Yesterday, after a visit to one of my classes by someone from the College of Communication's Career Services Center I made an account on their website, subscribed to their blog, and am feeling really good about all the opportunities I'm seeing.
I STILL need to work on my resume, but after multiple sleepless nights to finish my campaigns project in the past week, and more to come to prepare for a test tomorrow and presentation on Monday, I'm still not really seeing a point when I'll have time to do it. I suppose I could be doing it now, but I'm reading for my test tomorrow. And updating this blog is going to take a lot less time then finishing my resume. As soon as I post it on the Career Services site someone from their office will take a look at it and give me any suggestions on help it may need. My feelings about all this right now are nothing short of amazement. When I was a Liberal Arts major I was signed up for their career services and honestly, felt it was lacking. Come to find out, communications has it figured out -- as they should (it would be really embarrassing for the Communications school to be bad at communicating).
The next big event in the job search is the Job and Internship Fair on October 27th. I have a really good feeling about it. I think I'll find a lot of really interesting opportunities and be able to impress the company reps. I am so excited.
A recently posted job listing I saw is for the company who does online strategy for Gap and Banana Republic, which I feel like I could really have an 'in' for.
I also really like the options they have for on campus interviews. Companies have access to profiles on the career services site and can pick out the students they think look most promising for an interview.
I'm making the resume a priority. It WILL be done by Friday the 15th, after the presentation for my project and the test are behind me. I'm hoping there will be at least a few days lull before the second campaigns projects is in full swing to get it done.
Wish me luck & think good job thoughts!
October 6, 2010
September 26, 2010
should have known this would happen.
As predicted, this blog has gone by the wayside thanks in large part to one class -- Campaigns. I'm currently updating while at work and taking a break from reading for another class, Media Law & Ethics. The book for the class is Can't Buy My Love by Jean Kilbourne. I haven't quite formulated an opinion on the book yet. I think a lot of what it says is accurate but sensationalized.
Kilbourne makes it sound as though advertising causes all the world's problems, all the while repeating that this is not what she is saying. The book starts off describing her past alcohol and tobacco addictions and activism while in Europe. She explains how she dated Ringo Starr and a knight of the British empire, and partied at Roman Polansky's place. She also talks about how she was forced to the lower rungs of the career ladder because she was a woman, but received many a proposition to sleep her way to the top. Well, obviously times are changing. I haven't been confronted with this problem and don't anticipate ever having to face it. That doesn't fly. Not only is it bad publicity but checks and balances seem to be in place now so that these things are avoided if only because the aggressor fears losing their own job over them.
Second note, talking about rampant consumerism and how trips to landmarks and national parks have been replaced by "shoppertainment" and trips to megamalls like The Mall of America and Grapevine Mills in Texas. I have never been to The Mall of America but I have been to Grapevine Mills -- and I am fairly certain there is no comparison.
Last note, for the time being anyways, is about iconic ad campaigns. While I (and anyone who hasn't been living under a rock I'd imagine) will agree that the Absolut Vodka ads of the last few decades are iconic and artistic, I don't think they have affected consumerism much in the long run. I personally love the artistry in the ads and have more than a few stored on my hard drive. I'll admit, I've even used some as my desktop wallpaper. BUT, the moral of this story is the most important part. I don't drink Absolut Vodka. Ever. Great ads, but the product is lacking. And the supposed "image" that comes with it is not working on me either. I could care less about this image, I want good vodka.
In other news, my graduation countdown is officially under 100 days and my application for graduation was approved. I can't think of any times where I have felt a greater sense of accomplishment and relief as when I pulled my Interactive Degree Audit, which basically just juxtaposes the courses you have taken with a the requirements for a specific course catalog, and viewed it as 'progress towards degree' and saw that ALL of the requirements were followed by little grey "yes's" rather than spotted with those evil red "no's."
As for the job hunt, I genuinely haven't had time to do anything since I posted last about working on my resume. Throughout my entire school career I have been a procrastinator and it has worked out pretty well. Let's just hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the ass as I switch from school to career. I'll let you (my imaginary readers) know how it goes. ;)
Kilbourne makes it sound as though advertising causes all the world's problems, all the while repeating that this is not what she is saying. The book starts off describing her past alcohol and tobacco addictions and activism while in Europe. She explains how she dated Ringo Starr and a knight of the British empire, and partied at Roman Polansky's place. She also talks about how she was forced to the lower rungs of the career ladder because she was a woman, but received many a proposition to sleep her way to the top. Well, obviously times are changing. I haven't been confronted with this problem and don't anticipate ever having to face it. That doesn't fly. Not only is it bad publicity but checks and balances seem to be in place now so that these things are avoided if only because the aggressor fears losing their own job over them.
