It's a long marathon

Keep going, you are almost there

Staring your career can be hard, it can be stressful, I get that. Heck, I graduated 6 months ago, and I am still scratching my head on how to get started. But through my 6 months, I have come across tons of great companies and great interview opportunities that I believe help me a lot. One thing I can say though, through this experience is that a marathon and not a sprint. Being currently already feels like an explosion of dreams and chances that you. Must do it right then and there, while in so many cases there is this ongoing belief that you should just quit your job and go all out, and that may be true. However, I believe following your heart is always key and plan.

If I may I want to share my brief journey and maybe it can help you. First, I graduated in December 2021, and as thrilled as I was, I was nervous as heck because I knew I didn’t have any opportunity but thankfully I still was working and still am today as I write this on May 25, 2022. Neither less, I started drafting ideas on where to work and how to get there, I took the time to apply to jobs left and right and not really edit my resume but only add that I graduated college. After 2 weeks I came across one company that took an interest in me and I took a liking to it, I interviewed with them for two-three weeks. I was excited trust me; I was thrilled because it paid well, it was in the city I wanted to move to (Seattle, Washington), and it was my first start. Neither less did I got declined and I was hurt because I never got declined after a series of interviews with a major company.

Thus, the real challenge and marathon begin. After this moment, there was a series of doubt and rejections that carried on even until now. From asking millions of questions to recruiters, reaching out to friends and families for advice, to even considering quitting my dream of writing and being a part of a great company. Around March though is when I started to panic and I even found myself applying to jobs 20+ a day, with no end in sight, but to achieve one goal and that goal was to get recognized and show a company that I am worthy. I got desperate and wanted to work, mind you though this is in the middle of a raging time of conflict and struggles around the world. Still, through this journey I had friends and recruiters tell me what stuck out on my resume from my experience as a writer to the key factors that will aid me in my reach.

One key factor that did stick to me though, was one of my close friends took my resume and revamp me to focus on what I wanted to be and placed that bold on my resume and LinkedIn page. For that, it was to place Content Writer as my main target attraction for my goal. Next, it was minimizing the amount of wording on my resume and focusing on the key pointers that recruiters want to see like SEO and marketing skills. Also, I worked to practice actively speaking on LinkedIn and bring more attention to my feed and profile. Now thankfully, I did reach 100 connections on LinkedIn, but I know that this is only the half part. For it to make sense and be a connection you must interact with your fellow person and speak up so that they can see you.

As many people will tell you now, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Trust as cliché and frustrating as it seems it is very true, we don’t get far sometimes on our own without knowing someone. But, most of all continue learning and continue searching for your career and skills. But be you, never let a job keep you down and that’s what rests on my shoulders now, pushing for my start while holding onto a company to keep me afloat while I wait even as frustrating as it is. It is tiring and it's why so many people capitalize on leaving and quitting their job to stay to themselves because it is tiring because of toxicity and in my position. I have chosen that route when I was in college, quitting jobs and staying at home but neither helped my mental state. Still, I am not here to tell you what to do, but rather to give you advice on doing what’s best for you and never letting someone or a company keep you down. Now to finish this off here are some tips I want to leave you in your journey of whatever your career is:

1. Create a portfolio

a. Shape all your work and skills into a folder or website for all to see what you can do

2. Use LinkedIn like it is your best friend

a. Talk to people, respond to events and post, add people, look at companies’ reviews

3. Refresh your resume

a. Don’t be scared to ask for options on your resume and LinkedIn

4. Volunteer and take small roles

a. Yes, I know it may suck, but taking small roles helps and you never know where you may go.

5. Don’t quit

Finally, don’t quit, keep going, it’s a marathon and you will make it because I believe in you and even the smallest advice can go a long way to succeed in your career. So, don’t get discouraged because you see a very small percentage get that dream job or opportunity it's all about you, making it, and trust me I haven’t quit either. I hope to see you on the other side.