Standing out from the crowd

By Sarah-Jean Murray

Since I am graduating this upcoming May, all I've been thinking about it is the end of college and the start of my professional career. How will I be able to stand out for the other 30 people in my major graduating at the same time as me with the same experience not to mention various grads across the country that may have more experience. How do we, as grads, stand out from our peers?

• Find hands-on learning opportunities - This may refer to anything from internships, independent studies with professors and freelance work. Not only does it boost your resume but it will also give you valuable experience that will help you with your future career. This gives you the unique edge over other applicants and could get you the job. Having these opportunities will also solidify your future goals or help you decide on your future career path. 

• Take classes outside of your major - As Liberal Arts students we are required to take core classes to fulfill our degrees. This may seem like a huge pain but in reality this is making us well-rounded individuals. You may even find another subject you are passionate about and pick up a minor or another major. There are many exciting classes offered that usually can be taken by students of any major. Also consider taking classes that will help your "soft skills" such as communication, public speaking, finance and general business.

• Networking - This is one of the most important aspects of college. Network with your peers, network with alumni and network with faculty. Any contacts you make could potentially get you a recommendation or a job in the future. There are many events happening on campus that can help you get out there and network. 

• Know how to talk about yourself - When being interviewed, you will be asked questions about yourself. It may be uncomfortable to talk about yourself but you will have to ask questions such a "Tell us about yourself" and "How would you fit into this company". Knowing what you want to say about yourself will make the interview process smoother.

Of course there are many things you can do to make yourself to stand out from the crowd but gaining extra experience in your field and getting to know your peers are two of the top things you can do while still in college than will help you in the future.

Source: http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/10/30/10-things-college-kids-must-do-now-to-snag-a-job-post-graduation/

Playing well with Others

By: Samantha Werry

Ever since I was a little kid, people always pushed playing with other people and making friends. When I was growing up, I was highly into playing sports and all sports for that matter. My coaches for soccer, basketball, volleyball, softball and every other sport I played pushed for people to play with others. When you have a good team and work well with each other, you can understand how they play, pass the ball when and where needed, and accomplish the goal of winning. My coaches always said, “There is no I in team.” Well in today’s workforce, you will be working with teams. Teamwork is the highest tool companies love to utilize and it drives the company to success. So take what you have learned from playing sports or being a team player in grade school and further that into the workforce.

In order to have an effective team, everyone must become a team player or a true teammate. People need to understand everyone’s skills and assets each one can hold inside the team. Everyone inside that team needs to realize why they are there, what they can do for the team, and how they can make those skills work well with the other teammates. Lisa was giving a lesson to us the other day in our meeting and made us as the question, “Why do you exist on this team?” You need to be able to answer that question with confidence in order for yourself and your team to be able to exercise your unique skills with the team.

When people talk about what they can do and how they can help the team, it creates communication, something every team needs. A team needs to be able to communicate freely with one another in order for them to maximize their products. Lets go back to the sports playing for a moment. If you are playing basketball and you are wide open for a shot, you would not stay quiet and let your teammate get the ball stolen from them. You should speak up and say you are open! Let your team members know your thoughts. Let them know the negatives and the positives. Remember, communication needs to flow and be helpful. If it becomes negative feedback, your team can start to fall apart. Team members need to learn to work well with one another to maximize everything from talking, to sending papers to one another. Make sure everyone is on the same page and things will flow easier. Remember, there is no I in team, so work as a team together.

Why Do We Exist

By: Maureen Corbett

Today in our intern meeting, Lisa continued to teach about the four disciplines of Patrick Lenioni's organizational health model. We talk about how to build a cohesive leadership team last week, and today we advanced on to learning how to create clarity among team members. This occurs in healthy organizations and is a way to minimize the possibility of confusion among group members.

