Carolyn Clark: Lecture on Life After Graduation

Photo courtesy of Appalachian Magazine

My Social Media Strategies class was spoiled last week with two guest speakers- both young, successful women who were inspirational to me as a early twenties female myself. Carolyn Clark, our second guest speaker, is Director of Corporate and Internal Communications at Yahoo and had some insightful and awesome advice for all of us soon-to-be graduates.

On applying for jobs when you do not have enough experience...

You know that "3-5 years of experience" that you see on job listings? Carolyn says (thankfully) that this is a "benchmark, not a requirement."

Sure, if you're fresh out of undergrad and are applying for a position that says the words "5-10 years of experience," you're probably not going to get it. If you are a soon-to-be graduate like me, then you have been studying your field for a couple years, so this shouldn't be forgotten. You do have experience, even if at times you feel vastly underqualified.

On cover letters...

Carolyn says that it's all about presenting your most badass self when writing a cover letter. This is the moment to sell yourself and convince whoever is reading that you are the ideal candidate and would be a fantastic addition to their staff.

Like any good piece of writing, your cover letter should catch a future employer's attention immediately. Carolyn suggests that you should be forward. A story she told is that in one of her job applications, she wrote a cover letter that (after a nice greeting) essentially said, "here's what I think you should do, who should I meet with about a potential position with your company, etc." On her best advice...

I love Carolyn's best advice: be the first person in and the last person to leave. Doing this shows hard work ethic and dedication to your job and yourself. Even if there isn't anything to be done that early, your boss is sure to be impressed.

Adding onto the go-getter attitude that this shows, picking up the slack at the end of the week is another great way to earn bonus points with your boss. In the morning or around noon on Friday, email your boss and ask, "Is there anything I can do before we leave for the weekend?"

Thank you, Carolyn, for your awesome advice!

Best,

Colette

#graduation