Nina Navazio

1. What are some of the projects you’ve worked on?

I specialize in end-user focused content, directed specifically at the everyday person rather than businesses. I have written help articles in the past, but now I craft user interfaces, error messages, and documentation for other team members to understand when to use certain words. I worked on Microsoft Excel during my internship, and then worked on OneDrive, Stream. I was then moved to the team that works on programs for educational purposes. There I worked on Microsoft Teams and Career Coach in Microsoft Teams career coaching software for students. Right now, I’m working on the Windows team. 

2. What is the most challenging part of your job?

Writing strings without understanding what exactly I’m writing it for. It can be hard to help users understand a confusing experience with words.

3. How did you set yourself apart when applying for internships?

I started by building great relationships with my professors so they knew what I was interested in. Professor Fishburn from the IMM department knew what I enjoyed doing, so he came to me with an opportunity. I applied to 10 different internships at Microsoft that listed writing or editing-related positions, and when applying I made sure I was referring to the job description to respond to prompts. I got one call back and was asked for a phone interview. I remained calm and personable, came prepared with questions, and had 3-4 experiences prepared that can be adapted to answer the typical interview questions. In my in-person interviews, I was not afraid to share my interests that were unrelated to the job; I asked myself to identify what I’m passionate about, and how I could highlight it for the interviewers.

4. What courses at TCNJ prepared you the most for your job?

From the English department, Writing Communities prepared me well because in all the writing we did in that class, we considered who the content was for. I also believe classes that taught me concepts and then had me apply them to my own interests prepared me well. The IMM classes I took, such as the game design courses and Intro to Interactive Computing, taught me the iterative design process and design thinking, where we always consider the audience we’re designing for.

5. What advice do you have for students currently searching for jobs?

Don’t give up and don’t take every submission personally. When you’re submitting your resume, submit it as a Word document that isn’t over- designed unless the company explicitly asks for a PDF so you can ensure that AI reads your resume correctly.