Good grades are important, but they do not tell employers everything they need to know when interviewing prospective employees.Having the right major might not even be enough. For example, this summer I had a marketing internship at the Kansas City Aviation Department. I have never studied marketing, business or even communications. However, I had solid writing credits and samples.
With the emergence of more humanities students competing for positions in the business world, all students must make sure their writing skills are up to par.
TCU students should be actively building their rÂsumÂs and exploring areas of interest.
Every student who reads this has taken or will be taking at least two composition courses, regardless of whether they are an English or humanities major. That means having material you have written that is suitable for publication.
The best way to prove you can write is to amass writing and publication credits and samples. An employer will be impressed by both a well-filled rÂsum and well-written samples. Why not make yourself as attractive as possible?
Liberal arts students should especially be taking every opportunity to get work published. But these are no longer the only students who should be concerned about this.
TCU offers a variety of ways to publish. For instance, the TCU Daily Skiff, despite popular belief, does not require writers to be journalism majors.
It is fairly easy to develop writing credits. The English department offers two opportunities to get your name out there: the Creative Writing Awards and 1147. Neither of these are limited to English majors.
The Creative Writing Awards even offers money for winning entries. This may seem daunting to some, but categories occasionally go unrewarded for lack of entries. And winning is attainable – I won $75 for a poem last year.
The department only publishes a selection of award-winners as space allows, so this may not be the place to see yourself in print. However, it looks very nice on a rÂsum and provides a much-appreciated supplementary paycheck.
A student-run online journal, 1147, also offers students a chance to see their work published. This may not sound like much, but when you put it on your rÂsumÂ, you can include a link for prospective employers. Published work is generally more impressive than unpublished work, after all.
Information is available at the English department office in Reed Hall 314, and students can submit works to both. A wide variety of works is accepted; 1147 is even looking for art and short films. For both of these opportunities, Friday is the submission deadline.
By simply sending in your work, you can make yourself that much more attractive to employers even before you walk into your interview.
1147 can be found at www.1147.tcu.edu/1147home.htm. The English department Web site is www.eng.tcu.edu.
Stephanie Weaver is an English, French and philosophy major from Westwood, Kan.
