Hello, readers! I hope this February-summertime-weather is keeping you motivated as the semester progresses!

As the month continues, I have been making great strides in my job process. I have been preparing for interviews, reaching out to Scripps alumnae, and setting up informational interviews. About a month and a half ago, starting the job application process was incredibly daunting for me. I was only sending about one cover letter a week, looking up postings and being picky about them. But I realized, why limit myself? Why am I not asking more of myself throughout this process? After realizing this, I started asking for help and really utilizing the resources around me. By now, the overwhelming majority of jobs I have applied for, I did not even find the original posting. By now, I can crank out 3-4 tailored cover letters in a week or less, research LinkedIn and Life Connections for alumna to talk to about the companies I applied to, and schedule at least one meeting with CP&R to go over it all.

Originally, I was not asking enough of myself. I had to cast the net, look wide and far, and close to home, calling upon all my resources. Until this process, I did not necessarily see myself as someone who could network successfully. But, I thought, why not ask? Why not email an alumna and ask if they had the time to share their experiences with me? Why not apply to a job and then ask a recruiter more about the application process? I thought to myself, you have to ask, Franny, because no one else is going to ask for you. Even though other people sent me postings, proofread my cover letters, it came down to me applying. It came down to me going the extra step to find possible connections, to follow up with applications, calls, and emails after initial contact.

Asking and reaching out will not always lead to the desired result. But not asking at all is a certain way to not get the desired result at all. For example, at the beginning of the month, I emailed an alumna asking if she had time to speak to me about her experiences at a company I applied to. A week and a half passed with no response, so I sent a follow up email. After I had reconciled with the fact that people are busy and it is nothing personal, I received a response from the alumna. She was very helpful. Despite her busy schedule, she shared a few bits of advice that were incredibly helpful. In addition, she even encouraged me to look at openings with her current company, even though I was contacting her about another organization.

I entered the email with one objective, but the conversation developed into another possible employment opportunity. If I had never sent the email at all, it may have taken me longer to find those opportunities. I may not have found them at all! Keep in mind, I have had my fair shares of unanswered emails and rejections that were long winded fade away’s instead of a straight-up break-up. Through these experiences, I still asked for something and I still received, something.