#but in all seriousness it's an internship requirement for my university (read: i'm not being paid) and i'm almost done but. uuuuuughh

[batemanofficial]

[thedemonstherapist]

Update Time! Where I've been, what's been happening & the future of this blog

Well, as you can guess by the title, this is gonna be a bit of a long one, so please trust me on it. I wanted to give you a bit of an update, as I have not been properly active for a while, and a lot of stuff has happened in my life, including my writing. I'll mark each section, so just jump to the ones you want to read, but context will be your friend in most of the cases.

Love you!

Where I've been:

Technically, I just came back from a month long trip to Spain, as I attended a language course in Andalucia. In a grander sense, I finished my general schooling (Abitur) in March and had been busy prepping for an entrance exam for the entirety of April and May. All of my university applications have been handed in and now I'm waiting to see what I'll be doing for the rest of the year. If I do not get accepted, which is possible, as Psychology courses at the schools I applied to have quite strict requirements, I currently only have ideas on what to do. I might do an Au-Pair Year to better my spanish, might work and then travel, might do a kind of paid internship at one of my (hopeful) universities psychiatric facilities. I have a lot of options but am currently undecided and a bit scared to make definitive choices.

Original Writing:

After playing with multiple novel ideas for years and years, I've been setteled on one specific idea for a long time and have been working on it here and there between my schooling. As I now have had proper time to sit down and really THINK about what I'm writing, how I want to plot this book, etc., I've realised that I have the potential to do it seriously and properly. It's always been my dream to write and publish a novel, so I'm actually sitting down and doing it now. I'm very excited, but also very nervous, as I desperately want to myself and this story justice.

FanFic Writing:

I'm slowly getting back into Fanfiction, specifically Genshin. It's been a bit rough, but I genuinely have a lot of ideas and stories I want to tell. And to help inspire me, my requests have been open for a long time! So if you have headcanons, ideas or just indestinct rambling you'd like to see me expand or see my take on, now's your time!

What is, in general, happening with this blog?

Well, I'm trying to revive it along with my creativity. As I said, requests are open and I have, after a lot of back and forth in my mind, opened a Ko-Fi. So if you'd just like to give me a small tip for my work (as soon as it picks up again), I'd be very, VERY thankful. Please, just stick to small tips. I'm in no desperate need for money, there are people and causes much more deserving and important. I'm also thinking of taking on paid requets in the future, where I'd write a 5,000-10,000 word story based on your prompt with deadline and all. All of that is very much speculative and again, I want to give you guys some good, free content before I even consider being paid for it.

TLDR: I am reviving this blog, and am also thinking about monetizing some of my work, but I will NEVER put any of it behind paywalls. Any money you'd be willing to give me stays on a completely voluntary level, and if you have money to spare, look up causes like abortion funds, Trans Rights Campaigns, Black Lives Matter, War Relief funds for all the countries in crisis before you donate to me.

Missed you guys! I will be taking my time exploring Genshin again and re-engaging with the fandom and it's WONDERFUL creators.

[ironforgedrp]

Hi! I'm a (hopefully) first time admin and I've got everything ready to go and set up but I'm really nervous that it won't get off the ground, and you guys have been open for so long do you have any tips for me how to make my RP be as successful as yours? It looks like such a good place, I hope it's not weird to ask this

        hi there friend,  thank-you so much for your compliments, and don’t stress… i’m happy to offer some advice, i’m no expert whatsoever but i’ve run a few roleplays over the past decade or so.    the key note firstly is to think of your RP as your kind of group ersatz family, as the admin you’re the head of that family.   you keep everyone on course, you’re the gatekeeper and it’s your standards that set the tone for what happens in your family’s house.  and i first want to tell you honestly that it is a little bit of a responsibility; you have to be willing to sort out problems, make decisions, mediate, diffuse and sometimes be on the receiving end of anon hate or the occasional jaded RPer, you have to be motivated and encouraging and dedicated -  but if you are, the people who you write and create with will give it back to you tenfold & it will never become a drag.    i hope this helps you a bit!

decide if you want a co-admin or you think you can handle it yourself - i personally have done solo-adminning, lead admin with moderators & co-adminned with up to four people. though i’ve found that, if you want to work with a team of mods/admins, having an odd number can be really helpful as you’re never tied.  also, if you decide to bring in a co-admin or moderator, have a clear idea of how you want to operate as a roleplay and what you expect of them as admins, and whether or not they have an equal say as you, the creator of the roleplay.  if they do, make that clear and if they don’t, make it clear what things you need to have a look over and what things they are able to handle alone (i.e. asks, applications, major plot changes).   honestly, the worst thing that can happen is if you’re not on the same page because it confuses you, them and your muns.