Throughout her lesson, Lisa always came back to the question, "why do we exist?" She was talking about the reasons why teams exist, leaders exist, and specific roles among individuals exist. The point was that everyone involved in a team has a specific role or purpose, and if that role is clearly defined then team members can work together more efficiently.

This got me thinking about why I, Maureen, exist and what different roles I play in life. First and foremost, I am a student. I chose to attend college in order to gain knowledge and skills that will help me advance in the future. With my internship I play many more roles as well. I am a leader, because I have previous experience with this internship before. I am also a collaborator, teammate, and colleague to the other interns, and I have the responsibility to assist them with their projects and let them lead me. My social roles also make up a part of who I am as well, such as a friend, a sister, and a companion. These roles help me connect with people on personal levels, and allow me to create deeper connections with others.

Knowing  the different roles you play can be very influential in your professional life. It helps you understand how you must conduct yourself, and how you are going to be successful. Clarity  in this realm of your life will help you realize what is important to you and to others you work with. When we all understand that each person on a team has a specific purpose, it enables us to work together more efficiently towards common goals and drive us towards success. 

Making Headway

By Corinne Feight

So it’s official! As of October 25, the LACD team has officially chosen all of the events for Career Week and the time schedule. I am getting so excited. We have so many engaging events planned and many (MANY!) speakers coming in to inspire you! Some of which you may be familiar with. Our speakers this year range from students to young business leaders to professors on campus. I feel like we have made so much headway already, but I know I still have a very long road ahead of us. Still, it feels really good to know the layout for all the days. Next on our plate is start accumulating the prizes for the events and the grand prize, which I won’t be announcing just yet. I will begin to start relying more heavily on our team, I just hope they are all ready for the chaos that is planning Career Week! We have definitely come a long way from just theoretical ideas and visions of the theme to now concrete examples of what we want to showcase.

We will start to advertise and publicize Career Week as early as January of next year, but here’s is a sneak preview of our days.

Day 1 – Myth Busters

Day 2 – Entrepreneurship

Day 3 – Career Basics

Day 4 – Career Expo: Shattering the Illusion

I have an awesome team behind me and they are all stand behind my crazy ideas, which says a lot. I cannot wait to add more people to our team even though it will mean losing Teri to graduation. Come spring semester, we should have about three more interns on our team that will be helping with Career Week and blogging just as much as me. The flyer will go out soon and I hope to see everyone at the interviews, as I’ll need all the help I can get!

Play hard, work harder

By Yameng Zhang

It is the magic month of a year, everything automatically turns into a festive mode even though the vacation has not come and the exams are right there. I love October, I hate October.

What can we do to suppress the distraction?

Actually, it is not something that is distracting us, it is just a distraction coming from the mind. It does become harder to concentrate when everyone is dressed in custom on the street and ready to party. However, it is our mind needs to remind us that there are things to do and school is not over yet. There am something I am doing to keep me in the right mode.

Keep up the schedule

No one likes to work on deadlines, it is distressed and it rarely turns out well. So, I always keep my schedule handy and make sure that I can have things done as soon as possible. It is always better to finish earlier than right before the due date.

Know the priority

People have birthday and October has Halloween. We can’t go to every friend’s birthday party, just like it is unrealistic to make it to every festival. However, we should catch the important ones, and knowing the priority is how we make it.

Indulge, but indulge responsibly

That’s the good part of being an adult, we can indulge whenever we want. I won't say "but" because we all know the responsibility comes with our adulthood. We are responsible for every indulgence that we choose, which should worth the time and the things that run off.

 It is October, I have to stay in the school mode but I do need some fun, otherwise what's the point of working hard? So, I will go to a party and I will wake up early.

