RTSWS 2023 Spring Mentor Workbook

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SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM
SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM
OF CONTENTS A Letter from Our Founder ........................................................................................................ V Mission ...................................................................................................................................... VII Background VIII Traits of a Mentor VIII Mentor Meeting Logistics.......................................................................................................... IX Best Practices ........................................................................................................................... X Responsibilities of Mentors XI Responsibilities of Proteges XII Benefits to Proteges ................................................................................................................ XIII Program Outline ........................................................................................................................ XVII Additional Topics for Discussion ..............................................................................................
Introduction,
2: Resume/CV Tips and
5
TABLE
XVIII SESSION 1:
Career Quiz and Begin Building Resume/CV 1 SESSION
RTSWS Vocational & Career Platform Intro.......................
TRACK 1: Resume/CV Review,
and LinkedIn Introduction 9 TRACK 2: Resume/CV
and
Cover Letter .................................................................................................. 16
SESSION 3:
“Dear Female Job Seeker...” Article
Review, “Dear Female Job Seeker...” Article
Create a
TRACK 1: Continue LinkedIn Profile, Create a Cover Letter and Applications 22 TRACK 2: Finalize Cover Letter, Professional Emails and Applications 25
SESSION 4:
TRACK 1: Continue Professional Emails, Interview Tips and Mock Interview .............. 27 TRACK 2: Interview Tips, Mock Interview and Thank You Emails 29 Before You Go ........................................................................................................................... 31 Additional Resources ................................................................................................................ 32
SESSION 5:

AT A GLANCE

CONTACT

Contact the RTSWS staff at questions@rockthestreetwallstreet.com

ROCK THE STREET, WALL STREET (RTSWS) WEBSITE www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com

RTSWS VOCATIONAL & CAREER PLATFORM

https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/students-alumnae/

RTSWS INTERNSHIP & JOB PORTAL

https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/internship-job-portal/

MARKETING MATERIALS

www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com/get-the-word-out/

MOBILE APP

Search “RTSWS” in the Apple Store or Google Play Store or app.rockthestreetwallstreet.com

RTSWS SOCIAL MEDIA (QR codes on the following page)

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/rock-the-street-wall-street/

LinkedIn RTSWS Student and Financial Pro Networking Group: www.linkedin.com/groups/7029520/

Instagram: @instagram.com/rtsws_

Facebook: www.facebook.com/girlsrockwallst

TikTok: tiktok.com/@rockthestreetwallstreet

YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCUKCvfew0BGIoA1iaqmjviw

EMAIL PICTURES & SELFIES TO: pictures@rockthestreetwallstreet.com

SCHOOL CHAMPION (TEACHER) CONTACT INFO:

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2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK
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SPRING
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SOCIAL MEDIA

Students (16 years of age or older) and financial pros can join our RTSWS LinkedIn Student and Financial Pro Networking Group. As a member, you will learn about scholarships, internships and job opportunities. Connect with your peers and mentors from around the U.S., U.K. and Canada, stay informed on relevant news and more. This is an exclusive, closed group that you will request to join.

Follow us on our RTSWS LinkedIn company page as we expand and diversify the financial workforce. Stay informed of upcoming events, milestones, relevant news and industry articles.

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|
TikTok
Follow us at: @rockthestreetwallstreet
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Headline Here A LETTER FROM OUR FOUNDER

Dear Volunteer, Happy 10th Anniversary!

YOU, along with 3,000 of your female financial professional colleagues, are sustaining a movement to draw teenage girls, who are on the verge of their independence, to become investment literate AND into lucrative STEM careers. RTSWS was launched 10 years ago in 3 high schools in Nashville, Tennessee. This year, we are in 62 high schools in 34 cities across 3 countries, the U.S., U.K. and Canada. And… there is interest from an additional 100 cities which want to bring RTSWS to their schools. Pretty amazing.

To date, over 6,000 girls have gone through the year-long RTSWS program in that 10 year period, 73% of whom are BIPOC and 48% from low-income families.

RTSWS is ACTUALLY closing the gender and racial wage and wealth gaps. This goal has eluded many mobilizations throughout the centuries. In the U.S., the wage and wealth gaps came to light in the national consciousness during the 1860’s. RTSWS students are choosing to major in finance, economics or related business computational fields at 9x the rate of a typical female college/university student. These majors lead to lucrative and meaningful careers where students earn higher STEM based salaries. STEM professions lift people out of poverty in one generation.

And with their new found higher salaries, our alumnae know to not only budget and save; they also need to invest. They know the nomenclature and concepts of investment finance and are ready to put their hard earned dollars to work. This is how you close the gender and racial wage and wealth gaps.

2022/2023 PROGRAM ENHANCEMENTS

RTSWS alumnae are aging up, heading to college and into their first jobs. RTSWS is growing along with them. This year, we are broadening our program and services to now include the RTSWS Vocational and Career Platform (VCP). Former RTSWS students and alumnae are coming back to us to learn even more about their career interests; they attend local, regional, national and virtual job information and networking events; they take the RTSWS career quiz to further assess their skills and personalities to see which career might be a fit for them.

Last year, we added the Student CEO program and the Internship and Job Portal (IJP). Both additions were well received by the student population and our corporate partners. To date, we have had 130 Student CEOs (we aim for 2 in every cohort) and 350+ internship, job and scholarship opportunities have been posted on the IJP by over 70 corporate partners.

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FINANCIAL INDUSTRY INTERNSHIPS

• Investment Management, Sales, Legal & Compliance, Technology, Asset Management, Fixed Income ETF, Business Intelligence, Operations + more!

FINANCIAL INDUSTRY FULL TIME JOBS

• Pricing & Valuation, Investment Communications, Market Surveillance, Asset Management, Investment Banking, Sustainability, Fixed Income Research + more!

SPRING SEMESTER 2023

Odds are that your protege had no idea that being financially and investment literate is critical to her independence, nor did she know that a profession in finance even existed before she met RTSWS during the fall sessions. So, the questions and thoughts coming your way are likely to be broad, open-ended and many. You are presenting your work world, career paths and aspirations to them. Please be mindful of the impact you are having on these students, the vast majority of whom do not have female, positive money role models in their lives. You will be forever remembered as the person who spoke freely and confidently about money matters and about what the profession can offer these girls.

Lastly, please always keep in mind, even when it appears they have come unprepared, that youth with mentors develop more self-confidence and self-esteem and are able to create bigger goals for themselves. Their behavior and attitudes improve. You will help them grow while closing social and economic opportunity gaps.

Thank you for making a difference in the lives of the young women in your community and in the lives of our future financiers!

Founder & CEO, Rock The Street, Wall Street

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Together, we are changing WHO we invest in to change WHAT we invest in.
Maura K. Cunningham
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MISSION

Rock The Street, Wall Street is a financial and investment literacy program designed to bring both gender and racial equity to the financial markets and spark the interest of high school, secondary school or sixth form girls into careers of finance.

Mentor: A trusted counselor or guide

Protege: One whose college/university and career path is furthered by a person of experience, prominence or influence

The Rock The Street, Wall Street Mentorship Program is designed to encourage racially-diverse high school, secondary school and sixth form girls across the U.S., U.K. and Canada to take a strong interest in their personal finances at an early age and to explore the possibility of a career in the financial services industry. We do this by offering a five-week series of classroom workshops and a Wall Street Experience Field Trip in the fall. In the spring, we pair those students with female financial professionals. Our mentors offer a firsthand (and often, first-time) view into the world of business. The mentor provides guidance to their protege about savings and investments, interview skills, resume/CV preparation, professionalism, confidence-building and career interests. The goal of the mentorship program is to encourage girls to take charge of their financial lives at an early age and to provide a diverse population early access to lucrative internship and job opportunities in the financial sector.

Mentoring is a valuable resource in developing the protege’s self-confidence, providing accountability for her goals, discovering her interests and exploring professional aspirations.

