I met with Ruthann Coyote on September 30, 2022, to discuss general career questions and more specific questions relating to an application to the Wesleyan Investments Office internship program. During this time, I reviewed my resume with Ms. Coyote and she gave me constructive advice on formatting, organization, and content. I learned how to organize my resume to reflect the position I am applying for and prioritize my experiences for a more cohesive resume.
This application also had an atypical cover letter. Rather than the standard cover letter addressing why the applicant should be hired for the position, the Wesleyan Investments Office provided two more creative questions. First, they asked for a conventional wisdom that we disagree with, and, secondly, they asked for an interesting idea that we have encountered during our time at Wesleyan. These initially threw me off a little, but I eventually began having fun brainstorming ideas and being creative with the process. In addition, during this session, I reviewed potential writing samples to send in. I realized that I do not actually have a plethora of options in that department, particularly those that relate to the topic of investing. After discussing my options with the advisor, I decided to submit an essay that I had written the previous year for a Latin class. Although the subject was not topical, the essay is well-written and creatively argued. In the future, I am going to seek to develop a reservoir of writing samples on different topics so that I do not feel so flustered, similar to the reasoning for keeping a long-form resume. In my next meeting with a career advisor, I will seek to explore more avenues for career exploration and development.