Professional Dress

By: Teri Grimes

One of the most exciting things about getting a real job is the awesome fact that for most offices you’ll probably have to start dressing up in business casual clothes every day. This is the main reason that my Christmas presents are all going to be dress pants and cute tops this year as I prepare to move out in to the work force hopefully by January. With the exception of casual Fridays, I’m basically going to just need a whole new wardrobe. However, clothes for the workweek are very different than the clothes that you should wear to an interview for the job you want. For interviews, you have to keep in mind that you don’t have the job yet, so it’s your responsibility to look as professional as possible. Here are some tips for things to wear/not to wear to an interview:

-       Although pant suits for women are perfectly acceptable, skirt suits just help an applicant stand out even more and differentiates you from the men who are applying for the job that may be dressed similarly.

-       Suits should be black, dark blue, or very dark grey and shouldn’t have a distracting pattern on them.

-       For girls, your hair should be pulled back away from your face or half up if you prefer to wear it down. When you’re nervous you may not realize that you’re playing with your hair, but it can be distracting for recruiters.

-       Keep jewelry to a minimum. Big blingy pieces can get distracting.

-       If you get asked back for a second interview, pay attention to what the people around you are wearing. Again, you don’t have the job yet, so you need to be dressed up but it does help to note the kinds of things that other people who already work there wear.

-       Be showered, smelling good but not overpowering, with freshly pressed garments.

Keep in mind that all of these tips can vary by the type of position that you’re applying for. Be sure to know the company, and know what’s acceptable in those offices. For more information on business dress, check out LACD on Pinterest (@ LiberalArts CareerDevelopment).

Bad workplace habits

By Sarah-Jean Murray

Obviously we don't want to get fired from our jobs whether it's during college, after graduation or further down the road. Getting fired leaves a bad mark on your resume and may affect how employers view you in the future. Here are some tips on how to fix those bad workplace habits that may lead to getting fired. These may seem like common sense to some people but others may not realize how detrimental their behavior is in the workplace.

• Making those around you angry
  If you have a bad attitude in the office, it's going to affect those around you. If you're gossiping about others and talking about them behind their back, you're creating a hostile environment. Bosses would rather have someone on their staff who is a team player and works well with others. Bad attitudes are not going to help you and are simply not professional. It's also not a great idea to make inappropriate comments to your coworkers. Leave your bad attitude at home, stop talking about others and come to work to be a professional. Most of us are going to have to work on teams to get projects and work assignments done. That involves giving credit where credit is due, and doing your part to make sure the group works smoothly. Bad mouthing, slacking and complaining are not okay.
• Making your clients angry
  If you're in a job that requires you to work directly with clients, it's probably not a great idea to make them angry. This involves not avoiding clients and communicating properly with them. Clients are the reason you have your job and you definitely want to make them happy. Work with them on decisions, communicate and meet your deadlines. A happy client is what every company wants. 
• Not working with your boss
  The saying "It is always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission" is something you want to avoid here. This is basically not listening to your boss and forging your own path instead. If you use poor judgment then your boss will think you are disregarding his/her wishes (which is exactly what you're doing). 
• Lying
  Fabricating your resume experience is probably not the greatest idea ever. Someone will eventually find out that you don't have the skills or experience you said you did. Not getting hired for a job you're not qualified for is a lot worse than getting fired. That's going to make it harder for you in interviews for your next job. Also, theft is something related to lying. Don't steal office supplies.
• Not listening to feedback
  This is something that goes along with the first three points, but needs a bullet point of its own. If you're not willing to listen to feedback, that's going to feature poorly on you. Feedback is one of the fundamentals of a job. This will help you with your work and will help you work better with your team. Listen to all of the feedback you get and don't disregard something just because you think you've got it in the bag. There is always room for improvement.  

Of course there are a multitude of bad habits that people may develop in the workplace. A simple google search will provide tons of articles on the subject of not getting fired and bad workplace practices. These are just some of the most important things which can be fixed very easily. 

