It's been so long, I'm vegan.

It really has been TOO long since I've written on my blog. I can hardly believe it, but it has been over a year since I got out of a toxic relationship and while the journey has been long and difficult, I have learned so much and I thank God for it. 

Before the relationship I thought I knew who I was, but didn't, while I was in the relationship I was who he wanted me to be, and now, post-relationship, I'm finally getting to know myself as I truly am and getting closer to seeing myself as God sees me. 

Lately, I've been making more of an effort to figure out what I like to do. I've discovered my love for hiking and the Southern California landscape - making it a point to try a new hike every weekend. I've read through a few books already and hope to get through 5-10 more (which for those who know me know this is HUGE). I've taken on a new leadership role at work, which has been scary and exciting and humbling all at once.

Most recently, last week, I decided to "go vegan" and in the spirit of my faith, I'm giving myself some grace, which some call "flexitarian" or as I call it: "convenient vegan."

The first question everyone asks me is "WHY!?" 

My first vegan meal - that I cooked!

As a meat-and-cheese midwesterner, it's a pretty good question. Lately, more and more it seemed as though "vegan" was popping up everywhere. I heard a short overview of the China Study. My coworker started eating vegan and encouraged me to join her. We held weekly health goal meetings at work and even though I would occasionally hit my goal, nothing was really changing. I never really cooked and this would force me to. I made 80-90% of my meals every week so it would be easy to make it work. 

When it came down to it, I did it because I just wanted to. There was really no great reason for it, but I knew I wanted to try. 

Starting to get creative

The Sunday before I started, the sermon at church was on Romans 12. To me it was a confirmation that in my effort to sacrifice small comforts like food, while doing some uncomfortable things like hiking and reading, that I might be better able to discern what he has for me. And in opening up my world, I might discover people who are in desperate need for the same love and grace and mercy I've been shown. 

Maybe it's weird to think that what I eat has anything to do with my work, my faith, my hobbies or the people around me, but if it does, I might just be better off for trying.

Vegan status: Entry-level (no doubt about it)

"Therefore, ...in view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:1-2 NIV

A Seat at the Table

There is so much value to be had in fighting for your spot at the table and finding your voice in a strategic conversation. I had the pleasure of being able to sit at the table with a my department, the COO and the CEO every Friday to talk strategy. I was an idiot for taking it for granted for even a second. I learned so much about personalities, work styles, leadership styles, the reasoning behind decisions whether logical or not, how my leadership makes decisions, how much of their decision making is influence by their own biases. I figured out what it took to get them to say yes to an idea, and saw how easy it was for them to say no to even the greatest idea if it was presented poorly.

Now, I don't even know where the table is. In a larger company, it could takes years - even decades - to find a place at that table. I feel like the teen who got stuck at the kids table for Thanksgiving and will be there forever, pending a larger table or a family members absence - neither of which are in sight. 

So what do I do now? Do I kick and scream until they slide to the side to make room for me? If anything, it might just prove my placement at the kids table.

Instead, I plan to take an approach that has been trending lately in resume writing and job-finding (really since 2009, but even more so since Millennials hit the job scene hard in all of our innovative spirits) - I will identify the space that is empty, the gap that needs to be filled and argue that I am the only obvious choice to sit in that spot at the table.

But how?! Well I haven't done it yet, but I'll tell you how I'm going to start:

1) Identify the other members at the table that would and could advocate for my placement there.

2) Gather intel from resources in #1: how are the meetings are run, what's talked about, who's involved, what kind of decisions are being made, do they find the meeting effective, do they come away with action items to be delegated to me. 

At this point, I might discover that I have no place at the table and then I need to figure out if it would make sense for learning purposes to be involved in a limited way - for example is the table is really a conference call, I would see if it would be worth it to listen in but maybe not necessarily participate. If even that is not necessary, maybe it's time for me to find a different table.