Get comfortable sharing ideas on life, leadership, academic and career goals and overcoming obstacles. Our larger goal is to have the two of you stay in touch long-term as your protege grows into a college/university student and beyond.

Many of our former RTSWS mentor and protege relationships have lasted for years, attesting to the effectiveness of a formal mentorship program.

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BACKGROUND

Two out of three women state that they know little to nothing about finance. By reaching girls in high school, secondary school and sixth form, we commission them to take charge of their finances at an early age. We illuminate the relevance of finance in everyday life and encourage girls to study business and seek a profession in the financial industry. Women are vastly underrepresented in the upper ranks of finance and comprise only 2.5% of hedge fund CEOs, 8% of venture capital professionals, 9% of mutual fund managers and 11.7% of private equity executives.

Let’s face it, women, and particularly women of color, are not participating in the capital markets in the numbers they should be. RTSWS is reaching young women in 34 cities across the U.S., U.K. and Canada through local schools, introducing them to financial concepts such as savings, investments, budgets, stocks, bonds, derivatives, private equity and university/financial preparedness. We offer young women a pathway to financial and investment literacy and career preparedness through financial hands-on projects in our workshops, role modeling, mentoring, strengths assessments and real-life Wall Street field trip experiences.

TRAITS OF A MENTOR

The following are the traits that RTSWS believes makes for a good mentor:

• Sincere desire to be involved in the life of a student

• Respect for the protege

• Willingness to share

• Ability to relate across cultural and economic differences

• Active listening skills and asking thoughtful questions

• Ability to empathize with a young person

• Skills in recognizing solutions and opportunities

• Patience

• Ability to guide conversations

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MENTOR MEETING LOGISTICS

To learn more about mentoring, watch this mentor training video: www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com/spring-mentor-training/ Password: Ment@r2023!

• Over the course of the spring semester, it is expected that the mentor and protege teams will meet five times.

• RTSWS will work with schools and volunteers to select mentoring dates. Make note of the dates of the subsequent mentoring sessions with your protege.

• RTSWS will send meeting reminders to students & volunteers the day before each meeting is scheduled.

• If you’re unable to attend a session due to a work conflict or unforeseen emergency, please notify your protege and Lead Volunteer so your protege can be added to another group.

• If your protege is absent, feel free to buddy up with another mentor for the session.

• You will be meeting with your protege in person at their school. Everyone will find a quiet corner or table to work together for the session.

• We recommend that you bring your laptop or personal device to these meetings to access additional resources in the curriculum.

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WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR MENTORSHIP SESSION Laptop or Smart Phone RTSWS Mentor Handbook Pencil and Paper
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BEST PRACTICES

• Expectations: Have a conversation about guidelines, the importance of attendance, confidentiality and the boundaries of the relationship.

• Establishing Agreements: Help your protege work out a plan with clear tasks for achieving her goal (e.g., arriving on time for class, asking more questions in class, applying to other programs that serve her academic or professional goals, etc.).

• Communication with Students: Communicate with your protege about upcoming meetings. We encourage you to exchange contact information with your student to stay in touch regarding sudden changes or unexpected cancellations. Please select the method of communication you feel comfortable with (email is acceptable).

• Session Absence: Please let your protege and your Lead Volunteer know if you will be unable to attend a session. We will work to pair your protege with another mentor for that session.

• Two-Sided Conversation: Encourage your protege to ask questions about finance or talk about something they are interested in. Find your common ground and share favorite hobbies, books, Netflix shows or music. Conversations don’t have to be solely career focused or financial literacy-based, but we highly encourage both.

• Uncomfortable Topics: If a question or topic arises that you are uncomfortable addressing, please don’t feel the need to respond. Thank the student for feeling comfortable enough to share that information with you (that is a huge compliment to the relationship you have built) and let them know that you don’t feel equipped to give a good response or the correct information. Please make note of the conversation and relay it to a RTSWS staff member. We will handle this situation confidentially and appropriately on a case-by-case basis.

• Moving Forward: Each party should reflect on her own learning from this experience. What have you learned about yourself as a mentor? What have they learned about themselves as a protege? How will you both take what you’ve learned to the next level? The intention of this component of the RTSWS program is for the mentoring relationship to continue beyond this academic year. Stay in touch with your protege so that the relationship can continue to grow. Some of our previous mentors have set up job shadowing opportunities for their proteges or have stayed in touch long after the program finished.

• Relax and Have FUN! This mentoring relationship allows young females the opportunity to develop social capital, as well as begin to think about what their future might look like, and you’re able to play a role in that!

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RESPONSIBILITIES OF MENTORS

Typical mentor responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Acting as a resource for information about the financial profession and savings and investment concepts

• Establishing the meeting agenda

• Helping the protege identify and reach specific goals

• Establishing trust with the protege

• Listening actively

• Challenging the protege to think and analyze options

• Sharing unique professional experiences

• Serving as a sounding board for ideas

• Providing college/university and career guidance (however, you are not expected to be a college/ university counselor)

• Encouraging self-confidence and strong self-esteem by serving as a solid role model

• Offering constructive and meaningful feedback and critical analysis

BENEFITS TO MENTORS

Serving as a mentor offers the following rewards:

• The personal satisfaction of giving back to your community

• A legacy of personal knowledge, insight and experience

• Professional enhancement, higher visibility and prestige

• Expansion of your community and professional network

“Volunteering with RTSWS was a really rewarding experience. It was really cool because normally every day you come into work and you do a job and you don’t always see that tangible impact you are making on someone. But when you come into the classroom and you interact with these girls you can see right then how you are making a difference in their lives.” — RTSWS Volunteer

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RESPONSIBILITIES OF PROTEGES

Each protege is expected to:

• Actively engage in conversation with their mentor, which includes responding to questions and a two-way exchange

• Stay in contact and communicate clearly with their mentor

• Attend the scheduled sessions and notify their mentor 24 hours in advance if they are unable to attend their scheduled session

• Help to establish the meeting agenda

• Be receptive to feedback and coaching

• Assess their own individual needs

• Openly share successes and failures

• Take advantage of opportunities presented by their mentor

• Follow through on commitments and goals set during the mentoring sessions

• Admit mistakes and take responsibility for them

• Be confident to tactfully and respectfully disagree with their mentor

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BENEFITS TO PROTEGES

Here are some of the benefits proteges can expect from having a mentor:

• Assistance in defining college/university goals, career goals, strategies and options

• Build confidence to grow, overcome challenges and reach goals

• Personalized attention geared toward specific needs

• A sounding board for ideas and approaches

• Access to finance industry insiders

• Recommendations for helpful articles and resources

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MENTORING ACROSS DIFFERENCES

Since launching the mentoring program years ago, RTSWS has discovered several things that have proven helpful to the mentor/protege relationship. Some of the girls will be of different socioeconomic, cultural and/or religious backgrounds. It can be a challenge to approach these topics.

Please take the time to read an article by Ida Abbott, a professional consultant specializing in mentoring, titled “Breaking Down Barriers to Mentoring Across Differences.”

You can find the article at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/breaking-down-barriers-mentoring-across-differences-ida-abbott/

The article illustrates how it can be limiting for the relationship to ignore the differences that exist between mentor and protege. You can open up these discussions by:

• Being honest and letting the protege see both your strengths and weaknesses.

• Not being afraid to show your vulnerability. By acknowledging your unawareness about certain situations, the protege becomes more at ease and less self-conscious about her own vulnerabilities.

• Show curiosity. Invite her to open up about her culture. Turn your inexperience with her situation into a genuine curiosity and ask about her life. Who is she? What is her life like? What motivated her to be a part of this program?

• Being empathetic to her situation. What does she want to learn? How does she plan to use what she learns? What risks and obstacles is she facing? Withhold assumptions about what is “right” for her based on your knowledge and experience.

• Adjust your agenda to better fit your protege. Be adaptable to the protege’s responses and be open to discussing topics you hadn’t planned.

• Keeping humor in the conversation. If something was misunderstood, laugh about it instead of dwelling on it.

