Stumbling along

Senioritis is a real disease. I would know because I have it. And how do I cure my senioritis?! By two new websites I have discovered:

Grooveshark and Stumble Upon.

If you are looking for a little distraction I suggest you check them out =)

Linking In

The first "jump" is always the most terrifying ... or so I'm told. Although I have never skydived or bungee jumped which this comment would most pertain to (by the way I'm not opposed to attempting either) I still think it can be used to describe multiple non-life-threatening situations. Such as submitting your first resume. Which if you haven't done it in a while, is significantly terrifying. I finalized my resume a few short months ago thanks to Purdue's Center for Career Opportunities. They were fantastic at helping me organize all my accomplishments onto one 8x11 piece of paper. With that in hand I was ready to start the next step, actually handing it over to esteemed business professionals.

My first experience in this was dragging my friend Dani all over New York City for 5 hours as I attempted to submit resumes the old-fashioned way, just walking into various companies and handing it over. Guess what. That doesn't work anymore. After receiving many eye-rolls, dirty looks and becoming more humble then I thought possible I gave up and resorted to spending the rest of the day relaxing in Bryant Park (a much better option). Upon returning to Indiana I sat down and began learning the "down-low" on the current situation of submitting resumes.

The Answer = The Internet.

Who Knew!?!

I panicked. I always thought that I presented my qualities better in person, and now I had to rely completely on my 8x11 piece of paper to sell me to my future employer. Being a tour guide and an athletic tutor can only get you so far -- I really have a lot more to offer than that (I swear)! How was I supposed to rely on the world wide web to help me get my foot in the door?

But after much research I discovered another way to approach applying online. Think of it as a first step, not an end result. In reality it is not that different than the old-fashioned way of walking-in; the application is going to get you the interview and the interview is where you have the opportunity to sell yourself. Also think of using the various online tools as networking devices to connect you to the right people. In today's world sometimes it's who you know, not what you know. Don't be ashamed to utilize your resources (friends, family members or random strangers you happen to meet) to connect you to the right people.

So my advice? Get online! Check out Linkedin, or Monster. If you use them correctly they can only help! Even starting a blog (case in point) or joining twitter (possibly questionable) may lead you to your next employment endeavor.

Last week I officially took my first "jump" and submitted my resume to a company through the Internet. Pushing the send button was exhilarating in its own right and who knows if they received it but I finally got the first one under the belt. Now the second, third, fourth ... twentieth one will be much easier! In fact, in a few weeks time I may even consider myself a pro ;)

Oh and feel free to "link" to me!

Let the countdown begin ...

First I must set one thing straight.

I am doing my victory loop, not my victory lap.
(There is a reason to this syntactical difference -- a victory lap implies I will be a 5th year from August to May when in fact, I will only be a 5th year from August to December. So instead of saying I am completing my victory lap, I choose to say I am completing my victory loop. And to justify it further I am still graduating in 2009 (my original year) so it's still legit.)

Either way the official countdown to becoming a "grown-up" has officially begun and it is to this countdown that I have decided to dedicate my blog. The next 4 months will bring many challenges and opportunities that will hopefully lead to a job. I have learned an infinite amount of knowledge about the job search just in the past month (negative and positive) that I feel is beneficial to share with others. Some of this comes from personal experience, some of it comes from the content I have been learning in my classes. Either way I still think it's helpful. Most of the time I will be sharing small tips (resume hints, interviewing stories, emerging technological tools that can lead to networking opportunities and applicable academic content) about my hunt for that "amazing" job ... other times I will be sharing personal accounts of my own shenanigans that occur during my last few months of "freedom" =)



So as they say: sit back, relax and enjoy the show!

Blogging!?

I am probably the last person I would have considered to keep a blog. But thanks to my COM 435 class we are now required to as a semester project.

I have to admit I am intrigued ... possibly even excited to undertake this endeavour. I think it will be quite the experience and maybe even satisfy my long-lived desire of becoming an author.

Let's get this party started!