Torn

Shame on me. Why did I not research what a copywriter actually does a loooooong time ago?

I could have had a job by now.

Naturally, I assumed (you know, the whole you, me, and ass thing) that a copywriter has something to do with copyright. So I would see all these copywriter job postings for places like ad agencies, department stores, and other non-government offices and think, Why do all these businesses need copyright so often? Duh.

So, while I've got a new job search idea, I'll keep plugging away for the next couple weeks. If I haven't set up anything solid in NYC by August 16th, I'll begin making arrangements to move back home. This could mean moving back in with my parents (I'm not ashamed...yet) and continuing a job search in a different large city, or moving to Mankato and working at Hy-Vee for another year or so (also, not ashamed) while pursuing other side endeavors.

To be honest, I'm not totally heartbroken at the prospect of leaving New York right now. It's been fun and a wonderful experience, but the big city life just isn't quite for me yet. This is where I'm torn: Stay because so many people say the jobs are here, or go back and enjoy the peacefulness a little while longer and make my own opportunities?

I kind of like my own opportunities.

Cleaning House

With the release of Facebook's Graph Search comes the inspiration to raid my own photos, posts, and notes and delete anything that I feel is too embarrassing, mildly unflattering, giving away too much info, or a combination of all three.

In recent years, I've been posting less and less photos as time goes on. I stick to my one or two favored profile photos, change up my cover photo every now and then, and really only upload many photos during milestone events and occasions. I've also been a lot better about keeping professors, family, and potential employers in mind when posting.

But because I was 16 once, I have some pretty stupid and embarrassing photos and posts smattering Facebook (and the rest of the WWW). When I scroll through my albums and get to these postings, I always hesitate before I hit the delete button.

How would an employer who is considering me seriously enough to snoop through my Facebook page view me?

Would they consider the fact that many of my pictures are me in costume for a play, or being active at another extracurricular - showing that I like to get involved during my free time? Or would they see me in those photos, dolled up in too much make-up, and think I look like a nightly street-walker?

Would they see the pictures of me just being silly with people and assume there had to be alcohol or drugs involved? Or that I don't take things seriously?

Would they notice my consistent general lack of selfies and beer pong poses throughout the years?

Would they see the few pictures of me with a beer at the table (like my pictures from Germany, where a beer at the table is required) and think I party too much?

Most importantly, would they see that I've grown? ("Grown" as in evolved, of course, because we can all clearly see that I haven't grown an inch since the 5th grade.) I'd like to think they would.

One of the few really nice things about Timeline is that all of one's pictures can now easily be viewed in chronological order: Scroll down to the beginning, and work your way back up. This way, I think it's easy enough to see how one has started since their time on Facebook, and how they've changed (hopefully for the better).

With that said, I'm really hoping employers are looking at my Facebook and seeing the too fuzzy or too crunchy hair (I just could not find a happy medium) and the raccoon eyeliner with the funny friends and the silly poses, and then taking the time to scroll up. The friends are still funny and the poses still silly, but my viewpoints have changed (for the better, I think), and that is reflected in both my photos and posts.

Keeping My Hopes Up

Well, hello there. Long time no see.

It's been a long and short (how can that be?) and exciting month with very few posts to show for it. My apologies.

As you may have gathered from my last post, I've been on the painful big-girl job hunt for the past few weeks (minus the week where I spilled nail polish remover all over my keyboard and had to get it replaced). And it really is painful. No call backs or emails or nothin', just the good old waiting game.

With a few different resumes that cater toward different specialties and skill sets, I've been applying for administrative assistant, PR / marketing / communications assistant, and social media manager gigs.

Is there something I'm doing wrong, or is this normal?

I'm even turning to Craigslist for ideas (truthfully though, Craigslist isn't a bad place to apt / job hunt as long as you keep your wits about you).

While it may be frustrating in the moment, I'm doing my best to keep positive and know that something good will turn up. I've got two good, full months ahead of me in NYC yet (that I know of), but all it takes is just a few quick moments for something amazing to happen.

Some Things I Think I'm Learning (About Resumes)

I'm no expert on the topic of resumes, but I think I'm beginning to get at least a few things figured out. I've been spending a lot of my time lately writing resumes and cover letters while applying for internships (and now big girl jobs). To be honest, few of the apps and resumes I sent out while applying for internships received responses, and I think I'm beginning to figure out why...

• When inquiring, don't include a resume in the email - wait until you're given the OK. Someone told me once that an email with an attachment from a new email address may be apt to end up in the junk mail folder.
• As much as I dislike it, using my full name may get me more attention than my preferred name. "Samantha" sounds much more professional and mature than "Sammi."
• Beef up your resume (duh). Don't just say things like "I answered phones" or "I hung up posters and did social media." Incorporate important skills like "handled phone conversations while simultaneously maintaining other tasks" and "led fellow team members in social media campaigns."
• Save your finished resumes and cover letters as PDFs. This is a simple piece that I skipped out on a lot when applying for internships, and I really regret it. I use a font (different from Arial or Times New Roman) that is unique yet easy to read, but it probably didn't always translate well to someone else's computer. Making a PDF and previewing it before sending ensures that the hiring manager will see what you want them to see.
• Keep it simple. Include what's important, but only include what the person viewing your resume will actually care about.

So that's what I think I know. If you happen to be an employer / hiring manager reading this, please let me know if I'm on the right track, or if there's anything I need to add to or subtract from my little list.