This Is Not “The End”
As the semester comes to an end, it seems like the appropriate time to reflect on what I have taken away from completing MCS 404. Pollack stated, “I am never alone, and my career path will be long and varied” (262).The assignment we had last week was The Consultation. We were required to select three new job advertisements in our career path. (We had previously done this in the beginning of the semester). We then had to choose one of the new job advertisements to prepare a resume and a cover letter for the position. Upon completion, we were required to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of our application.
The three new job advertisements I chose were the following:
- Social Media and Public Relations Coordinator at the Four Seasons (The Surf Club)
- Public Relations Director at Marriott
- Social Media Coordinator at Maryland Recreation & Parks
Instead of focusing on one local, one national, and one international job advertisement as we had previously done, I looked at what is nearby or at least on the East coast. I decided to complete the assignment by using the JOB. For the course, we already submitted a sample resume and cover letter that was looked over by the professor. With his suggestions, I made corrections accordingly. In regard to my resume, I had to focus on rewriting my personal statement. That seemed to be the most challenging part of writing my resume. I also had to make some simple corrections to the format of my resume. The cover letter I initially submitted is a different story. There were a lot of editing that had to be done! Instead of focusing on describing my skills and achievements, I had to show it within my cover letter.
Out of the three job advertisemets, I chose the Social Media and Public Relations Coordinator positition at the Four Seasons. When I presented my resume to the career center for review, they said it was fairly well. My description of my professional experiences clearly explained and showed my responsibilities. However, there were a few corrections that they suggested. My personal statement was good, except for that they suggested that I make it a little more general because I had mentioned that I am currently the “Social Media and Marketing Intern at Rockville Porsche Audi…”. They also reminded me to include any school activities or leadership roles I have had. Finally, I had to correct the margins of the paper in order to fit those extracurricular activities.
When they looked over my cover letter, they saw how I improved it to show my skills instead of just stating what they are. Instead of having the cover letter in letterhead, they said I should just make it in regular letter format. They also told me to explain in the letter why I wanted to work for the company — Four Seasons. It’s crucial for me to share my knowledge. According to Pollack, “Show that you are up on the news and that you are in the know about your industry and their company” (Pollack 238). I also have to make sure that my first paragraph leads into how I am a strong candidate. They provided me the UMBC Career Guide, which I thought will be a helpful reference to have in the future because it provided examples of resumes and cover letters for various career focuses.
I learned that it is very important to tailor my application to the job descriptions. The job descriptions say exactly what they are looking for in an employee. From this experience, I learned there will be a lot of applying for jobs until I actually land one.
It is not necessarily easy to find your dream… and it may take a lot of searching to find it. But don’t give up, because it’s out there. And you never know if it’s the mountain, stream, rainbow, website, or friend of a friend that will turn out to be the right path — so you have to explore them all. (Pollack 234)
Another important idea that I have learned about and desire to do is work to change the world. The motto of City Year is “‘Take a year to change lives. Take a year to change your life’” (Pollack 248). I want to volunteer and travel all over the world. This course has definitely helped me improve building myself as a brand and I enjoyed all the assignments and readings. Not only were they helpful, but they give me the motivation and the courage to not be afraid of what lies after graduation. Thank you Professor Peake for everything! :)