Sources: http://www.aiga.org/23-ways-to-get-fired/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/05/15/4-tips-to-help-you-get-hired-not-fired/

Google Yourself

By: Samantha Werry

We all have realized employers are looking to the Internet more and more for information. Once people turn in job applications, they will try to find them on Facebook, Twitter, Google and everything in-between. What shows up with they Google you? Things you do not want them to find or exactly what you want them to find? For me, there are a few other Samantha Werry’s our there, but thankfully they are keeping all online lives private. As for myself, I keep everything private as well so Google will not post every little detail of my life up there. But what if something bad does pop up? How do you fix it? Personal Branding is key. By creating a unique personal brand you use on your resume, portfolio, cover letter, business cards, etc., you can control what everyone else sees of yourself.

When I Googled myself, I luckily found my personal online portfolio, which is exactly what I want them to find. It is my personal site holding all my information and design works. When I am looking for a job, I want them to be able to see my work without having to struggle to find it. I also want them to see where I go to school, my email and phone number, and all my pieces. For me, Purdue is proudly displayed on my site as well as my information. I want to represent myself in a proud, beautiful way.

All in all, when you Google yourself, you want everything to pop up of your personal branding. Start posting professional information about yourself by using LinkedIn or go the route I did and get a personal site for yourself. Control your information by making certain, helpful items findable. You want it to be easy for employers to find yourself, but you want it to be in a control way by using your personal brand. So go ahead! Google yourself! See what pops up.

Organizing Your Life

By: Maureen Corbett

Do you ever get that feeling that there are too many thoughts swimming around in your head to make sense of them all? I sometimes find that on a busy day I could just sit at my desk for hours, thinking about all the stuff I need to get done but never actually accomplishing anything. So how does one remain productive when they can't even make sense of their own thoughts? The answer lies in organization.

Organized thought is an efficient way to go about "de-cluttering" your life. Here are a few simple ways to keep yourself focused and stay on top of your workload.

1. Write it Down
If you don't do this already, you need to start now. Keep your calendar updated with when your assignments are due, and check it regularly. This way nothing can sneak up on you at the last minute.

2. Prioritize
I am personally a huge fan of check lists. I make sure that the most important assignments are at the top, and I check them off as they are completed. This way you can guarantee that you are always working on the most essential tasks first.

3. Time Management
Take the time to accurately assess how long each assignment will take you. This is extremely important because it allows you to know what you are dealing with. One of the main skills that employers claim young professionals need to improve on is meeting deadlines, so the earlier you start to practice managing your time efficiently the better.

4. Take Some Mental "Me Time"
Don't feel guilty if you are incredibly overloaded and need to take a break. Spend a half hour vegging out in front of the TV to clear your thoughts. This way once you get back to work you'll be energized and ready to go.

In on LinkedIn

By Corinne Feight

It’s no surprise to anyone that social media has become one of the most powerful networking tools. Especially when it comes to looking for jobs. Many companies have Twitter accounts and Facebook pages dedicated specifically for posting job positions. These career positions are updated constantly and can give you the leg up on a candidate that is only checking the company’s main webpage.

One of the most professional platforms right now on social media is LinkedIn. This site, with over 175 million members, promotes groups, jobs, and professional connections. It states that it also is host to members from over 200 countries. This alone should be enough to get you to sign up. One of my favorite features of the site is the job tab, which provides a general job search link, but also one for students and recent graduates. This is particularly helpful because the positions are already sorted for entry-level candidates. Still, these are only a few of the innovative features that LinkedIn promotes.