Second note, talking about rampant consumerism and how trips to landmarks and national parks have been replaced by "shoppertainment" and trips to megamalls like The Mall of America and Grapevine Mills in Texas. I have never been to The Mall of America but I have been to Grapevine Mills -- and I am fairly certain there is no comparison.
Last note, for the time being anyways, is about iconic ad campaigns. While I (and anyone who hasn't been living under a rock I'd imagine) will agree that the Absolut Vodka ads of the last few decades are iconic and artistic, I don't think they have affected consumerism much in the long run. I personally love the artistry in the ads and have more than a few stored on my hard drive. I'll admit, I've even used some as my desktop wallpaper. BUT, the moral of this story is the most important part. I don't drink Absolut Vodka. Ever. Great ads, but the product is lacking. And the supposed "image" that comes with it is not working on me either. I could care less about this image, I want good vodka.
In other news, my graduation countdown is officially under 100 days and my application for graduation was approved. I can't think of any times where I have felt a greater sense of accomplishment and relief as when I pulled my Interactive Degree Audit, which basically just juxtaposes the courses you have taken with a the requirements for a specific course catalog, and viewed it as 'progress towards degree' and saw that ALL of the requirements were followed by little grey "yes's" rather than spotted with those evil red "no's."
As for the job hunt, I genuinely haven't had time to do anything since I posted last about working on my resume. Throughout my entire school career I have been a procrastinator and it has worked out pretty well. Let's just hope it doesn't come back to bite me in the ass as I switch from school to career. I'll let you (my imaginary readers) know how it goes. ;)
August 25, 2010
oh resume, why cant you do yourself?
Now that my boyfriend has a laptop of his own, I don't feel guilty about taking mine places with me. So today, I brought my laptop to work. Its easier to get things done because it gives me the freedom to be wherever I want rather than having to sit in the office (and ignore the customers) or be glued to the POS computer (which also points me away from customers and means I have to stand up). So, I'm using this opportunity to work on my resume. My last first day of school ever (I think) is tomorrow, and I told myself I would at least put a little work into my resume before then. Another catalyst of this was a job, or rather list of jobs, posted on my Texas AdGrad LinkedIn group. The company is Zimmerman (an Omnicom company). The posted jobs are in Fort Lauderdale(!!!), Irving, New York, and one in Oak Brook Terrace, Illinois. The position that really caught my eye is in Ft. Lauderdale, and is for an Interactive Account Coordinator. The job description doesn't say anything about previous experience in a specific field (which still seems to be one of the biggest hurdles to overcome).
What it does say:
Required Skills
- Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Advertising, Communications or relevant, equivalent experience.
- College internship with exposure to account services highly preferred.
- Must be computer literate with proficiency in MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Outlook/Entourage with the ability to learn new computer systems.
- Proven ability to manage multiple tasks while working independently
- Strong attention to detail
- A strong sense of urgency and commitment to get the job done quickly and with high quality.
- Attention to detail a must.
- The ability to communicate, both written and verbal, with people at all levels of an organization.
done. perfect. I love it when I read a job description and think... ME. That's ME. I have to get my resume in to these people. Can't miss out on an opportunity like that. Ft Lauderdale!? Yes, please. So, here I am writing a blog instead of working on my resume. but I still feel really misdirected when it comes to my resume. I'm not so sure how I should show that I haven't graduated yet, I don't know how long I should make it, I don't want to make it too much & sound like I'm trying too hard. UGH.
Ok, done blogging for now. I need to get busy. Plus, my crossword buddy just came in.
What it does say:
Required Skills
- Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Advertising, Communications or relevant, equivalent experience.
- College internship with exposure to account services highly preferred.
- Must be computer literate with proficiency in MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Outlook/Entourage with the ability to learn new computer systems.
- Proven ability to manage multiple tasks while working independently
- Strong attention to detail
- A strong sense of urgency and commitment to get the job done quickly and with high quality.
- Attention to detail a must.
