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Hi! Same person who asked about context here :) Job hunting-wise, is it good to just list down? I'm worried since employees may only look at resumes with explanations. In my case, all my work experience so far sounds cool until I get down to the describing part ._.

Betina: Don't worry; from experience I can tell you that 9/10 resumes really don't have descriptions at all. So if you're worried about falling short without descriptions, don't.
The reason I shared my super-secret-no-fail resume formula at the talk (since I'm guessing that's where you're getting this info from) is because I learned as a recruiter that most people are really terrible at framing their experiences. I approach my resume the same way I would an interview, which is to always be mindful of Context-Action-Results. Then I modified my resume formula to really emphasize skills since that's what recruiters are after.
In the thousands of resumes that I've reviewed I've only seen a handful of people do anything close to this method and they almost always ended up getting hired.

Will it be possible to have 3 classes (9 units) during the summer sem and intern at the same time? Or does that sound too impossible?

Betina: I interned while taking a full 18 unit load during the regular semester, so definitely not impossible :)
Try to fit all your classes in the morning so you have afternoons free for internship and intern nearby so you're not battling traffic on a daily basis. Good luck!

Hi guys! So I know context is important in resumes, but don't you think that presupposes that you do have something to write down? Because what if your job was really meh and all you can put down with confidence is the job description? Should I just list down all my work then and include/not the JD?

Betina: The reason that context is important is that you don't want to give the recruiter the freedom to view your experiences badly, since you run the risk of that happening if your descriptions are too subjective and you don't include specifics. However, if you're convinced that you have more to lose than to gain from being specific, then keeping your description vague might be a good call.
At the very minimum, skip the description and just link that experience to marketable skills, since that's what the recruiters are really after when they look at your resume. Good luck!

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Hey guys! I noticed MNCs like Unilever and P&G tend to accept people loaded in terms of resume stuff but is it possible they accept otherwise? Like your resume looks really plain and you just get accepted because you're so confident and did really well in the interview.

Betina: In my experience, no. Many applicants are confident and fantastic both on-paper and in-person, so those are the people who will make it to the end.
If I remember correctly, P&G is taking around 30 interns and Unilever is taking 50 interns for the business week program (might be slightly easier to get in as a regular intern). Many of the people who pass P&G will also likely pass Unilever and vice versa, so it's really just a select group of people who are super competitive. Those are the people you'll be compared to and it's hard to measure up if you don't a solid resume to back you up.
My advice if you really want to go the MNC route, is to do an internship (or two) in a less competitive company to gain solid experience so that you have the resume to back up your confidence when you apply to the MNCs. Good luck!
(Note: I wasn't sure if you were referring to internship programs or management trainee programs or regular employment, but the same principle holds true for all.)

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Hi Justine! When do we get to take the online exam for inkompass? Until when is it up online? :D Do we get an email as soon as we submit the application?

Justine: Hi! The exam's already started actually, especially for those who signed up early. For the others, like those who signed up by paper, they'll be getting the links by next week April 4-8 ish. It's up online until April 22 but the sooner the better so they can start sifting and interviewing those who passed already! Yea, you guys get an email confirming you finished the test and to sit tight to see if you passed!

Hi! I just had to ask :) What do you exactly mean by "cold calling"? How do you go on about it?

Betina: Cold calling is when you call a company without having a specific contact to call. You just call the company number and ask to speak to HR about who you can send your resume to for summer internship (or ordinary job openings).
People do this a lot in the States, but I think it’s underutilized here because a) our generation seems to be terrified of making phone calls b) it’s not a very Filipino thing to be so upfront and call without a contact. But it’s usually very effective if you can get through to HR. :)
Justine: I have never actually done this. But I do have my cellphone number on my LinkedIn, so I get a lot of random calls from potential employers. The flipside of being cold called lol. But usually, I don’t accept internship offers from cold calling because it’s usually startups looking for free manual labor. And I reiterate, I do not like how some startups divide work and credit amongst their interns.

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Do internship programs happen all year round….

