How to Navigate Your Internship's Hardest Moments

Internships in college are a must. Today, if you don't have an internship, your resume almost automatically hits the trash can.

But once you get that internship, you will be excited and ready to prove that you have what it takes.

But internships are an interesting beast. Essentially the entire time you are being given a gift (the opportunity) and you are expected to prove to them that "you were the right choice". You have no authority, less experience, less education, and are overall BELOW everyone else. Therefore as an intern, you will run into a multitude of tough spots. But not to worry:

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5 Tough Internship Moments and

 How to Beat Them

 

1. You just messed up, BIG TIME!- I specifically remember in my internship messing up a project that was eventually going to go to a Fortune 500 company for review. I remember being so upset getting the email that in a nutshell said, "Yeah, I noticed you did all the equations wrong. I will just do them myself."

 

I was horrified.

 

Solution:  When you mess up (and trust me, you will loose track there will be so many times) make sure you prove that you want to learn what you did wrong!  Address the person and let them know that you acknowledge that you made a mistake. Ask them how you could have done things differently or what exactly went wrong so that next time you get it right. Cleaning up a mess shows true character and your potential to grow as a honest, future employee.

 

 

2. You feel like you ask too many questions- Going off the mistake above, if I would have gotten up the guts to go down to the person's office and make sure the equation I was doing was correct, I could have avoided doing the project entirely wrong.

 

Solution:  No matter how trivial, ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS. Any logical employer knows that you don't know the in's and outs, rights and wrongs of the organization. AND THAT IS OK.

 

Asking questions takes 3 minutes and the answers will save you a lot of time and headache. Also, it makes you seem diligent, accurate, and conscious of your work. The employer will pick up of the fact that any work you do, you want it to be right.

 

 

3. They just hired a new intern, so what does that mean for you?-  Within the past 4 years at my internship, I have had two interns join the team. Its easy to have the following reactions:

 

"Guess I am gonna get all the boring work"

"How did they get to do that so fast?"

"They are going to take all the exciting projects"

"But I was supposed to be the only intern in this department"

 

Solution: This is a blessing- Getting new interns, especially when you are one of the more experienced ones, is a growing opportunity for you. This is your chance to be a mentor and gain leadership skills. These new interns are looking to you and are available for you to mold. Most of the time they will be too afraid to approach real employees and management, so you have the power. Use it well.

 

Eventually with your guidance and training, they will soon become an important part of your internship team and you won't even realize that at one time you thought of them as a threat.

 

 

4. How to have "scary" talks with your boss- As an intern, you practically go brain dead when you have to approach your boss about one of the following:

-An issue with another employee you feel needs addressed

- An idea you have for a project

- Your future at the company, beyond internships

 

Solution: Be professional and honest- Yes, blurting out that you think you aren't being given good opportunities or that the one employee down the hall recently bashed another employee publicly is probably not the best approach. However I encourage you to take these following steps:

1. Email your boss and ask them if you could set up a meeting to discuss something

2. When you are in the meeting, keep a professional conversation structure, yet be honest. Most of the time, the boss will appreciate your willingness to bring something to their attention, whether good or bad. It shows you acknowledge the importance of their role as a boss, value the health of the work environment, and have a personal need to keep an open communication. 

 

The more you talk with your boss on an everyday basis and build a relationship, the easier it will be to approach them in those iffy situations.

 

 

5. You feel like you can't say no and your pile of projects is almost to the ceiling- Interns kind of become the "catch all" of projects that either need to be done fast or are not as important for full time employees. Therefore, often times you can get work from up to 7 different people, from different areas. Keeping track of each project, who needs what done when, and who is "most important", can be a tough judgement and STRESSFUL.

 

Solution: Ask for a deadline:  If someone brings something your way and you already have 5 other things on your plate, ask them when they NEED this done by. Also, let them know that you will be "incorporating it with other projects". This sends the signal that you acknowledge you will get it done, but if they don't give you a deadline, it could get lost or take some time to complete. 

 

If the deadline is too close and you feel as though you can't do the project well, it is ok to say no. Politely say, "I would love to help you but I am overloaded with projects right now. Let me know the next time you need this done and I will be sure to schedule it then".

 

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These tough moments are only "sneak peaks" of things you will encounter in the real world. So learn how to handle them during your internship, and you will be one step ahead.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Meredith

 

 

Why being "single" in college is a good thing

Believe it or not, I am a senior in college and have not had a boyfriend or been on a date in the 3 years I have been here. Shocking, right? But maybe this has almost been one of my secret weapons that has propelled me to success.

