My first task was to update my resume. I knew that nothing would happen without a winning resume. You would think it was easy, but those few lines were hard to write. I spent days writing and rewriting my resume. To get some help, I went to the OCD office at Stern for feedback. I had to say that I had a good impression of the people who work there. Even though they had limited resources (OCD cannot include me in the summer recruiting process, which would have helped my situation), they did a good job advising me on my resume.

While I was polishing my resume, I started searching websites for job postings. Based on my online job search for marketing positions, I really liked two websites in particular, hotjob.com and nytimes.com. I joined both sites as a member and posted my resume. Then, the games began…

Each day, except for the days I needed to go to school, I was at the local library searching for job postings and sending online resumes. For each resume I sent, I made sure I did some research on the company so I could personalize the cover letter. It was time consuming. As days passed by, the frustration and pressure started to build up.

First, the job opportunities were limited.. I worked in a marketing research company.. With this economy, jobs in marketing research were scarce. Most of the time, the job postings were not the right fit. Worst of all, the job requirements were so specific that even when I had similar experience and was willing to learn no one would give me a chance. In another words, forget about companies wanting to invest in people and hire them for their minds and not just for their previous experience in performing a specific task.

Secondly, I did not know who was receiving and reading my resume. I would send 10 to 20 resumes a day and usually I did not hear anything back. It was like playing a game without knowing with whom you were competing. Most of the time, the hiring company only listed the email address. I could not even talk to a person!

This situation persisted for a few weeks and drained my energy quickly. I did not know what I could have done better to make things happen. I was willing to take a part time position or a summer intern position without pay. Give me something! I was really frustrated…

I showed up at the OCD office and requested to see former OCD advisor Nena Davis, who was recommended by a classmate. I briefly explained my situation and asked for direction. Nena smiled at me and said, “I understand your situation. I have seen students coming to see me for the same reason. The market is tough. We have problems placing the full timers too… what have you done so far?” After she heard the list of things I had done, she advised me to probe into my network and said,” It could be your best shot.” I explained, “but I have limited networking skills and only a small circle of friends.” “You are a part-timer and must know some classmates already. Start with them! Your network will grow and expend even if you work with just a few people at the start.” She continued, “You should not underestimate your network. Your best shot will be your fellow classmates or people studying at Stern. They are likely to be the hiring managers.” Before I left the office, she also gave me some tips on how to contact people. With both hopes and doubts, I started my network journey…

My first task was to list the people in my network. On a piece of paper, I wrote down the people I knew and selected some classmates from the business card booklet I bought from PTLF to be my new contact. For each person, I wrote a personalized email asking to share his/her working experience with me and I mentioned that I was available in the job market. Then, I waited… A week later, responses started to kick in. To my surprise, 95% of my classmates (whom I had never met before) responded to my inquiry. They offered to either meet with me or have phone conversations. I was touched by the responses. From that point on, in addition to searching for a job on the internet, I started to work with my network. Many classmates mentioned that their companies had a hiring freeze for the year, but offered to submit my resume to the HR contact anyway. Some sent me internal position openings. The really interesting and fruitful experience was that I had the chance to visit some of the companies where my classmates worked. As a start, it looked promising…However, transforming this network into an interview or job offer was really the difficult part. I had a good start through contacting and setting up contacts to expand my network. I met many friendly and successful people, and learned their career paths. However, in the end my goal was to find a job. A month later, I had exhausted all my leads —The people I needed to meet I had already met or spoken to, and through them, my resume had already been sent to HR. What should I do next? Feeling disappointed, I asked Nena again for advice. Nena said, “You are already ahead of the game. Your contacts already know your name and something about you. When there is an opportunity, they are likely to think of you first for the right position. Be patient! You are on the right track.” Feeling hopeful again, I continued my journey.. Many times, I really doubted the opportunity would ever come. Many days, I felt I was facing concrete walls wherever I turned. I struggled to move on everyday… Until one day, one door opened:

While searching on the web for new job postings, I came across a company, Hanover Direct, that had a position opening for a marketing analyst, a job function where I had extensive experience. More interestingly, through my networking I had already spoken to a classmate who works for that division in that company. I immediately contacted him and asked him to follow up with HR. The very next day, HR called and scheduled an interview. Two weeks later, after a second interview, I got the job! My hard work paid off! You cannot imagine how happy I was!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Nena Davis (who is no longer with Stern) and my fellow classmates, Dan Hatola, Chip Clingham, Mark Gregor, Erinne May-Reed, Jun Li, Geraldine Khoo, Eric He, Tony Plohoros, Molly Meek, Ariel Ling, Sun webster, Saritha Vaz, Deirdre Wanat, Christine Cavanaugh, Mary Clare Chiofalo, Bill Zhang, Dennis W. Jang, and many others. Thank you so much for being there for me!

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