Yet as many students may have these accounts, there is a wide margin of people who don’t know how to use these profiles to their advantage. According to the CCO Inside Track that was sent out this week, here are the top four tips to get in the in crowd on LinkedIn:

1. Connect with people you know outside your major/industry. Even if they are simply a social contact, connecting with someone on LinkedIn adds everyone they are connected with to your network. You have no idea who your friend may know unless you ask, but who has time to map out a list of every person your acquaintances may know in your industry? LinkedIn does this for you, so take advantage of it. Personalize your invitations to connect to let people know what your intentions for connecting are.
2. Join groups targeted toward your industry of choice and participate in discussions. Joining groups expands your network exponentially. However, joining a group is not enough, you should participate in group discussions and be active in a group to benefit from the wealth of knowledge they can contain. You can ask professionals and other students in your field about industry news and your career path. Discussions in professional groups can be incredibly beneficial. You never know who you’ll meet.
3. Did a professional help you out in a discussion? Did you like something they posted? Use that as a segue to connect! If someone says something that benefits you, don’t be shy. Ask to connect and, if you feel comfortable, ask for a time they could talk to you on the phone (like an informational interview) about whatever the discussion was about. You could gain a new mentor out of the situation.
4. Use the LinkedIn Today news feature to stay up-to-date with industry news. You can personalize what news LinkedIn suggests to you by industry. You can click through each industry and see the top headlines every day. It’s a great way to stay “in the know” with your industry even if you aren’t working in it yet.

Source: http://purduecco.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/4-tips-to-get-in-the-in-crowd-on-linkedin/

Be Somebody

By Yameng Zhang

People argue “it’s all about who we know”. This may sounds silly, but I couldn’t help recalling a conversation between Samantha and Carrie in Sex and the City. Samantha said “you are publishing a book, that’s fabulous, and that even makes me more fabulous”. That’s kinda my point.

Knowing somebody is not enough, becoming one that others will be excited to meet with should be a new goal, which may not need a Guinness World Record but some state of mind.

•     Respect everyone

I meant everyone, no exception. We all have strength and weakness, and I can’t help being intimidated by others’ superiority or annoyed by one’s incapability to some extent. However, no matter who I am referring to, there is always a part of the person that is superior, and that part deserves people’s respect. You may not see it, I may not see it, but there is always something in a human being that we should worship.

•     Look up to ourselves

Be proud of yourselves for being who you are, so even when the last day came that everyone teases you, you can be a fan of your own. This may sounds desperate, however, being proud of ourselves should weigh more than anyone else’s applause. I am saying this because I feel no matter how confident I am in front of people, there are always parts of me doubting if I am just bluffing and questioning where the confidence is coming from. I hope you are proud of yourselves already, with no doubt or any question.

•   Bring the figure out

Act as we have got everything, but not arrogantly. I believe we see people from their figures, which are the only things we can physically and directly see, so it makes the figures matter. Walk with the head up and talk with the eyes sparkling, especially when we are confronting people we are not familiar with. Maybe it is just me, but I do need to see to believe.

Today, I messed up and lost the whole thing that I have worked for weeks. I know it happens, and it may still happen, but by knowing I am in good hands, I feel relief and I am ready to move on because I believe we all are somebody, who can make others more fabulous. 

References

By: Teri Grimes

References available upon request. Who doesn’t know that by now? If a future employer asks you for a list of references, you better provide them. That’s why this phrase should never be present on your resume. There are a few other tips about references that I’ve recently learned from one of my professors.

1.Always ask the people on your reference sheet if you can give out their contact information. Also, be sure they’re people who are willing to say good things about you. You can start off the conversation by saying something like “Hey Jill, you know ____ about me, and I really would like it if you would be able to speak to some of my strengths on this topic.” This makes sure that they’re willing to say something that will help you get the job.

2.Never use your parents as references. This gets into a tricky situation if you ever worked for your parents, but the general rule is not to use them no matter what. This immediately hurts your credibility with the recruiter. Sooner or later, somewhere in the conversation, your parents will probably reveal that you’re their offspring. It’s best just not to risk it, and find someone else to put on the list.

3. Make sure you’re always giving your references a ‘heads-up’ that they may be getting a call after you give your list of references to a recruiter. It’s best to attach the job description and your most current resume as well. This reminds your reference of your accomplishments in the past.