After all the information is gathered, I can build my case and present it to my advocates. From there, I will ask for their opinions, feedback and see if it's something 1) They can take to the decision maker and advocate for, 2) I need to take to the decision maker, and use them as references if necessary, or 3) It's time to give up the fight. 

No matter what happens, when I do finally get a seat at the table, I will know that I earned the right to be there and can speak with confidence. 

_____

Update: Executed perfectly on plan. Got some great feedback, felt like my voice was heard and I have some great advocates. Still... time to find a different table.

It's that #EntryLevelLifeStruggle

The Emergency Contact Test

A couple of weeks ago I found this Ted Talk gem and shared it on Facebook. I would highly encourage everyone to watch it because at some point they will either be a 20-something or come into contact with a 20-something.

Around the 8 minute mark Meg introduces Emma and the moment Emma realizes she can't fill in the blank after "In case of an emergency contact ..." A couple of weeks ago I got so sick I had to drive myself to the emergency room twice in excruciating pain. The last time I was that sick was probably when I was in 5th grade. My mom was there for me, drove me to the hospital, argued with the physician to get the right solution, brought me soup, took care of me.

Now, it's just me. I couldn't bring myself to bug my geographically closest friend to come help me because we're not that close. As a dedicated introvert (with most likely social anxiety), it took me being sick for two weeks and in isolation for four days to realize the second I was better, I just needed to find my emergency contacts in the world and to help them find me.

In my effort to pursue my "Get Better Challenge" I've been discovering how many other 20-somethings are doing their best to get better in the area of making true friends, not just the ones you call to grab a drink after work. I've been to three Meetups and started attending a Young Adults group at a church by my work. In going around the circle introducing ourselves and stating our purpose for joining the young adults group the resounding reason was "to make friends with shared values."

I'm starting to realize the assumed embarrassment from lacking friendships that are consistent, present and deep, kept me from the one thing I wanted. I thought everyone else somehow mastered this post-college friendship thing, when in reality, that is far from the truth.

So many of us 20-somethings are still moving, shifting, trying new jobs, new geography, new relationships (or at least getting away from the old ones). It's almost silly to assume that not every single one of us would be more than happy to find an emergency contact who can meet for drinks after work, but also sit down for coffee and talk about real issues and struggles, someone who would come give us a jump when our car breaks down, someone to drive us to the emergency room when we are sick.

The hard part is the how. So here are my tips from experience on Entry-Level Emergency-Contact Creating:

• Start somewhere, anywhere: I mentioned Meetup and a Young Adults group, there are so many more options, just try something! Anything!
• Be patient: Emergency-contact status friendships take time and in a group of 15 people you might find 1 and the other 14 you'll call to grab dinner on a Friday night. You might not realize who the 1 person is until you spend a significant amount of time on it.
• Show up/Be accountable: Being a flake won't help you make friends. Living in the Maybe RSVP culture is killing our abilities to find a ride to the hospital at 3am. Agree to try new things, go with the group, and when someone wants to do something they will know to call you because they will know you will show up.
• Contribute: It's not enough to find your emergency contact, you need to be their emergency contact too. As millennials we love the brands and products that "add value" to us beyond what's expected. I don't follow company pages because I love to see their Annual Reports, I follow them because they have fun videos with cool tips that are actually useful. Be useful, add value, ask questions and actually listen!

God calls us to live vertically with Him and horizontally with others. How can we do that if we can't even hold a deeper conversation about real life with other people?

[Check out some of the newly updated links on my Resources page!]

How To: Get Better

I've been struggling as many of us entry-levelers do with figuring out what happens outside of 8-5 when your friends have moved away or maybe you're the one that moved away and are now faced with building up your life because you can't keep driving 2 hours to see family or friends every other weekend. 