• Treating the protege with respect. She will reciprocate.

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Why Women Need Mentorship in the Workplace

Mentorship for women is a meaningful way to encourage their advancement in the workplace. We spoke to several women at different stages of their careers to understand how they feel about mentorship and its impact on their careers.

Only six percent of Fortune 500 companies have a female CEO, according to research by DDI World. The lack of representation is appalling, but unfortunately, not surprising to many.

Despite some significant gains over the past several decades, women still face many challenges in the workplace, including:

• Pay inequity - women still get paid less than men for doing the same job.

• Advancement barriers - female executives are still few and far between. Many women hold supportive or administrative roles in their companies.

• Family-life imbalance - women with families face tougher hurdles to succeed at work compared to men with families.

There are overlapping reasons for this. They span political, socio-economic, and cultural realms. This article won’t go into those reasons as we’re not experts, but we do want to highlight what we have a lot of experience in: mentorship.

Why is female mentorship important in the workplace?

Consider these studies that speak to the benefits of mentorship:

• Employees with mentors are promoted five times more often than their non-mentored peers.

• 87 percent of employees with mentors or that mentor others feel empowered by their relationships and attribute greater confidence to the experience.

• In one study, retention and promotion rates for women participating in mentoring programs increased from 15 percent to 38 percent.

Providing women with mentors is a meaningful way to help them advance their careers. Mentors provide women with guidance on navigating their careers, advice on skill development, and ongoing support. Despite this, the same researchers at DDI World found that only 37 percent of women have had a mentor in their careers. Additionally, only 56 percent of companies have formal mentoring programs.

Mentorship plays a critical role in female advancement in the workplace.

The pandemic’s impact on women in the workplace

The pandemic had a disproportionate impact on women in the workplace. Over 800,000 women have

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left their jobs. That is four times the number of men who’ve quit. And those that are left behind feel the burden much more.

What women need are support networks. These can be found in employee resource groups for women or formal mentoring programs. These communities or programs give women opportunities to build connections and find support.

How do women benefit from mentorship?

Mentorships hold many benefits for participants and the organizations that launch them. Here are some of the ways that women specifically benefit from mentorship.

Representation

Statistics show that many organizations lack substantial female representation in leadership roles. Workplace mentoring programs are able to provide female mentors who act as role models for other women in the company.

“Seeing women in leadership positions where they are respected, their insights are valued, and their ability to influence/create real impact on a team or company signals to others, like myself, that it’s possible.” - Evelyn Ly

These mentors are able to guide and advise these other women. They’re also able to inspire them to achieve more. Seeing a leader in your organization that you can identify with gives you confidence that you too can advance to that level.

“The biggest benefit of having a career mentor (no matter the gender) is that it helps you imagine what a brighter, more successful future could look like for you. I grew up in a low-income family with very few professional female role models—and the disparity in workplace representation between men and women meant that I struggled to find examples of women like me who were achieving the things I wanted to achieve.” - Lizzy Burnam

Connections

Mentorships also allow women to find support and encouragement in their workplace. In a workplace where women are a minority, they may feel isolated. Developing a relationship with other women in business can help them feel more connected.

“Having someone in one’s corner creates an immense psychological safety for women at the workplace.” - Anett Tarnokova

Women can also benefit by building networks of key and influential people to get to know other successful leaders through their mentors. These connections can provide women with the confidence to pursue new opportunities.

“Mentors have acted as my ‘anchors’ throughout my career by setting an example for me and giving me the courage to try things that otherwise might’ve seemed a bit too audacious and wildly out of my reach.”

- Lizzy Burnam

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reading this article at togetherplatform.com)

Headline Here SPRING MENTORSHIP OUTLINE

Track 1: Recommended for students who have never participated in RTSWS Spring Mentorship before.

Track 2: Recommended for students who participated in the Spring Mentorship previously or are under the age of 16.

There are no prerequisites to either mentorship track.

Session 1

• Introduction

• Career Quiz

• Discuss Potential Career Paths

• Challenge: Begin listing clubs, activities and accomplishments for resume/CV building

Session 2

• Introduction to RTSWS Vocational & Career Platform

• Review Resume/CV Building Tips

• Begin Building Protege Resume/CV

• Challenge: Continue working on your resume/CV for review in Session 3

Session 3

Track 1:

• Review Protege Resume/CV

• Share Your Resume/CV

• Article: Dear female job seeker...

• Introduction to LinkedIn

• Challenge: Create your own LinkedIn profile

Session 4

Track 1:

• Continue building LinkedIn Profile

• Write a Cover Letter

• Learn Professional Email Tips

• Challenge: Type up your cover letter

Session 5

Track 1:

• How to Apply for an Internship or Job

• Review Interview Tips

• Mock Interview

• Challenge: RTSWS end of course survey

Session 3

Track 2:

• Review Protege Resume/CV

• Share Your Resume/CV

• Article: Dear female job seeker...

• Write a Cover Letter

• Challenge: Continue creating a cover letter

Session 4

Track 2:

• Finalize Your Cover Letter

• Learn Professional Email Tips

• How to Apply for an Internship or Job

• Challenge: Continue practicing professional emails

Session 5

Track 2:

• Review Interview Tips

• Mock Interview

• Sending a Thank You Email

• Challenge: RTSWS end of course survey

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ADDITIONALHereTOPICS FOR DISCUSSION
Headline
Academic development and ways to improve the path toward college/university
College/university applications, internships or job applications
Scholarship applications
Student, teacher or professor roles and interactions
Best practices for studying
Resource recommendations
Stock and bond market performance
Entrepreneurship
Saving and investing
Goals and progress toward goals
Networking
Job shadowing
Internship opportunities
Types of career opportunities available within the finance industry
Female representation in math and finance
Building confidence Protege’s Name: Protege’s Contact Info: XVIII

BEGINNING OF SESSION 1

Whole

Group Activity: Splitting into Mentorship Pairs

Whole Group Activity to Split Into Your Mentorship Pairs

Use this whole group activity to split the RTSWS cohort into their mentorship groups.

Instructions

• Lead Volunteer - Instruct all RTSWS students to stand in the middle of the room.

• Students should be facing the front of the classroom and the Lead Volunteer will be facing the students.

• The Lead Volunteer should point out to students which side of the room is the students’ right side and which side of the room is the students’ left side.

• Read each of the below statements, one at a time, and ask the students to “pick a side.”

• Students may choose to stay on the same side of the classroom if they continue to agree with that “side.”

1) If you prefer winter over summer, go to the right side. If you prefer summer over winter, go to the left side.

2) If you prefer dogs, right side; if you prefer cats, left side.

3) If you would rather list to Taylor Swift all day, go to the right side. If you would rather listen to Harry Styles all day, go to the left side.

4, 5 & 6) LEAD VOLUNTEER: Make up 3 of your own fun statements to have students switch room sides.

7) If you already know what you want to study in college/university, go to the right side. If you are still undecided on what you want to study, go to the left side.

8) If you are 16 or older, go to the right side. If you are under the age of 16, go to the left side.

Next - ask those only on the right side (those 16 and older) if they have participated in RTSWS SPRING Mentorship before. If they have, have those students move to the left side of the room.

You should now have students on the right side of the room and the left side of the room. Students on each side of the room should be grouped together in their mentoring pairs. Dependent on the number of students vs number of mentors, have mentors join the student sides and create groups with 1-3 students.

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PRE-SESSION 1 TRACK 1 & 2 Pre-Session 1

SESSION 1

Introduction, RTSWS Career Quiz & Potenial Career Paths

Protege Name & Contact Info:

Introduction

Take time to introduce yourself and meet your protege. Share your story!

Using the following page, take 5 minutes to fill in the prompts and answer the various questions.

Once you have completed the page, share your answers with your protege and ask them to share their answers with you.

Take the RTSWS Career Quiz

https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/career-quiz/

Both you and your protege will take the RTSWS Career Quiz to help your protege learn more about possible careers within the finance industry. Scan the QR code to the right or visit the “resources” tab in your app.