4. Finally, don’t talk to your references only when you need something from them. Make sure that you’re maintaining that relationship and cultivating it even after you may not communicate with them on a daily basis anymore. Once a month or so, take some time to shoot a few of your references an email asking about their life so it isn’t always a one-way relationship.

Three tips for a busy student

By Sarah-Jean Murray

Things are really starting to get hectic. I just had my last advising appointment ever as a senior and discussed spring semester with my adviser including the details for graduation. I've been studying for midterms, writing papers, reading books for class and working on projects for LACD. Plans for Career Week have been slowly falling into place and I've had to think of events for Day 2. On top of that I've also had my job.

No one told me senior year was going to be this crazy. There are some tips I have to getting through that crazy part of the semester.

Organize: I never go anywhere without my planner. Everything is written down and noted. My class schedule, work schedule and project dates are all written down and marked according to importance. I believe that this type of organization will definitely translate into the career world. There are constant deadlines that HAVE to met. Writing these down and keeping track will help.

Don't procrastinate: We all procrastinate. We get that project or paper and we think to ourselves "Well I don't have to start on this right now". False! Get started right away! Getting it finished now will prevent any last minute stress and frantic rushing around.

Sleep: As a college student, it's easy to pull all-nighters believing its for the greater good. However this causes productivity levels to go way down and cause a zombie-like state for the rest of the day. How can you get plenty of sleep and feel refreshed? Organize, don't procrastinate and you'll be able to get enough sleep to stay wide awake during the day.

Making a change

By: Samantha Werry

After talking to my fellow intern Corinne, she informed me about the first day of career week. She told me the theme and most of the details in order for me to help her find more discussion topics. We started to talk about career shifts and changes and the topic got me thinking. Career shifts happen all the time. Even a few of my teachers have had career shifts in their lifetime. But since we are all college students here, I wanted to focus more on shifts in majors from shifts inside the schools or outside.

Now a days, students change their majors all the time. Here at Purdue, it is not uncommon for students to stay an extra semester or even a year. It happens and I believe if people are not happy with what their major is, they should not feel ashamed to change majors. It is just like a person outside of college shifting careers. Yes it will be different and can make your plans not go “according to plan,” but if you believe you will be happier and perform better elsewhere, do not feel pressured to stay where you are. Change is good since we are from the generation of change. I have even changed majors and I am going to graduate on time. My last semester will only need minimal credits to graduate as well. So it goes to show, even if you change majors, you can put your heart to it and get it done all in time. You can even feel great about where you end up. All in all, it is your life. You can do whatever makes you happy. Major changes happen and are quite normal. So once you are out of college, do not feel like you are stuck with one career. Try everything you want until you find something that fits you perfectly.

Accountability Redefined

By: Maureen Corbett

Today in our intern meeting, I learned of an author I've never heard of before named Patrick Lencioni. In his book, The Advantage: Organizational Health Model, he spends a good portion of his time discussing the crucial role of accountability when building a cohesive leadership team. He goes on to explain that successful teams are built on trust and respect, and accountability comes hand in hand with that.

Teams are only successful when every member believes in each other's capabilities. What's best about working in teams is that you can combine the strengths of one person with the strengths of another to accomplish a task that might otherwise have been impossible when working individually. It involves collaboration and dedication to a shared goal, and when that goal is achieved, all are successful. In order to hold team members accountable for their actions to obtain this success, a certain level of trust must first be established. By trusting someone to complete a task, you are endorsing your belief in their ability to succeed.

What comes to mind for me personally is when I was recently assigned the role of project managing the Career Fair Expo for Purdue's Career Week. This is a huge responsibility for me, and is the largest project to date that I have had to work on. This is also the highlighted event of Career Week, which means a lot of pressure comes along with making it successful. This pressure could easily intimidate me, but I have to keep reminding myself that if my superiors didn't think I was qualified for the job, they wouldn't have assigned me with this project. I need to take this as a sign of their respect: they believe I am capable of pulling through for them. When someone has high expectations for you to succeed, it can be very stressful at times. But by holding me accountable for this event's success, I know that I am being respected by my team when they place their trust in my abilities.

