October 2018

Hi cuties, happy Tuesday!  I hope your October is going well so far!  Today, I’m here to talk all about the post-college graduation job application process.  I graduated from James Madison University last December and began my first full-time corporate position in January… keep reading to hear how I did it!

I started my job hunt in the beginning of the semester, in September.  I knew I wanted a job in the marketing and advertising industry and from my internship experience, I knew I wanted an account management position.  In my search, I realized account management positions have a lot of different names – essentially, different companies come up with different names for the same job.  For example, I found account coordinator, junior account manager, and project manager positions that were all exactly the same so if you’re looking for a certain position, keep in mind that it may have multiple names that you may not be familiar with.

Something else I learned while applying for jobs is that one resume does not fit all.  While you may be qualified for each position you’re applying for, if you don’t adjust your resume to match each position, you probably aren’t going to get it.  If the position is digital based, highlight your digital/tech background and if the position is social media based, highlight your social media experience.  If you tailor your resume to each individual application, you’ll have much better luck getting an interview because they’ll be able to tell you really read the application and envisioned yourself in that role.  Another awesome way to do this is by writing cover letters.  If you do want to keep your resume more generic, at least attach a cover letter calling out the position by name and giving your resume a little bit more personality.  Letting your personality shine will allow you to stand out from the other applicants!

Another important thing to keep in mind is your work-life balance.  I interviewed at a company where the hours were 7am-7pm and my commute would’ve been an hour and a half each way on top of that. Once I found out what my day-to-day would look like at that company, I decided to look elsewhere.  Although your first job probably isn’t going to be your dream job, you don’t want to be miserable so it’s important to realize what’s important to you as you start to shape your future.  Even though you’re a recent college grad and don’t have a ton of experience under your belt, you’re still extremely capable and can offer a lot to a company so don’t loose your sense of worth in this process.

All in all, I submitted applications for about 20 different positions and ended up getting an offer from a handful.  I accepted a position that I was really excited about and it’s been amazing so far!  Looking for your first job can be really, really tough and stressful but you’ll find something that’s great for you in the end.  Be sure to come back next week for my final apartment room reveal – my kitchen!  And there might be a banana bread recipe thrown in there as well…  See ya next Tuesday!