As you get your results, please make sure your protege understands that the job types are just a sampling of the many rewarding careers available within the finance industry. To explore additional job types, they can visit the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal: https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/internship-job-portal/

Discuss Potential Career Paths

Read through the below questions with your protege and take a few minutes on each question to talk through each of your thoughts:

Were there any jobs that stood out to your protege from the RTSWS Career Quiz?

What types of jobs is your protege interested in? Share with your protege how skills they learn during current jobs can apply to future jobs they are interested in.

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RTSWS CAREER QUIZ
(Continued on page 3) SESSION 1 TRACK 1 & 2 1

INTRODUCE YOURSELF

Take time to introduce yourself and meet your protege. Share your story!

My go to playlist:

1. 2. 3. 1.

I am good at: I need help with:

Where did you go to college and what did you major in?"

HELLO!

Summarize what you do at work on a day to day basis:

My name is: One thing i am hoping to learn/gain from RTSWS Spring Mentorship?

2. I

Family or friend who inspires me:

In my free time I like to...

One day, I hope to...

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What is your job title? SESSION 1 TRACK 1 & 2 2

What types of education, internships or experiences would they need in order to pursue those jobs?

Share with your protege how you decided you wanted to pursue your current job.

Share with your protege what your major or minor in school was.

Share with your protege what you were involved in at school.

Resume/CV

A document created and used by a person to present their background, skills and accomplishments. Resumes/CVs can be used for a variety of reasons; but most often, they are used to secure new employment.

Over the course of the next few sessions, you will be helping your protege update their current resume/CV or build a brand new resume/ CV.

CHALLENGE!

Instruct your protege to use the resume/CV brainstorming sheet on the following page to develop a list of clubs and activities they are involved in. With this list, they will also begin to brainstorm what skills, strengths and accomplishments they have.

During the next session, you will begin to help them build (or revise) their resume/CV. If they already have a resume, remind them to bring a copy to the next session!

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK 25
1) ________________________________________________ 2) ________________________________________________ 3) ________________________________________________ 4) ________________________________________________ 5) ________________________________________________ SESSION 1 TRACK 1 & 2 3
Working with your protege, help them develop a list of 5 possible jobs they may be interested in:
SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM 26 SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK RESUME BRAINSTORMING WORKSHEET Clubs, groups & teams I belong to: My work or volunteer experience: Leadership positions I have held: Certifications or skills I possess: Classwork or projects that I am proud of: Awards or honors I have received SESSION 1 TRACK 1 & 2 Resume/CV Brainstorming Worksheet 4 :

RTSWS Vocational & Career Platform

Introduction, Resume/CV Building

Introduction

to RTSWS Vocational & Career Platform

As our students and alumnae grow, we are working with them to meet their career goals. We encourage students and alumnae, as well as our corporate sponsors and employers, to utilize our RTSWS Vocational & Career Platform

The Vocational & Career Platform is a place for students and alumnae to make peer-to-peer connections, foster professional development and browse current internship and job opportunities with global firms.

The RTSWS Vocational & Career Platform contains:

• RTSWS Internship & Job Portal

• Student & Alumnae Events

• LinkedIn Student & Financial Pro Networking Group

• Student CEO Program

• Bi-Weekly Student & Alumnae Newsletters

• RTSWS Career Quiz & Resources

Help Protege Create Account on the Internship & Job Portal

Instruct your protege to register as a job seeker on the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal and review the different internship and job opportunities listed.

STEP 1: Help your protege register as a job seeker. This will allow them to receive updates on new internship and job listings from firms across the U.S., U.K. and Canada.

Mentors - Encourage your firm to post internships and entry-level opportunities for proteges and RTSWS alumnae.

STEP 2: Browse the current listings. Are there any jobs that sound interesting to your protege? They can click into individual listings to learn more about what the job would entail and learn about qualifications for that job.

Have your protege create a list of 3 internship or job opportunities from the portal that spark their interest.

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK 27
1) __________________________ 2) __________________________ 3) __________________________
SESSION 2 TRACK 1 & 2 5
SESSION 2
SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM 28 SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK SESSION 2 TRACK 1 & 2 6

STEP 3: Talk with your protege about questions they may have about different internships and jobs.

• If you know of any internships for high school, secondary school or sixth form students to get experience in the finance industry, share them with your protege!

• Provide your protege with any advice you may have about finding a job they are interested in.

With your protege, return to page 5. Instruct your protege to CIRCLE 1 of the internships or jobs that they are most intrigued by. With that listing, your protege will practice submitting a resume/CV and a mock cover letter through a professional email during a later session.

Note: This does not have to be a job they are ready to apply for right now. We are just going to use one of the actual listings to practice how they would submit a resume/CV and cover letter for a job application.

What Goes on a High School, Secondary, Sixth Form Resume/CV?

High School Resume/CV: A Step-by-Step Guide https://www.cappex.com/articles/applications/high-school-resume-step-by-step

With your protege, read the article and review the important pieces that should be added to a resume/CV.

Help Your Protege Build or Update Their Resume/CV

If they already have a resume/CV, you can assist them in updating and perfecting it with your feedback! If they do not already have a resume/CV, we are going to begin building one today!

Have your protege take the list of clubs, activities, accomplishments and accolades they wrote down on page 4 and begin formatting them into a resume/CV.

The following page has a RTSWS resume/CV template for high school, secondary school or sixth form students.

Instruct students to scan the QR code to the left or visit www.rockthestreetwallstreet.com/resume-template/ to download a copy of the template to use for their resume/CV!

London cohorts: There is a UK CV template on this site as well.

Have your protege continue to work on their resume/CV. We will open their resume/ CV document back up during the next session and make final revisions. During the upcoming sessions, they will practice applying to a job with their resume/CV through an email and writing a professional email.

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK 29
SESSION 2 TRACK 1 & 2 7
CHALLENGE!

Your Name

123 Your Street Your City, State 12345

123 456 7890 no reply@example.com

Skills

● Fill in your strengths here (examples below)

● Strong self-advocacy skills

● Creative problem solver

● Excellent organization abilities

Experience

Rock The Street, Wall Street / Member

AUGUST 2022 - MAY 2022, LOCATION

Participated in my school's cohort of Rock The Street, Wall Street (RTSWS). RTSWS is a financial and investment literacy program for girls across 62 high schools in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom Female financial professionals led financial and investment literacy workshops and served as mentors to students in the cohort

● Engaged in financial and investment literacy workshops in the fall

● Attended the " Wall Street Experience" field trip to a local financial firm

● Developed self-advocacy skills with a mentor from the finance industry

● Refined interview skills and conducted a mock interview

● Engaged in a diverse learning community

Company, Club or Activity Name / Your Title

MONTH 20XX - MONTH 20XX, LOCATION

Fill in additional experience details here

Company, Club or Activity Name / Your Title

MONTH 20XX - MONTH 20XX, LOCATION

Fill in additional experience details here

Education School Name / Year in School

MONTH 20XX - MONTH 20XX, LOCATION

Expected Graduation Date:

GPA:

Awards

Fill in your awards and accomplishments Examples: Honor roll, varsity letter, etc

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM 30 SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK
SESSION 2 TRACK 1 & 2 8
RTSWS Resume/CV Template
Your Name

SESSION 3 • TRACK 1

Track 1: Students aged 16+ & 1st time participating in the mentorship.

Resume/CV Review, Sharing a Resume/CV, Career Article and LinkedIn Introduction

Review Protege’s Resume/CV

Have your protege open their resume/CV document. Help them make any final edits and changes. While editing, point out to them what types of things a hiring manager would be looking for when reviewing a resume/CV. If there are additional edits still needed, you can use the Google Document to make comments for the protege to fix later.

Have Protege Download Their Resume/CV as a PDF

Explain to protege that when they submit resumes/CVs for job applications, share while networking or email to employers, they will want to ensure their resume/CV is in PDF format. Using a PDF format allows the resume/CV to be opened properly for viewing and allows it to be easily printed and shared.