And when I know that, how can I not succeed?

Taking Ownership

By Corinne Feight

I believe people are responsible for themselves. We all have to own up and take responsibility for our actions and words. At the end of the day, I don’t understand people who turn and place blame everyone else. This is not to discredit or disrespect those who have had to grow up in a world I cannot even imagine. Yet still, the past is a part of who we are, but it doesn’t have to be a part of who we become. I have known people who have been overcome with great stresses and commitments, and I have also known others who rise above it all and become a better person because of it. Who do you want to be?

I think the hardest thing we have to realize as college students is the fact that our life is now in our hands. Maybe for some of you, this was always the case. Each family is different, and I can only speak from my experience, but for the most part, college is the first time in our lives that we have had this complete responsibility. We don’t have anyone to worry about but ourselves. All of the decisions we make here are of our own volition. There is no one to tell us what to do, where to go, how to act. This is a great freedom that can be overwhelming and too tempting at times. Many students get caught up in the whirlwind that is college and forget the reasons why they are actually here. I stress this point to freshman specifically. Your freshman year is when you lay the foundation for the rest of your time here. You set up your GPA, you pick your major, and you begin to make networking connections. These seem like things that you may not have to worry about now, but the next four years will fly and you’ll look back, I guarantee you, and wish you had taken advantage of your earlier years. To me, I fully believe in accountability. Taking ownership of your own decisions is the most empowering and rewarding experience. It’s easy to push blame off on others—they are the reason you scored poorly on your midterms, they are the reason you didn’t make the cut to get into your major, they were the ones who forced you to go out to the bars the night before a big exam. Yet, ultimately, no one can make you do anything you don’t agree to or want to.

In the end, each person is responsible for his or her actions. The choices in our lives only fall back upon us. Yes, there are varying factors that influence these decisions, but your life is yours. Take advantage of it. What will you look back on in 10 years and be proud of? Don’t you want so many accomplishments it becomes hard to pick the best one? 

No, no, no, no, no......

By Yameng Zhang

I went to career fairs, those info sessions and professional networking events. I tweaked my resume frequently and customized every time. I did researches before I talk to them. But, no, no, no, no, no……

This is not the way it should be. I thought I prepared long enough, good enough, but it was a NO. I started to wonder if this is just the way it is. The doubt stopped me from job searching for a while until I realized it is not an obligation for a company to hire me just because I prepared. Searching a job is not as easy as apartment hunting, if I have to compare it to something; the first thing come to my mind would be dating.

We work out and dress up to look attractive, then we ask for other people’s number, we go on dates, and sometimes, there is no call back afterwards. See? It is the same as job searching. We put on attires, go for those career networking opportunities, we handout our resume, hopefully, go to interviews, and there are times we will receive emails that says “no”. 

I thought I would take my evening complaining about how hard to find a job, but that won’t change anything. So, instead, I accept the fact that I am not perfect.

I have flaws and I assume everybody does. There are times that the flaw becomes the deal breaker. I don’t like being a leader so I have never been one before, English is not my first language, I am not good at writing or public speaking, I have no experience in working at big companies, I have no award of any kind, I can barely tell how much contribution I have made to my past employers. Yes, there surely are some companies can’t deal with people like me. After listing my flaws, I realized they are not just flaws, they are my things, the things that I can hardly get over with. Just like I can’t accept being with a guy who doesn’t like dogs, companies can have reasons to say “no” to me. 

“No” doesn’t mean what I have done is in vain, it can mean the companies and I just don’t fit for the moment. Just like the fact that sometimes people don’t ask out the perfect one for a second date, having a “no” on a job offer is not a denial. So, I forgave the companies, in fact, I forgave myself for being rejected. But, no, I will not forget them because I need the “no”s to get myself the “yes”.