internships

There are a variety of internship programs for anyone interested in a career relating to #BE. We will cover many of them and the hiring timeline in a 2 Part Series: Part 1 covers companies offering Summer Internships and Part 2 covers Rotational Internships (ones where you have to work in multiple roles with some being full-time job programs geared towards new grads) and Educational Programs.
Focusing on Summer Internships in this article, most applications open around July or August and the deadlines are usually in September or October for the following summer. Given Lawrence’s academic year, you may find yourself busy with classes when these deadlines arrive, so it would be wise to plan ahead. For instance, select internships that interest you and prepare applications in the summer when you may have more time. Here are some internships to start your search over the summer and their application opening dates (program details and deadlines are in the links) to help plan out your application process.

Applications Opening in August:

Microsoft ACE Rotation Program – Applications for 2022 open in August 2021 (mainly for Juniors and Seniors interested in pursuing careers in Marketing).

Microsoft University Internship – Typically, most applications open in August or December, however some open in March.

Cigna: Technology Early Career Development Program (TECDP) – Applications open starting August 2021 for Juniors and Seniors.

Cigna: Operations Leadership Development Program (OLDP) Summer Internship – Applications open starting August 2021 (mainly for Seniors who have just graduated as they are looking for people with a Bachelor’s Degree in related fields).

Applications open Starting September:

Cigna: Summer Internship Program – Applications open from September to November annually for Juniors and Seniors.

Spotify: Global Summer Internship – Early applications open in the Fall with some opening over spring and summer. Some are still open, so if working for Spotify interests you, be sure to check them out!

L’Oreal: USA Summer Internship Program – Operations– Undergraduate (Supply Chain / Manufacturing) – Applications are for Juniors and open up early September with interviews occurring from September to January.

Uber Student Internships: Applications are open from September to November.

Uber Student Internships: Applications are open from September to November.

Others:

Undergraduate Leadership Programs – There are a variety of leadership programs for undergraduate students. If working with this company and the programs they offer interest you, you can go through them here.

JP Morgan Internship Program: Typically open from April to October.

CSX Internships: Opportunities are posted as they become available.

If none of these internships interest you, that’s alright! The next part in this series covers rotational internships and educational programs so be sure to check them out as well!
The majority of the internships open during August/September and end up closing in the middle of our fall or winter terms, which can make it difficult to apply while handling all your other responsibilities at Lawrence. To get help in planning ahead and preparing your applications, schedule an appointment with Grace, our #BE advisor (she’s available all summer too), or with Raisa, our CPE!
Raisa Fatima ’23 Career Peer Educator

Career Planning Guide Links

Career Planning Guide (links will take you to the CLC website)
Chapter 1 – Resumes
Chapter 2 – Cover Letters
Chapter 3 – Portfolios and Personal Websites
Chapter 4 – Managing Your Image
Chapter 5 – Etiquette
Chapter 6 – Networking/Making Connections
Chapter 7 – Job and Internship Search
Chapter 8 – Other Letters
Chapter 9 – Interviews
Chapter 10 – Components of a Job Offer
Chapter 11 – Graduate School

Important Documents for Musicians: How to Write a Musician’s Resume, Repertoire list, and Bio

As classical musicians, we most often focus on aspects of our individual playing and view auditions alone as being the sole factor in landing a job. Auditions are undeniably a very significant part to obtain professional positions, but some other factors also play an important part in getting to this point. Similar to how most jobs require candidates to submit a cover letter and resume, the same often applies for musicians in order to be invited for an audition. Cover letters are not as frequent with musicians, but could potentially be asked for. Sample cover letters can be found here in our Career Resources. For now, I would like to discuss some of the content and steps involved in writing a musician’s resume, repertoire list, and bio.

MUSICIAN’S RESUME

  • You should start with a header as you would with any other resume: include your name, email address, phone number, address, and LinkedIn url if you have an account. One additional thing to include next to your name is your instrument/voice type. For me, it looks like this: Abbey Atwater, Clarinet
  • In other resumes, next would usually be your education section. Do include this in you resume, but farther down. If you are submitting your resume in hopes of being invited to take an orchestral audition, your performance experience should take precedence and be highlighted further up and your education should be moved down.
  • Your performing experience can be expressed in a variety of ways and ordered differently depending on the significance. Here is how I personally would go about organizing it:
    • Orchestral (or Large Ensemble) Experiences
      • Example:

Section leader, Lawrence University Orchestra, Appleton, WI,                September 2016 – present

  • Chamber Music
  • Solo Performances/Awards Won/Accomplishments
    • Example:

