Before we give her book away, however, we’re going to help you get a job —or at least prepare to get a job,
thanks to Mueller’s wisdom. Here we go!
Chelsea
Hanson: What the key point to focus on in a cover letter?
Christie Leigh Mueller: The key to a cover letter is to
give a personal touch in a professional tone. In your cover letter, you have the
opportunity to highlight a few of your experiences and explain why they will
make you the perfect candidate for the position.
Are unconventional resumes
a way to stand out or can they harm you?
You always want some degree
of uniqueness to your resume, but that’s not to be confused with being
unprofessional. Stay away from scents, bright papers, items that fall out
of an envelope, or singing e-mails. Rather, be unique in your ability to
present a clean, well-organized, impressive resume. You’d be surprised
how much format can influence your interviewer.
If the owner of the
company is very young, maybe only a few years older than yourself, do you
address them as Mr. or Ms. or their first name?
Despite their age, the owner
of the company is still your superior in the business world. Always err
on addressing them as Mr. or Ms. until they advise you otherwise. You
always address people how they have asked you to.
When it comes to
soliciting for unlisted jobs, how can a young person investigate opportunities
without being a bother?
Simple and sincere
conversation. It’s too forward to ask for favors before you’ve established a
relationship with someone. However, it is acceptable to ask someone for
advice for getting into your desired career. Asking for advice gets them
thinking about that particular field and is a natural segue for them to offer
to introduce you to the people they know that could offer you a job.
If you do ask a professional
for help, always be considerate of their time be it during a conversation or
reading your e-mails. Do your homework on the subject, follow up if you
say you’re going to, and above all, do not expect them to do all of the work
for you.
Where’s
the best experience—interning for a big company, or a smaller, lesser-known
company that might offer more freedom?
I don’t think they are
mutually exclusive. There are countless benefits to both. If you
worked for a big name in the industry, a reputable company obviously saw you as
someone worth hiring. But, what if your main responsibility was making sure the
boss’s coffee had one cream and two sugars?
With a smaller, lesser-known
company, your work experience and creativity was likely developed. Your
abilities were likely seen by your colleagues.
In either case, play up your
experiences, the projects you were a part of, and what you learned simply by
being around the office. You’d be surprised what you can learn by a boss
you observed from a distance at a large company.
Many young people market
themselves online with blogs or otherwise establishing a brand presence. Is a
recommendation from someone you only know online as good as one from a personal
recommendation?
Establishing yourself and a
brand in cyber-world is an accomplishment in itself and should be used to your
advantage during the interview process. It is in essence, a small
business.
It is, however, easy to hide
qualities or shortcomings behind a computer so for recommendations I would stay
with a stronger reference from someone you know well.
What about clothes—what do
you recommend wearing for an interview?
When dressing for an interview,
do your due-diligence and figure out what the dress code is at the office. Dress
accordingly.
Note, it is never, under and
circumstance, acceptable for you to wear jeans to an interview. There are
plenty of options available to be less formal than a suit but more put together
than jeans if the company warrants such dress.
Remember, your first impression
is at stake here and your outfit directly reflects on your abilities as an
employee.
Thank you, Christie Leigh Mueller! Check in with us on Sept. 5 to see if you've won a copy of "Gridiron Belles!"
