In my last post I wrote about my decision to apply to the Corporate Service Corps. My decision to apply to the Corporate Service Corps was like my decision to climb to the top of the high dive for the very first time. Climbing up to the top of the high dive was much easier than actually jumping off the diving board. Likewise, deciding to apply to the Corporate Service Corps was much easier than actually applying.
Before applying to the Corporate Service Corps I needed to gain the support of my wife. Fortunately she also works at IBM and received the same email about the application process that I did. This made it easy to broach the subject. First I asked her if she read the email. Then I proceeded to ask what she thought about the program. I casually mentioned that I've always thought about applying to which she replied something like, "you should."
After getting the green light from my wife I looked at the application for the first time. The application was not at all what I expected. It wanted more than just my name and department information. It wanted answers to questions - essay questions - difficult essay questions. My first reaction was that I had no idea how to answer them. I immediately exited the application.
I still had one more hurdle to clear before I could apply. I needed to gain the support of my first line manager. The next day I went into the office and sent her an email describing my desire to apply to the Corporate Service Corps. Within a day she replied with a positive response. So once again I went out and looked at the application. I started filling out the easy questions like name and department. Once again I hit those difficult essay questions and drew a blank. Over the next week or so I would open the application, stare at those questions and then close the application without writing a word. At that point that I gained a deeper understanding of what my sons went thru with all the college essays they had to write :-).
As I procrastinated answering the essay questions the application deadline grew nearer. Eventually I had no choice but to answer the questions. In doing so I drew on the advice I gave my sons as they wrote their college essays. I reminded myself that there were no right or wrong answers. I focused less on what I thought the reader wanted to hear and more on what I was trying to articulate. I tried to show insight into me as a person. I spoke honestly and from the heart.
#ibmcsc chile
Before applying to the Corporate Service Corps I needed to gain the support of my wife. Fortunately she also works at IBM and received the same email about the application process that I did. This made it easy to broach the subject. First I asked her if she read the email. Then I proceeded to ask what she thought about the program. I casually mentioned that I've always thought about applying to which she replied something like, "you should."
After getting the green light from my wife I looked at the application for the first time. The application was not at all what I expected. It wanted more than just my name and department information. It wanted answers to questions - essay questions - difficult essay questions. My first reaction was that I had no idea how to answer them. I immediately exited the application.
I still had one more hurdle to clear before I could apply. I needed to gain the support of my first line manager. The next day I went into the office and sent her an email describing my desire to apply to the Corporate Service Corps. Within a day she replied with a positive response. So once again I went out and looked at the application. I started filling out the easy questions like name and department. Once again I hit those difficult essay questions and drew a blank. Over the next week or so I would open the application, stare at those questions and then close the application without writing a word. At that point that I gained a deeper understanding of what my sons went thru with all the college essays they had to write :-).
As I procrastinated answering the essay questions the application deadline grew nearer. Eventually I had no choice but to answer the questions. In doing so I drew on the advice I gave my sons as they wrote their college essays. I reminded myself that there were no right or wrong answers. I focused less on what I thought the reader wanted to hear and more on what I was trying to articulate. I tried to show insight into me as a person. I spoke honestly and from the heart.
#ibmcsc chile