 

Being a single, independent woman in college is a good thing.

 

Why?

1. You get to find yourself- If you are constantly hand-in-hand with your boyfriend, you will never be able to experience life on your own and develop YOU. It is important, especially during an interview or anytime you are in front of anyone communicating your "Personal Brand", to know who you are and be confident. If you have spent your entire college life tagged to that soccer player or high school boyfriend you are too afraid to leave, chances are you can't remember the last time you did something because YOU wanted to. You don't know who YOU are.

 Boyfriends make you lose touch with yourself.

"The One" will want you to be YOU, and you won't feel lost at all. Remember that.

2. It makes you realize who your "Dream Guy" is: Because you don't have a boyfriend, you can ultimately have a very long "test run" with all those frat boys or group partners. NO I DO NOT MEAN "MESSING AROUND".

I mean you get to build friendships with all kinds of guys and learn who works for you and who doesn't. College is the best time to do that since people come from everywhere and all different backgrounds.

You get to say to yourself, "You know, Matt is a great friend, but there are certain X qualities about him that I just couldn't see myself wanting in "The One".

I have multiple guys I would openly say I am in love with, but I can say FOR ALL  OF THEM, I know they aren't "The One". Further accentuating my point.

Finding the one takes a LONG time! And getting to know who a guy truly is takes a LONG time.

3. No Pressure- Especially for you girls in a long distance relationship (hello Freshman girls, you will meet so many other guys in college, give those high school crushes up!) you are constantly trying to "keep the relationship healthy". Let me guess:

• You have your designated calling time each night, which he gets upset if you cancel or miss.
• You have to text him all the time.
• He complains that you seem like you are "Too busy for a relationship".

Well newsflash girls: You ARE too busy! You are starting the four most important years of building your personal brand and your future.

If your relationship feels like another homework assignment, its time to re-evaluate the situation.

So, here are 5 things I want you to take away:

1. Being Single = You have time to take care of YOU. The most important person.

2. Who said you have to be married at 23?- You set your own life goals. If you want that dream office with the great corporate car, YOU GO FOR IT. BOYS CAN WAIT.

3.  You are perfect- Don't think that you don't have a boyfriend because "something is wrong with you". Most of the time, boys are probably intimidated by how driven, independent, and confident you are. Those kind of girls are a minority now, and boys just don't know how to handle them.

4. Have crushes. Lots of them -Love them. Be friends with them. Its like a pretend boyfriend. I love mine. They are great! And most of the time having them around, I never even feel that "I need a boyfriend". Like I said before, I know they aren't THE ONE, but they therefore teach me so much about what components my "Dream Guy" needs.

5. Most importantly remember...

 

"Even miracles take a little time"- Fairy Godmother

 

 

Best Wishes,

Meredith

Take Your Interview from "Zero to Hero"

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you are a college student, interviews are a part of the daunting reality of "The Real World". You would much rather someone just put a sparkly sticker on your resume, go to lunch, and decide over lemonade and deli sandwiches that you are the person for the job.

 

But, as we all know interviews can be described as a

real  life horror movie.

 

 

(I wish we all had our own Phil to spend a whole 3 minute song teaching us everything we needed to know, but we don't)

 

But with a little bit of mirror practice and these tips, you are sure to walk into your next interview ready to take it from "Zero to Hero".

 

1. Resume = Life!- Check it, check it, and then check it again! A spelling error or typo on a resume can be glaring, especially since it is the first impression an interviewer has of you (not to mention most of the time your resume is the determinant of if you get an interview. And a spelling error most certainly means RIP to your resume).

 

Nevertheless, you do not want the interviewer looking down to see that you spelled "Ocupation" wrong (notice anything?)

 

-Also, make sure to print at least three copies of your resume for your interview and stick them in a folder to keep from wrinkling. If you know how many interviewers there will be, print that amount. It makes you seem super organized and able to be prepared.

 

 

2. University Career Center- So yeah, its an extra half hour taken out of your plans to watch Netflix for the rest of the afternoon, but as soon as you find out about an interview, make it a point to meet with someone in your university's career development center. Here at The University of Tampa, our Career Services department takes walk-in appointments to help students with resumes, along with offering a number of events about networking, interviews, business etiquette, and so much more.