Winner, Lawrence University Wind Ensemble Concerto Competition, Appleton WI             January 2019

  • In these, include any specific leadership positions you may have had (principal, concertmaster, winner- if for a competition) or any auxiliary instruments played (Eb clarinet, English horn). This will be formatted just as other work experience would look like on a resume: position title, company (or ensemble in this case), location, and dates from start to finish.
  • Refrain from listing specific works played (unless relevant like roles for vocalists)- save this for your repertoire list
  • In these experience sections, either chronological or combination-style orders would be appropriate. Either list everything in reverse chronological order or in terms of importance. For example, if you have competed in various competitions and have won a few, placed second in another, and been a finalist in some, prioritize them in that order with the win being the first listed
  • For ensemble experience, try to include ones that were ongoing and not a “one-and-done” sort of deal like with competitions.
  • Next, you can place your education section which includes: school and its location, graduation year, GPA, degree(s), and major(s)/minor(s).
  • Following this is a list of your primary private instructors. All that needs to be included is their name and dates studied. Master classes (that you played in) will come after this with the same information (name and date)
  • You can also include a section for relevant professional organizations (ex: National Association for Music Education, Music Teachers National Association, Sigma Alpha Iota)
  • Try to keep under one page

REPERTOIRE LIST

  • The purpose of a repertoire list is to provide others with all the repertoire you have worked on that you could potentially perform if asked on short notice.
  • Begin with the same heading/contact info as your resume/cover letter
  • As the title suggests, this essentially is a list of all repertoire performed (for vocalists and instrumentalists) and repertoire conducted (for conductors)
    • Works studied can also be included if studied sufficiently and you feel you could perform competently- not just something sight read once
  • Always include these specific kinds of works:
    • Vocalists:
      • Opera roles
      • Musical roles
      • Lieder
      • Other works
    • Instrumentalists:
      • Sonatas/ solo works with piano
      • Unaccompanied works
      • Concertos
      • Chamber works
    • Conductors:
      • Operas
      • Orchestra works
      • Wind band works
      • Chamber works
  • Depending on what is asked in the requirements for the repertoire list, the following can also be included:
    • Method books studied
    • Excerpts studied
    • Music performed in large ensembles (ex: symphonies and other significant works)
    • Repertoire played on auxiliary instruments
  • Can also indicate:
    • If music consisted of a public performance (recital, concert) or if performed by memory
      • Can use different symbols to indicate each of these: + # *
    • Date of performance
    • If you played in a master class/ who specifically you studied the repertoire with
    • What ensemble you performed with
  • Music should be listed in a way that looks professional and appropriate. These are all formats that work and keep them consistent throughout the list)
    • Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Clarinet Concerto in A major K. 622
    • Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A major K. 622
    • Clarinet Concerto in A major K. 622, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

MUSICIAN’S BIO

  • In third person
  • Begin by stating your name, where you are from, and what age you started studying music
  • In the the middle of your bio, mention significant accomplishments including:
    • Solo performances
    • Ensembles performed in
    • Music festivals attended
    • Master classes you have played in
    • Music internships or teaching experiences
    • Leadership positions pertaining to music
    • Performing jobs held in the past
  • You can also mention some background in why you began playing your instrument/singing or any turning points in your musical career
  • At the end mention where you are currently studying, who you are studying with, what year you are, and your plans for next year are if you are graduating
  • If you are out of school, you can also mention where you are currently located and what you are doing (both professionally and/or a fun fact like: “In addition to playing the alto clarinet, Gustav has a passion for cooking and loves taking long walks with his dog, Buddy”)

Below, you can find some additional useful resources and example to help you craft your own!

Abbey Atwater ’19
Career Peer Educator

Cover Letter

https://music.depaul.edu/resources/career-services/Documents/Cover%20Letter%202016.pdf

https://cdn.uconnectlabs.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/132/2021/11/careerguide.coverletter.pdf

Resume

https://necmusic.edu/sites/default/files/2017-02/Tips%20for%20Writing%20Perf%20Resumes.pdf

https://www.pugetsound.edu/sites/default/files/file/4663_Music%20resume%20packet%202012_0.pdf

https://www.resumeprofessionalwriters.com/musician-resume/

Repertoire List

https://musicdancetheatre.asu.edu/sites/default/files/instrumental_rep_list_sample.pdf

resume-and-rep-list.docx – Eastman School of Music

https://carolynenger.com/presskit/Carolyn%20Enger%20FULL%20REPERTOIRE%20LIST.pdf

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5319d2f8e4b025dd26235446/t/5544547ae4b0ebc5baee2e03/1430541434024/Repertoire+List+%28PDF%29.pdf