To save the resume/CV as a PDF…

1) Click “File” 2) Hover over “Download” 3) Click “PDF Document (.pdf)”

4) Instruct your protege to save their resume/CV with a professional title, such as “Janella Sims, 2023 Resume” or “Janella Sims, 2023 CV” (dependent on their country of residence)

5) From here, save the resume/CV in a folder on their computer or desktop for easy access.

Former Googler Minami Rojas was always passionate about helping women succeed in their tech careers, but now as a leader, she feels a moral obligation to work toward equity in the workforce. Here is her best advice.

Women apply for 20% fewer jobs than men despite similar job search behaviors, according to a LinkedIn Gender Insights Report. In other words, women talk themselves out of jobs before they even apply. This makes sense given the often-cited stat: unlike their male counterparts, female professionals apply to jobs only if they are 100% qualified.

The result of this professional confidence gap is especially stark in the tech world. While women make up almost half (47%) of the total workforce, they only hold 27% of computer and mathematical science jobs. (Continued on following pages)

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK 31 SESSION 3 TRACK 1
9 Article: Dear female job seeker: Apply for the job, ignore the ‘qualifications’ (by Minami
Rojas) https://www.fastcompany.com/90661349/dear-female-jobseeker-apply-for-the-job-ignore-the-qualifications

As a new female exec in the tech industry, and a self-proclaimed data nerd, stats like these both intrigue and terrify me. Championing women’s career growth has always been a passive passion of mine, but now as a leader, I feel the moral obligation to take action in equalizing those numbers.

From landing a dream job at Google to experiencing PagerDuty’s IPO, and to now joining Moogsoft as the VP of Growth, I can attribute much of my career to three things: proactive planning, confidence in myself, and being willing to say yes to new opportunities.

Whether you’re in the tech field or navigating the workforce at large, consider these tips that have helped me advance my career.

CAREER PLAN OFTEN AND OUT LOUD

One of my favorite managers once told me, “Your career path is up to you and you alone. You decide where you want to go and I help get you there.” Nothing has ever rung so true. I am often asked how I ended up as the VP of Growth, and the fact of the matter is I’d known for well over a year prior to taking on the role that building a growth team was what I wanted to do next.

Treat your career as the most important project you need to manage. Once a month, at the very least once a quarter, take 30 minutes to update and reflect on your own career development plan. This includes answering questions like;

• Short-term goals: What projects do you want to accomplish in the next six months that will give you experience in areas of interest?

• Medium-term goal: What skills do you want to learn in the next year that will set you up for the next role?

• Long-term goal: What role, title, or responsibility do you want to grow into in the next two to five years?

(LinkedIn Gender Insights Report)

Once you’ve mapped your path out, you’re halfway there. Now to make that a reality, you need to share it out loud and to anyone who will listen. Schedule out quarterly career conversations with your manager. Don’t wait for them to ask. Share it with women and friends in your network and share it with your mentors or other leaders. Communicating your career plan not only creates a commitment to yourself to move forward but gives you an army of people helping find those next opportunities for you along the way.

APPLY FOR THE JOB, IGNORE THE “QUALIFICATIONS”

Now that you have that next job in mind, it’s much easier to narrow your search. When applying for jobs, focus on three things; the responsibilities of the role, the company or product you’ll be working for, and

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM 32 SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK
10 SESSION 3 TRACK 1

the team you’ll be working with. If those three things match what you are looking for, apply for the job.

Oftentimes, we can get caught up in the “qualifications” section of a job description, but did you know that women are actually more likely than men to get hired if they apply for the job? According to the LinkedIn Gender Insights Report, female applicants are 16% more likely than men to get hired after applying for a job and 18% more likely than men to get hired for a stretch job.

As Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” So take the shot.

SAY YES TO THINGS THAT SCARE YOU

One last thing that I’ve embraced while growing in my career is the feeling of “Can I do this?” that hits your stomach right before you take a big leap into a new project or job. Some may call this “imposter syndrome” or as the feelings of self-doubt and not belonging. But, as Harvard Business Review accurately states, these categorizations incorrectly direct our view toward fixing women at work instead of fixing the places where women work.

Turning it on its head, I like to take that feeling and see it as a sign that I’m pushing myself to grow. Oftentimes, new things are scary. Discomfort is a sign of growth, and the more we push ourselves to be comfortable with the unknown, the more willing we are to take on new challenges.

While there are many things that can factor into your career—timing, inherent privilege (or lack thereof), and a bit of luck—proactively managing your career with intention can only help drive it forward and upwards.

One of my favorite roles I’ve ever had was managing the EMEA SMB Google Cloud sales team which came from a combination of telling my manager I wanted to work abroad as part of my career plan, raising my hand when an opportunity arose for an interim manager role in Dublin, and then saying yes to moving halfway across the world all alone!

So where do you want to invest your time and talent? Pursue this question passionately and reevaluate it often. Believe in your unique value proposition.

You never know what you’ll achieve.

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK 33
11
SESSION 3 TRACK 1

LinkedIn Introduction

Check out the article below “What is LinkedIn and How Can I Use It?” with your protege.

Share with your protege how you use LinkedIn in your personal life or professional career to network or connect with other professionals. Share with them how they can use it throughout their education and career.

ARTICLE: What is LinkedIn and How Can I Use It?

https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a548441/what-is-linkedin-and-how-can-i-use-it-?lang=en

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network on the internet. You can use LinkedIn to find the right job or internship, connect and strengthen professional relationships, and learn the skills you need to succeed in your career. You can access LinkedIn from a desktop, LinkedIn mobile app, mobile web experience, or the LinkedIn Lite Android mobile app.

A complete LinkedIn profile can help you connect with opportunities by showcasing your unique professional story through experience, skills and education.

You can also use LinkedIn to organize offline events, join groups, write articles, post photos, videos and more.

Who should be joining LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is a platform for anyone who is looking to advance their career. This can include people from various professional backgrounds, such as small business owners, students, and job seekers. LinkedIn members can use LinkedIn to tap into a network of professionals, companies, and groups within and beyond their industry.

How do I get started on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is an online platform that connects the world’s professionals. Here are a few steps to get started on LinkedIn:

1. Create your profile:

Signing up and creating your profile is the best way to begin using LinkedIn. A complete LinkedIn profile will summarize your professional experience to your connections, current and future employers, and recruiters. Through your profile, you can showcase your professional life, milestones, skills and interests.

2. Build your network:

Your network plays a crucial part in unlocking the power of LinkedIn. It’ll help you understand what is happening in your industry and professional circle. You can begin by adding your family, friends, past or current classmates, and coworkers to your network. You can also

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SESSION 3 TRACK 1 12

follow people, companies or topics by navigating directly to the Follow fresh perspectives page, which displays recommended sources to follow. You can use the LinkedIn Events feature to create and join professional events such as online workshops, seminars, sales and marketing events, networking events and more.

3.

Find a job:

If you’re looking for a new professional opportunity, you can get started on your job search on LinkedIn. You can use LinkedIn to research companies and reach out to the hiring community. You can also apply directly for roles, save job searches, and notify your connections and recruiters that you’re open for job opportunities.

4.

Participate in conversations:

You can easily participate in conversations on LinkedIn. Participating in conversations can allow you to share your perspective on relevant issues and topics with others. You can like and comment on posts and articles on LinkedIn. You can create or join LinkedIn Groups (such as the RTSWS Student & Financial Pro Networking Group!) to connect and grow with members who share your interests, experiences, or aspirations. You can also use a set of lightweight expressions called LinkedIn reactions to easily communicate with your network.

5.

Post content:

Millions of members come to LinkedIn every day to connect, learn, and share. You can empower and educate your professional circle with the content you post on LinkedIn. You can also share your thoughts and ideas with LinkedIn members using the share box.

CHALLENGE!

