A Quick Hello from OK!

Thank goodness for my BFF, Gessen. While I am away for a week with limited internet access- she of course is constantly keeping me in the loop (and sane) by tweeting job opportunities and sharing her job search status via #GraduateSwagg. What would I do without her?!

During the first 20 minutes I had a chance to get on my laptop, I opened my inbox to a formal invitation to Jack Morton's Brand Camp September 1st. More than a little excited!! ....as well as tip that there may be a job opening at Glamour Magazine in NY! I said I wasn't going to limit myself...so let's put that to the test! I forwarded my resume... and we'll see what happens next.

I've only been gone for a day.

Time To Shake Things Up

Yes it is time to shake things up around here! And Yes the pun was intended. For those that haven't tuned into their T.V.s and Facebook pages - (Doubtful)- Today the East Coast experienced an earthquake. I however, didn't feel a thing other than the vibrations from my cell phone from the countless notifications on Twitter and the news talking about it.

In Other News...

I had a successful phone interview with the HR from Lois Paul & Partners. I have to admit, I have been really lucky so far because again the HR (Christine) was very welcoming and made it very easy to talk to. I had my "Marketing Plan" in front of me, and overall felt very prepared. It went so well in fact Paul (the man that gave me the introduction) E-mailed me, and said she was impressed and I am near the "top of the list" to contact when a opportunity opens.

What does this mean? - It means I keep going to the gym, keep eating my veggies, keep searching. The #jobhuntcontinues and it is time to mix my strategy up a bit. What can I do now to really WOW the next interview that presents itself?

I have concluded that a Public Relations Career in Boston = Working in the IT, Health/MediCare/ Clean Tech industry, rather than NY which is more consumer based. I do a decent job staying "in the know" when it comes to PR, but I need to learn more about these specific industries. I have started following IT companies on Twitter, reading articles and blogs, and even contacted an alum from URI's Public Relations Society, who did PR for Dimensional Insights, (an IT company in Boston) and asked her for advice on where to gain further knowledge. While reading some of these articles and posts I find myself Googling words I don't understand - how else am I going to learn!

My second move, is to start working with a Head Hunter. I say working "with" rather than "use" based on an article from who else but @AvidCarreist > http://www.avidcareerist.com/2010/11/05/should-you-use-a-recruiter/

Khiara had mentioned her friend had recently got an HR job, and has worked with Head Hunters and she strongly encouraged it. To my luck, my older Cousin Geoff is a Head Hunter ( he's 1 of my 23 cousins - and that's only counting my Dads side - and no, not step cousins, my parents are together... as of now. ) He works for O'Neill Consulting Group LLC, and hopefully he will have some guidance to step up my game.

I am going to need to keep the level of determination high these next weeks, especially since my best friend and motivator- Khiara- has left me today for Oklahoma. Disappointed I will be visiting the infamous Sophie's Coffee myself - I am reassured by Khiara's promise to continue our job-hunt and coffee sessions via Skype.

All I Want for Christmas Is My 2 Front Teeth - And A Job.

Following Khiara's last post - I admit I was withholding the same sentiment. It is getting tough. Some weeks are easier than others, some feel down right hopeless.

It doesn't help either when you had three days off in a total of three weeks. You go to a dentist appointment and they tell you that the line-drive that hit you during softball practice six years ago in high school - an accident that left me with seven root canals, three crowns, and some funny yet embarrassing home videos- is now coming back to haunt me with a bill that my insurance won't cover and over a year of future surgeries. Several Surgeries, that with my time of healing in between them will leave me with a temporary fake tooth that needs to be removed at night. All I could think of is Obie Trices song- Hopefully she's got some teeth as the Dentist explains all this to me. Not to mention a scale that reads I am five pounds over my usual- a direct correlation of now living at home and having food already supplied for me rather than my college days when a bowl of soup and grilled cheese would last me a good day and a half.

Depressing? Yes. Dramatic? Maybe. Nevertheless- down.

