There are just 2 and half more short days until I make that walk across the stage.

And I still don’t have a job.

But I’m okay with that because I know that I can devote all of my time to getting that perfect job when I get home next week and have nothing to do! This has been a pretty surreal week for me thus far. Right now, I am finishing up my last hour at Public Affairs & Marketing. It almost doesn’t even seem real. I just filled out my timesheet for the last time, but it’s hard to think of it that way. Don’t worry, I’m not going to sit here and talk about how everything here today is my last. My last walk down the hall to the restroom, or my last time to check my e-mail on this computer, or the last time I’ll hear someone ring the annoying little bell that sits at the counter. No, that’s all boring.

I’d rather do some reflecting. I have been trying to think back to when I first began my job here. I was a freshman and a BIOLOGY major (of all things!) Since then, I’ve been an English major and have gone through 3 and half more years of my college life. Working here has really changed and shaped my future. Being a student writer at PA&M is what made me change my major to Cmmunication and be interested in public relations. I have really learned a lot here. It’s been extremely valuable to have been evaluated on my job performance every semester. I know a lot of people who have never had a job evaluation! Working here has really made me feel as if I’m a part of the regular campus life at Emporia State. I usually know what’s going on because we get the 411 down here before anyone else. I could go on and on about why I’ve loved working here, but I won’t bore anyone with that.

This entry is quickly getting boring. It is just nice to be able to look back at my time here at Public Affairs & Marketing and see how much I’ve changed since I’ve been here. And of course how everyone else has changed, too : )

It’s freaking me out to picture myself sitting in a chair in Welch Stadium in a black robe waiting for my name to be called! But at the same time, I am so excited for this major accomplishment in my life. To be honest, I am taking a couple of days off of the job search and I’m just going to enjoy these last couple of days at ESU.

WHEN (not if, but WHEN) I get a job, I’ll be sure to post about it! : )

I am so glad I didn’t do any of these in my interview!

I stumbled across this interesting but almost painful-to-read article this morning. Let’s hope these people have turned their acts around:

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/custom/msn/careeradvice/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=1382&SiteId=cbmsnhp41382&sc_extcmp=JS_1382_home1&GT1=23000&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=a08f0e0b552549cba995237767f8b07a-263039359-RT-4

At least there are tips for the future.

So since I last wrote, I’ve had my interview, waited to hear back, and found out the results. It’s been too long!

First, I’ll start with my interview. Things went fairly well. I was obviously extremely nervous since this was my first face to face interview. But after the interview, I was very interested in the job. It seemed like just what I was looking for. It would keep me doing different things everyday, I would learn new things, get to meet lots of people and of course get even more experience in my field.

Now for the bad news. I experienced my first rejection.

I have been putting off writing this blog because it’s tough to write about your own rejection I’ve been really busy.

Anyway, I was pretty bummed about not getting the job, especially since I had gotten so excited about it. But it was actually an incredibly encouraging phone conversation. She said she was “really impressed” by me and would keep a lookout for similar openings. That seems pretty great to me.

I can’t let myself get too down, because this is just one more step in the job search process. It would be pretty unrealistic for me to be hired off my first interview. I’m ok with the results, and I know that there must be something better out there for me!

So here I am, back in the job search arena (not that I ever left). I am T-minus 17 days until graduation, and my goal is to have a job by then. I think that’s doable, right?

In other graduation news, I’ve got my tassel, cap and gown ordered, my announcements are printed, and I’m simply waiting for the big day to arrive. Things here at ESU are swiftly coming to a close for me, and that’s really difficult to get used to.

I’m excited to see what the future holds, but nervous because it’s all such a mystery.

Good news!

I have officially scheduled my first interview in this long and scary job hunt! It is on Monday morning at 9 AM. Now I have to brush up on my interviewing skills. Luckily, Career Services has provided me with booklet that has all of those tips (they have more to give if you’re interested!). There is an extremely helpful couple of pages in there that talk all about interview questions. This includes ones that are most commonly asked of the candidate and ones I should ask the interviewer. I also have the knowledge and skills I learned in my interviewing class last semester (I recommend this class to anyone who plans on ever getting a job–so basically everyone).

On my phone interview with another job, I made sure to ask a question that I learned in that class: “If someone has been unsuccessful at this job in the past, what were the reasons?” The interviewer was BLOWN AWAY. He told me about 3 times how impressed he was by that question (Thank you, Dr. Catt!). Needless to say, I’ll be using that one again.

Anyway, I’m glad to be in a new phase of this job search, even if it is just one interview. It will be that much easier to go to the next interview and the next and the next after that. Plus, this scheduled interview gives me a sense of accomplishment that I was desperately in need of. I was beginning to feel like I was doing all this job searching for NOTHING. This reminds me that it’s all paying off : )

Ok, I would love any big tips you have on interviews, whether it’s what to wear, what to say, how to say it. Anything.

Wish me luck!

I really don’t have anything of too much interest to write about today, but keep reading and you could possibly win a million dollars…

Just kidding! But I got you to keep reading, didn’t I?

The past week or so has been pretty uneventful in my quest for a job. Brett went to a meeting with David at Career Services again and learned a lot about good ways to go about searching for a job. Basically, I was doing it all wrong! I was so proud of myself for posting my resume on careerbuilder.com, etc. but apparently that is DEFINITELY not the best way to go about seeking a job.

This seems to make total sense to me now that I’ve given it some thought, and now I have changed my approach. This week, I have been concentrating on researching companies in Wichita that I would be interested in working for. It seems like a no-brainer. Contact those companies that uphold the values and ideals you hope to uphold in your career.