So, in only the way that I could, I have devised a plan and I invite you to give it a try with me. There are two parts to it: person and social development. For the purposes of this experiment, I will be using the MeetUp and YouTube in conjunction with Spoon University and Pinterest for ideas. Here's how it plays out:

_________

Part 1: Personal Development Plan: The How-Tube Challenge

Each week I will watch 1-2 videos on YouTube to learn a new skill, how to cook, how to bake, how to craft, how to make friends, etc, and I will implement/test/try/perfect these skills over the next few weeks. Some of these ideas have been generated from Pinterest, cooking/baking has come from Spoon University, and the rest are just weird things I find on YouTube.

Side note: My boyfriend and I tried this 2 weekends ago and at the end we felt like cooking/crafting geniuses and it was a ball of fun, we plan on trying more in the weeks to come. Here are some attempted and proposed ideas for about 2 months of activity:

How to...

• Make a craft: Oil candle with left over cooking oil (tried and almost won, still making adjustments)
• Cook: Bacon-wrapped, cheese-stuff biscuits (tried, need to perfect with some minor tweaks - must try again!)
• Paint: Finally bought a basic starter paint set!
• Meditate
• Start a conversation
• Network
• Budget for a Trip 
• Bake: Narrowing down my options on Pinterest is impossible
• Wrap a gift
• Style Hair
• Build A Shelf: we are preparing to build and paint a crate shelf - I'm so excited and I feel so trendy!
• Organize: Closet, room, car, desk? I can't decide.
• Use Gmail Inbox: Personal Goal - It's so scary looking!
• Host a Party

Any suggestions? Comments are encouraged!

Part 2: Social Development Plan: Meet Up, Make Friends

I've joined Meet Up and added 3-4 different types of groups - social, volunteer, activity, personal development. Each week I'll log on, check the calendar of possible upcoming events and pick one to attend.

________

In the end, I want to have a better understanding of who I am, what I like to do and what my strengths are so that I can move away from self-centered to other-centered without losing myself while bringing added value to those around me. Not to mention, being isolated or stuck in one area of life means that God is put in a box of using you in only that area, and while he can still do amazing things, how much more could he do if you're really trying to seek out where God is working, where he needs you most, and how God might use your gifts to bring other to Christ. 

What will you do today to make yourself better to then make others better?

A Lesson on Patience: The Newest Diet Fad

In a world of instant gratification, one of the hardest lessons to learn (and to keep learning) for me is patience. This morning my daily planner, which is themed after the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, had this quote:

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily difference we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee." ~Marian Wright Edelman

This is a hard concept worth grasping but makes the whole patience thing a lot more tolerable and a lot less painful. I first experienced this principle about two year ago when I finally decided to change my mind about losing weight and being healthy.

It was a 10 second clip I overheard on the TV one morning when listening to a health segment on a talk show - something I almost never do! The health expert explained that when first starting out to get healthy more often then not people go balls-to-the-wall getting in the gym and going on a fad diet - literally shocking their system into becoming a health nut. The problem is, that doesn't work! 

Our minds are very powerful and after one or two balls-to-the-wall sessions you start to think a certain way:

• This is too hard to maintain
• I'm not seeing any results yet/This isn't working
• It was a lot easier to not do anything and ignore the body shaming or negative self image talk

And then in a few months/weeks/days it's back to the couch.

The health expert suggested a simple solution: just do what you can, when you can and eventually a little will turn into a little more and then a lot! (This is all my translation, if you didn't catch that).

So two years ago I paid $10 to join a small gym, hopped on the treadmill and walked as fast as was comfortable for 25 minutes and then left. For the longest time I thought you had to spend at least an hour in the gym 5 days a week to be healthy, but after 3 months of going to the gym for 25 minutes a day for 3 days and pushing myself to walk a little faster than the day before, I started losing weight. It wasn't extremely difficult to add an extra 40 minutes into my day (with travel) to get in more than 0 minutes of working out, because that's what I was doing before. 

In that time I gave up my first love, television. I realized I would get sucked in to watching 2-3 hours of prime time TV on a nightly basis and for me I couldn't just watch one episode. Now I could fill that time with more active activities like cooking, playing outside, going for walks, anything! And the 40 minutes I spent getting exercise felt like chump change in my day.