J: Nope, all the major internship programs at companies that Betina and I would apply at happen in the summer to accommodate the academic calendars for the major universities. Regular internships can happen year round; DLSU requires a solid 4-6 months for internship, so a lot of companies moved to accommodate them.

The summer programs are also far more competitive since technically, everyone’s free to fill that slot. The companies that advocate young people entering them and joining their work forces also tend to get filled up pretty fast. Everyone looking for an internship knows where to look first because of hearsay.

@ Bettina, how did your interview for Unilever go? What were the questions? I have a scheduled interview also for Unilever and I'm scared and nervous af huhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu

It went well!
Can't tell you, since that would be unethical and unfair. Sorry!
Don't be! They're not scary at all. :)

Assuming a cover letter isn't mentioned in any of the requirements, would you still recommend that people send in one?

Betina: If I’m sending it via e-mail, then I’ll just make my message in the e-mail my ‘cover letter’ If I have special circumstances that don’t fit with the norm (eg. position unrelated to my course, can only intern during certain months), I’ll add a short letter/message just to explain that.

Why do companies withhold job descriptions in their ads for job openings? I noticed that many tend to disclose the information (such as responsibilities, duration of work) only when you contact them further, hand in your CV, or when you have your interview already. :-j

Betina: I think it might just be industry practice. Mostly because that’s all negotiable (salary, work hours, etc.) so prefacing an interview with ‘we’re willing to pay a 30k monthly salary!’ when the applicant would settle for 25k isn’t a smart move.

By the big 4 I think they meant the big 4 accountancy firms. I am also interestedo in this area

Betina: Ahhhh okay. This is just my preference after screening and interviewing accountants when I was at ZMG Ward-Howell.
(And I’m completely generalizing based on the people I interviewed plus this isn’t my field, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.)
I’d rank PWC (Isla Lipana & Co) and EY (SGV & Co.) as the two best. The people I interviewed from the other 2 companies were less impressive.

Hi Betina, how long did it take for you to get another interview for Unilever Business Week? And how was the next round? Also for P&G:)

Betina: 6 weeks. I was interviewed on the first day of phone interviews, so clearly I had to wait for everyone else to finish their phone interviews before they could call me in for a second interview.
But I was also one of the first students (if I'm not mistaken, the 4th) that they interviewed in person for the program so I might have also been called earlier than the others. :)
Really fun and chill! I really like the HR manager who interviewed me (Hi Sir G!) and I'm a Unilever kid, so it was just really cool to be interviewed by the company I grew up with.
P&G also took around 6 weeks between my first and second interview - although I heard back almost immediately - the only reason it took 6 weeks was because the schedules were always conflicting.
Justine: Can I just interject that you are shady as hell, anonymous ask-er because why can you not ask this to Betina directly. Why must you resort to getting information anonymously??? This wasn't even just one question ok, there are like 6 of them in all the anonymous ask boxes.

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To Betina: You mentioned in one of your posts that you "really really disliked one of your internships and was meh about another," would it be possible to know which companies you were referring to and what specifically you dislike about them? :)

I think we already wrote this somewhere, but it’s not good for us to go around bad-mouthing companies, regardless of how bad the experience was. So no, I won’t name names.
Specifically I hate that the mentality was too Filipino (in all the bad ways). It wasn’t a good fit. I’m really outspoken and assertive; I grew up in international schools so my personality is definitely really strong. I’m also really results-oriented. I don’t really care how the job gets done, as long as it gets done.
They were really inflexible with my schedule. I spent so much time just sitting around because I was always done with my deliverable early and they had nothing else for me to do.
They cared more about emotions than results and got defensive when they asked me to evaluate and critique one of their strategies. If they didn’t want any real feedback then why on earth did they ask for me to critique??
The other one didn’t really help me grow too much as a person or help me pick up any technical skills, but I definitely learned a few things about how to be professional (on the phone, via e-mail, etc.) and accountable, which I’m grateful for.

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To Betina: you applied for business week? how was the line manager interview?

