Rain, Rain, Go Away!

I don't know about you, but I hate this rain! Maybe it's because I don't own a raincoat or rain boots...two things I really should invest in. I think one of my goals for Easter break will be to purchase at least one of these things. My other goals, however, are much more related to this blog and my quest to find a job. Things have been super busy these last few weeks, but I'm hoping over the holiday I will finally have some time to do some more research and look into potential job opportunities that I simply have not had a minute to look into lately. I will admit, part of me worries a little bit that I may have missed out on some chances, but I calm myself down by realizing that I have been doing my best to take advantage of all of the opportunities that have come my way. There are simply just not enough hours in the day! During Easter break I plan to use GoNova and other resources at my disposal to look for more job opportunities out there. I also have a few contacts I have acquired through networking and my role as an intern in the Clay Center that I would like to reach out to as soon as possible.




Wondering about the interview I had last week? I think that it went pretty well. To be honest I don't want to jinx anything, so we'll just have to wait and see! I should be hearing back in the next week or so :-)



Next, I am excited for an event that is coming up the week we get back to campus. On April 6th and 8th, the Philly Ad Club is hosting two events at Cabrini and Temple. The event is titled "Careers in Advertising & Communications: Where the Jobs Are!" Clearly this sounds like exactly the type of thing a person in my shoes should attend! It is basically the same event presented twice, once at Cabrini and then a second time at Temple. I will likely go to the first event at Cabrini. The flyer for the event discusses the opportunity to hear from a panel of advertising and communications professions, from advertising agencies, media buying firms, PR firms, and media companies. There is also an opportunity to network with these professionals after the panel discussion. I believe this is an incredible opportunity and an event I definitely need to take advantage of - in fact, it's simply one I cannot afford to miss! The flyer also states that students are welcome to bring copies of their resumes, so this is something I will make sure to do as well. I am very happy that an event like this is available to Philly-area college students in general, not just from one single university. I'm looking forward to April 6th, and will let you know how the event goes! Until next time - Happy Easter!!

Spring is in the Air!

I know it's been a few weeks since my last post, but these have been the busiest weeks of this semester by far. Spring break was amazing (and obviously went by too quickly) and then I flew home less than 48 hours after I returned to 'Nova. I had those two informational interviews I previously mentioned, both with ad. agencies in New England. Both interviews went really well, and I learned a great deal about what agencies look for in entry-level candidates and how the hiring process works. I have begun to come to terms with the fact that I may leave Villanova without a job when I graduate in May - but I understand that if I want to land the job of my dreams, I need to be patient and keep searching until I find it.

Basically, ad. agencies don't hire for entry-level positions like many accounting and finance firms do. They can't really hire classes of graduates in the fall of senior year or even (right now) in March, because they simply do not know what their needs will be come May or June, when graduates like me will actually be available to start. The more I hear this from employers, the more I better understand that I may just have to wait until April/May to interview for a full-time position at an agency. Every day I am attempting to accept that a little more, while still remaining focused on continuing my job search and not leaving any doors unopened.

Last Thursday night, 'Nova hosted it's 4th Annual Marketing Professionals Showcase in the Villanova Room. The keynote speaker was Mr. John Hayes, Chief Marketing Officer of American Express. It was a great event, and I am very happy that I was able to attend. After Mr. Hayes spoke, we heard presentations from two groups of marketing students, and then there was a networking reception with alumni and employers from the Philadelphia area. I had a "buddy" during the networking reception (who may or may not also be writing a blog for the Clay Center!) that I walked around and spoke to employers with. I enjoyed being able to experience the reception with her, because I felt more comfortable/less awkward walking up to employers when I had someone with me in the same boat. We spoke to a good number of people about their organizations and their experiences in marketing. I was very happy to hand out my resume and learn about potential job and internship opportunities. Overall I think it was a very successful and worthwhile event, and I am very thankful that Villanova gives us opportunities like this.

The most exciting news I have to share is that I have an interview next week with one of the companies I spoke with at the Marketing Professionals Showcase! The two representatives from the company were so friendly and willing to talk about their experiences. I could quickly tell that they both absolutely love their jobs - and that made me extremely interested in hearing more! This is because overall, I really want to LOVE my job. I want to wake up and look forward to going to work everyday. I want to be passionate about what I'm doing and feel like I am serving a purpose in life. So to hear about how much they love where they work - the people, the office, the work itself - was amazing to say the least. As you can probably tell, I am very excited for this interview and just hope that I will be able to convey that I am looking to feel exactly how they do about their jobs.

Next time I'll fill you in on how this interview went and what else is going on in my job search adventures. Happy St. Patrick's Day and enjoy the finally nice weather!