Being sick and tired of this funk I was letting myself get in, I decided it was time to take control. I have been to the gym everyday taking classes at the YMCA, brushing my teeth three times a day, and eating basically only fruit veggies and salmon. This health kick has been uplifting, not only physically, but inside too. My newly acquired energy has altered my attitude and I feel people taking noticed. Especially on Monday while working a double at the golf course...

A day that is usually dead, hence only one bartender is needed that day, but of course -it was extremely busy. Doing my best to make sure I was servicing everyone at the bar, golfers coming in to grab a pick up order, and groups of people sitting for lunch outside on the patio- all with same enthusiasm and quality service. I had waited on this elderly man with his grandson who began making small talk with me - half of me wanted to throw his hot dog on the table and run considering I had X amount of other people to attend to and didn't have time to chit-chat... but Instead, smiled sweetly with my bright white teeth, (that will soon be removed) and engaged in casual conversation. He overheard me speaking to some customers about my goal to be in Boston doing PR, and that he was in fact a Public Relations Practitioner affiliated with Lois Paul & Partners based right outside of Boston.

Lesson: Never throw a hot dog and run aka treat everyone as if they are a potential network facet.

Turns out his grandson went to high school with my brother - so Rhode Island- and we exchanged contact information. The next day I followed up on his offer of sending my resume through some contacts, and a week later I got an email from the HR of LPP.

Yes it is tough right now. I mean, everyone said it was going to be - but every now and again a lucky break comes your way.

Anyyyy Day Now Would Be Nice

It's August 11th and I'm trying with everything in me to not let the stress take over. I'm leaving for Oklahoma (yes, I said Oklahoma) in less than two weeks (a trip I was sure I would have to rebook) and it looks like my grandparents will be squeezing these cheeks right on schedule.

I'm giving myself the next 30 seconds to be discouraged- because let me tell you, it's getting harder to say, "I'm unemployed" with confidence that an opportunity is around the corner. I have made great connections, talked to the right people, and I'm losing count of all the hands (and in-boxes) my resume has been in, yet I'm nearing a dead end. What more do you want from me?!? I guess I need to start thinking outside of the box.

...and TIME.

So Many Activies!

...a phrase my beautiful friend Alicia would often squeal out.

Speaking of Alicia and the girls of K2... if there was one thing that could bring us together it was food. It didn't matter if there was an exam the next day or 8 pages left of our typical 12 pager, if you tempted us with a good meal, we would be there! Luxe Burger was our not-so-guilty pleasure during school and I returned there a few days ago with my boyfriend and mom, thanks to Groupon. I got my usual turkey burger with sauteed onions and guacamole, Dave got something ridiculously spicy (probably so I wouldn't pick at it) and my mom got the Thanksgiving burger. The food was fab and although the company wasn't the same, it was still just as great.

The rest of the weekend (which includes Thursday because I'm still unemployed) was an awesome one. Gessenia and I kicked off Thursday night at Centro, a martini bar in East Greenwich where we stuck it through the less-than-okay service for some of the best martinis ever. Hers was an Oatmeal Cookie and mine was a Butterfinger (which we decided was okay because we went to the gym before). We played catch up for the next couple of hours, talking about where we were on our job search and how her informational interview at RACEPOINT GROUP went!! (read previous blog) We laughed at my emotional state and attempted to figure out the reasoning behind some of the songs being played in the background. Anyone overhearing our conversation was given free entertainment for the night.

Friday was the annual Blessing of the Fleet, an event that everyone and their mom attends. It was a great time under the beer tent except this year there was less elbow room than ever before. As soon as all of our tokens had been exchanged for beer, or in my case, pinot grigio, we headed over to the Coast Guard House where we spent the rest of the night.

After a 4 hour nap and a 7 hour work day at the golf course, I met up with my friend Alicia to drive to Acton, MA for our friend Kelly's graduation party. It was sooooo good to be with some of my K2 girls again and thanks to BBM, Facebook, and mobile uploads it was like we were all together again dancing to Gold Dust.

