Throughout high school, academics have always been my number one. I would study hard each quarter, and try to balance my studies with volunteer work, tennis, internships, and clubs simultaneously. The spring was always the toughest time of the year for me, as AP exams were right around the corner and the tennis season became more and more competitive. With all of this being said, I never really felt that I had enough time to get a job with all of these priorities.
As my senior year came to a closing, my parents started asking me about my plans. Do you want to get involved at UF? Are you planning on joining any organizations? Are you planning on rushing? Yes, yes, and yes. I want to do everything! Then, the next question arose: Well, how are you going to pay for all of that?
Oh. I never thought about that. I silently sat with my parents for a few minutes and then exclaimed, “I’ll get a job! I’ll get a job around here and work full-time!” Little did I know that finding a job would not be so easy.
My parents have always been very generous with me. Whenever I need a new dress, they will take me out shopping. Whenever I need a few dollars to grab ice cream with friends, they will loan me as much as I need. I have grown up having things handed to me, and I think that is part of the reason why getting a job was so important: they wanted me to learn what it was like to earn money.
I started out getting dressed every morning and going from door to door to pick up job applications. I figured that all of the stores and restaurants would appreciate that I was taking initiative and going into their facilities to express my desire to join their teams. Sure enough, I was wrong. “The application is online so I can’t help you… sorry!” was the common response I received when asking about employment opportunities. After going to 15 different restaurants and stores, I headed home to apply online.
I tried everywhere. Starbucks, Bravo, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze, Morton’s, The Ritz-Carlton, Victoria’s Secret, Pei Wei, and Menchie's are just some of the places I submitted applications to. I applied to at least 4 different companies per day for two weeks straight. After a while of not hearing back from anyone, I began to feel helpless. I knew the reason why I was not hearing back from these places had to do with my minimal work experience, but what could I do about that? The only way to gain more experience is to be given the opportunity to get more experience. How could I turn my luck around?
I decided to start talking to my friends and asking them where they work. Some claimed that they worked at places that were not hiring, while others strongly urged me to apply where they worked. I took advantage of who I knew and used these people as my referrals when filling out their company's applications. Immediately after applying, I received phone calls about scheduling an interview. Finally! It was at this point I realized the significance of connections and knowing the right people.
The whole process of finding a job can be very overwhelming. A digital resume and a set of computerized responses are not always accurate depictions of the people we are, or how well we could perform the jobs we are applying for. It is important to make your resume look as professional and desirable as possible (despite how little of experience you might have) and it is imperative to develop relationships and friendships with people who could potentially help you in the future.