With this new epiphany, I took myself to Wal-Mart and purchased some resume paper and envelopes. I will be sending my resume and a PERSONALIZED and UNIQUE prospecting letter to each company that I am interested in working for. A prospecting letter is similar to a cover letter, but is used to send to companies to introduce yourself and your skills as well as see if there are any available positions that might fit you and your qualifications. I think that will knock their socks off, right?

In other news, I have slowly (ok, not so slowly at all) been checking off the days until Graduation. Believe me, I am ready for that day. I am ready to move on to the next step in my life and experience life as a non-student! The only problem is I cannot help but worry about every little thing. Where will I live? Where will I work? What if I live far away from where I work? What if I have to move back in with my parents?

I have to admit that talking to people and not keeping these feelings bottled up inside me has really been a great help. When I start to panic and think I might end up living in a box on the side of the highway, someone cheers me up and says that no matter what happens, things will work out the way they are supposed to. So what if I have to move back in with my parents? I enjoyed it the first 18 years I was there. If I find a job that is not my ideal, I can always keep looking. If I live far away from where I work…well I just hope that doesn’t happen.

I don’t really know where I am going with all of this, I just hope I’m not the only person feeling this way. I would love and appreciate any words of encouragement!

On Friday, Brett and I took a visit to Career Services here on campus for a resume review. What a great help that was! I have had my resume reviewed by Career Services prior to this visit, but David took the time to give us even more tricks of the trade. My big advice is DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR HELP! David had a lot of good tips and pieces of advice for us. You can check Brett’s latest entry for the major tips–he’s got lots of them listed.

 In news related to my job search, I have been pretty busy this week, so i haven’t had much of a chance to really do much in my search–I hope this isn’t a trend. It would be frustrating to know that I am too busy with everything else to find a job! I heard of an open position on Friday, so this week I will be following up on that and applying for some other positions.

Right now, the future is a scary and unknown place. It is so hard for someone like me–a person who likes to know what’s coming up–to NOT KNOW what I will be doing in just a couple of months. It’s hard to think about this summer and not know where I’ll be living, where I’ll be working, just what I’ll be doing in general. I’m sure I’m not alone in this, am I? Sometimes I think I’m the only person freaking out about this stuff!

 The next few weeks are going to be FULL. Next week is Senior Week, a week full of celebration for graduating seniors. The week after that is Greek Week, and then we are less than a month from the BIG DAY! I’m just going to enjoy the next few weeks. Things will work out for me and my job search, I have faith : )

 Let me know if anyone has any words of wisdom. I know there are thousands of people who have been in my position. What is something that helped you get through this confusing and worrisome time? How did you keep yourself motivated and keep your frustration levels down? I know it’s tough, that’s for sure!

Well, even after the wonderful comments, I declined the job.

 BUT that just mean this adventure continues! So, here I am back in the full swing of the job hunt. This week I’ve been looking online to see what’s available…there are a few possibilities. I finished up my resume, and it’s ready to be sent everywhere!

Nothing else really exciting is going on, so I’ll just leave it at that.

Don’t forget to leave me tips if you have any!!

Well, I got offered the job.

 I’m happy about that, but now I have to decide by today if I want to take it or not.

I just don’t know what to do. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it just doesn’t logically make sense.  Would I want to sacrifice my entire summer? Do I want to be stuck in this spot again when the 3 months are over? Will I ever have this chance again? Can you imagine how much I will learn and grow with this job?

I will not be financially stable if I take this job. That is bad.

I will not learn and have this experiene if I don’t take this job. That is also bad.

Should I leave this up to fate and flip a coin? PLEASE HELP.

So this week I had a phone interview for a perspective job. Things went very well, and I was told that pending good references and a background check, hopefully there would be a positive conversation at the end of this week. THIS IS GREAT NEWS!

 BUT…now I’m faced with a massive decision. This job is in Minnesota, and it’s only for the summer. It’s also an amazing opportunity that I feel I really could only take advantage of at this point in my life. It will give me great experience in my field, and will let me work in a new and totally different environment than I ever have before.

So how do I decide which is more important? Is it smarter to move to where I want to permanently be and try to find a more permanent job? I mean, student loan payments begin 6 months after graduation, and if I spend 3 of that somewhere else and can’t find a job when I get back then what will I do? Who will I live with when I get back?

Everytime I try to see into the future, all I see is some dark, empty road with a huge, looming question mark right in the way. Gosh, I know that sounds kind of depressing, which is a pretty major contrast to my positive attitude of the last post.

 I guess this is the life of an almost-college graduate…

Does anyone have any advice for me? Suggestions? Top 10 questions to ask myself? Personal stories that are similar? I encourage all the help/support I can get!!

This is the story of my job search!

 Right now, I’m at that stage where I have no idea what I really want to do. Well, that’s not true. I know I want to get out in the workforce and start gaining experience. I’m just not too sure about where I want to do that. My only requirements for my ideal job is that it TEACHES me everyday, let’s me be CREATIVE, and it makes me LOOK FORWARD to going to work everyday…that can’t be that hard to find, right??

 I’d like to move back toward home, which is Wichita, but as of the last couple of days, I’ve been feeling an itch to experience something MORE. I’ve looked into applying for an internship at a public relations firm in Wichita, but have also contemplated working at a summer camp. Other things that have gone through my mind were: the military (BRIEFLY) and grad school.

 At this point, I just have to tell myself that the possibilites are ENDLESS!! Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Having a positive attitude that I will find the perfect job for me is what keeps me motivated : )

 Please comment if you have any job ideas for me!