Like many college students, I was hoping for an internship this summer. I filled my resume with previous jobs, awards, volunteer work and a bunch of other stuff that made me sound great. I got to go to three interviews. One for a Public Relations firm that I was VERY excited about and another for the Public Relations of a sports network and one to be an assistant personal stylist. I was all over the place. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any. I thought I killed every interview but I just wasn’t good enough.
As I left my final interview it dawned on me that I am so much better than what was printed on my resume. There is no spot on my resume to talk about how I am always the designated driver at parties, or how I am always prepared and have basically an entire pharmacy in my bag in case a friend needs a Chapstick or a tampon. I want to be able to tell my employers about my social life and how responsible I am. I bet they would hire me on the spot
One thing that I pride myself on is how selfless I am. My friends and family know that no matter what I am doing, I will stop and come help if needed. I put everyone before myself and truly care about every person I come into contact with. What I lack in experience in the Public Relations field, I have in being a genuinely responsible and kind person. Since I can remember, my friends have called me the “Mom” of the friend group because I am constantly answering to their beck and call and I am always prepared to help.
I wish that there was a place on my resume or in an interview where I could explain how I give great advice to all that will listen. How, when asked, I will edit anyone’s paper or help them with their homework even if I have work to do on my own and now have to get five hours of sleep rather than the recommended eight. I wish I could tell my employer how many girls hairs I have held when they were too sick from drinking, or how many parties I have cleaned up solely because I felt bad when the host had to do it. I take any task given to me, or that I give to myself, and do it with everything that I have.
Of course, none of this becomes applicable in a job interview, because why would my employer care that I don’t drink or that I edit my friend’s essays? Well, I wasn’t always great at grammar, I didn’t always give great advice, and I wasn’t always prepared to help my friends in need. But, I learned and I dedicated my time to learning so that I could be there for my friends and family when they needed me. I want to be able to tell my employers about how I am in my social life because I will take that dedication and that responsibility and put it into my work life as well.