- The ability to communicate, both written and verbal, with people at all levels of an organization.
done. perfect. I love it when I read a job description and think... ME. That's ME. I have to get my resume in to these people. Can't miss out on an opportunity like that. Ft Lauderdale!? Yes, please. So, here I am writing a blog instead of working on my resume. but I still feel really misdirected when it comes to my resume. I'm not so sure how I should show that I haven't graduated yet, I don't know how long I should make it, I don't want to make it too much & sound like I'm trying too hard. UGH.
Ok, done blogging for now. I need to get busy. Plus, my crossword buddy just came in.
August 8, 2010
addicted
I'm officially addicted to job searching. It's 2:40 AM and I work at 8 AM and I can't stop -- so I came here. Blogger is my anti-drug. I realized that this is getting me nowhere until I update my resume. Currently, I have 12 tabs open of the different job descriptions for things I wan't to apply for. Pointless? Yes. I don't see my resume getting updated in the next few days & I'm not going to leave all these open for two weeks.
The locations of these jobs are kind of comical. While I've never watched the TV show Jersey Shore, apparently it's enough to make me avoid jobs in Jersey. That stupid show is the first thing I thought of every time I saw a job in New Jersey -- and then I didn't investigate further. Some of the jobs I considered are in New City, NY (is that a typo or is that for real??), Santa Clara, CA, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and (the last one is the best) Woonsocket, RI. Hahaha what?! Is that real?
Tonight at the cigar lounge I had a conversation with a new customer about all of this, and he gave me some good advice, or at least insight. He was a computer science major (or something of the sort) from Alabama (I and the 2 Florida grads at the bar booed him upon learning this, of course). He said he interviewed at 11 places and some of the interviews meant the companies flew him out to them. This sounds fun AND solves one of those problems from the previous post. I'm wondering if that's typical to all fields or not. He ended up taking a job in Austin with HP as a software engineer after just a series of phone interviews -- none in person. Fun fact: they actually called to make him an offer as he was walking into the stadium for the UT-Bama National Championship game.
They made him an offer. I hadn't really been thinking of things that way. I like the idea of someone making me an offer, although I might be in danger of jumping the gun. I don't know if it's just because I'm (generally) low-maintenance, but I've always been the type of person that doesn't like to shop around. Shopping for my first car with my dad -- the first one I test drove was the car I wanted (it wasn't, it sucked, I think it was a Chevy Cavalier? But it would have been just fine and saved me time spent shopping). Shopping for apartments with my boyfriend -- the first one, $850/mo. one bedroom in an inconvenient location. That was it. Put down a deposit and everything. I suppose I should commit to it here, in writing, that I'll never accept an offer right after it's given. It only seems logical to take a couple of days to think it over, see if anything better happens to come in, etc. Receiving an offer seems flattering though, and its even harder to turn someone down after they've given you a compliment.
Anyways, the customer also said he got his job offer 6 months before he graduated (!!!!). That is.... like, now. Actually, that was 2 months ago. :/
It's frustrating already because the most interesting jobs obviously want you to have some specific work experience. I feel like I shouldn't apply for these jobs because it makes me look like I can't read when they notice I don't have the experience they're looking for, but I know I should anyways. And I probably will. I feel like I could talk my way through, or learn anything I needed to. For example HTML. I know my basics, but anything else I need to figure out I can find with a Google search. Besides, I'm sure these jobs wouldn't just throw you in and let you figure out how to do everything because it would be a detriment to their business. On the job training is probably going to be necessary in almost every case.
On a completely different note, I wanted to make this post from my new iPhone 4 earlier and wondered why there wasn't a Blogger app. I'm pretty sure I could figure that out for you, by the way Blogger.
The locations of these jobs are kind of comical. While I've never watched the TV show Jersey Shore, apparently it's enough to make me avoid jobs in Jersey. That stupid show is the first thing I thought of every time I saw a job in New Jersey -- and then I didn't investigate further. Some of the jobs I considered are in New City, NY (is that a typo or is that for real??), Santa Clara, CA, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and (the last one is the best) Woonsocket, RI. Hahaha what?! Is that real?
Tonight at the cigar lounge I had a conversation with a new customer about all of this, and he gave me some good advice, or at least insight. He was a computer science major (or something of the sort) from Alabama (I and the 2 Florida grads at the bar booed him upon learning this, of course). He said he interviewed at 11 places and some of the interviews meant the companies flew him out to them. This sounds fun AND solves one of those problems from the previous post. I'm wondering if that's typical to all fields or not. He ended up taking a job in Austin with HP as a software engineer after just a series of phone interviews -- none in person. Fun fact: they actually called to make him an offer as he was walking into the stadium for the UT-Bama National Championship game.
