The Numbers Game

Back to Margot.  Margot's intership was ending on May 31st and so was everyone else's.  No jobs for these interns which was ok with Margot.  She had seen the ad world and while it was better than working in a coal mine she didn't like the disorganized nature of the business.  Nor the business model that says you make a lot of money only if you can claw your way to the top.  Margot wanted to spread the wealth downwards.

The good thing about knowing a job is going to end is the ability to ramp up a job search while you have  a job.  A friend of mine referred to this as the first rule of wing walking-have something in one hand before you let go with the other hand.  For those unfamilar with wing walking look it up in Wikipedia.  I don't have time here.

So Margot brushed up the resume and got a few interviews under her belt.  Most of these were with smaller ad agencies that seemed more disorganized than her current employer and, as with most advertising jobs, there were a lot of applicants for one position.  But an interview is an interview and practice makes perfect.

Margot also sat down and did a self-evaluation.  What did she like and what didn't she like?  She likes task oriented jobs--500 press kits out the door by five on Friday.  What she didn't like was being told to have 500 press kits out the door but not being told till 4:45 on Friday.  The creative side of the business didn't appeal to her that much but account service did so we went looking for a business service opportunity position, whatever that means.

Actually, we were just looking for something to pay the bills and get her that holy grail of one to two years experience.  The job itself really didn't matter as long as it paid enough and wasn't a behind the counter at Starbucks experience.  I could spin almost anything else into management material.

Every Monday morning I would go through the Houston Chronicle on line and send links to Margot.  Everything but adult entertainment was fair game.  Margot got pretty sick of all this but the job search at this point in a career is a numbers game.  Throw it up against the wall and see what sticks.

The only 100% guaranteed way to NOT get a job is to not apply for it.

Plus, Margot was ok with rejection.  She didn't take it personally.  It is amazing how many people do take it personally and so to avoid rejection they don't apply.  Not good. 

Friday, May 31st came and went and by Monday Margot had a job.  She had applied a for job as Assistant Business Manager at a company called CBeyond which provides Voice Over Internet phone services for small business.  The pay was ok, not great.  I read the job description and again, good but not great.  But I could spin it.  It was a building block.

Plus, and a big plus, Margot liked the job.  Office organization and reporting sales and financial information to the home office.  The good thing as well was they liked her as she brought organization to an unorganized office.

Then things got weird.  Margot got a call from another company, an energy related company, that wanted her to interview.  She had sent a resume a few weeks before and forgot about it but then they called to set up an interview.  Why not?  Yeah, why not?  She had been at CBeyond about a month and the job was good but not great so, again, why not?  Margot went to the interview, went again and got the job.  They said start September 4th and leave for Scotland, the site of the home office, for a month of training.  And the pay was great--a 40% increase over CBeyond.

She's coming home today.

The lesson here, class, is that a job search, especially at the beginning of your career is a numbers game.  The more you throw out, the more you get back.  It means kissing a lot of frogs but one will turn out to be a prince.

 

Comments

[Margot]

I'm so glad that my life serves a purpose...to provide material for my Dad's website. Do I get some cut from this?

Hope my experiences help.