don’t jump the gun, patience is key.  if you’re hoping to have a long running roleplay then i would expect at least a month of work to be put into it before it’s trotted out, but it sounds like you’re already ready to go. make sure, before you open for activity, you have enough muns & characters to get the roleplay off to a healthy start and have the dash reasonably active.

set rules that are clear, but don’t be a dictator - make sure you have expressed clearly what your rules of conduct are (such as dash conduct, mun age restrictions [if any], activity standards, god-modding, banned/acceptable faceclaims, etc.)

set up an ads blog, and queue ads to post semi-regularly with varied but relevant tags and an eye-catching graphic &/or summary of your roleplay

set up a discord server or another way for your muns to communicate and plot OOC, it really helps muse and communication and also can be a fantastic way to build plots with existing characters and muns.  and, lets be honest, it’s nice to be able to chat with the folks you’re writing with.

check in with everyone! make sure your muns are comfortable and happy and no one is falling by the wayside or being left out. also, it’s nice to make sure that your muns are alright personally - by no means pry, but be an open ear if someone needs to talk. you’d be surprised how many in the RPC are often too shy or anxious to admit to an admin that they need time for their mental health, work, study, etc. but if you make it clear from the beginning that you actually do care and are willing to help work with people it makes all the difference.

the most important to me: build rapport!!!   the best thing for your roleplay, as an admin, is to do your absolute best to be approachable and have a relationship with your muns. you obviously don’t have to be best friends with everyone and talk every day, but believe me, what makes a roleplay last is the community you build behind it. i love having made such talented and varied friends in ironforged - we have voice chats and some of us facetime and/or text, we watch tv shows together and even help each other out with anything from personal problems to university assignments.  our community is  what helps us withstand all the trials and tribulations, and it’s what has given our roleplay such fantastic plot drops and progressions.  the main point is, from the get-go, make sure your muns know that your DMs are always open if they have questions, queries, rants, concerns, ideas… all of the above.

trigger warnings, which obviously depends on the genre you’re in but, i personally would suggest to offer your muns the ability to tell you what their triggers are privately and list them somewhere on the main blog for the other members to see.

embrace being an admin, and don’t get walked over. don’t forget that this is your roleplay, you created it and put the work in and no one (anon or not) can tell you how to run it. don’t be scared to call out people for breaking the rules, don’t be scared to issue warnings, don’t be scared to reject people if they haven’t read the rules or aren’t the right fit for your roleplay or make you uncomfortable, don’t be scared to say no.  it’s okay!

have open eyes, ears and mind; listen to feedback and concerns, hear out grievances and be willing to be polite even if people are being rude but don’t entertain pointless anon hate. speaking of anon hate… don’t turn off the anon ask option unless you honestly feel like it is the right route for you - it shuts off the ability for people to contact you whilst maintaining some anonymity and privacy, which can be discouraging.

crucial to any roleplay is the world-building, have a page with some key locations that are applicable to your roleplay (such as cafes, taverns, gyms, shops, housing locations), also i’ve honestly found that it helps setting the scene. consider where your roleplay is located (real place/fictional place) and make those details clear. paint the picture, immersion is a fantastic thing and it’s something both you and your muns can work on and collaborate on in the future. we have an inspo blog, pinterest boards, spotify playlists, youtube playlist, ambiance playlists, regional locations and business…. and a very colourful NPC list that has been collaborated and expanded upon throughout the life of ironforged.

have clear direction and at minimum a loose idea of where you want to go with your roleplay.  even if you don’t want to have a very plot driven roleplay (like ours is with plot drops, random events, character/mun interwoven plots - which requires a long-form type of roleplaying) and would rather have it open world (you set the scene, and everyone just goes with the flow - which can be both long or short form types of writing) - it is so important to have some tricks and surprises in your bag. the best and easiest is having a few muse-boosting tasks lined up, perhaps a group event to bring people together (a party, a fight, a ball, a wedding, etc.) otherwise, 8.5 times out of 10, you’ll find muse flatlining.  ask your muns! ask other rps! make a poll! hit up the RPC tags and roleplay helper blogs!

the finer details; pick a timezone to mark the roleplay with (eg; here i post in AEST on the roleplay because i am australian and it’s easy for me to queue and schedule things) but it’s crucial to ensure you include the timezone equivalent for other people in other timezones to be able to quickly understand (eg; AEST = GMT+10). you can always link an external timezone converter page if you’re unsure!

and, of course, be organised. make sure you have your pages set up and linked properly. the main that come to my mind to start off with are; navigation, plot, taken FCs, IC & OOC rules, a masterlist, blogroll/follow list, application/application page, application counts, ask & submit are open and an ooc page.

