My Experience With the Job Hunt: The Search Continues

For so many of us, spring is the season of job-applying overdrive. As summer inches closer and employers start to think-ahead, it feels like full-time job opportunities have slowly starting cropping up. Come March, my once-hopeless “writing/journalism” job search began generating more results. I started noticing more relevant and diversified listings featured on Tufts Career Connect. The best part? Hiring “now” could be loosely interpreted as “hiring in 3 months.”

In response to this promising upturn, (and my parent’s frequent “check-ins” on my struggling job hunt), I started taking my search more seriously than I had first semester. While doing so, I found that the “two-week-turnaround” reputation of media hiring isn’t so rigid. True, media employers are notoriously last minute, unable to afford the same early recruiting efforts as say finance, engineering, and accounting. But if you highlight the fact that you’re a graduating senior and willing to start work in just a few short months, employers might just give your application a careful glance.

While perusing Tufts Career Connect mid-February, I came across an opening that seemed, well, just about perfect. The job was for a Public Affair’s Assistant’s position at a NYC-based strategic communications firm that specialized in critical public issues like healthcare, education, sustainability, and international affairs. The job description involved a healthy mix of writing, editing, research, media relations, social media, and administrative support. I decided to look past the March hiring deadline, confident that May might just cut it. Inches away from uploading my resume, I then read the job qualifications: 1-2 years of experience. Uhhh..

So: the “1-2” years experience add-on. How does a seemingly straightforward phrase contain such muddled meaning? Does “1-2 years” include internships and relevant campus experience, or does it mandate full-time experience? (If so, why are you teasing me on my college career website?) Mulling over whether or not to invest time in a cover letter, I ultimately thought, why not? At the end of the day, we can’t exactly decode every ambiguity in the application process; what we can do is put our resumes in front of employers’ eyes and let them determine if we fit their mold.

It’s a good thing that I ignored that intimidating tidbit. Just a week later, I received an email from the current assistant, a Tufts alum and 1-year-veteran at the firm, who invited me to New York to interview with the firm’s Managing Director. In a one-two motion, I grabbed my cell-phone and dialed my mom, exclaiming multiple pieces of news in an incomprehensible jumble: I had an interview in a few weeks; that worrisome “1-2-years” piece didn’t matter; and (lucky for her) I’d soon be spending the weekend at home in New Jersey.

A few days before heading home, I started to slowly research the firm and prepare for the approaching day-of. I meticulously read through the company’s homepage, familiarizing myself with its history, services, clients, strategies, and the complex issues they represent. I read bios on the company’s main stars, focusing my attention on the Managing Director I’d meet the next day. I read through the press releases posted to the company’s news section for the newest information on initiatives, campaigns, and mergers. I checked out Linkedin and Glassdoor for important company and employee statistics. Meanwhile, I prepped answers to interview questions (Career Services’ sample questions were a major help here), and I am fairly certain that I terrified my seatmate with my slew of creepy, under-the-breath mutters. The fact that I was heading to NYC for this interview—a total 8-hours of transportation---made this particular opportunity feel more real, urgent, and important. This was confirmed as my train slowly approached the vibrant, sparkling night skylights of NYC, where I’ve long dreamed of starting my career.

The next day, my morning jitters were reinforced thanks to the frustrating inconveniences of my town’s trainline. I had an 11 a.m. interview: my two options were to arrive in NYC at 10:45, insufficient time to cross the city, or 9:40 a.m., over an hour before the interview started; recognizing the importance of being on-time, I opted for the latter option. After reaching NYC and arriving at the firm’s offices after a relatively short trip, I spent the rest of the hour in a small, dimly lit coffee shop. Sipping on my signature vanilla latte, I rehearsed some answers, bothered my parents via text, and spent the rest of the hour listening to calming music. After an hour of agonizing waiting (and fierce coffee-slurping), I finally walked around the corner to the office, ready to tackle the interview.

Check back next week for the next installment in this job hunt saga, "The Interview."