Us waving "hi" to our missing 3

Marketing Yourself 101

Well the date is set - this Monday at 11:00am I will be having an interview of sorts with the HR of Lois Paul & Partners- on the phone. Despite my attempt of trying to get physically in the door at the agency, keeping in mind the advice I learned early on this summer - the HR had said it's protocol to have a phone conversation before any meeting is arranged. Khiara who played phone tag with the HR Manager of Alex And Ani last week, found herself getting blind sided with an interview, while babysitting two kids. Being resourceful as she is, she pulled through of course- but we both agreed further preparation is needed in case such an event occurs again. The reality of someone calling you on the spot, and not having a face in front of you to read and detect how the conversation is really going- is nerve wracking. Especially with all our resumes being sent through various networks we have met this summer while trying to get our foot- in -the- door. As thankful as we have been for the people who have been sending our resumes through for us, we find ourselves getting phone calls from business contacts who then begin probing us for a position we don't even know exactly what it entails. ( Half way through a conversation you realize we are talking about Project Management... when you studied Marketing.) We both have realized we need to think outside the box, and be able to take our knowledge about ourselves and apply it in any given situation at any given time.

I faithfully follow @AvidCareetist on Twitter - so helpful! And she recently posted an article by Career Shepra, The Best Job Search Tool Ever. It is basically a Marketing Plan of yourself. Of course ours is slightly different, but thus far its been a great help for organizing all our skills and their related experience.

Hopefully it will help my phone conversation lead to an invite for a face-to- face conversation. I'll let you know.

1 Down... (enter # here) More to Go

As I'm driving to Waltham, MA , I have the AC blasting to keep my curls to their most non -frizz potential before I have to face the heat wave outside. My go- to professional business jacket is hanging in the back seat, my heels are in my purse while I sport my Sperrys in the meantime. I have a folder stacked with resumes and Map Quest directions in my lap that read my destination is only an hour and 20 away -yet I left three hours in advance. I have my A game on. The only challenge left is to get through an interview at Racepoint Group flawlessly. Wrong.

My next challenge is to find the building. After circling a parking garage, walking across the street to the wrong industrial park, asking a few people,walking back- I found it. Leaving three hours early didn't seem so silly after all (hate that my mom is always right.)

Now in my jacket and heels standing tall in the waiting room, smiling at everyone that walks by, I'd say I was doing a good job at hiding the pit in my stomach filled with nervousness. The secretary asks me if I would like anything- a juice a water etc. I politely say "No thank you I'm fine" even though I'm dying of thirst (stupid habit) - she hands me a water anyways and replies "you're going to be talking to a lot of people you'll need one."

With my newly acquired water came along with an increase heart rate. Talking to a lot of people? What was I getting into. To make it worse while I'm filling my application I come across the reference page. Shouting at myself in my head on why the hell don't I have a an already printed out paper with all my references information -(amateur move!)- I fumble through the business cards I brought with me and try to get the rest of the info on my phone that has no service.

Shana, the head HR at Racepoint Group finally greeted me and lead me to a room -and it was all up hill from there. Of course it helped that she was an incredibly sweet woman, but the nerves disappeared and I just felt like - Me. The best part was, I meant everything I said, and I believed it. While talking about my experiences and what I have learned a light bulb kind of went off like - Hey I am qualified for this job! And I could feel my confidence shining through, Throughout the 2 hours there I met with another Account Executive and an Account Coordinator. All three conversations were genuinely pleasant, and It felt great.

Leaving the building, (after switching out of my heels and back into my Sperrys of course) I felt like skipping to my car. But coming down from my high I stopped. As great as it was, I have to keep going, keep applying, keep networking. This is no one and done. But the experience was so worth while and I know with each interview it can only get better. But Racepoint Group isn't going anywhere and either am I. I have a feeling we will meet again soon.