Getting A Job During the Recession—My Story

As a senior at St. Norbert College, I began my job search at the beginning of spring semester. My story of finding a job at Red Shoes PR is unique because when I first contacted them, they did not have any open positions. In the midst of sending out cover letters and resumes to every position I heard about or saw online that in any way resembled PR, communications or writing, I heard about Red Shoes PR when I saw Lisa Cruz featured on the cover of Women magazine. It immediately stood out to me as different than any other PR agency I had heard about. I began doing research on the company, and while they had no job postings listed on their web site, I went ahead and contacted them to see if they had any internships or entry-level positions open. They didn’t have any positions open at the time, but encouraged me to still send them my resume and writing samples.

A few weeks later, they invited me in to interview for a part-time summer internship. After two interviews, I was offered the position. While a part-time internship wasn’t my ideal post-college situation, I really liked the company culture of Red Shoes PR and knew that they were growing fast, so there was potential to grow with them. By my third week, I was switched to full-time and was ecstatic to be offered an account coordinator position at the end of the summer.

At a time when many of my peers have struggled to find positions in any way resembling what they had hoped for, I feel extremely blessed to have found a position not only in my desired field, but also at a company that truly is the perfect fit for me. Being at a small, start-up company has allowed me to jump right in and quickly gain experience that would have taken me years to gain at a big company. I am happy that I pursued Red Shoes PR, even though at first it didn’t appear they had an open position.

Here are some tips for the job search:
1.    Don’t aimlessly apply to every position you hear about. Research companies and find a place that you think you would fit in well with. Customize cover letters, and resumes to a few, specific jobs that interest you, instead of sending out dozens of generic ones.
2.    If you find a company that piques your interest contact them, even if there isn’t an open position posted. Not all companies post open positions and if it’s a good fit, they might create something for you.
3.    Remember that no one owes you anything. Even if you have already done multiple internships, do not be afraid to do another one. The place that you intern for post-college will know that you are looking for a full-time position. If nothing opens up with them, most likely they will help you connect with a company that does have openings.

Everything I need to know about running a business I learned in the recession

Many people have asked us why we chose to start a business in one of the worst economic downturns that we will know in our lifetimes. The answer is simple; we didn’t know this would happen in May of 2008.  Having said that, would we have made a different decision? Absolutely not! In fact, I would recommend more people make the move when times are tough. We have learned and will continue to learn lessons that take some businesses generations to learn. Here’s a list of my top 5 lessons tough economic times teach all of us.

1. Frugality: Separate your needs from your wants and make smart purchasing decisions. Sure, we all want the grandiose office space that gives the impression of success and prestige, but that cost can be prohibitive. All costs need to be worked into your pricing structure and your overhead may put your pricing above the industry average. In some instances this is ok, but you don’t want your hands tied. Reevaluate where you’re spending money as a business and make sure it’s in line with your goals and vision. You may want the mac-daddy signage/computers whatever, but is it necessary? Determine a set of criteria by which to judge all purchasing decisions and stick to it! As with most rules, there are exceptions and the big exception to this rule is saving money on your people. Do not undervalue or underpay your people. In the end, it’s your people that will help get you and your business though the tough times.

2. Never get complacent: I think we’ve all seen that in tough times the individuals who lose their jobs aren’t necessarily the ones that should have moved on in the first place. In tough times everyone worries about their job because decisions are being forced to be made based on the bottom line. For small businesses, this means always challenging your value proposition. Why did your clients hire you? How do you contribute to their bottom line? Everything comes back to ROI.

3. Move faster than your surroundings: The economy and the market will dictate change. This happens very quickly when things are tough. Anticipate these changes and move faster than the market and certainly faster than your competition. Is the market demanding a new product/service or a change to your current product/service? If so, determine if you can make the necessary changes in a cost-effective, timely manner.

4. Be the best, even if you’re not the only: As the saying goes, “when the tide goes out, you’ll see who’s been swimming naked.” This isn’t a lesson for tough times this is a basic for anyone starting or buying a business. Determine early on what your point of difference will be. You will never be the only, ever, but you can be the best. Always look at what makes your business stand out against your competition and make sure you offer something different and/or better. The market will determine who’s left standing when the economy turns around.

5. Think big, act small: This lesson wraps up the first four lessons. Make smart purchasing decisions always keeping your business goals in mind. Always challenge your value proposition and point of difference, and make changes in a timely manner. Many times, people assume that tough times call for lower prices. Lowering prices in tough times is very rarely the answer. This is why this lesson is extremely important. Don’t forget who you and what you’re business represents. Lowering your prices or giving away free products/services will only train your consumers to expect the same in a good economy. Figure out how to work better and more efficiently. The tough times will eventually end, but the new processes you’ll develop will help you retain employees and increase revenue in a good economy.