After the exercise went from foreign to habit, I started focusing in on my diet which had not changed at all during the added exercise except for adding more water and craving less salt during which I still lost weight!

So I introduced vegetables into my diet in the form of green smoothies which helped acclimate my taste buds to veggies and I soon started valuing them far and above what I had before. I very, very slowly cut back on my portion sizes in a way that I almost didn't feel the difference from one day to the next. After some time I cut out fast food and minimized my juice/soda intake (coffee was off limits!).

This whole process was slow, spanning over a year and a half, only making one small adjustment at a time and letting my body acclimate to it's new lifestyle - and that's just what I did. I didn't decide to lose weight or get fit. I decided to live healthy and if it took 5 years to get healthy, I would still have the rest of my life to be healthy and that was good enough for me.

Through a lot of personal transition I lost some of my focus on living this healthy lifestyle, but I'm still 50 pounds lighter than what I weighed at my heaviest. I'm no longer afraid of the gym or vegetables. I cut back on ice cream in favor of chocolate. I still keep fast food to a minimum and I love my green smoothies. 

I am two years closer to feeling the success of a healthy lifestyle for the rest of my life and I'm working on applying the principles I learned in having patience through getting healthy to my financial situation, my career goals and contributing to making this world a better place.

For you entry-levelers it may seem impossible to reach your career goals or even life goals, but if you start with one step today, you'll be miles ahead in no time. Each day counts and when your patience is wearing thin, remember to do just one thing to move you one step closer to your greater goal. 

Starting Over: Entry-Leveling Again

So much for that Resurrection post. Here I am again, starting over again. I'm used to it by now - starting over that is. 

You may or may not know that I was engaged and as of 4 very long months ago (to the date) am no longer engaged. I still have people asking when am I getting married. It's like being asked - what's your biggest failure in life less than 6 months after it happened - it still stings a little. 

But failure, this was not. It stings like failure, yes, but this was a victory. I found myself in the toughest position I had ever put myself in and God pulled me out. No one, not even myself can take credit for the events that have taken place over the last 4 months. With his grace and gentleness, I swallowed my pride and let the fear of God and his awesome wonder-working power lead me, and not my fear of others. 

It was painful, awkward, embarrassing. It was nothing I had ever experienced before or hope to experience again. But God sharpened me and at the same time was so gentle, showing me the areas of my brokenness that needed to be surrendered to him while surrounding me with those who truly loved me. 

God's power displayed through this season was awe-inspiring. It was the same power that he has to make his will come to life, the power he has to use the weak and powerless for his divine purposes, that showed me the endless possibilities of my life, if I just surrendered it to him. 

I'm so grateful. The healing process continues and I can't wait to see what God has for me next. He started with a new job in a new place - very funny God! I'm enjoying being stretched in my new position and experiencing new things. I'm entry-leveling again! The dramatic changes in four months is hard to manage, but God is walking beside me, always speaking softly, nudging me on.

The verse I picked when I was baptized at the ripe age of 8(ish) has carried me through my life. It is my anthem and now the extended passage is my decree: 

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws. I have suffered much; preserve my life, Lord, according to your word. Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws. Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law. The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts. Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end."

Psalm 119:105-112 NIV 

Look forward to more entry-level life posts in the near future (nearer than 2-3 months this time).

Resurrection

Wow! It has been a very long time since I've posted anything. How tragic. I write all the time for my job so it's no wonder that I haven't had any urge at all to "put pen to paper" and write for myself. It's time to resurrect this bad boy and get moving again.

Yes, it has been almost two years since I've graduated college but I promise you there are still so many lessons to share and entry-level doesn't go away with time. If you go through life and learn nothing and process nothing you'll be an entry-leveler forever.

Turns out I'm a verbal processor and by verbal I also mean a writing processor. So I've been sitting on all these thoughts and observations and I'm afraid I've been at my entry-level position because I just can't climb the hurdle that is my mind. "Get out of the way self!"