Bio

https://www.musiciansway.com/blog/2012/08/bios-that-inspire/

https://www.claudiafriedlander.com/the-liberated-voice/printmaterials.html

A four-part series from Angela Myles Beeching on NewMusicBox – post 1, post 2, post 3, post 4

https://helenegrimaud.com/bio

https://www.cameroncarpenter.com/new-page

https://carolineshaw.com

Surviving a Summer Internship Far from Home

If you are reading this, it means that you want to secure or have already secured a summer internship. If you haven’t found something yet, set up an appointment with CLC staff to explore some resources. If you are all set, these are some things to keep in mind while you get ready for the best summer of your life. I spent the summer between my junior and senior year in Washington DC, and I made several mistakes while I was preparing for my internship. For example, I had no idea how to find housing, or how to eat on a budget. I hope my mistakes make your summer easier and more fun.

Just like most things in big cities, housing is (very) expensive. You can try to save money by sharing a room or commuting. More traditional options for interns are well-known intern housing options like June Homes. You can find city specific alternatives if you start searching early on; however, these tend to be more expensive, and they fill really fast. Other options that might be less pricey, are reaching out to alumni or personal connections and asking if they know of anyone subletting or in need of a summer house sitter. Another way to learn about subletting options is through subletting groups on Facebook. Try to avoid less reliable websites like Craigslist. If you find something that you like, ask to see the apartment or house through a video call, or if you can have a connection in that city go visit the apartment in person. There are some people out there making money from fake apartment postings. Someone gave me this advice before my summer in DC: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is”.

Getting around. The best way to get around on a budget is by using public transportation and walking. If your city has a metro, don’t be afraid to use it. In most cities you can get a metro card and load it at almost every metro station. Usually, metro cards also work for city buses. Another way to move around the city is by using free transportation designed for tourists, in DC it was a bus: the DC Circulator. Buses tend to be less reliable than metros, but they usually reach more places. If it will be your first time on that city, download these apps: Via, a cheaper ride-share option; the metro app, will let you know the best way to get places and how far way buses are; and CityMapper, will show you different options to get places as well as the price for each option.

Eating on a budget. Food is also very expensive, so the cheapest option is to go grocery shopping and cook for yourself. Keep this in mind while searching for housing. If you are planning to cook, make sure you find housing that has a fully equipped kitchen. Remember that in in some cities you have to pay for disposable bags, so bring reusable bags with you when you go grocery shopping. Buy a Tupperware and bring food to work, it is not weird. Most interns are also on a budget, so they will probably be doing the same. In some cases, you can even eat for free. Usually events happening during lunchtime or after five provide free food.

Although food is expensive, most entertainment options are free. Make sure you find things to do after you get out of work. There are hundreds of free events happening all over the city, ranging from congressional briefings about public policy to showings of 90s movies at a park. Summer is a special time: museums have new and exciting exhibits, families have picnics at the park, people to listen to music. Use Facebook, Google, and Eventbrite to learn about free events happening near you.

Contact other interns. The only thing that makes free events better, is going with the right company. Most interns in the area are just like you, trying to find people to hang out when they get out of work, so reach out; again, it is not weird. Reach out to interns at your organization, reach out to interns from Lawrence, and reach out to young alumni living in your city.

Make and cultivate connections. If you find a person whose job sounds like something you’d like to do, tell them. They can be your boss at your organization, or someone that you met at a meeting, request to meet with them for an informational interview and ask them anything you want to know. But it doesn’t stop there, email your connections to let them know what you’ve been up to.

Dress to impress. Make sure to have a business casual wardrobe that will keep you cool during the humid summer months. Most organizations will require you to dress up for work. Remember that you might be using public transportation and walking a lot, so use clothes that look fancy and keep you cool. You might be attending meetings with congress people, CEOs, and other important people in your field. Make sure you look presentable and refreshed. Some people even bring walking shoes with them to ensure comfort.

Be prepared for anything. Summer weather is unpredictable. A morning that looks like a humid summer day, later turns into a thunderstorm that floods the city. While there are no good ways to prepare for that, here are some things to keep in your bag so you can survive hot days, rainstorms, and everything in between: a water bottle, sunscreen, sunglasses, an umbrella, a cardigan or light jacket, and a reusable bag.

I hope these tips make your summer internship easier and more fun.

By Barbara Espinosa ’20 who survived an internship in DC during one of the hottest summers ever.