 

Make an appointment with a Career Services employee, and tell them about the interview you are gong in to and have them look over your resume. These people know the secrets and they are willing to share, so take advantage.

 

3. Hero's wear capes, not sweatpants!- As sad as it may be to say, your first impression when you walk through the door (what you are wearing, your facial expression, and entrance) mean everything. If you think,"my outfit will be ok", that is a signal that it's NOT! Always overdress!

 

Go-To interview fashion:

 

• -Blazer (they can be colorful)
• -Pants/Skirt (note: not a clubbing skirt, but the kind that touch your knees)
• -Heels- the sound, the height, the power (lets face it, heels make Beyoncé)
• -Classy Handbag- leather tote is a go-to (nothing flashy)

 

4. Be extra, extra, extra early!

 

5. Its a conversation- When you get yourself all worked up over "answering the question perfect" or trying to "decipher the interviewer's every move" ("OMG they wrote something down, they don't like me"!), you mess it up more.

 

You want to speak formally and intelligently, but not so much that you don't seem down to earth or are too rehearsed. Ultimately it comes off fake and doesn't let how your "unique qualities" would help the job. Interviewers appreciate someone who is able to allow their true self to shine through. Not to mention, when you are most comfortable, the person interviewing you become more comfortable and suddenly the whole thing is easy.

 

-Be energetic

-Be positive

-Smile!

 

5. BE CONFIDENT!

 

6. Thank You cards are still in style!- Handwriting a thank you note, not only shows that you take time for the little things, but that you acknowledge the time the person took out of their day to interview you. And lets be honest, it's just a nice thing to do.

 

Even if you don't get the job, the gesture may just open another door within the company or the person may offer to stay connected. You never know.

 

 

 

 

Good luck with that interview readers!

 

Best Wishes,

 

Meredith

 

 

 

How to Rebrand YOURSELF- As told through "A Bug's Life"

 

Remember Flik?

 

He started out in the beginning of  A Bug's Life feeling like many of us do. We feel that our peers do not recognize who we truly are, what we are really capable of.

 Or maybe you who have let your "true self" become victim to bullies and trying to fit in.

 

You know the saying, "Fake it till you make it"?

 

Well, it is so true.

 

Whether you have gotten into a bad slump or are ready to show people what you are made of, here are some easy steps (as told by our friend our friends from A Bug's Life on how to:

 

 

Rebrand Yourself

 

 

1. Francis advises- "Make people see what you want them to see!"

 



 Remember the lady bug, Francis? He contradicts what he looks like because he believes in who HE IS INSIDE and he acts like it. By the end of the film, everyone knows that he is more than just a bug with polka dots.

 

 

You should take a lesson from Francis. WALK THE WALK, AND TALK THE TALK! If you start acting like you want people to see you, eventually...they will. It may take some time, but don't let your ethnicity, race, gender, weight, or socio-economic status stop you. You can be anything you want to be.

 

 

2. Gypsy says, "Feel Good, Look Good"-

 

 

 

 I can not stress enough how true this is! While wearing your well overused (yet favorite) sweatpants  to class, keeping your smudgy glasses on, and going "au natural" may sound like the "right thing to do". But its NOT.

 

 

Get up every morning and dress as if you are going to see your crush. Not only does this make your outfit choice unstoppable, but it brings out some much needed confidence as well.

 

---Trust me, you will thank me when the cute soccer boy or the stud in the suit comments.

 

 

 

3. Princess Dot- "Remember, you are someone's role model"

 

 

Being a role model or mentor to a younger peer is not only rewarding, but helps you work on your Personal Brand. These are the people that WILL SEE YOU how you want to be seen, because they are naïve to any outside factors (which other more experienced peers will know). So take advantage of their forgiving nature, and reep from their approval of "Your true self". This will give you the confidence you need to show your other, more critical peers, who you really are.

 

 

4. Flik knows- "Don't try to be something you're not"

 

 

 

Rebranding yourself, doesn't mean FAKING IT. If you think you need a Rebranding, it should be because you aren't letting your true self shine. Stop trying to fit into a particular group, make particular friends, or to follow a particular path. This will only lead to an unhappy life, and true loss of your potential and talent.

 

 

The 1# tool to Rebrand Yourself is simple-

 

 

 

 

Just be yourself and you can't even imagine how fate will fall into place.