Proteges who are 16 or older can create a LinkedIn profile. Go to LinkedIn.com and show your protege your own LinkedIn profile.

If there is time left over today, you can help your protege begin creating their profile using the checklist on14-15. Ask your protege to continue working on adding information and experiences to their LinkedIn profile before the next session.

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13
SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM 36 SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK LinkedIn Profile Checklist SESSION 3 TRACK 1 14
SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK 37 SESSION 3 TRACK 1 15

SESSION 3 • TRACK 2

Track 2: Students under the age of 16 or previously participated in Spring.

Resume/CV Review, Sharing a Resume/CV, Career Article and Creating a Cover Letter

Review Protege’s Resume/CV

Have your protege open their resume/CV document. Help them make any final edits and changes. While editing, point out to them what types of things a hiring manager would be looking for when reviewing a resume/CV. If there are additional edits still needed, you can use the Google Document to make comments for the protege to fix later.

Practice Downloading Their Resume/CV as a PDF

Explain to protege that when they submit resumes/CVs for job applications, share while networking or email to employers, they will want to ensure their resume/CV is in PDF format. Using a PDF format allows the resume/CV to be opened properly for viewing and allows it to be easily printed and shared.

To save the resume/CV as a PDF…

1) Click “File”

2) Hover over “Download”

3) Click “PDF Document (.pdf)”

4) Instruct your protege to save their resume/CV with a professional title such as “Janella Sims, 2023 Resume” or “Janella Sims, 2023 CV” (dependent on their country of residence)

5) From here, save the resume/CV in a folder on their computer or desktop for easy access.

Former Googler Minami Rojas was always passionate about helping women succeed in their tech careers, but now as a leader, she feels a moral obligation to work toward equity in the workforce. Here is her best advice.

Women apply for 20% fewer jobs than men despite similar job search behaviors, according to a LinkedIn Gender Insights Report. In other words, women talk themselves out of jobs before they even apply. This makes sense given the often-cited stat: unlike their male counterparts, female professionals

jobs only if they are 100% qualified.

The result of this professional confidence gap is especially stark in the tech world. While women make up almost half (47%) of the total workforce, they only hold 27% of computer and mathematical science jobs.

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM 38 SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK
SESSION 3 TRACK 2 16 Article: Dear female job seeker: Apply for the job, ignore the ‘qualifications’ (by Minami Rojas)
https://www.fastcompany.com/90661349/dear-female-jobseeker-apply-for-the-job-ignore-the-qualifications
apply to
(Continued on following pages)

As a new female exec in the tech industry, and a self-proclaimed data nerd, stats like these both intrigue and terrify me. Championing women’s career growth has always been a passive passion of mine, but now as a leader, I feel the moral obligation to take action in equalizing those numbers.

From landing a dream job at Google to experiencing PagerDuty’s IPO, and to now joining Moogsoft as the VP of Growth, I can attribute much of my career to three things: proactive planning, confidence in myself, and being willing to say yes to new opportunities.

Whether you’re in the tech field or navigating the workforce at large, consider these tips that have helped me advance my career.

CAREER PLAN OFTEN AND OUT LOUD

One of my favorite managers once told me, “Your career path is up to you and you alone. You decide where you want to go and I help get you there.” Nothing has ever rung so true. I am often asked how I ended up as the VP of Growth, and the fact of the matter is I’d known for well over a year prior to taking on the role that building a growth team was what I wanted to do next.

Treat your career as the most important project you need to manage. Once a month, at the very least once a quarter, take 30 minutes to update and reflect on your own career development plan. This includes answering questions like;

• Short-term goals: What projects do you want to accomplish in the next six months that will give you experience in areas of interest?

• Medium-term goal: What skills do you want to learn in the next year that will set you up for the next role?

• Long-term goal: What role, title, or responsibility do you want to grow into in the next two to five years?

Once you’ve mapped your path out, you’re halfway there. Now to make that a reality, you need to share it out loud and to anyone who will listen. Schedule out quarterly career conversations with your manager. Don’t wait for them to ask. Share it with women and friends in your network and share it with your mentors or other leaders. Communicating your career plan not only creates a commitment to yourself to move forward but gives you an army of people helping find those next opportunities for you along the way.

APPLY FOR THE JOB, IGNORE THE “QUALIFICATIONS”

Now that you have that next job in mind, it’s much easier to narrow your search. When applying for jobs, focus on three things; the responsibilities of the role, the company or product you’ll be working for, and

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK 39 SESSION 3 TRACK 2 17

the team you’ll be working with. If those three things match what you are looking for, apply for the job.

Oftentimes, we can get caught up in the “qualifications” section of a job description, but did you know that women are actually more likely than men to get hired if they apply for the job? According to the LinkedIn Gender Insights Report, female applicants are 16% more likely than men to get hired after applying for a job and 18% more likely than men to get hired for a stretch job.

As Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” So take the shot.

SAY YES TO THINGS THAT SCARE YOU

One last thing that I’ve embraced while growing in my career is the feeling of “Can I do this?” that hits your stomach right before you take a big leap into a new project or job. Some may call this “imposter syndrome” or as the feelings of self-doubt and not belonging. But, as Harvard Business Review accurately states, these categorizations incorrectly direct our view toward fixing women at work instead of fixing the places where women work.

Turning it on its head, I like to take that feeling and see it as a sign that I’m pushing myself to grow. Oftentimes, new things are scary. Discomfort is a sign of growth, and the more we push ourselves to be comfortable with the unknown, the more willing we are to take on new challenges.

While there are many things that can factor into your career—timing, inherent privilege (or lack thereof), and a bit of luck—proactively managing your career with intention can only help drive it forward and upwards.

One of my favorite roles I’ve ever had was managing the EMEA SMB Google Cloud sales team which came from a combination of telling my manager I wanted to work abroad as part of my career plan, raising my hand when an opportunity arose for an interim manager role in Dublin, and then saying yes to moving halfway across the world all alone!

So where do you want to invest your time and talent? Pursue this question passionately and reevaluate it often. Believe in your unique value proposition.

You never know what you’ll achieve.

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM 40 SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK 18 SESSION 3 TRACK 2
(LinkedIn Gender Insights Report)

What is a Cover Letter?

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/what-is-a-cover-letter

A cover letter, also known as an application letter, is a document you send with your resume/CV that provides additional information about skills and experiences related to the job you’re applying to. It typically includes three to four paragraphs that highlight your skills, experience and achievements in relation to the position you’re applying for.

Why is a cover letter important?

A cover letter is essential because it explains details on your resume/CV in more depth and is the first impression a hiring manager has of you. Employers use cover letters to narrow down the applicant pool and choose the group of candidates they want to interview. While some jobs require a cover letter, others make it optional to see which applicants will put in the extra effort.

What to include in a cover letter

A cover letter should include the most interesting and relative experiences and skills you have for the open position. Here are important details to include in your cover letter: How your work experience meets the job’s requirements - Give details about your current and past experience and how it directly impacts your ability to succeed in the new position. Pay close attention to the job description and pick out specific aspects of the job that you can compare to your knowledge.

Why you want to work at the company - Employers want to know your motivation for working with them. They want to hire someone who expresses sincere interest in the job’s duties and enthusiasm for the company. Explain how working there will fulfill your career goals, passions or interests.

Other elements of a cover letter can include:

• Meaningful anecdotes: Telling a compelling story that shows your proficiency with the skills required by the job makes your cover letter stand out.

• A call to action: A polite, open-ended call to action, such as “I look forward to hearing more about this opportunity,” shows your excitement and suggests a reason for employers to call you.

CHALLENGE!

Using the job from the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal that your protege chose to focus on during session #2, have them create a mock cover letter, practicing filling in the template on page 21.

For the purpose of today’s practice, they can make up some of the experiences or accomplishments that they think would be needed for the job they are using.

The template on pages 20-21 will provide a general idea of how to write a cover letter for their next job application.

