Career Searching: The “A-Ha!” Moment

Three years ago, I completed my BSB at Indiana University and promptly picked up and moved to L.A. I transferred with my company at the time, a retail management job, to ensure a smooth transition and eliminate worry about being able to find a job right away and having enough cash flow to make this move work. It was always my plan to start looking for a marketing job, to put into practice that education I’d just spent so much time and money earning, as soon as possible once I got settled.

Fast-forward to 2017 and I’ve had nothing but disappointment and frustration in my job search. I have had a lot of run-ins with the classic “need experience to get experience” conundrum. I let myself believe that there wasn’t much I could do besides continuing to apply for any and every entry-level marketing position, and hoping my application would appeal to the right person. The truth is that I’ve been a hiring manager for the past few years, and I know firsthand how easy it is for a good candidate to be overlooked and/or lost in the pile for any number of reasons. Regardless, I’ve made connections around L.A. and done my best to seek help through my network, but still haven’t gotten far.

Now, I’ll remind you that marketing is my field of study and interest for my career, so imagine how dumb I felt and how frustrated I became with MYSELF when this finally occurred to me: Why am I expecting someone to give me a job in marketing when I’ve done very little to market myself? Now, I could argue in my defense that I have done SOME things. I have a very informative LinkedIn page which I actively update and post on, and I have reached out directly to a number of recruiters and employees at companies I am interested in through the site. I have attempted to find work through many of my connections, and we know that networking goes a long way in the marketing world. I am also active on my professional Twitter page. But, at the end of the day, Marketer-Me knows that this isn’t enough. I have to imagine myself, a young(ish) person trying to break into a new career field, as a young brand trying to make itself known and relevant. I am in the awareness phase as I attempt to establish myself as a successful marketer, and I can’t expect employers to buy into my product (being myself, as an employee) with nothing but a few words on a piece of paper to go on.

So, ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between, I present to you my new blog, featured on my new website, where you will also find my portfolio, recommendations, and a few interesting tidbits about me. I wanted to share my story here in hopes that other frustrated job-seekers might realize that you CAN do more to get noticed! And, I hope you all manage not to hold it against me that it took my thick skull so long to accept and admit that. I hope that I can soon update you all with a wonderful, tear-inducing success story about how this very “ah-ha” moment, and the efforts that transpired as a result, helped me land my dream job in marketing.