Kickoff and Catch-up

Ok, so this is the beginning. Or, at least the beginning of the blog. Allow me to introduce myself. I am a twenty-six year old college student graduating in May 2010 with degrees in English and Communication Studies. I thought it would be an interesting project to highlight the different steps my job search takes. Since I am behind already, let me update.

Jan 27: 11am-12pm
I attended a Job Fair Prep Party. This "taught" me how to research a company (which I've done already for interviews past) and allowed me to learn how to dress appropriately (or conform- however you want to look at it). I also practiced my introduction with a real employer (talk louder) and had my resume reviewed by a different real employer (use better action verbs to more accurately describe duties). By going through all four stations, I saved $5 on the admission fee to a job fair in Minneapolis. All in all, a beneficial event.

Jan 27: 11pm
I finished composing my cover letter and resume and decided to send three writing samples along with them for a chance at an unpaid telecommuting internship with a web magazine. While I recognize this doesn't exactly fit the 'out of college' job search part, getting a fantastic internship would be great experience and definitely a new challenge. I'm a little nervous since I haven't really submitted writing samples for anything before.

Jan 29: 1pm
I received an email from the editor of the website where I applied. Very basic, hard to know how to respond. What is he looking for?

Jan 29: 10:30pm
Quick to respond, I finish a paragraph acknowledging the position and its lack of pay. I explain my interest briefly and conclude. Email sent.

Feb 1: 8am
Another email received from the editor of the website. This one has five probing interview-like questions. Didn't I already explain the answers to these questions in my previous emails? My husband believes there must be many applicants and this is to narrow the field. "Answer them diligently" he messages me. Diligently, eh? That will take some time.

Feb 1: 1pm
Somewhat hesitatingly, I turned in the form and admission fee for the job fair in Minneapolis. With over 100 employers, the fair is highly recommended. Two problems: 1. Not a lot of employers/positions for English/Comm. Studies majors. 2. I haven't owned a suit since high school (and this requirement has been heavily emphasized). However, spending the time and money to have a chance to talk to multiple employers seemed worth it. The ladies at the reception desk where I turned in my form encourage me to purchase something called a job padfolio so I can hold business cards, take notes, and store resumes. It looks professional and is "on sale" for $10 instead of $15.... but I just dropped $10 to register for the fair. How much is all this gonna cost me?

Feb 2: 10am-11am
Left completely to my own writing skills, I fashion descriptive answers to the questions thrown at me in the email from yesterday morning. How can I avoid redundancy? How can I make myself sound professional and employable? What is the time frame for this internship anyhow... that still hasn't been answered.

Feb 2: 5pm-7pm
Suit-hunting. Two stores, lots of jackets, pants, and shirts. Two hours later, one winner. For around $80, I came away with a black jacket, black pants, and a red shirt that only works with one of them. I guess I'm pretty close to done, style-wise. Step one to conforming to societal standards complete. But a suit never goes out of style, right? Just out of size...