Fall Break is like this wonderful time off, and then you get back to school and suddenly… AHHH MIDTERMS… AHHH THESIS … AHHH  PAPERS due. It’s like a cornucopia of things you don’t really want to do, and you really should and you’re sort of still in break mode. (Apologies to those who did homework over Fall Break).

As I wrote about last week, I spent the days before Fall Break at the Grace Hopper Celebrations of Women in Technology. There I got to talk to a lot of different companies and people about jobs. I formed opinions about where I could possibly work, I got information….. I was NETWORKING, like real adult networking!

This means I have now moved into phase two, the ACTUAL JOB APPLICATIONS.
Phase two is a little scary, it’s a little intimidating, it’s just a little, well … it’s a lot. When it comes to job applications, I feel out of my element. I mean some of the questions are difficult, like expected salary? That is a rough question to answer since you don’t want to be too low and you don’t want to price yourself out of the job. It involved a google search which didn’t really help and then I called my dad and hoped he could provide a frame of reference.

These are important things to do that are easy to put off when you have all that other work piling up. You say, “Oh, I’ll do it this weekend”, then in all of the weekend events, guess what doesn’t get done?

Probably, applying for that job.

Of course, I personally find everything gets better with lists. Reasonable lists. The sort of lists where you are likely to get everything done, get some sleep, and maybe if you are lucky, see your friends.

I find that if you make time, just a little bit of time during the week, to search for jobs and work on job applications, everything is doable. For me, it’s often when I try to do everything last minute that it goes downhill fast.

I have also found that asking for help is a wonderful thing. Having a support system is important; it can be friends, parents, former co-workers and mentors who can help you, or the wonderful people at CP&R. These are the people who can help you identify your network, make introductions on your behalf, and (though mostly this might be parents) tell you when to pull yourself together.

The biggest thing that holds me back from applying and keeps me putting it off, is the tiny sense of doubt that I am, quite frankly, not qualified to perform a specific job.

This is because, maybe, I don’t fulfill one or two of the requirements or it sounds like I might not be the exact person they are looking for. What I have realized, from talking to many of the amazing women in my life, is this simple idea. Even if you think you may not be completely qualified for a job, you should try and apply for it. Talk to potential employers, and see if they are interested in you as much as you are interested in them. They might have suggestions for other positions in the company or they might decide that even your slightly unqualified self is a fit and hire you anyways. You won’t know unless you try, and that means stop putting off the job applications.