Remember when you were a kid and grownups would ask you what you were going to be when you grew up? Answers varied from firefighter, to veterinarian, to doctor, to singer, to teacher, and in some cases, a princess. Then when you got a little bit older, grownups would start to ask you what you wanted to study once you graduated high school, and when the program didn't define a clear path, they would ask you what you wanted to do with that degree. I think that in many cases, we all had a dream job, and we pursued certain studies to help us work towards obtaining that dream job. I feel like we all thought that we would find a job in our field right after graduation, or even our dream job right off the bat. We maybe even thought we could get that job before even finishing school. I know many people who were fortunate enough to find student jobs in their field of studies. Unfortunately, in many cases, things don't always go that way. This doesn't have to be a bad thing though!
Sometimes, we end up in a job that couldn't be any further from what we studied. Whether we were offered a different position than what we applied for, or we applied for it out of sheer desperation for a job, ANY job, sometimes we just end up in a position that we struggle to find a correlation with our studies. "So, what did you go to school for? PR? Why the heck are you in recruiting then." Yeah... Good question. Your first job out of school won't necessarily relate back to your studies but hey, it's a first job. Being in this unrelated job doesn't have to be a curse. Being in a position that is outside of your field can be a learning opportunity to gain new skills that you may have otherwise not learned for a long time, and that can then be useful in other jobs. Transferable skills that are learned on the job are so valuable. Even just learning how to be better organized and manage time better is never a loss. Sometimes, some of the skills you learned in school can actually be applied in this other field in a creative way. What I learned about Microsoft Excel and about business writing ended up being very useful in my first job.
I have a bachelors degree in Public Relations and Communications, as well as a college diploma in PR. At the end of my time in college, I completed a 7 week internship as a communications student in a palliative care hospital. This is where I reconfirmed my desire to do communications in the health care field. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and really loved the people I got to work with. Unfortunately, the hospital didn't have the budget to take me on full time after my internship. As much the manager would have liked to keep me, it wasn't her call. I began applying to all sorts of jobs relating to communications, public relations, social media and marketing. After securing my first solo apartment, I stumbled upon the Facebook page of the property management company I was renting from and saw jobs posted. They were hiring a Bilingual Receptionist, among other things. Having not heard back from anywhere else, I decided to apply, telling myself that this could be an opportunity to hold me over until the right job in my field came up. After all, I had a degree where I learned skills that I thought could definitely be useful as a receptionist. I was contacted for an interview, where I was told about a different position that they thought I'd be more suitable for. They needed an administrator on their recruitment team and thought that my skillset could be even better for this job. I accepted the position, not really having any idea what to expect.
What was ironic was that throughout all of my schooling, I would tell people I studied "PR". They would almost ALWAYS ask me if that was like "HR". This was one of my biggest pet peeves during school. Then, here I was, after graduating, basically in an HR position. The company I worked for had two separate teams for recruiting and HR. I won't hide it... I was miserable in that job. My position mostly consisted of screening hundreds of resumes and posting our positions on various online platforms, while assisting the recruiting team in recruitment efforts. What kept me going was the incredible people I worked with, and knowing that there would be other opportunities down the road. That opportunity came about 10 months after starting, when my manager at my hospital internship was hiring for a marketing and digital media position at her new place of work. I had done a freelance project for her a few months before, so I knew that her company was one that interested me. I applied for the position, was interviewed, and then informed that they chose to hire someone with many years of valuable experience. HOWEVER, she wanted to hire me for the Executive Assistant position that they had open. I had to weigh my options here. I was already in an administrative role, and this new position wasn't getting me closer to my end goal (or so I thought). I was extremely unhappy where I was and was itching for a change. Knowing that this position wasn't what I was initially looking for and knowing my skillset, my manager told me that she wanted to shape the position to something that suited me. She incorporated communications tasks into my job description, telling me that I could continue to sharpen my skills and gain more work experience, which would ultimately help lead me to what I wanted to do down the road. I accepted her offer and embraced this new learning opportunity.
I started at the end of April, at a time where things were picking up in the office. Lots of events were coming up and I was going to have to learn the ropes really quick. I took on this challenge and knocked it out of the park. I worked really hard for the entire summer and it did not go unnoticed. Where there was a change in the team, I was offered the tasks of the position that I had originally applied for. Both my boss and the Communications Manager had seen what I was capable of, and were confident that they could put these responsibilities in my hands. Keeping many of my Executive Assistant responsibilities, I've added on the social media for the company and other communications tasks, also changing my title to "Communications Specialist". I was, and still am absolutely overjoyed and excited for this change.
If you are reading this and you are in the shoes I was in this time last year, don't be discouraged. Keep your eyes open and stay open to new opportunities. Also work hard where you are, because your boss might just notice your hard work and give you new opportunities within the company. Sometimes, managers hire someone because they can see a path for them. The position they envision for you may be filled already, or just doesn't exist yet. Managers might know that you are a fit with the company, and are just waiting for the right moment to give you what you are looking for. They are usually aware that the job they offered you isn't what you originally wanted, but they also don't want to lose you as a person. Some managers are really great for this, and will advocate to get you to where you want to go. Sometimes, you just need a little bit of time to get there. Now, if you just don't like the company you are in, seek out new positions and the right one will come along. In the mean time, embrace the opportunity to learn these new skills and to gain that valuable, resume enriching experience. Often times, time and persistence is all you need!
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