How CHAARG Helped Me Land My Dream Job

CHAARG is an amazing organization to talk about when applying for future jobs — employers love to hear about your involvement in extracurriculars! Being an exec leader helps you to learn soft-skills that will be beneficial to a future job, regardless of the field you’re going into. We’re featuring some of our previous exec leaders from different CHAARG Chapters, + how CHAARG has helped them land their dream jobs <3

.     .     .

Carly Garcia, University of Iowa

Degree Earned: BA Communication Sciences + Disorders, current Graduate Clinician in Masters of Arts Speech Language Pathology program at The Ohio State University
Position[s] in CHAARG Exec: VP Media, Event Coordinator, + Ambassador

How did your CHAARG experience help you land a spot in an unrelated field? 

CHAARG is more of a left-field experience for people applying for graduate school in speech-language pathology. It’s not patient contact hours, it’s not working with vulnerable populations, but it is learning how to be a leader. The skills I learned + developed throughout my positions on the exec team helped me stand out in a competitive field. Obviously, coordinating workouts isn’t a skill I use every day in grad school, but inclusivity, adaptability, + creativity are all skills I learned through my time as an exec leader that I use every day. 

How did you articulate your CHAARG experience on your resume + in your LinkedIn profile? 

When in doubt, think about the *skills,* not the tasks! I used the LinkedIn profiles of other leaders who had held the same positions in other CHAARG Chapters to make a big list of bullet points, combined them, + narrowed them down until I had created the ones I thought best described my position + its relevance towards my future career. It took some extra research but it was SO worth it. [P.S. here is my LinkedIn that I keep updated with *everything* I do!].  Keeping up with LinkedIn made it as easy as copying + pasting the information into a resume when the time came! Because I keep my LinkedIn up-to-date, I have also already been contacted by recruiters offering help finding a clinical fellowship position after I am finished with graduate school in 2021! 

.     .     .

Haley Patel, University of Illinois at Chicago

Degree Earned: BS in Bio-Engineering 
Position[s] in CHAARG Exec: Event Coordinator

How did you explain CHAARG on your resume as an engineering major?

I always had a unique opportunity to talk about + showcase my CHAARG experience, especially in an engineering position. It showed how well I could work on a team + interact with people, which is a soft skill that people cannot learn in school. It allows you to work with people from so many backgrounds! 

I was able to showcase CHAARG on my resume beneath my leadership section, + something I did to make it stand out was stress the *numbers* aspect of CHAARG. How many members my Chapter had, how many hours I spent at events throughout the semester, how many events I planned as an EC, how I worked with a team of 7 girls… the list goes on + on! Showing data that demonstrates how I empowered women was a home run! 

How did you talk about CHAARG in your interviews?

In all my interviews, they were scenario based questions. “Tell me how…” “Explain a time when…” My time on exec [especially as an EC] exposed me to tons of experiences that I could talk about during interviews. For example,  “How did I recover from a failure?” lead me to think of a time a studio cancelled last minute with tons of members looking forward to it + how I had to think on my feet to plan something else as a back-up! CHAARG gave me real-life experiences to discuss in my interviews + show my leadership skills in action. 

.     .     .

Antonia Wuschner, University of Michigan

Degree Earned: Bachelors in Nuclear Engineering + Radiological Sciences, Minor in Applied Physics. Pursuing PhD in Medical Physics with Radiation Therapy Focus
Position[s] in CHAARG Exec: Secretary + Ambassador

How did your time as a CHAARG exec leader help you get into school to pursue your PhD? 

I often reference my positions in CHAARG + definitely have talked about it in interviews ++ included it on a resume. A comment I often hear from my mentors + recruiters I have talked to is that nowadays the *soft skills* are those that make the difference.  Employers often are faced with the decision between two qualified candidates + are willing to teach any technical knowledge. However, soft skills such as managing + working in a team, communicating effectively with businesses + other professionals, adaptability, + generally being receptive to giving or accepting feedback are skills that cannot be easily taught.  These are the skills I feel I’ve developed strongly through CHAARG. Whether it be delegating tasks to plan a complicated event, contacting studios to put together an event schedule, having CPR conversations + using radical candor to optimize team performance, or making last minute changes to plans when a studio cancels on you, everything I have done in my roles as a CHAARG leader have made me a more competent leader in society + has made me feel more empowered ++ confident taking on these roles.