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SESSION 3 TRACK 2 19
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The first sentence should state your name and which role you're applying for. The next few sentences should provide a short overview of your strengths and greatest accomplishments related to the role. Express your excitement and briefly explain how the role matches your career goals.

In the second paragraph, discuss your most recent professional job role and give an overview of relevant past accomplishments. Explain the impact of your accomplishments and when possible, quantify your successes.

In the third paragraph, detail what makes you uniquely qualified for the position. Use specific examples from previous professional experiences and explain why you want to work there.

In the last paragraph, thank the employer for their time and consideration of your application. Express your interest in moving along in the hiring process.

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK 43 [Your name] [Your phone number] [Your email address] ______________ [Date] [Employer’s name] ______________ [Employer's mailing address] ______________, [Greeting] ________________________________, [Closing statement] [Signature] Practice Your Own Cover Letter
SESSION 3 TRACK 2 21

SESSION 4

TRACK 1

Assist Protege in Completing Their LinkedIn Profile

Using the checklist from pages 14-15, have your protege continue to add to and update their LinkedIn profile. Provide feedback to them on what a potential employer may be looking for when they look at their LinkedIn.

Have the protege pull in components from their resume/CV to complete their profile. Provide your protege with tips and recommendations on how they can improve their profile and make it look professional.

Read with Protege: What is a Cover Letter?

A cover letter, also known as an application letter, is a document you send with your resume/CV that provides additional information about skills and experiences related to the job you’re applying to. It typically includes three to four paragraphs that highlight your skills, experience and achievements in relation to the position you’re applying for.

Why is a cover letter important?

A cover letter is essential because it explains details on your resume/CV in more depth and is the first impression a hiring manager has of you. Employers use cover letters to narrow down the applicant pool and choose the group of candidates they want to interview. While some jobs require a cover letter, others make it optional to see which applicants will put in the extra effort.

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM 44 SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK
Track 1: Students aged 16+ & 1st time participating in the mentorship. Continue LinkedIn Profile, Writing a Cover Letter and Professional Email Tips
Join the RTSWS Student and Financial Pro Networking Group
Connect with your protege on LinkedIn
To Do:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7029520/
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-coverletters/what-is-a-cover-letter
SESSION 4 TRACK 1 22

What to include in a cover letter

A cover letter should include the most interesting and relative experiences and skills you have for the open position. Here are important details to include in your cover letter:

How your work experience meets the job’s requirements

Give details about your current and past experience and how it directly impacts your ability to succeed in the new position. Pay close attention to the job description and pick out specific aspects of the job that you can compare to your knowledge.

For example, if you’re applying to a marketing job that requires a deep knowledge of SEO, you might describe how you worked several successful SEO campaigns in your last position and trained a new marketing associate on SEO best practices.

Why you want to work at the company

Employers want to know your motivation for working with them. They want to hire someone who expresses sincere interest in the job’s duties and enthusiasm for the company. Explain how working there will fulfill your career goals, passions or interests.

Other elements of a cover letter can include:

• Meaningful anecdotes: Telling a compelling story that shows your proficiency with the skills required by the job makes your cover letter stand out.

• A call to action: A polite, open-ended call to action, such as “I look forward to hearing more about this opportunity,” shows your excitement and suggests a reason for employers to call you.

Help Protege Practice Creating a Cover Letter

Using the job from the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal that your protege chose to focus on during session #2, have them create a “fake” cover letter, practicing filling in the template on page 21.

For the purpose of today’s practice, your protege can make up some of the experiences or accomplishments that they think would be needed for the job they are using.

Flip back to pages 20-21 to find the cover letter template.

10 Tips for Writing Professional Emails

https://www.rit.edu/behindthebricks/content/10-tips-writing-professional-emails

With your protege, review the 10 tips and tricks on the following page for writing a successful and meaningful professional email.

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SESSION 4 TRACK 1 23

10 Tips for Writing Professional Emails

1Start with a meaningful subject line

Remember to keep it short and sweet, but before you write the subject line, think about your intentions. The subject line should summarize why you are contacting them. With a stuffed inbox, the subject line can make or break whether the person sends it straight to trash or gives it a read.

Address them appropriately

2 3 5

Casual language such as ‘Hey’ may be fine to send to a colleague or friend, but for professional inquiries, it is not the best choice. On the other hand, ‘Dear’ is too formal. A simple ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’ is more appropriate.

Keep the email concise and to the point

Although many professionals are excited about inquiring new, talented students into their company, they are also very busy. For the best chance that they respond, keep the note short.

4Make it easy to read Add indentations or spaces between paragraphs for easy reading and skimming. In addition, keep your most important information at the beginning of each paragraph so they are able to recognize your most important points.

Do not use slang

Professional emails require a certain level of formal language. Don’t use slang or emojis. In addition, pick a simple typeface and don’t add too many colors, if any at all.

Be kind and thankful

6 7 8 9 10

Always remember to be kind and friendly. Remember, they are doing you a big favor. They are typically very busy and taking time out of their day to talk with students at the career fair or even read and answer an email is nice of them.

Be charismatic

Try to stand out. When you write an email, don’t be overly dramatic or silly.

However, a little wit never hurt anyone. Don’t be afraid to display your personality!

Bring up points in your previous conversation

If you had the chance to speak to them, try to mention something you talked about that may have been unique. Chances are, the person has had a lot of other similar conversations. Anything you can say that will help them remember who you is valuable.

Re-read the email

Even when you write quick and short emails, they can easily include mistakes. Small grammatical errors can make or break a professional’s opinion of you. Re-read your email before you send it to avoid any slip-ups.

Use an appropriate signature

Two appropriate closers are ‘Best regards’ and ‘Thank you.’ Better yet, set an automatic signature so it always appears at the bottom of your emails.

Have your protege type up their cover letter! Now that they have their cover letter drafted, it is time to type it up so that they can attach it to an email.

Once completed, they will want to save their cover letter as a PDF to be able to attach it to an email.

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CHALLENGE!

SESSION 4 •TRACK 2

Track 2: Students under the age of 16 or previously participated in Spring. Finalize Cover Letter, Professional Email Tips and How to Apply to an Internship or Job

Complete Protege’s Practice Cover Letter

Return to page 21 and assist your protege in finalizing their mock cover letter.

Now that they have their cover letter drafted, it is time to type it up so that they can attach it to an email. Have the protege use Microsoft Word, Google Docs or another text editing platform to type their cover letter. Once completed, help them save their cover letter as a PDF to be able to attach it to an email.

Review with Protege: 10 Tips for Writing Professional Emails

https://www.rit.edu/behindthebricks/content/10-tips-writing-professional-emails

With your protege, review the 10 tips and tricks on page 24 for writing a successful and meaningful professional email.

Protege Practice Time! Email a “Hiring Manager”

During session #2, your protege circled 1 of the internships or jobs from the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal that that they were most intrigued by.

With that listing, we are going to practice submitting a resume/CV and a mock cover letter through a professional email.

Have your protege open their school or personal email and create a new email draft. Walk through the steps below to practice writing an email to the hiring manager letting them know that they are applying for that position.

Steps to Emailing an Application for an Internship or Job:

Write a meaningful subject line

Address the hiring manager

Type up the email! Let the hiring manager know why you are emailing them and what position you are applying for

(Continued on the following page)

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SESSION 4 TRACK 2 25

Steps to Emailing an Application for an Internship or Job (Cont.):

Let the hiring manager know that you are attaching your resume/CV and cover letter for the position to the email

Close the email with a thank you and your contact information

Re-read the email to ensure there are no mistakes

Attach your resume/CV and cover letter

Have your protege practice applying for the job by sending the email to you!

EXAMPLE - Email to a Hiring Manager

hiringmanager@email.com

Application for Data Analyst Position

Good Afternoon, My name is Janella Sims and I’m writing to you to express my interest in the Data Analyst position available with All About Analytics Company. I heard about the position from the RTSWS Internship and Job Portal and I’m excited about the possibility of joining your organization.