They made him an offer. I hadn't really been thinking of things that way. I like the idea of someone making me an offer, although I might be in danger of jumping the gun. I don't know if it's just because I'm (generally) low-maintenance, but I've always been the type of person that doesn't like to shop around. Shopping for my first car with my dad -- the first one I test drove was the car I wanted (it wasn't, it sucked, I think it was a Chevy Cavalier? But it would have been just fine and saved me time spent shopping). Shopping for apartments with my boyfriend -- the first one, $850/mo. one bedroom in an inconvenient location. That was it. Put down a deposit and everything. I suppose I should commit to it here, in writing, that I'll never accept an offer right after it's given. It only seems logical to take a couple of days to think it over, see if anything better happens to come in, etc. Receiving an offer seems flattering though, and its even harder to turn someone down after they've given you a compliment.
Anyways, the customer also said he got his job offer 6 months before he graduated (!!!!). That is.... like, now. Actually, that was 2 months ago. :/
It's frustrating already because the most interesting jobs obviously want you to have some specific work experience. I feel like I shouldn't apply for these jobs because it makes me look like I can't read when they notice I don't have the experience they're looking for, but I know I should anyways. And I probably will. I feel like I could talk my way through, or learn anything I needed to. For example HTML. I know my basics, but anything else I need to figure out I can find with a Google search. Besides, I'm sure these jobs wouldn't just throw you in and let you figure out how to do everything because it would be a detriment to their business. On the job training is probably going to be necessary in almost every case.
On a completely different note, I wanted to make this post from my new iPhone 4 earlier and wondered why there wasn't a Blogger app. I'm pretty sure I could figure that out for you, by the way Blogger.
August 4, 2010
the end is near
After what seems like a lifetime of schooling (because it literally has been), it is so overwhelming to have a graduation date in sight. Overwhelming in a good way. My official (tentative -- don't want to jinx it!) graduation date is December 18, 2010. I need a countdown for that (I'm on it when I'm done here). I am so excited to be done! I can't wait to find a job. I love the challenge of job hunting. I suppose this is how I ended up with two jobs as a full time student. I've been looking at jobs daily and I'm getting so anxious. I want to apply for all of them. It's such an awkward place to be in though because I feel like I shouldn't apply until I actually have a degree and can start working. I mean -- who posts a job they don't need filled until five months from now? I need to update my résumé and I know that's going to be quite a task in itself. Not to mention tailoring it to each job I'm applying for. My criteria for the perfect job seem pretty loose, but I'm starting to realize they might not be.
I wan't:
1) the job that will pay me the most
2) in a city I wan't to be in (Dallas might barely make this list)
3) doing something interesting (This is almost not even a question. I picked a good major. I can't think of any advertising/marketing job that wouldn't meet this one)
The first problem I'm anticipating is with the first criterion. Austin, California, Florida, Colorado would be ideal, but I'm not aiming for anything. I guess it should probably read 'not in a city I don't want to be in.' If someone wants to pay me $100,000/year to live and work in Montana we might have a problem. For $100,000 I'm probably moving to Montana, although I'd much rather live somewhere more southern. I guess I'm a true Texan. I love the heat. I hate the winter. It does not need to be any colder than it gets in Texas. Ever. I've been keeping an eye on Gap, Inc.'s website for the past year checking out marketing jobs which are all located at headquarters in San Francisco. I've worked at Old Navy for three years now and almost accidentally advanced to a "full-time" specialist position: a pseudo-manager (i.e. underpaid). I feel like I may have a shoe-in. If not just for the fact that I'm familiar with the company, I know it would help me wow an interviewer. Which leads me to my second fear. Interviews. I can't be flying all around the country to interview for jobs with 400 other applicants, especially without knowing what they'd be paying me IF I landed the job. Phone interviews are a possibility but I would imagine they are not preferred. I wonder if any companies use Skype to interview candidates? I would hope that the companies I would be interviewing with were at least that media savvy. Thirdly, pay should be proportionate to location -- and how the hell do I figure that out? Is there a calculator online somewhere that can do that for me? If there's not there should be. Strangely enough, I would rather not live in Chicago or New York City. That extreme of big city life does not sound appealing. It's too fast-paced for me, I think I would never be able to relax. At the same time though, I've never experienced it. Obviously, if the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself I wouldn't say no. A job in either of these cities or in California would have to come with an exponentially bigger salary. It seems unfeasible starting out, but I'm not going to sell myself short and say it couldn't happen.