This is the resurrection of my blog and it's coming back with vengeance - taking down all your preconceived notions about the lameness that is an entry-level life. Entry-level life is the best! You can make a ton of mistakes, learn how to fail and fail hard, apologize, recognize and be stronger than ever. You can do things that would get most people in trouble but because you didn't know you couldn't do that, something AMAZING happened!

Be fearless my fellow entry-levelers. Own your entry-levelness. Be a learner, be coachable. Crave mentorship and wisdom.

Life will get you down no matter where you are in your career, but God is faithful and he will surround you with the people that you need to #LevelUp.

Okay, this was a good talk. Let's reconvene soon. I've got lots to catch you all up on.

P.S. I noticed my resume is pretty old by now, but I would still encourage you to reference it for entry-level position.

Confidence to Follow Legends

I love my job. I know that's kind of a big deal and I'm so grateful to God for him allowing me to be in the field I want to be in, doing what I want to do, supported by an incredible staff, doing amazing things just 4 months after graduating college.

But nothing is perfect. That's the problem of living in a fallen world. Whether you work in an amazing place or not, you will run into problems. One in particular that I have experienced is walking into a new position that was previously held by an all-star. People who have come before you and cast a long shadow can be very intimidating. Whether they are still employed there and in a different position or have moved on completely, you have to compensate for the loss.

The few times this has happened to me my initial reaction was to learn what they did and do it exactly the same therefore, the team would get the same results. The problem with this approach is that it only takes into consideration the strengths and weaknesses of the other person. Not only will the team lose out on the potential you have to build and grow in your position, but also there's a good chance you'll fall short of filling the legendary shoes of those before you.

If there's anything I've learned from following legends is that I need to have the confidence to be myself and cast my own shadow. You do too! If you don't know your strengths and weaknesses by your first entry-level job, 1) your college didn't do much for you did it? and 2) you have to make that a priority. Take a test! There are a billion free strength tests online. When you learn the tools you are equipped with by God because of who you are, you will be able to reach your potential.

Once you know your strengths and weaknesses, be confident you can use them. Own your position and the tasks you are asked to do. Do them to the best of YOUR ability. The best thing you can do is become incomparable to the person who was in your position, not necessarily because you are better, but because you are yourself - a unique human being created by God.

Have a great week!

Weekend Warriors

I'm THE worst at keeping up with this blog. I'll blame it on summer and all the recent traveling I've been doing, but honestly I've never been good at keeping up with a blog. BUT I do have 9 posts under my belt and that's worth keeping up so I won't be throwing in the towel anytime soon.

Speaking of my travels, I consider myself a weekend warrior. I have no idea where I learned that term but I like it and I like living it out. As an entry-leveler you may not have very many obligations and therefore you may have an awful lot of time after work and on weekends. My suggestion - use it! It's great to have a restful weekend here or there, but don't forget you are starting out at a new job and you're in the midst of change so use it to your advantage. Try new things, go new places, meet new people. You're already doing that at your new job, so why not take it elsewhere and build your entry-level network.

Get your Yelp app out and try a new restaurant or bar. Go to museums, take a road trip, start hiking. I'm blessed because I strategically placed myself in California - a state full of things to do at any time of day, any day of the week. Some places may require some work. Try local or community events.

For those of you that are unemployed your weekends are just as much your weekdays, but since you have so much free time don't forget that its okay to have fun and take a break from your full time job of being unemployed. Plus, it's another chance for you to network and possibly find a new job. The last thing you want is to burn out from weeks of applications. Your best friend is Google and the search phrase "Free things to do in ____________."

The more active you are in trying new things, the better you'll be able to take on change. It's adaptability and agility. That's applicable to any area of life. So join me in becoming a fellow weekend warrior and fight the good fight of living up your weekend. Take advantage of the 30+ hours you have not sitting at a desk doing entry-level things.

Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10:4

Batman and Other Things

I'm back! I know it has been a while but life gets busy when you're employed and happen to be a professional weekend warrior (if you don't know what that is then you're not enjoying your weekends enough).

For those of you who caught my blog early on you may have noticed some changes to previous posts. Let me tell you - you never stop learning. Those changes were made because an important realization in my life based on some unforeseen circumstances.

I've done you all the injustice of being a hypocrite. I've talked about rising above and kindness, when in reality I have not done so with previous posts. As a Christian believer I know I am not the one to serve justice where justice is due or even judge where justice is due. 

This past weekend I was watching Batman Begins, when the character Rachel spoke to Bruce about justice verses revenge and profoundly said, "No, they're never the same, Bruce. Justice is about harmony. Revenge is about you making yourself feel better." I do not consider my most recent posts as my go at revenge and I want the emphasis to be on the lessons learned, but I do realize the things I have been saying have not been Christ-like and in no way has it been an example of rising above. Harmony was not accomplished in any way.

So from here on out I plan on keeping it classy. My focus has always been and always will be on the life lessons I've learned while being an entry-leveler. I look forward to writing more about my personal experiences, the things that have worked, and the stuff that hasn't. Life is tough enough as it is - no need for all of us to go through the hard stuff when we can learn from one another. 

I'm sincerely appreciative to all those who read my blog and struggle everyday with life. Keep up the entry-level sub-par work.

The Other Woman

Welcome back! Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and as always I hope you get a little something out of it. 

Competition in the workplace can be a good thing, but it can also be a really really bad thing. I was hired for a position that was also filled by someone else... awkward! Let me tell ya - pay means nothing if you're living in fear of losing it.

When the woman arrived to work I already had a bad taste in my mouth. To make things worse she was 20 years (give or take) older than me and had been working in the industry for about the same amount of time.

Over the next three months the other woman and I lived in a constant state of competition. Whether it was all in my head or not she was the enemy.

Competition can be good and bad for a company. In this case it was bad, but I did my best to manage it with grace. If you ever find yourself in the position of fighting for your place be sure to constantly scan your moral compass. When I compromised my values for the sake of safety in my job or winning the task at hand I took away from the opportunity to build up instead of tear down.

Later on the other woman and myself had a chance to talk about what had all happened and we both realized had we let the competitiveness go we could have built an empire between our two sets of skills. Maybe that's an exaggeration, but it was sad to know that I had let three months of opportunities go because I was afraid to lose the job I ended up leaving anyways.

God was so good to mend that relationship before I left, but it won't always work like that if collaboration and kindness can't break through harmful competition.

See you next week. It's going to be a good one.

Boss Does Not Always = Leader

I'm so blessed to have the job that I have now and be surrounded by leaders. My bosses value me as an employee and a person. It's sad to think that anyone else would have to deal with anything less, but so many employees around the world have upper management who may not even care who they are or what they do as long as they make them money.

From previous personal experience and that of others I've come to learn to watch for some red flags that maybe your boss might not be a leader. Starting with the interview, how often do they talk verses you? It should be a conversation so if you walk away feeling like they couldn't have gotten to know you with the amount of talking they did that typically demonstrates how they feel about themselves and their subordinates. At one of my jobs, my first day there was a shouting match which I could hear down the hallway. The hallway had a desk that just so happened to be mine and shared the same space as the bathrooms... Believe me, where you work matters! If employers want you at their company they won't freak out if you ask to see where you'll be working or spend time with the staff.

During the first few weeks, watch your bosses schedule and the time they invest in you. Great leaders give their time to developing other great leaders. Bad bosses will be absent and uninterested in your work.

If I could offer up one piece of advice when encountering bad bosses is that their bad behavior is no excuse for you to be a bad employee. Constantly be identifying ways in which you can rise above. If I decided to react to negativity with negativity, I would start to build bad workplace habits. I would not have the job I have now had I mirrored poor leadership. You know the saying "Dress for the job you want?" In the exact same way, act like the employee you want to be for the job you want.