 

 

 

 

Best Wishes,

 

Meredith



When "Your Mentor" Leaves

We all remember when Simba lost Mufasa and he spent his whole young adult lionhood trying answer all the unanswered questions.

 

We all know that Simba eventually learns that Mufasa is "in him" and he goes on through the rest of the movie (and the sequels) to channel the lessons and messages Mufasa taught him in the short time he knew him.

 

 

 

 

Probably once or twice in your life, someone who was important to you "disappeared". Maybe it was a friend who moved away, simply lost contact with, or someone who was a part of some important time in your life that is now over.

But Mentors are the hardest to lose. These were people we went to for EVERYTHING, and their answers were ALWAYS RIGHT.

 

So what do you do

when your mentor disappears?

I have had multiple mentors in my life, but what I still can't handle is WHEN they change. Its so spontaneous and unexpected, and every time I feel like complaining to a higher power, "But I wasn't ready for them to leave"!!
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Mentor Flashback:

My 4th grade teacher, Mr. Carroll, was probably the first male figure I ever became close to in my life. Having an extremely "by the book" father conditioned me to associate males with a dominant, unemotional, cold character. Fear, of a consuming/paralyzing type, always used to come over me when within a five foot radius males (and this still even happens today at the age of 21. Which has probably aided my last 3 years of being single. But that is a whole other issue we can devel into later).

When my mother heard the news that I was going to have my first male teacher, she was concerned how I would react and be able to handle it.  It took me MONTHS to warm up to Mr. Carroll. I distinctly remember a moment when he made me cry because I was the only student in the class who just couldn't master their upper time's tables (I mean come on, the 12Xs tables are hard)! I remember him giving me the most disappointing look every. And then I fled to the bathroom where tears cried a river that even Justin Timberlake could not compare to.

 But as time went on, I began to understand my past rough experiences with Mr. Carroll as being confidence lessons. All the times he pointed me out in the class or was "disappointed" in me (as he would say), were actually just him believing in a greater self that I, as a 10 year old only consumed by making my 4th grade crush love me, did not see. Mr. Carroll saw the "real me", which whom only few have been able to do since. Mr. Carroll ultimately was the mentor that sparked the greater belief in myself.

I remember the day in 5th grade when I heard my school district "fired" Mr. Carroll, for reasons that give it a mythical feel, as no one has been able to truly indicate why a man who impacted every child who sat in his office could be fired.

And thus started the grieving of losing the most important teacher, I still say I have ever had in my life. I have not seen Mr. Carroll since the last day of 4th grade.


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Remember my post about "Finding Your People", well I never discussed how you  cope  when you lose one of "Your People".

Whether you lost your "Mom", "Clown", or "Mentor" figure in your life, here is how to possibly handle the whys, what-ifs, and now-whats.


Stop trying to figure out "WHY"- Whether your "person"drifted away, you or they moved, or a new chapter started in your life, (and for many of you freshmen trying to deal with the transition between old and new mentor), don't try to figure why they are no longer invested in you, in your life and why it is happening. This will only lead to more heartbreak and ultimately you trying to piece together a puzzle that has so many answers. Mentors leave your life for different reasons, whether self inflicted or simply fate. So focusing on "What you did wrong?" or " How you can get them back in "Your People" will be useless.

Stop Saying "What if"- I am the Queen of "Jumping to Conclusions". When something unknown happens I turn for the worst. So when a mentor disappears on me, I immediately jump to extreme "What ifs" triggers like: I upset them, they did something drastic, they found our relationship annoying, and on and on and on (evening including they "Disappeared or Died" which I know is dramatic but you NEVER KNOW!).

So then I try the "What if" solvers like: What if I call them? What if I get an attitude and ignore them like they are ignoring me? What if I act like nothing is wrong?


Now What?-  "Your People" are people who ultimately help us grow. And just like anything in your life, you can't grow if you continue with the same routine and avoid change.

So maybe what I am saying is- 

Saying goodbye to one of our "our people" means we have learned and mastered the skills and knowledge we lacked.

 What they were sent to us for.   

I truly believe we are "Sent to those who help use most to grow".-Wicked

So whether you are a freshmen starting out without your "person" this fall or a senior like myself watching your "your people"  slowly disappear before your eyes. I encourage you to accept it and remember:

 

There is good in goodbye.

 &

 Goodbye doesn't have to be forever.

Best Wishes,

Meredith