Personally, when applying to grad school, I highlighted my abilities to manage + work on a team as well as manage my time effectively. I also highlighted how I not only did this at a university level, but also communicated with a great national community to assure our actions aligned with the common goals of the organization. These skills are vital in a collaborative research environment + especially vital when pursuing a PhD where coursework must also be managed alongside research that may involve working with individuals across the world.

.     .     .

Evanthia Vranas, Indiana University

Degree Earned: BS in Biology, currently pursuing Doctor of Dental Medicine
Position[s] in CHAARG Exec: Founding VP Membership, Ambassador 

How did being a founding exec leader for a CHAARG Chapter help prepare you for dental school? 

Helping start a new CHAARG Chapter, being a part of a CHAARG exec team, + being a CHAARG Ambassador not only was an amazing experience ++ growing opportunity through my college years, but it has also impacted the person I am today. When applying to dental school, I truly felt that I could answer any interview question I was asked with an amazing opportunity or difficulty I had to overcome when holding a leadership position in an organization full of my passionate colleagues. I have also been asked by my peers before, “how can you be so mature for being one of the youngest in our class?” + I know that it is because of the three core values I took away from being a leader in CHAARG. 

The 3 core values I took away from being a leader in CHAARG were:

#1] The only way to stay truly motivated towards a goal is to have a genuine passion for the work you do.

#2] There is one thing to be a dreamer, but in order to achieve those dreams you must do the work.

#3] Research, explore, discover what makes you the best version of yourself, + never lose sight of it, no matter what life throws at you.

.     .     .

Libby Hinken, University of Cincinnati 

Degree Earned: BA in Communication + Marketing, PR Certificate
Position[s] in CHAARG Exec: Small Group Coordinator, Event Coordinator, Ambassador, + Events CHAARG Summer Intern 

How did your experience with CHAARG help you find your dream job?

My experience with CHAARG has benefitted me long beyond my time of college. I started out as a Small Group Coordinator, then went on to Event Coordinator, Ambassador, Events CHAARGtern, + lastly a CLC [Chapter Leadership Consultant].

Through my experience with these variety of positions, I found my niche within the event planning industry. I have since then pursued a career as an event specialist. I use many skills learned through CHAARG such as organization, teamwork, interaction with instructors [now clients!], public speaking… just to name a few. I am so thankful I took the chance to apply for exec + for CHAARG HQ investing their time ++ resources to help me develop my skills. I truly do not think I would have found my dream job if it weren’t for my experiences with CHAARG.

.     .     .

Emily Ganz, Purdue University

Degrees Earned: BS of Movement + Sports Science, MS of Public Health [from University of Cincinnati] Position[s] in CHAARG Exec: Founding Ambassador 

How did you talk about your CHAARG experience in your interview?

Drawing parallels from my experience on a CHAARG exec team to the position I applied for allowed me to paint a picture for my future employers as to how I would *fit in* on their team. One key point I discussed in my interviews was working on a team of 7 individuals with different communication styles to hit deadlines + goals. Regardless of the field you’re in, you will be working alongside co-workers where you will have multiple responsibilities on your plate. By shining light that you already have experience in creating a collaborative experience with others along with time management skills of different tasks, your future employers will see the confidence in your abilities + know that you are a team member they want to have!

.     .     .

Do you want to learn more about becoming a CHAARG exec leader? Check out our Chapter Elections page to learn more + find out when/how you can apply! Ps — if you are a CHAARG girl ++ want to speak to any of these women about their career, send us an email at [email protected] + we would be happy to connect you!