@RandallHead

The summer’s coming to an end for me.  My experience at RPA was incredible and only left me wanting more.  I can’t wait to graduate and go to work!  However, that’s not to say I’m not excited for my senior year!

Today I went to LSU to talk to a professor, and afterwards I walked to the union and hung out with a friend for a few hours.  It was move-in day for the incoming freshmen, so I watched a lot of new young faces settling in to their dorms and adventuring through the student union.  Needless to say, I’m excited for another great year.  Perhaps the greatest yet!

This blog was made to chronicle my experience as an intern at RPA.  I have been contacted by numerous people applying to the Fall RPA internship, and became sort of an “internship ambassador” by accident.  I was glad to help them because I knew I would have liked an inside source to chat with when I was applying.

So with this post I am going to refrain from posting to this blog, leaving it as a living record of my experience at RPA.  Maybe one day I’ll work at RPA again and I can pick up where I left off.

If you want to keep up with my shenanigans, I’m starting a new blog called “The Cajun South” that aims to give insight to southern culture in Louisiana, according to an LSU Senior (me).  It’ll be way more personal and is in no way affiliated with RPA. http://cajunsouth.tumblr.com/

Thank you so much for reading about my experiences.  I feel really cool when people read what I write.

-randall

Sadly, my #rpainternship came to an end.  My cousin Siler flew into LAX on Wednesday, August 1st and we spent the weekend partying in LA.  We woke up Sunday morning after couch surfing at my friend Erika’s house and headed out of town.

As we drove along the freeway, I caught my last glimpse of the LA skyline.  It feels\t weird to be heading back after making so many great friends, but you gotta do what you gotta do, so I pressed onward.

Our drive would only be about 7 hours for the day because we had planned on staying in Flagstaff, AZ the first night so we could eat at Diablo Burger for dinner.  The drive out for the most part was rather uneventful.  We marveled at the mountains and endured temperatures of 110+ degrees, but not much more happened.

We got to Flagstaff around 7 and booked a room at a hotel downtown.  Somehow we ended up with the Presidential Suite, which was bomb.  We decided to celebrate our rad hookup with some delicious Diablo burgers, but to our dismay the restaurant was closed on Sundays!

We found refuge in an Irish pub down the street where we ordered a round of beer and shepherd’s pies.  By the time we finished eating, it was 9 p.m., so we decided to move along and see what else was happening.  However, it was a Sunday so there wasn’t much going on.  We ended up going to a billiards hall, where we played pool for an hour.  Unfortunately, I lost every game we played.

At this time it was about 10:30 p.m., and we weren’t ready to turn in, so we bought some Budweiser and decided to check out Northern Arizona’s campus.  We found some dorms, climbed onto the roof and drank some beers.  We had a cousin bonding hour, but our fun was cut short by two sleepy students who asked us (nicely) to move away from their windows.  

We then decided to walk around campus, where we went on a few adventures, including jumping a fence (which resulted in me ruining my corduroy pants) and walking around some construction sites.  

We then headed back to the hotel to rest up for the day ahead, which we decided would be a big one.

Andrea Lance, RPA recruiter and the wonderful woman behind the @WorkatRPA Twitter account, shared her advice on writing an effective resume and impressing recruiters in an interview.  Andrea had some great tips, and I think they will help anyone who’s currently hunting for a job!

LinkedIn - You need to get at least 100 connections on LinkedIn, and you need recommendations from people you’ve worked with.  Get recommendations from various people at varying levels in your workplace.

Resumes

Tailor your resume for the job you’re applying for.  Pick key words from the job description and sprinkle them in near the top of your resume.
-ONE PAGE! There’s no reason your resume should be over one page!!
-visual flow - make sure your resume is easy to read.  Use a good, decent sized font.  Recruiters generally spend only 5-20 seconds looking at your resume.
-Never speak in the first person. Don’t say “I”

-make your resume stand out, but use creativity in moderation.
-include applicable classes in your education section.  Leave education at the top of your resume until you get your first full-time job.

RESUME DON’TS!

-Don’t provide a photo.
-Don’t speak in the present tense when describing a past job.
-No QR codes
-Don’t write “references available on request.”
-No typos. Duh.
-no unprofessional emails. 
-Don’t mail or fax a resume
-Don’t list computer experience that isn’t relevant to the position
-Don’t lie on your resume!

RESUME DO’s!

-Provide your LinkedIn info
-List fun & unique facts/interests about yourself
-List customer service and administrative experience, if you have it
-Show extracurricular activities, if you were heavily involved
-List GPA only if it’s above a 3.5
-Work-intense school projects count as related experience (ex: NSAC)

Format

Andrea prefers a 2 column layout, with education, awards, about me and networking on the left, & experience on the right side
-Be sure to add your social networking links to the bottom, but DON’T ever link to your Facebook.
-DON’T use charts, timelines or “bubble ratings.” They take too long to read.  

INTERVIEW TIPS

Before the interview:

-Do your homework on the company and the industry. Show them you really want this job.
-List a few questions to ask the interviewer.  Ex: Where do you see the company in 5 years? How is the company adapting to [applicable market trend]?
-Bring a pen & paper to your interview to take notes!
-Dress to impress (don’t wear a suit to interview for creative though!)

During the interview:

-Don’t be late.  If you can’t help it, call the interviewer beforehand to warn them.
-Listen carefully to the interviewer.  Comment on how you see yourself contributing to the agency.
-Ask questions! You need to interview them too!
-Don’t be cocky, but be confident.  Don’t overdo it.
-Make eye contact and be enthusiastic. You’re an adult now, a firm handshake is incredibly important.
-80% of an advertising interview is about seeing if your personality will be a match!

Interview DON’TS 

-Don’t badmouth previous employers.  The company doesn’t want you to do the same to them after you leave.
-Don’t expect to get an advertising lesson. Do your own homework.
-Don’t burn any bridges. You may regret it!

Post-Interview

-follow instructions and don’t jump the gun.  Don’t follow up earlier than the call-back date.
-Submit written thank you notes!