All You Need is 30 Seconds
By Shelby Stanley ‘23
Are you indecisive? Yeah, me too.
Throughout my college career, I constantly changed my mind about what I wanted my career to be. When the NCAA responded to COVID-19 by announcing the addition of a fifth year of athletic eligibility, I became set on continuing my swimming career in graduate school. After multiple injuries and academic burnout, I wasn’t sure about my path anymore. In September, I decided that applying for graduate programs was not the right choice and was suddenly back to square one. I didn’t have the internship that led to a job offer. I didn’t even know what career field I wanted to pursue. It’s terrifying to not know what you are going to do, especially when it seems like everyone else around you have their lives “all figured out.” But I started over and met with the staff of the Matthews Center.
I took the Strong Interest Inventory and attended numerous coffee chats. I didn’t rule out any industry or any employer. Just like in your liberal arts education, you have to be open-minded when searching for a job. I began reaching out to alumni and applying to numerous Handshake and LinkedIn posts, but everything felt like a dead-end. Then when Davidson hosted the career fair, 30 seconds changed my entire future.
Red Ventures was one of the employers represented at the career fair. Josh King had prompted me to talk to them, so I figured there was no harm in a friendly hello. But let’s just be clear — I had no desire to work in marketing. Regardless, I walked up to the recruiter and shook her hand with a big smile. One short elevator pitch later, I was handing her my resume and moved on with my day.
A week later, I get an email from her asking if I was free to chat. That informal interview turned into an extreme interest in the company and excitement when I was offered another case study interview. That case study interview turned into a super-day and a newfound enthusiasm for marketing. A couple of months later, I officially signed my offer to join the marketing team at RVO Health.
Interviews have always scared me so much. I avoided them for years. I signed up for Pro ‘Cats Professional Development cohort last Fall to actually become more comfortable at interviewing, but I still get nervous every time. If that statement sounds all too familiar to you — what I’m about to say is for you: All You Need Is 30 Seconds.
Networking is how you get noticed. So many jobs, especially in competitive business fields, get hundreds of applicants. How are you supposed to stand out? How do you ensure that your application gets read? The answer is networking. Davidson offers so many amazing events for students to network with businesses and alumni from across the nation. Take advantage of these events. For all you know, you might end up like me and maybe a 30-second conversation will change your entire future.