I’ve attached my resume and cover letter for your review. If you have any questions or if there is anything else I may provide, please contact me.

Best Regards, Janella Sims (123) 456-7891

Encourage your protege to continue practicing writing professional emails! Challenge them to write an email to a teacher, classmate, parent or to you.

Remind them to practice using a professional subject line and be sure to re-read their email for any errors. Remind your protege to use capitalization and punctuation appropriately and sign their email.

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CHALLENGE! SESSION 4 TRACK 2 26

SESSION 5 • Track 1

Track 1: Students aged 16+ & 1st time participating in the mentorship. How to Apply to an Internship or Job, Interview Tips and Mock Interview

Protege Practice Time! Email a “Hiring Manager”

During session #2, your protege circled 1 of the internships or jobs from the RTSWS Internship & Job Portal that that they were most intrigued by.

With that listing, we are going to practice submitting a resume/CV and a mock cover letter through a professional email.

Have your protege open their school or personal email and create a new email draft. Walk through the steps below to practice writing an email to the hiring manager letting them know that they are applying for that position.

Steps to Emailing an Application for an Internship or Job:

Write a meaningful subject line

Address the hiring manager

Type up the email! Let the hiring manager know why you are emailing them and what position you are applying for

Let the hiring manager know that you are attaching your resume/CV and cover letter for the position to the email

Close the email with a thank you and your contact information

Re-read the email to ensure there are no mistakes

Attach your resume/CV and cover letter

Have your protege practice applying for the job by sending the email to you!

Encourage your protege to check out the example email to a hiring manager on page 26!

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SESSION 5 TRACK 1 27

Interview Tips

Review the article “5 Interview Tips and Job Interview Questions for Teens” with your protege. https://www.snagajob.com/blog/post/job-interview-tips-for-teens

Topics to Discuss with Your Protege:

• What to expect during a first interview

• How to dress

• Professionalism during the interview

• Preparing to ask questions

• What to bring with you

• What to expect after the interview

• How to advocate for yourself in an interview

Practice! Mock Interview

Interview Tips Article

Use this time to have your protege practice interviewing with you. You will act as the hiring manager and your protege will practice being the job applicant.

Interview Questions:

• Tell me about yourself

• Why are you interested in working for us?

• What do you consider your strengths to be?

• What are some skills that you consider weaknesses?

• Why should our company hire you?

TIP! Practice Self-Advocacy

Have a conversation regarding the importance of self-advocacy during an interview and in your career.

• What pay range are you looking for? (Speak with your protege about advocating for themself)

• Do you have any questions for us? (Share with your protege that they should always have a few questions prepared)

Once you complete the mock interview, talk with your protege about the steps to take once they leave an interview. Talk with them about the importance of sending the person who interviewed them a thank you email and letting them know you are excited to hear back.

If you have time left over, you can jump to page 30 to practice writing a post-interview, thank you email.

CHALLENGE!

Take the RTSWS Spring End of Course Survey!

Scan the QR code to the right and provide us with your feedback from the RTSWS spring sessions.

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SESSION 5 TRACK 1 28

SESSION 5 •TRACK 2

Track 2: Students under the age of 16 or previously participated in Spring. Interview Tips, Mock Interview and Sending a Thank You Email

Interview Tips

Review the article “5 Interview Tips and Job Interview Questions for Teens” with your protege. https://www.snagajob.com/blog/post/job-interview-tips-for-teens

Topics to Discuss with Your Mentor:

• What to expect during a first interview

• How to dress

• Professionalism during the interview

• Preparing to ask questions

• What to bring with you

• What to expect after the interview

• How to advocate for yourself in an interview

Practice! Mock Interview

Interview Tips Article

Use this time to have your protege practice interviewing with you. You will act as the hiring manager and your protege will practice being the job applicant.

Interview Questions:

• Tell me about yourself

• Why are you interested in working for us?

• What do you consider your strengths to be?

• What are some skills that you consider weaknesses?

• Why should our company hire you?

TIP! Practice Self-Advocacy

Have a conversation regarding the importance of self-advocacy during an interview and in your career.

• What pay range are you looking for? (Speak with your protege about advocating for themself)

• Do you have any questions for us? (Share with your protege that they should always have a few questions prepared)

Once you complete the mock interview, talk with your protege about the steps to take once they leave an interview. Talk with them about the importance of sending the person who interviewed them a thank you email and letting them know you are excited to hear back.

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SESSION 5 TRACK 2 29

Writing a Thank You Email

Talk with your protege about the importance of sending a thank you email after their interview.

Sending a thank you email allows the candidate to continue to make a good impression and helps keep the interview at the top of their mind.

EXAMPLE - Thank You Email

hiringmanager@email.com

Thank You for the Interview

Hello __________,

Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me this afternoon. I enjoyed our conversation about the [insert job title] position and appreciated learning more about working with your team.

It sounds like a rewarding role, especially given the opportunities for ___________ and _________. I think my [insert skills or strengths] would make me an excellent candidate for the role.

I look forward to discussing this opportunity with you more. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need additional information.

Thank you, Janella Sims (123) 456-7891

Complete Any Unfinished Tasks

With any remaining time, return to the topics that you did not get to spend enough time on or that you did not finish.

See if your protege has any special projects or specific questions they want to get your help with (i.e. internship applications, scholarships, college/university research, etc.).

Take the RTSWS Spring End of Course Survey! Scan the QR code to the right and provide us with your feedback from the RTSWS spring sessions.

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SESSION 5 TRACK 2 30
CHALLENGE!

BEFORE YOU GO, WE RECOMMEND...

• Join our LinkedIn Student and Financial Professionals Networking Group www.linkedin.com/groups/7029520/

• Encourage your company to post on the Rock The Street, Wall Street Internship & Job Portal https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/internship-job-portal/

• Seek out podcasts, books, websites, online courses or videos about finance, savings, investing and the economy.

Here are a few relevant podcasts with hundreds of episodes to explore: NPR’s Planet Money, The Fairer Cents: Women, Money and the Fight to Break Even, So Money with Farnoosh Torabi, The College Investor Audio Show.

• Continue to stay in touch with RTSWS by subscribing to our newsletter https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/newsletters/

Volunteer again with Rock The Street, Wall Street next year!

Did you know RTSWS has 4 different financial and investment literacy curriculum sets?!

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Headline

Here CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

WEBSITES

RTSWS Vocational & Career Platform • https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/students-alumnae/

Career Girls • www.careergirls.org

Napkin Finance • www.napkinfinance.com

CNBC and The Wall Street Journal are great places to keep an eye on the financial markets

Investopedia • www.investopedia.com

Yahoo Finance • finance.yahoo.com

The College Investor • www.thecollegeinvestor.com/audio-show

BOOK

Undiversified: The Big Gender Short in Investment Management, by Ellen Carr and Katrina Dudley • www.thebiggendershort.com/

PODCASTS

The Fairer Cents: Women, Money and the Fight to Break Even www.thefairercents.com

NPR’s Planet Money • www.npr.org/sections/money

HERMONEY • www.hermoney.com/t/podcasts

Money Nerds • www.themoneynerds.com

So Money with Farnoosh Torabi • www.podcast.farnoosh.tv

SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK | WWW.ROCKTHESTREETWALLSTREET.COM 54 SPRING 2023 MENTOR HANDBOOK
32
highest viewed opportunities on our site.

rockthestreetwallstreet.com

Sponsoring firms can access a growing pool of students and alumnae across 3 countries in 34 cities through the RTSWS Vocational & Career Platform.

RTSWS Internship & Job Portal

• Schedule company recruiting information sessions and job fairs • Post internships and entry-level opportunities • Recruit diverse candidates

LinkedIn

Student & Financial Pro Networking Group

• Share events and opportunities with students, alumnae and other financial professionals • Amplify scholarships, internships or job opportunities • Celebrate achievements • Share articles, pictures, questions, professional tools and advice • Create a dialogue about women in business • Network with other RTSWS students, alumnae and professionals

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