This Post Grad Life: Unconventional Ways to Cinch the Job

When I graduated from college, I closed my eyes and imagined my life as a professional businesswoman. You know, wearing a suit and carrying one of those leather binders. What did I see, you ask?

By Brittany

HAHA. Blackness. HAHA.

But after working through the rubble that was my post-grad life and directing all of my self-generated passion towards what I really wanted – I tried closing my eyes again. What did I see, you ask?

Success.

All throughout college, professors gave me advice on getting that dream job. “Don’t use that spacing in your resume. Take the unpaid internship. Pass your classes. Go on informational interviews. Network your little booty off. Make business cards. Wipe the scuffs off your patent leather pumps before the interview. Follow up. Send thank you letters.” Blah, blah, blah – white noise is hard to hear.

That’s why I want to write about the little things I’ve learned from having a job and making my own giant leaps to get there. I want to share the little tips that I would have never considered right out of the college starting gate. The teeny tips that sitting in class and staring at your hot professors calves will never teach you, but this crazy post-grad will.

Side Note: All of these hints are actually pretty fun.

1. Write your own personal blog about your boring and wonderful life.

That’s right, download your latest version of WordPress and get writing. Who cares, write about anything – current events, how your cat pooped on your pillow this morning, the color of the sky, how many times you listened to the Justin Bieber CD, whatever. Because whatever it is you have to say, your true personality will shine through. Future employers love to use blogs as a landing page for who you are. And if they like what they see, you know you’re going to fit right in! True story: my new colleagues loved that I wrote for College Candy. They were able to see my personality and, well, that I could write a paragraph and communicate feelings. Even if they are melodramatic and slightly immature sometimes.

2. Tweet your little heart out.

This is just another outlet though which employers can see your personality. Obviously updating people on when you’re inhaling and exhaling isn’t very interesting. Or updating followers on how you got so drunk you flashed a freshman in the quad and yelled, “FRESH BOOBIES FIT FOR A FRESHMAN! HAHA.” But we’re smart ladies. Tweet interesting articles, network. You never know who you can meet over the pretty Twitter interwebs.

3. Send cupcakes in cute little present boxes.

After meeting up with my (current boss, mind you) for an informational interview, I sent her a cupcake. I’m serious. I shook her hand, left the building and waltzed over to the nearest bakery for a vanilla cupcake. I set it in a pink box, tied a bow to the top and dropped it off at the front desk a few days later. What’s the worst thing that could happen? They say, “What a terrible person Brittany is! She sent me a cupcake with a sugar cube the shape of a flower on top!”

4. Make your resume stick out

No, I’m not saying you have to spray your resume with Britney Spears ‘Curious’ and make it out of Cotton Candy paper that dissolves in your hands after it’s read. But, get a little creative in a safe way.  In fact, look for websites like this that make resumes pretty and diverse. You’ll stick out of the crowd, but not far enough so you’re floating so far away from reality and people don’t take you seriously. I’m talking to you Elle Woods.

5. Duh, be yourself dummy!

I’m saying this because sometimes, it really is hard to be yourself in a situation where you want to be professional as well. But don’t second guess who you are. Jump into any slice of the professional world with both feet, past your head and with an open heart. If someone can’t appreciate who you are as a person, you’re not going to fit into that workplace anyway. It’s that simple.

And there they are, little gestures that could go a long way. What are your silly tips for post-grads looking to shut their eyes and see that work-it-girl business suit?