Job Search

I feel like once you hit a certain age, your life becomes a little bit monotonous. I haven't figured out if this is due to a repetitive schedule, or if you just start to figure out how to live and what you need to do each day to survive. In my case, I think it's a little bit of both. Yes, being in college I have a set schedule each week, and with my part-time job I also have a set schedule. However, I also have a good grasp of what time I need to wake up each morning, what time I need to leave to get to class, and what time I need to go to bed to get the most rest. Due to this schedule I have made for myself, any small interruption seems like a very big deal. I have recently experienced an interruption in my usual schedule and I hope I am not the only twenty-something that is dealing with this.

Being a senior in college, you are not only in some of your most important major classes, you are also expected to land a full time job for when you graduate. At first, this seems like a minor task that we should have been expecting for a while now. Well, I thought the same thing and truthfully I was never worried about this until recently. I really thought growing up that if you go to school, and make good grades that everything just naturally falls into place. WRONG. I am slowly learning that no matter how much you prepare yourself for this moment, you will never be ready. 

First, let me start with the initial search. My college does provide a lot of helpful sources such as a weekly newsletter that highlights companies that are hiring, and an online portal called Handshake where companies can go post available openings. These have been extremely helpful, but are also limited to only the companies that participate in them. My biggest struggle has been not only finding companies that I am interested in, but also finding the title of positions that relate to me. Being a marketing major, I guess I always assumed that companies would label the position using some form of the word "Marketing" WRONG. I have found that with a marketing major, you qualify for a variety of job titles, and I really wouldn't have known majority of them if I wouldn't have reached out to the company directly. I encourage everyone to find the company you are interested in, and reach out to them with your skills and interests and ask for suggestions of where they think you would fit. 

Second, I want to talk about the interview process. So you apply for the job, and hear back that you landed an interview. At first, I was excited about this accomplishment, but I quickly realized how stressful this would be. Not only do you have to prepare for the interview for many hours, you also have to make a time to actually do the interview. On top of a full class schedule, part-time work, and endless amounts of homework, this has been almost an impossible task. Of course, I understand that the employers know we are still in school, but it doesn't sound great when every time the employer suggests an interview time you have to say "I'm sorry I have class."

Finally, landing the job. I actually recently have landed a job that will start up at the end of the year. After going through each step above, I made it to the end... I thought. WRONG. The last stage has turned out to be the most stressful. After being awarded the job at a major company, the amount of paper work and things needed for HR seems endless. It seems that every time I check my email, there is a new document waiting to be signed or a new account that I need to create. On top of all my school work, this is just adding another set of things I have to do each day. 

The only advice that I can offer is to stay organized and picture the light at the end of the tunnel. Take advantage of all the opportunities that your school offers, while you are still in school, and do all the research you can.