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I recently wrote about my internship and how positive that experience was in my transition from college life to corporate America. Now, I have completed my first week as a salaried employee in the real world. What’s even better? I’m pretty sure I’ve landed my dream job at New Media Strategies.
So how did I do it? Easy – I built up a personal and a digital network, discovered what I was passionate about, and did a lot of research to find a position that would challenge me and fit my criteria for workplace values.
Okay, so it wasn’t that easy. With our economy in its current state, it’s a difficult process to find a great entry-level job. No matter how many times I rewrote my cover letter and reviewed my résumé, getting interviews at companies was practically impossible without help from my friends and network.
For example, I read about New Media Strategies when I first got to D.C. Since I’m slightly obsessed with this new digital era I wanted to connect with others who shared this passion. I checked out the company’s site NOT to look for a job, but to find people. I discovered the blogs of Leslie Bradshaw and Andre Blackman, so I started following them and a few other NMSers on twitter. I reached out to Leslie telling her how I’d just moved here and was always looking for social media events to go to, and we ended up meeting in person at an event a couple of days later.
As my internship reached an end, I noticed that NMS was hiring. I sent a DM to Leslie saying that she had inspired me with some of her recent work and that I was thinking about applying. She quickly responded and told me to e-mail the head of HR, which I did, and here I am!
Yesterday, I was talking to a close friend of mine who is finishing up her CPA and trying to land a job at a big time accounting firm. She’s very smart, organized, experienced, and has a near perfect GPA. And, it doesn’t hurt that both of her parents are respected accountants. Then, she told me she wanted to get a job without using her parents’ networks. While I understand her desire to get a job on her own without any help, I told her that this was no time to be humble and that she should make use of the people she knows, especially with our the entry-level job market as fragile as it is right now.
What do you think? Did I give her the right advice? How did you get your first job after college?
I think you gave exactly the right advice - especially in this economy.
If your friend wants to make it on her own a) her parents have already helped her in so many ways that that is impossible & b) whether or not she does well at her job will not be up to her parents. There will be plenty of chances to prove herself.
If your friend is worried about being "fair" to others, she can probably help those without well-connected parents more if she has a good job than without one.
I agree. That is definitely the right advice. I graduated in May and I am still searching for a place to start my career in marketing communications. Unfortunately, I don't have many family connections, so your friend should considered herself extremely lucky! I, too, began my job search with the mindset that I was going to do it on my own - not because I wanted to be fair, but because I figured my resume and experience would speak for themselves. However, there are so many recent grads out there looking for jobs that any way you can make yourself stand out in a stack of resumes - especially a personal recommendation - is going to be beneficial in getting an interview and eventually landing a job. After several months of doing it on my own, I am beginning to open up to my network and ask them for any and all connections they might have in my chosen field.
Thanks for the great posts, Meg! Best of luck in DC!
I think it's the right advice--but I think it's also particularly hard to accept that advice when the network in question is parental.
I got my first full-time job by answering a classified ad.
I think your advice was right on target. Relationships make the world go 'round - there's no two ways about it! I got my current job though a relationship with a friend, no interview required.
Hi everyone,
Thank you for your feedback! I'm glad everyone seems to agree that I gave her the right advice. I followed up with her later and she admitted that she worried that her parents' contacts might see her as selfish. That's when I told her about the pay-it-forward mentality. If you can help out those that help you, that's great, but there won't always be an opportunity to do that. Instead, I remember that people helped me get to where I am so I always try to be as helpful to others as a possibly can.
Thanks for reading!
Meg
I think you definitely gave the right advice, that seems to be the same thing I'm hearing from a lot of people. The job market now is going to be awful, so if she has connections through her parents she should go for it! This is definitely something useful to think about as I start my job hunt in the next few months.
When I graduated in 1993, the economy was exactly like it is now. It was really hard to get jobs. I wish my parents had a network for me to tap into.
You gave her the right advice. Your parents can't give you a job (unless they own the company), but why not take an assist in getting that door open?
My advice for anyone graduating right now would be to not give up. Although it took me 3 years to get the job that suited me, I worked in my field from the time I graduated. Some of the jobs really sucked, but it was the right move. Building your resume, your network, and your backbone will get you going.
When I first started my business career, I was hesitant to use my parents and relatives networks because I didn't want to feel like my success could be attributed to anyone other than myself.
I soon came to realize that success is always attributed to a team The better your team, the more successful you can be.
I'd like to leave off with a great quote from Isaac Newton, "If I have seen further it is because I have been standing on the shoulders of giants."
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