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Here are a few words by the Heads at DU Beat, sharing the experiences which built their journey, as they bid adieu to this family. While this journey comes to an end, the memories last forever. Anushree Joshi, Print Editor 2019-2020, shares her honest words with us. 

In an Instagram live session with singer-songwriter Ali Sethi, renowned lyricist, writer, and stand-up comic Varun Grover said something which I’ve taken the liberty to paraphrase here – we miss places only after we have left them behind. As I sit here today, thinking about saying some profound parting words as the Print Editor, I am unable to feel a kick of overwhelming nostalgia – partly because I’m not a very sentimental person, and partly because I’m eager to see what comes next for me, outside the mind-numbingly time-consuming and not-for-profit shenanigans of DU Beat.

Let’s call a spade a spade because being a part of this team takes a lot of dedication and patience. I remember being in 12th grade, over-dependent and over-enthusiastically invested in every news update or graphic DU Beat put up because they were the most reliable source for all the information that sustains an anxious high-schooler and a Delhi University aspirant. I knew I had to be there, so I applied to DU Beat immediately after applying to DU, and the rest – as the cliché goes – is history. Never in those moments of peak worry about making the cut in their editorial team did I imagine I would be so invested in something that didn’t even pay me back. However, I also didn’t imagine that I would ever be recognised as the ‘Print Editor’ in the halls of my college, and across DU.

In this daunting vast sphere of diversity, DU Beat gave me a lot of nauseous panic-worthy days, but it also provided me with a stable center to come home to. There may be a lot this organisation has to learn in terms of team diversity, intersectionality, and sometimes empathy too – but it gives one some takeaways for the ages too. In working with excellent designers, photographers, correspondents, and resource-persons across the University, I somewhere became a little more capable. From brainstorming memes to microscopically sifting through PDFs for alignment errors, from dancing at fests to negotiating with the most headstrong authorities, from cursing WordPress as a copyeditor to breaking stories at student protests – DU Beat is the hub of lessons I didn’t even know I needed. There have been a lot of sleepless nights and tiring weekends that I lost to DU Beat, but I gained the ineffable pleasure of holding a newspaper, week after week, and knowing that I had been instrumental in creating it from scratch.

If you are reading it as a DU Beat-aspirant or as a current DUBster, I don’t want to paint a rosy lie and say that there is nowhere else you would enhance your skills in writing, editing, reporting, designing, photography, etc. But I can take a gamble and claim that it won’t be an experience as agency-giving as working with a bunch of students who don’t know everything they are doing, but they figure it nonetheless (and how). DU Beat is a memorable place for friendships and relationships for many – I found some great people along the way too, but the most significant difference this organisation made in my life – and can make in yours too – is the power to believe that I can learn and I can create something, for the ages.

 

Signing off,

Anushree Joshi

Print Editor 2019-2020

 

Final semester kicking in just a few more days, I’m willing to bet polishing your resume is right on top of your To-Do’s or New Year’s resolutions list. While those of us who’ve already been placed need to worry about this a little less, buffing our resume (or creating one *cough cough*) becomes a priority for those of us who will be sitting for placements in this cycle. While the perfect resume format is a myth, the internet is replete with good advice. But the amount of information available can be very overwhelming at times. For your ease, we bring you a compilation of the some of the best tips out there. Feel free to tailor them to your skill set or requirements!

1. Assess your skills

Being only an undergraduate student limits your exposure in the real world. While internships expose you to different kinds of scenarios, chances are that your overall skill-set will not be very different from your fellow classmates. How then would you go ahead distinguishing yourself from others? The only way you can do is by crafting your own brand, by marketing yourself in a way that an employer would want to meet you in person. It’s all about figuring your own individuality and finding possible job outlets in order to develop yourself further. You can start by pondering what skills and interests you do possess. Your interests and hobbies will guide you, and once you have an inkling of an idea of what you can do, you can start working towards establishing that goal.

2. Grow your network

Once you have an idea of where your interests lie, try to understand how you can market them. For example, if your hobby is bookworming, and you think you could make a good editor, try to understand how media works, or how the industry of Publishing is organised. Connect with people who’re already employed in the same industry, or who’re working towards similar goals. When you have a good knowledge of what your dream job actually entails on a daily basis, you can shape your resumes better by tailoring it to specific job requirements.

3. Gain experience

Most people believe your chances of landing an internship exhaust when you’re past your sophomore year. This is far from the truth. There are good chances of finding an internship post-graduation, if you’re still not sure of committing to a specific job yet. Try and gather as much experience as you can, with internships, field projects or research work in your field. If you couldn’t kickstart your career in college the past 5 semesters, you don’t need to suffer an existential crisis this semester.

4. Research potential employers

Many ‘perfect’ resumes have been rejected in the past, because the candidate’s skills and the needs of the employer are not the right match. So many people apply for jobs they have zero interest in for fear of being unemployed after graduation. A person who wishes to be in Editing and Journalism might never make a good accountant, and vice versa. Research potential employers in areas/sectors you’d like to work in. Look for what they seek in an ideal candidate and assess if your skills match to those requirements. Your resume should reflect your interests and ambitions in accordance with an employer’s requirements.

5.Build your resume/cover letter

Your resume/cover letter should reflect all the research you did. Content is king. Start listing several projects you undertook in college like being part of a society in college, including any volunteering initiatives in your college department. If you were elected in a leadership role, list down key achievements during your tenure. Make sure that when you’re done with crafting your resume, it makes sense as a whole. It should be cohesive and the information should flow easily. Make sure to proofread it for any grammatical errors!

6. Prepare for interview

While a resume can get you inside the glassdoors, a perfect interview will guarantee you the job and seal the deal! Take advice from your placement cell advisors. Several internship portals and channels on YouTube are devoted to helping students make a good first impression. Take help from them, and continue to practice key interview questions.

The last semester as an undergraduate is an exciting and unnerving time. Being prepared is the key to making sure you never miss out on any fun, while at the same time landing a favorable job for you! Goodluck for the upcoming placement sessions!

 

Feature Image credits: tkmce.ac.in

Surbhi Arora

[email protected]