Even today I struggle with the habits I built in the past. However, being surrounded by good leaders has made me a better person and I'm so grateful to them and God for giving me that chance.

Good luck entry-levelers and call on God because his regular business hours are all day, every day.

This First is the Worst

To all the dads out there - Happy Father's Day! One in particular, my dad, has been a huge support to me especially during this huge transition. My parents are usually the first phone call I make after a hard day at work.

After all the applications, waiting time, and interviews, I took a marketing job with a small business. I lasted 3 months almost to the date. What caused my quick exit was combination of things, but ultimately I knew I was not going in the direction I wanted to.

A huge inspiration for the creation of this blog was derived from the lessons learned at my first job out of college.

I'm still grateful all things considered. Had it not been for those three months I wouldn't be in the job I have now, understand the position many professionals are in as we speak, or be able to write this blog--and keep it up!

God really does work all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).

This blog post is solely to prepare you for the upcoming posts so I'm sorry if its scant in details. I appreciate you taking the time to read and I hope you're able to take something away from my life. As always, feel free to comment or sent me questions, stories, whatever! I love to hear from you.

Death of a Fish

Today, my beta fish of six months, Wilbur, died a tragic death due to soap residue in his fish bowl... that's right - it was my fault. We didn't always have the best relationship, but I promise I didn't kill him on purpose. He was quite delightful in the end, and I felt horrible for his death. So, I dedicate this post to him.

The most important thing while job searching, interviewing, and pursuing your career are relationships. Many people will be able to relate to your situation, many will not, and some will just be down right irritating. Always keep in mind that most people are looking out for your best interest. My secret weapon was gratitude. No matter how irritating the billions of suggestions people send your way are just say thank you.

Whenever I was job searching I always had a handful of people sending me emails with a link to a company or a job search site and every time my knee jerk reactions went something like, "REALLY? Thank you soooo much for sending me this link because I was just looking at my computer screen doing nothing and wallowing in self pity when magically you sent me this link that will lead to the land of opportunities - NOT!"

Sounds harsh and it is. Luckily, none of my well-intentioned friends and family felt the wrath of my sarcasm. I always tried to respond humbly and with a sense of gratitude. If all else in this world failed I would have an awesome support system to fall back on. Get your support system in place when you start applying. Call your friends, family, and even acquaintances and let them know you are unemployed. Even if they can't connect you to the fairy HR godmother or your dream job, at least you know you have someone to call when all else fails.

Thank you parents, siblings, aunts & uncles, cousins, and friends. Without you, my job search would have been painful and slow. Instead, I enjoyed 5 weeks of encouragement, support, and love followed by a lifetime of the same. God will give you the tools you need to follow his will - just call on him.

R.I.P. Wilbur
Beloved Pet & Friend

Interviews for Beggars

After 3 weeks of hearing nothing I finally started getting calls. Not one call came in for the magical dream job I had always hoped for, but they were calls none the less and I was grateful for them. I took every single interview opportunity (with the exception of the Macy's cosmetic counter as previously mentioned). People might say I wasted time, gas money, lowered my standards, gave up on my dream job, but those people didn't owe two months worth of rent.

Beyond just needing money, taking every single interview was an opportunity to work and a chance to practice in case the dream job interview finally did come along. The reason for the title "Interviews for Beggars" is because when you start looking for a job your mindset should reflect that of a beggar, not a chooser. If you decide to be a chooser you might end up at your dream job, but you might also end up living with your parents well into your late twenties. There's nothing wrong with that, but I love working and I would not be okay with sitting at home for more than a month knowing there are opportunities out there to be taken. 

Take as many interviews as you can. Practice, practice, practice. Learn the commonly asked questions and refine your answers. Then, in a few weeks when you've been through your X amount of interviews and you have Y amount of offers on the table you become the chooser without having to wait 6 months. 

