It seems like daily requests for interviews are still invading my life during this crazy finals week. I know that it is better to be asked than to be ignored, so I am grateful. But I really am not going to miss the dozens of voicemails a day. No, I do not want to sell your product door-to-door. No, I am not interested in the military. I set my search for Pittsburgh and Communications. If you do not meet those needs and are not willing to offer me benefits, please do not call me. Please do not e-mail me and please do not have your secretary do so, either.
I recently receive a phone call from a guy who started his message by telling me that he just got out of jail. I kid you not. He had been in jail for fraud. Apparently, the time he spent locked up did not give him the chance to work on his sales pitch.
Nonetheless, Careerbuilder.com has been beneficial on the whole. It has landed me some interested and exciting interviews. I just have to weed through the rest to find them.
My phone is ringing. I will be right back.
It was a temp agency. Their timing could not have been more perfect. I am going to highlight “full-time” on my profile right now.
With that rant over, I am going to let you in on a little secret that I have learned from these daily interviews. It seems like my potential employers are all reading the same Google page for “questions to ask the interviewee.” Every interview starts the same. Fill out a questionnaire. Take a seat. Firm handshake.
And then it happens. Cue the eerier movie music.
I dread this question even more than a morning-breath kiss or a trip to the dentist. It is always followed with an awkward smile. Even they know it is a weird thing to ask.
“How would you describe yourself?”
“Well, I am a Libra. I wear a size-six pant and small top. My favorite flavor of ice cream is Mint Chocolate Chip, and I am dating my best friend.”
I wish I had the courage to say that just so I could see the expression on my face.
I want a job. That is why I am here. You think I have the qualifications. That is why you called me. I will work full-time, and I want benefits. My salary is negotiable. What more do you need to know? I filled out a personality questionnaire for you. I wrote a cover letter. I presented a portfolio and the resume that you are holding while asking me this question.
Now this irritating and confusing question does truly serve a purpose as I recently learned during a class discussion with Professor Vota. Employers do not truly care about your favorite color or favorite movie. They want to see how quickly you can highlight your positives. It is actually simple. A cover letter says that you can write. A forward answer about yourself says that you can string together a sentence intelligently.
So look over your resume. What is in bold type? What are you most proud of, and what is most relevant to this career path? When the employer asks you to describe yourself, point out those things. Tell them to reference your resume as you are speaking. Most importantly, do not pause or stutter. They are asking you to describe yourself. You may not be an expert in any field, but you are an expert in this area.
Try this if you are still stuck:
“Well, I recently graduated from Duquesne University with a ________ major and a ________ minor. As you can see on my resume, my experience in college allowed me to expand my skills in the following areas: ________,___________, and ___________. I gained firsthand experience in this field through an internship/classroom experience doing _____________. “
Smile and be proud. If you were truthful on your resume, you earned everything that it says. Do not take for granted that your resume was so impressive, the employer read through it ten times before you walked in the door. Chances are they glanced at it seconds before they shook your hand. Either way, you were called in for an interview for a reason. Demonstrate what you have to offer!
To all my readers out there who are wondering how my job search is going and whether or not I am actually going to progress, have no fear. I am back and stronger than ever. Thanks to my new friend, Careerbuilder.com, I am landing interview after interview. These past two busy weeks, I have been bouncing from class, to my internship, to interviews.
My boyfriend is probably excited for the break, even though he sweetly claims that his misses me. Oddly enough, I feel like all the stress and date-nights limited to only a couple of hours at a time have made me more organized. I am motivated and committed to logging in as many job interviews as possible. Sorry Andy. You have been booted by the computer. No pun intended.
You may ask, How did I get these interviews, and how can you have the same luck? Well you need to hear the entire story before you can judge if I am truly lucky in my job pursuits. Even though I tediously uploaded numerous resumes, cover letters, qualification questionnaires and background information, my requests to be linked to communication-related jobs has not fully been answered.
Also, I feel like Careerbuilder can successfully locate me at any time with all the information I gave them. I must admit it was a little scary to rest the entire weight of my financial future and job title on a Web site. Amongst numerous marketing positions (door-to-door advertising carefully disguised), I have also have been offered interviews to be a truck driver, orthopedic surgeon and cake decorator. And apparently I am more qualified than I thought I was. (I suggest you glance at the diploma on the wall before your next doctor’s appointment to make sure they did actually get a medical degree!)
My next interviews are for a legal assistant position followed by one for an online advertising firm on Thursday. No worries; I have all of the qualifications for this position thanks to some carefully selected internships last summer. Cross your fingers Duquesne community. I am truly interested in these job opportunities.
So what has happened to my dreams of being a broadcast journalist? They are not dead. (I am currently typing this blog from my intern desk at WTAE Channel 4.) I have just become more aware, and I urge all of you to do the same. Seeing my closest friends share in my struggles to find the job of our dreams, the job we all idealistically thought our prestigious four-year degrees would land us, might have to be put on hold for right now. That is not to say that our hopes should become fading memories or that we should apply at the nearest McDonald’s.
Review your resume, reevaluate your qualifications, and reread your cover letter. Do not lie or even bend the truth. Be honest with yourself, and do not be afraid to ask for help. Career Services on campus directed me to Careerbuilder in the first place. Once there, be open minded. My broadcast training has included media ethics and legal courses. I also have a fairly extensive knowledge or public relations. All of these traits enable me to spend my time as a legal assistant, God willing, until something media related opens up. I plan to freelance in the mean time, so I do not forgo any of my skills. Who knows? Law school may even call my name again. Either way, I will update you on my success or my move back into my parents’ house. That is, unless they already gave my room away to our dog.
As always, if you have tips, questions or just feel like ranting your frustrations, leave a blog comment or send me an e-mail. I can be reached at hribarb@duq.edu.
Good luck, and do not lose hope!
As I walk amongst the dozens of Pittsburghers hurrying off to their city jobs on my way to campus each day, I am reminded that I will be joining them all too soon. At least I hope to be joining them. For the past semester, I have been doing my share of resume building and job search. Call it a recession. Call it an economic downfall. I call it a desperate attempt to find a job, any job, as my competition increases and opportunities decrease. My dreams of a flashy career amongst the journalism elites at a television station or internet newspaper are fading slowly; yet, I am still optimistic. It might take a little longer than I initially hoped, but I will find a job. For the next few weeks, I will outline my failures and successes, if there are any, on my quest for a productive future outside of Duquesne. I approached the Duke staff about this blog, because I thought my experience might educate or at least reassure my fellow peers that we are all going through this difficult economic time period together. Feel free to make comments or ask questions. Tell me about your experience, especially if you hear of a job opening!
welcome to the duquesne duke’s arts & entertainment/fashion & beauty blog!
my name is Bernadette and I will be writing the fashion and beauty portion of the blog. you can look forward to posts about my favorite fashion finds, beauty how-to, local and national fashion news and events, the do’s and don’ts of the season’s hottest trends, how to add style to the common college wardrobe, and whatever else I feel like throwing in. 
enjoy!
the song paper planes by MIA is unbelievably good
it samples a Clash song called “Straight to Hell” which is not a terribly good song, doesn’t touch the brilliance of their self titled album or London Calling
anyways, paper planes is ballin’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sei-eEjy4g
hello there- so it looks like I will be writing a music/entertainment blog this year. I’ll be posting information about shows in Pittsburgh, album reviews, and whatever else I feel like.
Welcome to the Digital Duke’s blog page. This is where you’ll find blogs about entertainment and fashion by Matt Booth and Bernadette Smith, respectively.
The Duke’s Blog about Searching for that Elusive Job!
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