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.