Below is a story told by three e-mails, in order:
1) an e-mail sent to Wendi Taylor Nations, a DPU alumna, from a DePauw student;
2) an e-mail to Tom Cath, Director of Career Services, from Wendi.
3) Wendi's tips and suggestions.
1.) Below is the e-mail that was sent to Wendi by a DPU student:
Greetings
I hope this reaches you both. My name is Suzy Jones and I am a junior at DePauw University. I have emailed Linda, since I am from the Chicago area and Wendi, since you are a DePauw University grad. I have recently been looking at possible internship positions for summer 2006 and find myself very interested in Porter Novelli. This inquiry may seem a bit premature, but I will be studying in Spain through April. Any information you would be able to pass along to me would be greatly appreciated as I gear up for a successful summer.
Thank you both so much for your time and consideration. I hope to be in touch with you soon.
Sincerely,
Suzy Jones
2). Below is Wendi's e-mail to Tom:
Dear Tom,
I am forwarding the attached to you, with some critical feedback, with the hope that I can provide a productive point-of-view to about-to-graduate job seekers. I am completely committed to helping DePauw students find jobs, and it is in that spirit that I write to you.
3). Wendi's tips and suggestions:
So, here it goes:
1. The phrase "I find myself interested in Porter Novelli." That is certainly not a strong statement of interest. Why is she interested in Porter Novelli? Why is she interested in public relations? And more importantly than either of those questions, what does she do, or know, or have experience in that might make her more interesting to us than the other over 1,000+ intern applicant resumes we get each year? In short, what is the benefit to me, my boss and to Porter Novelli?
2. I am certain you have seen all the media about recent college grads and their attitude/POV toward their jobs. While I truly respect and admire some of their expectations, I would strongly counsel against a completely "all about me" attitude. Suzy's explanation about studying in Spain and needing to review information in order to prepare for the summer is not enough. And she clearly hasn't done her homework about the roles that my boss and I play. I really could care less about job titles, but why would an EVP (me) and a managing director (my boss), two of the most senior people in our firm, run around to quickly forward materials to a college junior who has done nothing to differentiate herself or explain the benefits we would achieve by hiring her?
3. She copied my boss and as I said above, we are inundated with intern candidates' resumes each year. My boss is an Oberlin grad, so she has her own preferences. In a world of limited time and resources, I have to constantly "sell" the idea of investing time in the DePauw recruitment process, which is generally not hard to do (after all, I went to DePauw and I'm doing OK for Porter Novelli!) but ill-considered communications like this make it tough.
4. She didn't attach her resume, Again, what makes her stand out from the crowd? Why is she of greater benefit to Porter Novelli than other applicants? If it weren't from a DePauw student, I would have deleted this email immediately. And unless you counsel otherwise, I just won't respond.
I'm sorry to do all this via e-mail, but I've let a number of these types of e-mails pass without giving any feedback, and I don't think that is fair to DePauw or to you and the good outcome you have long been working hard to achieve with your programs. Please accept my feedback in the spirit in which I am delivering it: with the intent of helping to make the job search successful for almost-grads and the employers for whom they seek to work.
Seniors, are you interested in a job in Indianapolis!?!
If so, you may want to participate in WorkIndy Spring ’08, our interview day in Indy. The event will be on Friday, March 14, but the sign-up deadline is Thursday, February 14. It is an opportunity to interview in Indy with organizations and companies who will not be interviewing on the DePauw campus.
Complete information, job descriptions and application procedures can be found on TigerTracks under “One-Click Searches” and WorkIndy Spring ’08 - SIGN UP. However, listed below are the names of the companies who have thusfar registered to participate and the job/internship titles for which they are recruiting. Additional employers will register over the next few weeks, so keep an eye on TigerTracks:
| Company/Organization |
Position |
| Angie's List |
Various Positions |
| eTapestry |
Existing Sales Account Executive
New Sales Account Executive
|
| Aflac |
Full-Time Sales Associate |
| The Capital Group Companies |
Customer Service Position |
| ACES Power Marketing |
Associates Program
IT Development Associate |
| WestPoint Financial Group |
Financial Services Professional |
| Culver Academies |
Full-Time Paid Internship (for graduating Srs. Only) |
| John Hancock Financial Network |
Financial Advisor
Planner Development Program |
| Fund Evaluation Group |
Informational Only Interviews |
| Indiana Republican Party |
To Be Determined |
If your parents would like to receive our e-newsletter, please provide Janet Whitman (jwhitman@depauw.edu) with their email address. Thanks.
