When you graduate you step out into the work world with a little extra bounce in your step, an eagerness to get things going in life and a motivation I can not justifiably describe. You then start carefully selecting specific jobs at specific companies you know are lucky to have you and begin to apply with great expectations of landing the dream job that will spring board your career into hyper-drive. In my particular class, some were fortunate to land a job with wherever they had completed their field placement in the final semester. Others have well connected parents to help get their foot in the door. Some went back to school. I was none of these people. I always knew getting a job out of school would have its challenges and would take a bit of time. What I wasn't prepared for was the actual amount of time it was taking. A few weeks? No. A few months? Nope. A year?! Pretty much. It was pretty much the longest year of my life thus far. I went from selecting jobs that I could see myself doing for a long time, to applying for jobs that might help me get where I wanted to go, to applying for damn near every job in communications that I caught wind of. From jobs I knew I didn't stand a chance at, to jobs I felt over qualified for, I applied to them all. I was putting my application in everywhere praying someone would just consider me for something. Surely I didn't graduate from college only to spend the rest of my days working as the checkout girl in a grocery store. My God, help me. At that rate, I would be 65 before I could pay off my student loan! And then one day I got a call from somewhere I never would have thought. I had applied for a fundraising position covering someones maternity leave only because the final line in the job description expressed how those with high motivation and willingness to learn would be considered even with less experience than others. And well, that was totally me, especially in my desperate attempt to land a job, period. I liked fundraising. It's what I want to do. And I'm doing it currently on a volunteer basis. So I applied. And then I got a call. It was from the Green Party of Canada. I remember thinking, these guys are crazy! Seriously though, you're going to give me an interview for a fundraising position with an election quickly approaching? You honestly think I can fund raise three million dollars in support of Elizabeth May? Am I missing something here? Turns out, they were impressed with my resume enough to ask me to come on down to their office for an interview. I was still in disbelief. I remember telling my hubby, these people are nuts. Why would they waste their time on me? There's no way I come close to qualifying for this position. But an interview is an interview and I can at least use this as an opportunity to fine tune my interview skills. I will use this as a learning opportunity. So I walked into that interview with the mentality that I wasn't going to get this job. I could do no wrong. I was totally relaxed, calm and confident. We talked and laughed and then I left. Four bus tickets, a total of 45 minutes travel time and a 20 minute conversation. But I was feeling pretty good. For once, I felt confident enough in myself that I was able to speak fairly freely and with absolute conviction about the things I feel most passionately. And riding home on the bus, I thought to myself - this was a good choice. Even though I know I won't get this job, the experience was well worth it. It was uplifting to be walk out of a job interview feeling better about yourself than when you walked in. Even with being fully aware I would not the selected candidate. I know you're probably waiting for me to say "And wouldn't you believe it, I got the job!" But I didn't. What I did get though was a thousand times better. I got a phone call the next day, at 7:15 pm informing me that I was not the selected candidate for the position, but they were very impressed with my interview. I had left a lasting impression on them with my demeanor and confidence. It really came down to between me and the chosen one. But that's not all. I was asked to please keep checking back for new opportunities and to use them as a reference if I wanted for my next interview. Really?! How do you get a reference out of an interview? I'm still not sure how that happened... I guess my point here is no matter what you think might be, don't let hesitation hold you back. Had I not gone to that interview, had I hesitated one bit, the experience would have been lost. And this experience gave me that extra belief in myself to keep going. There were definitely some tough times and some low points when I thought about throwing in the towel. And as much as I hate to admit it, there were a few moments when I lost all hope and lost faith in myself. Luckily, I'm surrounded by awesome folks who believed in me helped lift me back up when I was down and out. And for that I am forever grateful. But in the end, it was this extremely positive experience of not getting the job that gave me the self-esteem I needed to walk into my next interview fully confident, nail it and land a job with Parkinson Society Eastern Ontario.
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Shauna QuinnNo stranger to taking the road less travelled, I must admit those not so great choices made me who I am and led me to where I am right now, which happens to be exactly where I am supposed to be. Archives
July 2018
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