Let's face it, most resumes are boring to write and boring to read. They tend to focus on timeframes, titles, and what the models say you should talk about -- what you participated in, worked closely with, and developed anew. Thay are also typically full of job-specific jargon. I think this misses the point. I'd want to know in simple everyday terms what you gained and what you gave to the job.
Admittedly, much of the work I've done, like saleman and pizza deliveryman, is not very impressive. However, as anyone who has ever done trhis kind of work knows, interacting directly with the public is a great way to gain confidence in dealing with people and the real-world in which we all live. Given this, I've included even my most humble and humbling jobs in the descriptions that follow.
Admittedly, much of the work I've done, like saleman and pizza deliveryman, is not very impressive. However, as anyone who has ever done trhis kind of work knows, interacting directly with the public is a great way to gain confidence in dealing with people and the real-world in which we all live. Given this, I've included even my most humble and humbling jobs in the descriptions that follow.
Havas...Summer '25
Just getting into the competitive Havas summer intership program was hard, but it was worth it. I loved working with clients and with the talent at Havas, which included the creative teams, the financial folks, and the promo people.
But it wasn't the sausage-making that gave me my biggest insight, it was learning that empathy -- understanding the mind of the client's client -- is the key to success. Creating a program that accomplishes this, communicating it well, and persuading the client that your program will lead to their success is the goal.
Althought I spent most of my time helping my team guide a new client through an advertising campaign, I can't say my contribution was "essential." What I gained from the intership was to learn what Havas was about; what Havas gained was to learn enough about me to know that I could make a contribution.
Just getting into the competitive Havas summer intership program was hard, but it was worth it. I loved working with clients and with the talent at Havas, which included the creative teams, the financial folks, and the promo people.
But it wasn't the sausage-making that gave me my biggest insight, it was learning that empathy -- understanding the mind of the client's client -- is the key to success. Creating a program that accomplishes this, communicating it well, and persuading the client that your program will lead to their success is the goal.
Althought I spent most of my time helping my team guide a new client through an advertising campaign, I can't say my contribution was "essential." What I gained from the intership was to learn what Havas was about; what Havas gained was to learn enough about me to know that I could make a contribution.
BC Bookstore...Part-time School Year 23/24
As the social media creator for the Boston College bookstore, I learned that making things look easy was really hard. This isn't just me being cute, the work it took to make "extremely short" social media promos was "huge." And it wasn't just the technical stuff, there was also the script, acting, lighting, setting, and much more that needed to be perfect to make the desired impression on the viewer.
It might seem obvious, but learning that promo success was all about what the viewer thought (and not what you thought) was an important lesson. Here's a sampling of my stuff...
As the social media creator for the Boston College bookstore, I learned that making things look easy was really hard. This isn't just me being cute, the work it took to make "extremely short" social media promos was "huge." And it wasn't just the technical stuff, there was also the script, acting, lighting, setting, and much more that needed to be perfect to make the desired impression on the viewer.
It might seem obvious, but learning that promo success was all about what the viewer thought (and not what you thought) was an important lesson. Here's a sampling of my stuff...
AllBirds...Summer '23
Working at Allbirds was a hoot! It was a brand new company offering an exciting and new product line. Everyone who worked there was enthusiastic -- which is exactly what you want from any effective team -- and this enthusiasm was contageous.
You don't think about having fun in a shoe store, but that's what it was like for our customers. They enjoyed themselves, whether they bought our shoes or not. Most importantly, there was nothing forced, clumsy, or awkward about it.
For me, it was an epipheny to learn that the best stores are really "an experience," where the customer has fun and leaves with something they love rather than something they've been convinced to buy ... and later to regret buying.
Working at Allbirds was a hoot! It was a brand new company offering an exciting and new product line. Everyone who worked there was enthusiastic -- which is exactly what you want from any effective team -- and this enthusiasm was contageous.
You don't think about having fun in a shoe store, but that's what it was like for our customers. They enjoyed themselves, whether they bought our shoes or not. Most importantly, there was nothing forced, clumsy, or awkward about it.
For me, it was an epipheny to learn that the best stores are really "an experience," where the customer has fun and leaves with something they love rather than something they've been convinced to buy ... and later to regret buying.
