Category Archives: Tips

suit up!

Posted on by under Sauder, Tips

Here at Sauder we have two favourite words: SUIT UP! Virtually every committee, club, association, company or society on (and off!) campus has started hiring for next year, so since we’re right in the middle of interview season, I thought I would share a few tips on how to dress for success. In the last seven days alone, I suited up on four separate occasions: once for my interview for the SLC Planning Committee, once for my interview for the CUS Service Council, once for the Sauder Summit case competition, and once for yeseterday’s Me Inc Conference.

First, a brief overview of the different degrees of suiting up.

The “I’m Going to Meet the Queen” – includes evening gowns, tuxedos and ludicrously oversized hats. It’s probably best to leave this kind of attire at home unless your interview is, in fact, with the Queen.

Business formal –
For women: either a skirt suit or pantsuit with a dress shirt tucked in. Always keep the blazer on. Skirt length, colours, types of shirt, detail on skirt, materials matching, colours matching,. If it’s appropriate you can wear accessories eg statement necklace. no sheer blouses. Absolute minimal accessories. Insert picture fo sauder summit.
For men: full suit with tie. If your suit is patterned, wear a plain tie. more tips ahhhhh

Business casual – a lot more leeway in terms of colour combinations, materials and accessorizing.
For women: stick with a blazer and dress shirt (or a dressy blouse), but feel free to ditch the dress pants or skirt in favour of something more casual like black slacks. Tops and bottoms don’t necessarily have to match in terms of colour or material, so feel free to pair your red skirt with a black blazer. Don’t be afraid to wear colour or accessories. Insert picture of CUS interview.

Business super casual – as the name would suggest, this is basically business casual with extra emphasis on the casual.
For women: I would personally recommend keeping the blazer, but at this point it’s probably safe to ditch it (syn) if you really want. At this point you can replace the collared shirts and nice blouses with a solid-coloured top, or one with subtle details/a subdued pattern. blabla black jeans are okay, can even wear a dress, opaque tights.Insert
picture of SLC outfit.

 

1. Find out whether business casual or business formal is more appropriate. Business formal and business casual are worlds apart, 

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jason mraz is always right

Posted on by under Involvement, Tips

The other day I was listening to You and I by none other than the aforementioned lyrical and musical genius Jason Mraz, which begins with the line “Was it you who spoke the words that things would happen, but not to me”, and I felt like bursting into tears, because Jason Mraz was right: things were happening, but not to me.

Hiring season has started, and I have so far been rejected from every position I’ve applied to. I’m no stranger to rejection and failure but it still stings nonetheless, and I’m sure many of you have gone through, are going through, or will go through the same experience.

Nonetheless, it’s easy to turn that negative experience around and get the most out of it. If there’s anything I’ve learned from the multiple speakers I’ve listened to this year, it’s that failing can be an extremely valuable learning experience; making mistakes is what helps you see where you have room for improvement. In this context of applying for jobs or positions, the experience doesn’t simply end with the “We regret to inform you…” email. Go ahead and email or call the Hiring Director, or whoever is responsible for hiring, and ask them (politely, of course) for feedback on your performance in the interview. Learning how to improve your skills and build your experiences will make you a more competitive and qualified candidate for any future positions you might apply for.

Another tip to keep in mind is to stay positive, which is evidently easier said than done. It’s okay to feel down for a couple of days, especially if you’ve been rejected over and over and over again in the short period of one week. In the words of famed poets Timon and Pumbaa, Hakuna Matata. Forget about the past and focus on the future – which means getting up off your feet, dusting yourself off, and applying to yet more positions.

Lastly, surround yourself with a supportive group of friends, because their encouragement can really help in tough times. Each and every one of your close friends believes in you, and thinks you’re super intelligent and probably ridiculously beautiful too. :) If you still need that extra boost, this is one of my favourite websites for injecting a little positivity back into my life.

Fortunately, Mr. Mraz’s song doesn’t end at the first line:

“Oh things are going to happen naturally,
Taking your advice I’m looking on the bright side,
And balancing the whole thing.”

If you keep thinking positively and pursuing your goals instead of giving up at the first sign of failure, you’re going to (eventually) end up where you’re meant to be, even if that means failing a few times first. There’s always a certain balance to life, and although it may often seem that the bad far outweighs the good, it’s always possible to find a little bit of good within the bad (and vice versa, I guess, but I only condone optimism here).

Incidentally, I recently found out I’m going to be the next Communication Director for SIFE UBC (soon to be Enactus UBC), and an Assistant Director for UBC Rec’s online magazine, The Point, and I’m so so stoked.

Jason Mraz is always right. :)

DFTBA,
Olivia

 

TUNES:

You and I – Jason Mraz
9 Crimes – Damien Rice
Say When – Jukebox The Ghost
Champagne Supernova – Oasis

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I and I Alone

Posted on by under Academics, Involvement, Sauder, Tips

Well, it’s official – I’m a workshop/seminar/conference junkie. I just got back from an amazingly inspiring seminar by Dan Moore, the President of Southwestern Advantage, who talked to us about dreams and success. The seminar was organized by my wonderful Residence Advisor, Desiree, aka the best RA in Vanier UBC.

