Running around to boost your CV
‘Not doing anything stresses me out now’
Door Carmen Slot
By Carmen Slot
Carmen Slot
Kim van Vliet (23)
Master in international security
In addition to her bachelor in international relations, Kim took a course in Arabic as well as two extra Middle Eastern Studies courses. She was in charge of the KEI week programme for Vindicat, played first-class hockey at Forward, volunteered at the Kindertelefoon and worked as a language coach, and was part of the Young Advisory Group (YAG), a strategic advisory agency run by students, for eighteen months.
‘My parents are like, you’re doing so much, but you have to in today’s society. You can’t spend your first year earning just a single point’, she says.
Last year, she started a master’s degree in international security. She spent the last six months on an exchange to Cairo through the Middle Eastern Studies programme. ‘That wasn’t part of my own studies.’
Before I went on exchange I wondered if I wasn’t wasting half a year
She used to feel pressure to have the best CV, but she doesn’t anymore. ‘I really wanted to do a particular internship, but I realise that doing things you love will also lead you where you want to go.’
So now she mainly does what she wants. ‘I really wanted to study abroad, just for me, not because it was something my studies required. Before I left, I wondered if I wasn’t wasting half a year, but I’m currently an intern at the embassy in Cairo. I never would have had that opportunity if I’d continued my regular studies. I wouldn’t have had that extra knowledge of Egypt.’
She thinks the pressure to build a good CV is specific to her generation. ‘If we want something, we have to make it happen.’
She doesn’t see her fellow hard-working students as competition. ‘I see them as inspiration instead. Look at all the possibilities that are out there! But it does impact what you do. I learn about organisations because roommates or friends are connected to them. I come into contact with things that never would have occurred to me. I applied at YAG because someone I knew worked there and really loved it.’
Elise Broersen (19)
Second-year medical student
Is she feeling the stress of needing a good CV? Elise’s answer is short and to the point: ‘Yes.’ If you want to be admitted to the medical specialty of your choice, you need a really good CV, she says. ‘Not every medical student is as stressed as I am, but that’s only because they don’t yet know what they want to do. They’re not really working on their CVs yet.’
So far, she’s been on two committees at Panacea, the medical faculty association, and she has a side job in home care. ‘It’s perfectly manageable. I have a zero hours contract, so it’s very flexible. Chairing the committees was a lot of work, but I want to do more.’
There will always be people who’ve done more than me, which is stressful
She gets especially stressed during exams. ‘It’s a really busy time and you also have to do regular student things, like meeting your friends and cleaning your house. Sometimes, when I don’t have enough time, I panic because I can’t figure out what to do first. I make a lot of lists, just to keep some sort of overview.’
She’s comforted by how great her CV already is. ‘Although I should’ve done more by now: I should have done research, an internship. There will always be people who’ve done more than me, which is stressful. Some of them are already doing research, working at the UMCG, or doing an internship. Doing a PhD doesn’t guarantee a spot at a medical specialty, but everyone knows it’s something you should be doing.’
And the bar is getting ever higher, it seems. ‘A friend of mine was talking to a specialist the other day and they said that, in addition to doing a PhD, it’s becoming increasingly important to show your perseverance, your ability to think outside the box. They want people to invent innovative products, start their own companies, or even just climb a really high mountain.’
She knows this pressure can’t be healthy. ‘I got this email the other day that said that burnout among medical students went from 28 to 34 percent over the past year. It’s especially dire during medical internships, where people have to work and try to get a PhD at the same time.’
Samara Jette (22)
Master in international security
She used to be on the board for Indonesian student society PPI as well as on the faculty council, but these days Indonesian student Samara chairs a fundraising gala for Unicef, writes for the European Student Network, and is an active member of student association Clio. She also works as a bartender at cocktail bar Sunny Beach. ‘It’s physically and mentally demanding, for sure. It can be stressful. But it was my decision to do this.’
Because Samara is from outside the EU but does want to have a career here, she needs a good CV. ‘I know this isn’t natural. I’ve trained myself to not collapse under all the pressure. I’ve simply accepted that this is what my future will look like.’
I’ve trained myself to not collapse under all the pressure
She was ‘super stressed’ during her first year, she says. ‘But now, in my fourth year, I’ve got everything under control. Being this busy should make me really stressed, but I’ve internalised it by now. Now, not doing anything stresses me out. It’s messed up!’ she says, laughing.
So how does she manage it all? ‘People don’t know just how privileged they are. My parents worked really hard to be able to afford to send me here, so I want to make their investment worth it. Besides, it feels good to keep busy.’
While Samara does compare herself to her fellow students, it’s not in competition. ‘Very few European students feel this kind of pressure to study. I have to work a little extra hard because I don’t have that privilege.’
She thinks the world has really changed in that respect. ‘Twenty years ago, we didn’t have the internet. The world wasn’t as connected. Now that it is, we look much more at what other people are doing. That’s really put on the pressure.’
Sweder van Spanje (22)
Second-year economics student
In addition to his studies, Sweder is a member of student association AIESEC, where he’s doing part-time board work for a year. ‘I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. I wasn’t like, oh shit, my CV is empty so I should do some stuff to make it look good. I have faith that I’ll end up finding a good job with the things I’m doing and learning right now.’
Not that he never gets stressed: ‘But that’s purely because I want to make sure that the things I do are done right. It’s got nothing to do with my CV.’
People of my generation have lost sight of what they want
He’s not that interested in what other people are or aren’t doing. ‘I’m just focused on what I’m doing in my studies and elsewhere and the things I’m learning.’ He feels many people of his generation are going about things the wrong way. ‘They’re so focused on their CV that they lose sight of what they really want or if the things they do actually make them better. They’re too focused on whether it will get them a job. It shouldn’t have to be that way.’
But he admits he can’t quite escape the culture at the economics faculty. ‘I’m not big on networking, but I understand why it works. That’s just how it goes in business, so I started doing it as well. It can only help.’
Sweder doesn’t think it’s necessary for people to put every single win on LinkedIn, either. ‘People who do that are just showing off. I know it works that way, but I’m not necessarily a fan.’