Vuori...Summer '24
I totally enjoyed the time I spent working at Vuori! As a retail sales associate and visual merchandiser I got a real feel for the brand ... an essential first step for a communicator. "Flipping the floor" every week and unboxing new products was fun, like Christmas morning. Ensuring that the back-of-house ran like a tight ship was also important to accomplish and to learn.
But it wasn’t just the day-to-day tasks that stuck with me. I learned that retail, when done well, is about telling a story. It’s about understanding how people move through a space, how they respond to color, texture, light—and most importantly, how they feel while they are doing it. In this regard, I got to work directly with the visual merchandising manager and even had a hand in helping her open the East Coast’s third Vuori store, which felt like being part of something much bigger than just folding joggers and ringing people up.
Sure, I was focused on hitting my sale numbers, which I did by averaging $4,500 sales per day, but that wasn’t the real prize. The real win was feeling the pulse of what made people connect with a brand in a physical space. and seeing that I had a place in that world.
I totally enjoyed the time I spent working at Vuori! As a retail sales associate and visual merchandiser I got a real feel for the brand ... an essential first step for a communicator. "Flipping the floor" every week and unboxing new products was fun, like Christmas morning. Ensuring that the back-of-house ran like a tight ship was also important to accomplish and to learn.
But it wasn’t just the day-to-day tasks that stuck with me. I learned that retail, when done well, is about telling a story. It’s about understanding how people move through a space, how they respond to color, texture, light—and most importantly, how they feel while they are doing it. In this regard, I got to work directly with the visual merchandising manager and even had a hand in helping her open the East Coast’s third Vuori store, which felt like being part of something much bigger than just folding joggers and ringing people up.
Sure, I was focused on hitting my sale numbers, which I did by averaging $4,500 sales per day, but that wasn’t the real prize. The real win was feeling the pulse of what made people connect with a brand in a physical space. and seeing that I had a place in that world.
Pizza Delivery...Summer '23
It's not anyone's dream job, but I eventually began to understand that there was a direct link between my performance and my presentation and customer satisfaction.
Obviously, when I screwed up a deliver or when I acted cranky, customers responded negatively (in lots of interesting ways). When I did well and acted cheerful, they responded in surprisingly positive ways. What wasn't so obvious was when I screwed up a little, I could almost always fix it by being personable and responsive. Most people it seems want to have a positive interaction with others, and all it takes to get that is to deliver what's expected and to be friendly in doing it.
This sounds like it's self-evident, but judging from the poor people skills of many client-facing workers, it's not.
It's not anyone's dream job, but I eventually began to understand that there was a direct link between my performance and my presentation and customer satisfaction.
Obviously, when I screwed up a deliver or when I acted cranky, customers responded negatively (in lots of interesting ways). When I did well and acted cheerful, they responded in surprisingly positive ways. What wasn't so obvious was when I screwed up a little, I could almost always fix it by being personable and responsive. Most people it seems want to have a positive interaction with others, and all it takes to get that is to deliver what's expected and to be friendly in doing it.
This sounds like it's self-evident, but judging from the poor people skills of many client-facing workers, it's not.
BS Tour Guide...Junior and Senior year '24 an '25
College tourguides are almost always portrraited in movies and on TV as nerds or wannabe academics. Well, that wasn't me. I just wanted a job and the one they offered me was tour guide.
As I got into it, however, I began to understand that the people in my tour wanted more from me than to guide them through the school's interesting sites. They wanted the inside scoop on what it was like to attend Boston College. So this is what I focused on -- delivering to them what they wanted.
Eventually, I got good at it, and I got lots of complements about how the prospective students got some great insights during the tour. What I learned was that people don't always know what they want and even when they do, they are not often clear about it. Helping them define their need and then satisfying it were the key skills needed in the job.
College tourguides are almost always portrraited in movies and on TV as nerds or wannabe academics. Well, that wasn't me. I just wanted a job and the one they offered me was tour guide.
As I got into it, however, I began to understand that the people in my tour wanted more from me than to guide them through the school's interesting sites. They wanted the inside scoop on what it was like to attend Boston College. So this is what I focused on -- delivering to them what they wanted.
Eventually, I got good at it, and I got lots of complements about how the prospective students got some great insights during the tour. What I learned was that people don't always know what they want and even when they do, they are not often clear about it. Helping them define their need and then satisfying it were the key skills needed in the job.