Texas AdGrad (on Facebook, Twitter (@TexasAdGrad), and on LinkedIn) is a great pool of resources I have at my disposal. I'm also thinking really great things could come from this fall's career fairs and the school's career services center. And of course, the internet. I've started thinking of all the things I'm interested in and seeking out their sites and job postings. For example, music. I've always wanted to work for a record label, or a music magazine and they need advertising just like everybody else. Yesterday I started thinking about the opportunities I could have in the cigar industry. My second job and advertising internship are at a cigar lounge / eCommerce site. The owner has taught me a ton and is fairly well known within the industry. Another plus of this option is the prevalence of cigar manufacturers in Miami.
So for now, its just clearing the last few hurdles: finishing up my last summer class (Integrated Communications Management) and internship, and getting through one more semester -- only 9 credit hours of classes 2 days a week (Media Law and Ethics, Advanced Issues in Multicultural Marketing, and Integrated Communications Campaigns). It sounds easy, but I know it won't be. The classes will be demanding and I'm sure multiple group projects will be putting a strain on my already tight schedule. But I'll make it happen.
I wan't:
1) the job that will pay me the most
2) in a city I wan't to be in (Dallas might barely make this list)
3) doing something interesting (This is almost not even a question. I picked a good major. I can't think of any advertising/marketing job that wouldn't meet this one)
The first problem I'm anticipating is with the first criterion. Austin, California, Florida, Colorado would be ideal, but I'm not aiming for anything. I guess it should probably read 'not in a city I don't want to be in.' If someone wants to pay me $100,000/year to live and work in Montana we might have a problem. For $100,000 I'm probably moving to Montana, although I'd much rather live somewhere more southern. I guess I'm a true Texan. I love the heat. I hate the winter. It does not need to be any colder than it gets in Texas. Ever. I've been keeping an eye on Gap, Inc.'s website for the past year checking out marketing jobs which are all located at headquarters in San Francisco. I've worked at Old Navy for three years now and almost accidentally advanced to a "full-time" specialist position: a pseudo-manager (i.e. underpaid). I feel like I may have a shoe-in. If not just for the fact that I'm familiar with the company, I know it would help me wow an interviewer. Which leads me to my second fear. Interviews. I can't be flying all around the country to interview for jobs with 400 other applicants, especially without knowing what they'd be paying me IF I landed the job. Phone interviews are a possibility but I would imagine they are not preferred. I wonder if any companies use Skype to interview candidates? I would hope that the companies I would be interviewing with were at least that media savvy. Thirdly, pay should be proportionate to location -- and how the hell do I figure that out? Is there a calculator online somewhere that can do that for me? If there's not there should be. Strangely enough, I would rather not live in Chicago or New York City. That extreme of big city life does not sound appealing. It's too fast-paced for me, I think I would never be able to relax. At the same time though, I've never experienced it. Obviously, if the opportunity of a lifetime presented itself I wouldn't say no. A job in either of these cities or in California would have to come with an exponentially bigger salary. It seems unfeasible starting out, but I'm not going to sell myself short and say it couldn't happen.
Texas AdGrad (on Facebook, Twitter (@TexasAdGrad), and on LinkedIn) is a great pool of resources I have at my disposal. I'm also thinking really great things could come from this fall's career fairs and the school's career services center. And of course, the internet. I've started thinking of all the things I'm interested in and seeking out their sites and job postings. For example, music. I've always wanted to work for a record label, or a music magazine and they need advertising just like everybody else. Yesterday I started thinking about the opportunities I could have in the cigar industry. My second job and advertising internship are at a cigar lounge / eCommerce site. The owner has taught me a ton and is fairly well known within the industry. Another plus of this option is the prevalence of cigar manufacturers in Miami.
So for now, its just clearing the last few hurdles: finishing up my last summer class (Integrated Communications Management) and internship, and getting through one more semester -- only 9 credit hours of classes 2 days a week (Media Law and Ethics, Advanced Issues in Multicultural Marketing, and Integrated Communications Campaigns). It sounds easy, but I know it won't be. The classes will be demanding and I'm sure multiple group projects will be putting a strain on my already tight schedule. But I'll make it happen.
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