First Time Jitters

“I’d say it’s a mix between uncontainable excitement with a touch of nausea…”
That was my status for most of the day yesterday. It is a feeling that I hadn’t had before, and I honestly wouldn’t mind having again.

Through my pre-professional career (in school and interning) I had only experienced some very preliminary steps of the job searching process. When it comes to finding positions, sending resumes and cover letters, and getting no response: I have that down pat. But when it comes to absolutely falling in love with the idea of working somewhere and spending all day putting together the strongest list of recommendations and the best strategy to make sure you get the job: yesterday was my first time.

I have definitely dealt with pre-emptive excitement over a position. I got googly-eyed over a position at a small university down here in their PR department, to find out that the last line of duties that said, “and some administrative responsibilities” really meant that it was a secretary position.

Don’t get me wrong, that is totally fine! But I have been working with some elite PR professionals down here, and to be demoted to secretary and to make a salary doable by a McDonald’s manager… I have to expect better!

Back to the point…

I realized so many things yesterday that I remember being mentioned by some of my mentors, but I never really took to heart.

It’s not what you know but who you know.

Absolutely, positively, 100% true. If you are well connected, the path to the doorway is so much smoother. However, all your connections can do is get you an interview. And you have to remember that those resources put their namesake on the line because they believed in you… so you definitely don’t want to be a let-down!

Know the position inside and out.

You cannot expect to be an innovator or make yourself visible (two points I brought up in the last post) without knowing the position that you are innovating and visibilizing <- not a word.

READ the duties of the position. RESEARCH the company or institution. TALK to whoever you can to get a sense of what the position entails and what the last person was like. If you can do these things, you can blow your employer away with your wealth of knowledge.

Keep your eye on the prize.

Don’t get sidetracked or discouraged by things like, “Well, the position might just have been posted for formality’s sake. They probably already have someone.” Or, “You don’t really meet the requirements, your application will get tossed right away.”

Trust the work that you have put into your application materials, and be confident that you have done a good job.

If that doesn’t make you feel better … Pray.

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