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!