God is faithful so hang in there and don't give up. Always be trying new approaches and eventually something will work out. 

I have so much more to say so tune in because its about to get interesting... you have no idea! Feel free to comment, send me questions, or even your own post-grad/entry-level stories. Don't forget to check out my new resources tab!

Full-time Unemployment

Being unemployed is difficult. To all of you still in school--do whatever you can to get the job offer before you leave school. I love working, contributing, and being busy all the time, so five weeks of unemployment almost killed me. It brought things out of me that I had never seen before. Beyond the emotional toll it took on me, the work it takes to find a job is mentally and physically exhausting. But the saying is really true: what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger.

Since no one was planning on hiring until after the 1st of the year and I graduated on the 15th of December, I had plenty of time to apply for jobs. Not hearing anything for so long was very discouraging. You start to question who you are as a person and that is the best and worst thing a person can go through. I suggest a healthy balance of humility and confident self-talk to get you through.

I loved my time at Azusa Pacific, but my last semester I had grown to believe that I was awesome, deserved awesomeness, and would ultimately end up with an awesome job. Professors and speakers try their best to keep things in perspective, but everyone enjoys success stories far above those of unemployment and failure.   The three weeks following graduation I had to deflate my big head and realize I needed a job first, a career second. I started to sprinkle in some part-time jobs, retail positions, and temp work applications into my plethora of full time applications. The first call I received for an interview came three weeks after graduation and it came from the Macy's cosmetic counter. I had never been more excited about a part time job in my entire life.

The other side of the coin is confident self-talk. Too much humility might cause an unreasonable amount of deflation in confidence, something you'll need in an interview to get you the job you want. Every time I felt myself questioning my capabilities as a worker or even as a person I would read through my resume and remind myself of the things I had accomplished. Talk to some of the people you've worked with in the past and let them know where you are in your search. Encouragement by people who know what you're capable of can help boost your confidence.

I ended up canceling the Macy's interview because I received 3 more calls shortly after for full-time interviews on the same day. I may not have had to take a part time job in the end, but I knew I had the strength to do what it took to make my dreams happen. God is faithful when you put your trust in him.

Pre-Entry-Level

Once upon a time I was a normal college student headed down an unknown path to an unknown destination. I spent three and a half glorious years at Azusa Pacific University. I joyfully pursued my degree in Marketing, the prefect mix of business and creativity. I spent the bulk of my spare time in Scholar's for Business Achievement, a fancy way of saying the event planning team for the School of Business and Management. My summers were filled with fantastic internships at an online company and with the AT&T Premier Client Group on the most fantastic sales team I've ever encountered.

All this added up to a very big assumption that I deserved and was owed a job. I did all the right things and got all the right grades. Then, quite suddenly I was facing graduation day with no job, no prospects, and no idea what I was going to do next. I knew people, I had applied to some jobs, but nothing was going my way in the form of a job offer. Somehow I still made it through my last few weeks taking in all the joys of college life without being bothered by my looming fate. Most of my friends called it denial.

Luckily, I had enough savings to make it two months in California otherwise I would have to go home to freezing cold Wisconsin. Talk about motivation. So between December 14th and January 22nd I searched. I passed up Christmas and New Years with family to focus on my job search and save some money. Those five weeks changed me and opened my eyes to who I was, both good and bad. It showed me the power of hope and the pain of failure.

In the next few weeks I'll unwrap what it means to really look for a job and some of the things I learned professionally and personally along the way.

Welcome!

This is it! This is the one! This is the blog I've been waiting to write. I hope I can keep it up, but with all the stories I have to tell I'm sure I have enough content for a few months at least. I created this blog for a multitude of reasons including telling my crazy stories but also sharing some lessons learned from the first few months of post-college life. Everyone has their own path, but life lessons transcend individuals. I hope you can take something away from this, and if not at least you might have a laugh or two along the way. Get ready because you're about to read the insane details of my entry-level life.