Since I have been on a mission lately to get as much non-school-related stuff done as possible before classes start next week, (we can call it a "conscientious" streak), I decided to visit my school's Career Center the other day with two of my friends. One of them is, like myself, hoping to find herself a sick job when she graduates - which she absolutely will, considering that she's very smart, qualified, and generally amazing. I'm actually currently holding date screenings for her, Khloe Kardashian style, and there's a line around the corner. If you're lucky, she may put on a show at the end of the auditions where she'll perform her infamous choreographical replication of "The Nicest Kids in Town" from Hairspray.
Anyway.
The other friend I visited the Career Center with has recently decided on a defined career choice (I'm seething with jealousy) and is looking to apply to grad school. She's equally awesome of course. Basically, the three of us wanted to go to the Career Center to get some extra help editing our resumes in one way or another. My issue: after adding in all of the great stuff I learned at my web marketing internship last summer, my resume is almost two pages long. I know, I know, I'm just such an incredibly experienced, cultured, all-around perfect candidate for any job and everything on my resume just attests to that fact. Sure. But two pages long? Not so easy on the eyes. Yeah, some interviewers have asked me about random experiences on that second page, but in general, I think that I need to make myself as marketable as possible on that first page, and trim off any unnecessary fat.
When I sat down with my assigned advisors (one was training, I think), the first thing I noticed is that they were my age. Oh! I just remembered that one of them was standing behind me at the football game today - obligatory "go blue"! This first impression didn't exactly sit well with me, because I honestly wonder what they know about finding a job that I don't already. I would like to say that I've been lucky enough to have had some pretty wonderful internships/jobs these past four years, so the confident side of me thinks that I know a little something about this process. As the meeting went on, my opinion didn't really change. Sure, the two girls offered me a few helpful hints, which was nice, but ultimately, I realized that what I really need to do is sit down and take some time to myself to decide what to take out. Only one of my friends left the Career Center that day without feelings of frustration. Needless to say, I obviously chose to pretend I didn't see my advisor at the game.
However, the meeting wasn't a total waste of time. I did get a few specific ideas on what to take out of my resume, and the two girls showed me around the Career Center website and gave me a handy little sheet with resume samples. Maybe the sheer fact that this was an actual appointment forced me to take the time to review this stuff. The bottom line? I need to stop acting like a know-it-all and be a tiny bit more open to help from others. Personally, I think that the best help in this department comes from my dad, who really specializes in this human resources find-me-something-that'll-bring-home-the-bacon sort of thing. But these resources are only helpful if I actually take advantage of them. My boyfriend, who has already gone through this rigorous job search and really came out on top, is, in my opinion, another great resource to have. He really utilized his school's career resources, and has to be one of the most proactive people I've ever known; I've witnessed the benefits of that. I need to be more like that.
At the risk of sounding kinda lame, we all need an extra push sometimes, even from ourselves, to do everything we can to reach our goals. I think I can, I think I can...
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