         and LASTLY,  this is my personal advice from one admin to another; if you really want a roleplay to work and you really want it to last for (hopefully) years, then you have to put some heart into it.  our roleplay, as a group, has seen some bad times and good times galore. we’ve had people become seriously ill, we’ve had engagements and weddings, graduations, a fair few birthdays, hospital trips/emergencies, international internships, personal problems, personal triumphs…  our communication as a roleplay isn’t always perfect, but we continue to do our best - and working on our communication is what allows us to keep going on through everything.

         also, as an admin, do your best to make sure you are not the most powerful character and not center of all the roleplays controversy, drama and plot drops (if applicable), it’s become a kiss of death cliche, and also can alienate potential muns because they feel like background players to your show.    but seriously, involve everyone and give a shout out for peoples interest, and the ideas that come flowing back from your muns will amaze you, trust me!

       best of luck!    admin tee.

[kxowledge]

Any tips for a good cover letter/CV/LinkedIn? I'm trying to get into investment banking and/or Investment Management (wealth). Without any prior experience. So, I do not know how to make myself look like the perfect candidate and how to write this down.

As a disclaimer, I want you to know that all I can offer is advice based on what I learned by reading & talking to HR or alumni when I was interested in IB and my own experience (and the one of my classmates) of applying to investment banks, which really comprises of a single application to Deutsche Bank. I did indeed get to the interview stage for a wealth management internship, but then I declined the interview because I realized that I was just wasting my time. I have slightly more experience with applying to first year programs such as spring weeks because back then I still believed I was interested in finance.Anyway, all of this is to say – take this with a grain of salt, I do not work in HR and I have not done an internship there.

Here’s my take as to what makes a candidate perfect:

Evidence of interest in the general field of finance: this could be anything ranging from being part of a club to majoring in it; any experience is fine even if it wasn’t specifically in banking

Find a strong answer to “why this division and why this bank” not justfor the interview, but also to include in the cover letter. 

Your resumé (and cover letter, and interview) should tell a story andthe “finance spark” is the most important part. Saying “during my time as _______ I discovered that I was really fascinated by ____” is perfectly acceptable.

They don’t care if you have previous experience specifically in investment banking or wealth management, really. Don’t think you are at a disadvantaged point if you don’t have any. They don’t expect you to have any, and you have nothing to explain.

However, having some kind of experience somewhere with a strong brandname is certainly a plus (spring weeks for example, even if not at that bank)because it’s almost as if someone has already vetted you.

Strong academics

This means high GPA from a target university – there is a cut off pointand if you are under that your CV will be dinged. It’s more of a check the boxrequirement and it’s relevant only in the first phase of your application.

The standards are higher now than they were 5 or 10 years ago. I got theinterview with a GPA of 28/30 and I was on the lower end, but mine is not anisolated case (I know a girl who got an internship at Blackrock with a lowerGPA for example).

There isn’t much you can do about your GPA, and it’s just one factor, sodon’t let it discourage you from applying. (Also 8/10 seems reasonable, although expect the competition to be tough.)

Early application

Seriously, don’t underestimate this. I urge you to take a couple of daysto wor through your applications now.The deadline might be in December, but in reality everyone has rollingapplications.

I don’t have actual data to back this up, call it intuition based onwhat I have heard and experienced, but definitely apply at least before thesecond week of October if you want better chances.

One single thing that makes you interesting. Really interesting. Theweirder the better.

One girl got an internship at Goldman Sachs and she swears that half ofher interview she talked about cosplay, which she had put at the end of her CVunder activities. I had an interesting volunteering experience. Another girlgot HR attention by starting her cover letter by saying “I am Jon Snow. I knownothing.” and then building on that metaphor to say that she had no experiencebut wanted to learn.

This is what makes your application stand out, trust me..

Knowing someone

This could simply be something like going to a networking event orchatting up with an alumnus and then putting his name in your application (nota random name, someone you talked with and got along with and emailed a fewtimes maybe) – sometimes there’s an actual box for that. Or you could mention itin your cover letter, as I did.

A decent cover letter

I do think that the cover letter has someimportance. If it is a really strong one, it could be the deciding factorthat gets you the interview. However, mainly make sure that it’s not terrible. A decent but not reallyspecial cover letter won’t hurt you, a bad one will.

For more on cover letters this posts offers a very common template, and @expatesque​ wrote a general outline for a cover letter for a law vac scheme, and if you change law with finance and it works pretty well (cover letters do tend to look all the same)

And then, once you get past the CV screening, they typically will haveyou do some kind of assessment (probably online) before even being consideredfor an interview. This again serves mainly as a cut off.  I don’t remember exactly what it was,something like logic, statistics, raven’s matrices and the likes. It’s notsomething extremely complicated, the main issue is the time. Then, you get tothe interviews round.

Best of luck!