Betina: Yup! It was great! Really fun and chill :)
It was my favorite kind of interview. More of a ‘getting to know you’ conversation versus the usual (terrifying) Q&A. The HR manager who interviewed me is really nice (Hi Sir, if you’re reading this HAHAHA) and I’m a Unilever kid so I already knew a lot about the company and didn’t have to over-prepare.

Betina did you get a response from unilever already re: your phone interview results?

Yes! I’ve another interview with a line manager scheduled later this week! :D

Hi, I'm currently taking a health-related course (I'm not an Atenean, btw), and I want to try doing internships but then I don't know if anyone will accept me because of my major :( plus most people I know who did internships were business majors :v

Betina: "I know a lot of people who ended up going the corporate route after taking a pre-med course. Business majors have an advantage, but don't let that hold you back"
Justine: I hate how people think that the only way to help the health sector is by becoming a doctor. Great doctors don't necessarily know how to run great hospitals. A great manager does. It's important to have diverse experiences when being in the health sector, tch.
People will always accept you if you're willing to work for free. It's the paid internships where you'll have a tough time, so beef your experiences up and good luck!

Who will you vote for president? Hehe

Betina: Grace Poe
Justine: Miriam, unless I feel like she's seriously not going to win, then either Poe or Duterte, depends if my mom is looking when I vote hahahaha

is it okay to put like a part-time job experience such as being a waitress in the resume? it was just to raise funds and utilize the academic shift summer break lol

Betina: Yes!! I kept my waitressing experience on my resume even with all my internships because waitressing takes a completely different set of skills (patience, customer service, humility) and it's real world experience earning your own pocket money which is a super good thing :)

would you know what percentage of the 3rd year batch in ateneo do you belong to if you have a qpi of 3? :)

Betina: Hi! I went to ADAA to ask about percentile ranking by QPI and I was told that they can't give us our standing within the batch; if you want your percentile ranking within your course, you can ask your department secretary, although I would highly discourage that because that's not really an accurate way of gauging your batch ranking. I'm a 3.0 and I've been putting in upper 25% because that felt safe.
Justine: I asked for my ranking and it wasn't very impressive hahahaha I'm a 2.7, and no matter what I always put upper 25% because I'm confident in myself. I might not be the smartest in terms of acads, but I'm no slouch either. Just put the percentile you believe you're in. Or you believe you should be in.

What is both of your opinion on the Big 4? Have either of you applied and how did you find it? Thanks!

J: Betina only applied to Ateneo and got in. I applied to all 4 and only got rejected from UP because of my high school grades. I know this because my test score was 2.1 and you need a 2.2 to pass. (In UP highest is 1, lowest is 4).
For me, all the tests were easy. I wasn't actually paying attention to most. For DLSU, I was a Star Scholar. For UST, I was 2nd highest ranking for Marketing Management, and 59 ata for MedTech according to test scores. For Ateneo, I got into the Advanced English program, only top 10% for English test get into that.
Go to whatever school resonates with you the most when you're walking through it. My Ateneo test was in the middle of a typhoon, and I was skipping around in the rain exploring. It was magical hahaha.

aww :( the one at bo's coffee is that application for inkompass or for the regular internship?

J: Officially for INKOMPASS, but unofficially for regular internship and employment too, if anyone is brave enough to start looking for work ahead of the pack hahaha

why did you name your blog the border collective? :)

J: A long time ago, this was supposed to be a collab between my friends and I on issues college-aged girls face. They named it this because we were supposed to represent the border between mainstream and hipsterdom. But then, things happened and I never got around to changing it. So ta-dah, The Border Collective aka TBC for short hahaha

can you still apply sa inkompass even if youre a junior already and not a sophomore?

J: Only if you're a junior of a 5 year course. If not, sorry bud, you missed your chance last year. But you can apply for a regular internship with Philip Morris this coming summer!
If you still want to apply, head on over to Bo's Coffee Katipunan from Feb 22-26! INKOMPASS rented out the entire second floor, and I'll be there the whole Monday and Wednesday! Hope to see you then!

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