Everyone told me to keep my head up during my job search. Everyone told me to persevere and something would eventually come my way. While I wondered why no company responded to my resume, people told me to keep going.
"Don't worry, you're going to get a job," they all said. "The economy is bad and everyone is in the same boat."
This is true, everyone is in the same situation. But when one friend got a job offer, it seemed like everyone else did too. It looked like I was in for a very long job hunt.
Less than two months after graduation, I have a full-time job.
Three weeks ago a company contacted me because it liked my resume. I recently revamped my resume stylistically. One thing led to another and the human resource person scheduled a phone interview with the marketing director. That phone interview led to an in-person interview.
All this happened in the span of three days. You heard me, three days.
I met with the marketing director and two other marketing staff at the in-person interview. The interview went well, but I had no idea if they felt the same way. My interview for an internship at Edelman went well, but I did not get that position.
Less than two weeks later while watching TV and eating Ramen, the human resource person called me back. As I answered the phone my stomach dropped. Why did the human resource person call? Was this the, "sorry, another candidate matched us better" call?
It was not.
I got the job. I was hired. What I thought would never happen, happened. I was so excited I couldn't eat the rest of my food. I accepted the offer and will start on July 12. My future, which I thought was in the unemployment line, is now directly in front of me.
Tips that help
- Make sure your resume is top-notch. Everyone knows your resume should have plenty of white space and everything should be spelled correctly. Have someone good at design take a look at your resume. If you're applying for a job in a creative sector (journalism, marketing, public relations and others), make sure your design is great. The marketing director told me my resume layout was one of the reasons she called me back.
- Have some passion. If you don't want the job, it shows. Make the interviewer know how invested you are in the specific subject. For a marketing job, talk about current industry campaigns you love and ones you do not find effective. This shows the interviewer you really know what you are talking about.
- Ask for the job. Credit goes to my father and uncle with this one. Directly asking, "Can I have the job?" might not be the best away. Instead, phrase the question in a way that allows you to explain why you're great for the position. Ask, "What is preventing me from getting this job?" Many people do not ask this kind of question. This is just another way for you to stand out and show how much you want the position.
I'm ready to show my employer how valuable I am. They are not going to know how they operated without me.
