About a month ago, I ran into senior Communication Studies major Abbey Lee as she was working away on her laptop in our hallway. By the end of our conversation, we had not only caught up, but came up with a new “Student Chronicles” idea for the blog, and Abbey was on board to write it! As a soon-to-be college graduate, Abbey is on the job hunt, and she has agreed to document it for us here on the blog! Here we go, Abbey’s “Chapter 1.”
Senior COMS major, Giants fan, and job seeker, Abbey Lee
“The Hunt is On, Don!
I just want to let you know that this story doesn’t have an ending.
But isn’t that the point? We don’t need endings just now. We don’t need to close the book. This story, much like yours, is a process.
Just like your goals and dreams never cease to evolve, consequently, the job hunt never really has to either, does it?
By keeping that thought in mind, I am able to feel so much more confident about my current situation, albeit, always a bit low on cash, my job search has developed into a learning opportunity, just like any class on campus.
For me, the job hunt started early this January at the beginning of the semester. I knew with just one class on Tuesday evenings, I needed to fill my time, but mostly I just needed to start making some kind of income. My parents were starting to give me dirty looks… But I really had no idea where to start, and I really had no idea what I wanted to do. Step one: begin with the obvious… Craigslist!
Most students in San Francisco know about craigslist and the beauty of its accessibility. I’m sure we’ve all looked for/found roommates or perhaps our first apartments at this popular site, but it’s also a great resource for finding small odd jobs here and there. Because I’m sure each appealing job posting on craigslist receives hundreds of responses, the trick is to make your application e-mail original. I’ve noticed when I state the obvious, ‘I’m hard-working, and think I’d be perfect for this position… blahdy blah,’ I don’t get a response. BUT when I’ve been just a bit cleverer, or put a bit more personality in the e-mail, I usually hear back within a reasonable time period.
During this phase of my job hunt, I was mostly applying for café/server positions around the city, but wasn’t having too much luck. I did receive some responses, but knew I wanted to have my weekends free, and usually in the food and beverage industry, that just isn’t possible. There was one interview, a couple phone calls, but nothing felt right.
I remembered my old roommate said she was doing something called ‘temping.’ I had a pretty good idea of what this entailed, but to me it never really seemed like a good option. I assumed there was a negative connotation with the word, mostly because everyone in The Office, especially Michael Scott, gave Ryan so much crap about being, ‘the temp.’ One day I asked my friend to send me some information about the agency she worked with. There are countless temp agencies in San Francisco, but this specific one is called Office Team, and they mostly place people like me (with limited office/specialized skills) in low-key administrative positions. To begin the process, I first shot them a quick e-mail and attached my resume. I heard back from them literally within minutes, and started working at my first placement the very next week.
A couple things I learned right away: ALWAYS dress better than you think you should. Living is SF, at least for me, I’ve become very comfortable wearing casual clothes, even at various internships and professional environments. During my very first interview with Office Team, my interviewer asked me, ‘Do you have any suits?’ I replied, ‘Ummm, I probably have something that could look like a suit.’ She replied, ‘Because what you’re wearing right now really isn’t appropriate for an interview.’ I was mortified. I realized out in the job market, I couldn’t quite be the hippie/ragamuffin I prefer to embody. Dress to impress. Cliché for a reason!
As I began to start working at the various placements, I also realized the importance of interpersonal connection. As the receptionist at Benefit Cosmetics Headquarters, I made an effort to make eye contact and smile at the employees as they walked through the reception area. Within a few days, I began to feel like part of the team, and I’ve been asked to come back several times. It really is quite incredible the difference a smile or two can make in the administrative world. It seems like sometimes people can get so bogged down in their work, at their desks, in front of their computers, and consequently, a sense of comradeship is lost amongst the paperwork and the deadlines.
Abbey's view from her desk at Benefit Cosmetics Headquarters... I wish my office looked like this!
I’m also usually a talkative person, so I try to make a point to strike up conversations with people I work with, just so we can feel more comfortable around each other. This always seems to make the work environment that much more appealing and stress free.
So far, I’ve worked with four different companies, and I’ve enjoyed every experience. But I made a point to enjoy every experience. It’s really all about how we approach our responsibilities and tasks for the day. If we begin our work with a negative attitude, already there is energy wasted, energy that could be spent concentrating and fulfilling each duty with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
It’s been an incredible learning experience traveling to these different placements and making first impressions each time. I’ve been able to grasp a better understanding of how I come across in the work place, and how different people interact and respond to my personality. I know what I DON’T want to do later in life, and I know which positions I could see myself really enjoying as a young professional. I think temping is such a great idea for a young college student. Scheduling can be tricky, but it’s almost like I’ve had four jobs in the span of just two months, and that kind of experience has really been priceless.
So as you can see, the story doesn’t end here. We have countless resources at our finger tips, and it’s time to take advantage. When we even begin to think about looking for a job, there’s no way to be successful unless we have a legit resume. I say legit, because not only does it have to be legitimate, true, authentic, and beneficially revealing, it needs to be LEGIT, a resume that doesn’t scare people away.
One of my advisor’s lent me the book Confessions of a Recruiting Director by Brad Karsh, and it changed the entire way I ‘sell myself’ on paper. I highly recommend it, as it has dozens of good and bad resume and cover letter examples. The Career Services center is right on campus, and a perfect resource for the average job-hunting college student, because that’s exactly why the center was created. They specialize in helping prepare you for interviews, resume presentation, and how to present yourself in the professional world.
As my job hunt continues, I will make a point to learn as much as I can from each experience. The more interpersonal and technical skills I accrue will only make me a more valuable candidate when I want to find a ‘real’ job.
This is the end for now, but it will continue!
Please feel free to contact me if you want to find out more about my experiences or the resources available to us.”
Abbey has agreed to blog again for us as she continues the hunt. Abbey is also part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Team in Training and is participating in the 29th Annual Avia Wild Flower Triathlon, an Olympic distance triathalon, to raise money for blood cancer research! You can keep up with Abbey’s training and donate here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/wildtri11/aleezx. I forsee a “Student Shout-Out” in Abbey’s future!
Abbey is also on twitter, follow her at @abbazabba (and while you’re there, follow us @USFDONSCOMS if you haven’t already). Thanks, Abbey, for documenting your job search for us! Can’t wait for your next chapter!
Abbey! Good luck with the job search and Go Giants! 🙂