I’ve attended so many motivational workshops, speeches and seminars that you might think I’ve heard all there is to hear on the topic of “How To Succeed” – but the exact opposite is true. Dan’s workshop today taught me countless valuable life lessons, and I literally could not wait to share a few of them with you.
Firstly, and most importantly, in my opinion, remember the following mantra: I and I alone am responsible for my success. It’s so natural for people to attribute their failures and shortcomings to circumstance; many of us often blame a poor grade on a “bad” professor, for example. It sound corny, but the moment you stop blaming your failures on circumstance, you take full control over your success. Obviously, people’s circumstances vary: a person studying at UBC was likely born into far better circumstances than a child born into poverty. The bottom line is that, ultimately, your future depends on how much effort you put in. You are capable of turning your future around if you are motivated enough and don’t limit yourself.

Speaking of limits, remember Luca Patuelli and his motto “no excuses, no limits“? Dan told us the story of an incredibly inspirational guitar player by the name of Tony Melendez. The thing that separates Tony from other talented guitarists is the fact that he was born without arms. He plays the guitar with his feet and is extremely successful, despite doctors telling his parents that he would never be able to lead a normal life. If you don’t limit yourself to what society deems as “logical”, “realistic” or “possible”, you can open so many doors that you never even knew existed.

Lastly, Dan gave us some advice about how to become more productive and successful, especially with respect to the ever-dreaded school work. The key is to think of school work as exactly that – “work”. On Mondays to Fridays, from 8 to 5, focus all your attention and time on school-related work, whether it’s assessments, studying for a test, or reviewing lecture notes. That way, all your evenings and your entire weekend are free for leisure and, most importantly, sleep! Naturally, you can adapt and change this schedule to your own needs: some people have lectures later than 5pm, for example, or maybe you’re an athlete and have practice during the weekdays. Currently, I’m still a little skeptical about this regime (mostly because I’m a devoted fan of the twenty-minute-nap-between-classes) but I’ve vowed to try it out and stick to the schedule as rigorously as I can.

Dan is presenting another workshop this Friday, this time focusing more on sales and his organization, Southwestern Advantage. The bad news is it’s restricted to Sauderites; the good news is, it’s not too late to sign up on COOL – plus, there’s a free lunch thrown in too!

DFTBA,

Olivia

 

TUNES:

Smooth Criminal – Michael Jackson
Skinny Love – Bon Iver
Postcard from Italy (Beirut Cover) – Florence and the Machine
Raconte-Moi Une Histoire – M83

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midterms: round two

Posted on by under Academics, Tips

As usual, it’s been a while since my last post. Since then, a lot of things have happened: a President has been re-elected for a second term, Vanier had its second open mic night/coffee house, and those dreaded midterms are coming back for a second round.

Luckily, I actually did relatively well on my first few midterms, especially considering I had three on the same day. Therefore I’m obviously perfectly qualified to give out some useful, albeit somewhat belated, study tips. Right? Right.

Before the exam:

1. DO study well beforehand; DON’T cram it all an hour before your exam starts.Chances are you’ll remember the material better because you’re actually learning it in the long term and committing it to memory (which could be useful for finals).

2. DO study in a well-lit area – poor lighting hurts your eyes and probably your concentration too :c

3. DO try to study without distractions; DON’T listen to music if you know you’re going to just end up singing/dancing along. If you’re surrounded by distractions, like music, friends or that brand new bottle of nail polish sitting on your desk, begging to be used, force yourself to go somewhere else where you can actually focus. Some people can only focus when there’s music playing in the background, but try to study in an environment similar to the one you’ll be sitting your exam in.

4. DO get a reasonable amount of sleep; DON’T pull an all nighter – sleep helps commit the things you’ve studied to long term memory, so make sure you sleep enough, or at least take a nap at some point, instead of relying on that venti gingerbread latte.

 

During the exam:

1. DO pay attention to the time; DON’T waste time on questions you can’t answer – time management is always an issue in exams. Usually your professor will explicitly state how many marks each question is worth so you can roughly gauge how long to spend on it – make sure you follow these guidelines so you don’t end up wasting half an hour on a question worth only 10% of the mark.

2. DO move on from questions you’re not sure about; DON’T panic – after you move on, you can focus on other questions – but your brain is still working on that question you passed.

 

Remember, everyone has different ways of studying, so take these suggestions with a grain of salt – but hopefully they help! Anyway, those are enough tips for now (since when did this become an advice blog amirite) – in my next post I’ll tell you all about my adventures :)

Don’t forget to be awesome,

Olivia

 

TUNES:

I Wonder – Kanye West
Basic Space – The xx
You – Tally Hall
Lorelai – Fleet Foxes

 

 

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