Getting A Job During the Recession—My Story
Posted by Rachel Wollersheim on Mon, Aug 31, 2009 @ 10:12 AM
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.