Look At Me Now!

I interviewed with a wonderful organization called The United Way of Williamson County in Franklin, Tennessee a few weeks ago. I was then offered the position of Marketing and Communications Specialist. This role reports to a wonderfully good natured woman named Cheryl Stewart, Marketing Manager. She would have to be good humored to work with me! And I gladly accepted.

My role is part-time but this allows me to get involved in understanding all the causes that this organization supports. Thus, I have been in the throws of the learning curve! I had no idea there were so many useful programs today that help all walks of life with the difficulties many face in today’s world. I am inspired more than ever that I can influence positive change. This role may be behind the scenes but allows me the opportunity to grow with the organization, learn the various programs the United Way funds and supports too. This is truly an honor to be allowed to impact, in any way, the efforts of this organization to make resources available to all and help create change.

Their motto says it all, Live United. We all must do that, personally and professionally. Recognition is the first step: we are all interdependent and must do our part to help our neighbors. We all share this land, share in the American dream. With a little bit of effort on our part, we can help others realizes their greater destiny. This organization thrives on accomplishing this end!

Please keep open minds the next time you hear of The United Way coming to your company or organization. They truly are full of caring folks in the office out to make a difference. Please know, behind the desk, trying to come up with the right words to motivate you to care is me, with the aid of my new chief Cheryl at the helm! With the awareness of needs in our community, the right words to stimulate your caring nature and your donations, United Way makes these dreams come true!

Why Hire Me?

This is the value added proposition you are presenting to a potential employer. This is the question that they are asking themselves every time they communicate with you. You would be well advised to have done your homework. That is, be certain to do the research on the company, perhaps even the industry, you are interested in pursing long before you step foot through their doors.

It is so important to remember that the way you approach getting employment with a potential employer is the first reflection of the type of employee you are. Are you prepared? Are you thorough? If you are, you will know what value you can bring. Only then can you begin to address the possibility of increasing the profitability of their company or the enhancing the performance of their operations.

Too many times, job candidates decide to simply ‘wing it.’ That is, job seekers stay generic in their responses to questions during the interview process, so much so that the answers given can be used time and time again. Good experienced human resource specialists can tell if the answer is a pre- programmed response. They can also get a sense if there was any time vested in reviewing their company just by the nature of the candidate’s questions and responses. The front-end preparation will pay dividends, by increasing the odds in your favor!

In addition, you may find this company is not the right fit for you. Do yourself a favor then, do not try to fit a round peg into a square hole. If you are not right, say so. It will only end up being a lesson in frustration for you and for them. Frustration leads to job dissatisfaction. Inevitably, the end product of this is you resigning. Thus, another job-hop on your resume that could have been avoided.

Unfortunately, too many of us look back on our careers and see all the warning signs we ignored on some of the positions we have held. The red flags were going off and perhaps, our sense of pride did not allow us to fess up and admit we were not the perfect fit. As we moved forward, a great deal of time and energy, and the employer’s money, went into trying to right a wrong. It becomes a mission to prove your gut reaction was inaccurate. All this could have been avoided by moving forward to another career opportunity that did feel like the right one for you. And in doing so, you will have done this employer a service.

Take the time, up front, to ask yourself the ‘why hire me’ question as if you are the employer. Do the legwork by learning as much as you can about the position and the company. Only then, can you truly listen to your instincts and say with certainty, when asked the question, “Because I am the best candidate for this job!”

Rejected, Dejected

Job prospecting is the one of the only times you run to your mailbox, anxiously hoping you do not get a piece of mail in it! That would be, the dreaded rejection letter. The anonymously written letter that makes you feels that you are not good enough. They all state the same sort of line, “We found another candidate who better fits our criteria” or “We feel you are not a good match to our qualifications.” Either way, you are not moving forward in your quest to start your career with them!


Every time I hear the words ‘rejection letter’ the same memory comes to mind. My younger sister attended Miami University in Ohio. Once when I visited, she took me to this bar known for honoring these “rejection letters” in a special way. Anyone that brought the dreaded letter in to the bar, and had identification to validate that they were in fact, the rejectee, was treated to a free drink of their choice. And, to make you feel even more special, your personalized letter was plastered on their walls along with all the others that had came before you and would come after you! Yes, there was a sea of these letters lining their walls. I can remember sitting there, reading them and laughing at how blasé they all read. The content and verbiage was the same in so many of the correspondences. You could not help but get the feeling it was the same person at each of these different companies writing the letter

The only thing worse than getting one of these letters is no response at all. Then you are left wondering if you prized document submission went into a black hole, never to be seen again. This is truly frustrating. Even more so when this happens and it was one of those positions you wanted so desperately that you spent extra time tweaking your resume and cover letter to state exactly why you are a perfect fit! You thought, at the time, you looked like an outstanding candidate, looking over your paperwork but the silence tells you someone else saw it completely different!

This is par for the course, this rejection and the moments of feeling dejected, for anyone seeking a career change. Just as with looking for a prince, given you have to kiss 10 frogs first, you must be willing to accept the rejection, repeatedly, to find the right position at the right time for you and for them, the employer.

It is important to keep your morale and attitude positive. Perhaps consider developing your own personal mantra to say for times like this. Verbal pep talks are important. Remember you will spend the majority of your waking hours at your career choice so being positive about the search is critical. You reap what you sow. Your internal dialogue is the best source to lift you up by your bootstraps, hit the job boards again searching and apply, apply, apply!