Gigi Robinson is a social media strategist and designer who's currently a master's student at the University of Southern California (USC).
When she was 21 and an undergrad at USC, Robinson landed an internship at Warner Bros. (WB) in the entertainment studio's digital marketing department. Her four-month role at WB Pictures involved creating a strategy and content for the film studio's TikTok account, such as helping with the @ScoobMovie TikTok challenge #ScoobDance.
She told Insider she didn't hear back the first year she applied to WB in 2018, so, in the fall of 2019, she decided to make some critical changes to her cover letter and resume and reapplied.
Not only did the internship offer at Warner Bros. eventually come through for her in spring 2020, but she soon after learned that she'd also snagged an internship at Paramount Pictures, which she negotiated with the help of a career coach to take in summer 2020 because of noncompete agreements.
"Lucky for me, the recruiter thought it was very bold of me to ask her for summer, and the hiring manager ended up agreeing to that right on the spot," Robinson said.
To help her application stand out the second time around, Robinson sought feedback from her design professor at USC Andrew Kutchera.
"We had a lengthy discussion about typography and content reflecting who you are, which made me think a lot about events and how we dress for them," Robinson said.
Originally, Robinson had used what she described as "a very generic, nondescriptive, and not tailored cover letter," which she addressed, "To Whom It May Concern." Her first tweak was to add design elements to make the letter more visually appealing. Then she began editing the substance of the message.
"I did less explaining in the cover letter about why I would be perfect for the role and how much it would benefit me, and made it more about how I could be an asset to the company," Robinson said.
She added that it can be helpful when applying to industry-specific jobs to throw in some relevant buzzwords and jargon, "but only if you actually use them in real life or understand them on a critical level."
"You should be able to 100% reference them during an interview," she said.
Another improvement she made was to ensure that her cover letter and resume accurately reflected one another. Her goal was to make the pair seem like one package that if printed out, would fit seamlessly together.
"They go hand in hand," Robinson said.
Here's what she wrote to the hiring manager at WB:
Dear [hiring manager],
I am writing to express my interest in the digital marketing intern at Warner Brothers posted on Google jobs. I am a qualified candidate for this position due to my professional experience as a photographer and working student, who is heavily involved on the University of Southern California's campus. I am going to graduate with a BFA in photography and design from the University of Southern California, Roski School of Art and Design this upcoming May 2020.
I have worked at several companies including Tinder, TikTok, The Aerospace Corporation, Red Bull, The University of Southern California, Bioré, UGG, and Abercrombie and Fitch as a content creator. Because of my experiences in these workplaces, I have acquired a breadth of skills that have traveled with me professionally.
A combination of these professional experiences, coupled with my extensive classwork at USC and personal endeavors, has provided me with an excellent foundation and valuable experience in working in any creative scenario. My education and leadership roles as a student and photographer include a wide range of experience shooting, editing in the Adobe Suite, retouching, applying specific metadata to images, DAM image archiving/uploading, reporting social media analytics, and visual design.
This background has given me a unique perspective in assisting teams and organizations to achieve optimum results. My passion for photography has proven to be an asset to any business and I can confidently say that I would make a positive contribution to your company. I am very interested in expanding my horizons in the worldwide marketing and creative industry, specifically with the Warner Bros creative team. Please feel free to contact me, as I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss how I can contribute to Warner Bros.
I look forward to your response.
Gabrielle Robinson
She acknowledged that the variety of companies she's worked for and roles she's held "100% helped" her land the role — specifically, her experience at Tinder and TikTok.
"The team I worked with told me that they were very excited to have a Gen Z TikTok expert on the team," Robinson said.
Even with a standout cover letter and resume, though, she still had to conquer the interview process.
On top of doing extensive research on WB — "if you go into the interview without knowing about the films that they produce or the projects that they are working on, it is a sure way to not land the job," she said — she also emphasized during her interview that she was constantly open to learning and eager to contribute to a team.
"Always entering an interview with an optimistic, curious, happy, and well-adjusted disposition on the phone and in person is imperative to landing the job, and staying in it," Robinson said. "No matter the company, knowing the work that the team you are joining may have done — even fun facts about a company, especially in entertainment — is so important for the interview."
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