8 things i learned from the job hunt

I started the job hunt mid-August, less than two weeks later and I'm working a full time job that is beyond what I could have ever planned for myself. Going into applying for full time work, I mentally prepared myself for a long, tiring three months of trying to get a good fit for a job. Little did I know, it wouldn't nearly be that long. Nonetheless, these past 2 weeks have taught me loads. My blog has clearly been a side-note (I'm so sorry!), as I have spent every free waking moment scanning Job Postings, updating my LinkedIn, changing my resumes, writing cover letters... the list is never ending. Looking for full time work is hard work, it takes resilience, patience, and straight up determination. But it definitely isn't quite what everyone made it seem.

Stop listening to everyone else.
There is a long list of things people told me that they knew to be true that wasn't at all true for me. One word of advice was to apply for 100 jobs and set a realistic expectation of how many interviews to expect from that (she suggested 2 interviews as a realistic goal). If I applied for 100 jobs I would have went absolutely crazy. I would have lost my mind. Another word of advice was to apply for a broad range of related careers, to not just apply for specifically what I saw myself doing. I tried out that advice... but quickly realized if I actually got some of the jobs I applied for, I would have been miserable. Basically: hear everyone out, but follow the advice that sits well with you. You want a process that doesn't make you crazy, and you want a job in the end that you'll love- anything that leads you astray on either of those things perhaps you should reconsider listening to.

Excel is your best friend.

I never loved Excel so much in my life. I recommend keeping an Excel spreadsheet of all the jobs you are applying for and some basic information that will help you recall the job once you have applied for a ton of them. You may forget you applied for the job when a Recruiter contacts you a week later regarding the application, so preventing that kind of confusion is a good call.

Don't fear networking.
I definitely contacted a good chunk of people that had connections in the field of graphic design that I didn't ever imagine myself reconnecting with. Even if those connections don't pan out, you never know, it's worth a shot. Also, don't be too prideful to reject help or fear it. Ask advice from people in careers like the ones you are looking into, contact people you look up to and ask to hear their story. Network, network, network. At the very least, you'll learn a lot from others and open up doors for the future.

Resumes: make variations, use keywords.
I started out with one resume, and ended up with three. Make a few that vary in what the employer would be looking for in an employee. Perhaps have a really broad resume for a job a bit out of your ideal, specific field, and have one that is tailored to the exact career title you preferably want. Also, for medium to larger scale companies, add in keywords from the job posting into your resume. As you can imagine, they don't look at each individual resume but rather stick it into a database. Make sure your resume will pop up as a good fit for the job by tailoring your resume to the career.

Cover letters: Don't spend an hour writing one.
Learn from my mistakes. Make a few templates, write a couple pages that you can mix and match into cover letters, and don't spend all day long writing cover letters that people skim at most. If I learned anything, I learned that Resumes should say more than a Cover Letter does. It proves your passions right, it proves your determination and experience... a Cover Letter is all talk. Remember that.

Phone interviews: Don't over-prepare, don't dress up.
That one time I had a phone interview with a recruiter and I had 10 pages of written notes sprawled out across my bed. True story... and it did me no good. Didn't help at all. If anything, over-preparing will make you frantic and anxious. I've had phone interviews where I dressed up thinking trying to follow the articles online that suggest you dress professionally even if it's a phone interview, so that you in-turn act more professionally. I found that the phone interviews I did in my pajamas I did far better in. Take articles at face value (even this one).

Yoga.
Breathe. Take up yoga, if you are anything like me. But stop stressing, love. You'll find a job. You'll end up where you need to be. Stress will just add one some wrinkles, it won't bring you any luck.

Most importantly, stick to your gut.
Pursue the job you want, not what everyone else tells you to pursue. At the end of the day, stick to your gut. Because at the end of your life, you want to look back and be proud of the decisions you made, you want to know you made them because you knew they were right for you, not because someone told you to.

spotlight on papergoods: moglea

I love companies that take risks, but stick with what they know is beautiful... and this is one of them.

Moglea is a design and letterpress studio based in Western Iowa. Random city, gorgeous designs. Inspired by vintage elements and nature, I love the pops of color in the envelope liners and the bold hand-drawn typefaces on the cards. Also, the edging on that last pink card... too good. The attention to detail and eye for innovative, new designs, it's just brilliant.

They aren't afraid to mix and match patterns with unexpected colors and vector art. They are the type of studio that you see the designs of in stores and you know their name has to be stamped on it. They take risks, but risks that pay off. Risks that make you want to pay a good chunk of change for a single greeting card. Must be good, eh?

august moodboard: girly + chic

Witty cards, blush and lavender nail polish, printed pants, homemade calendars, and heels. There are seasons of loving jeans and hipster design trends and seasons of embracing feminine designs and cutesy outfits. I'm all about the latter lately.

This little collage represents my most recent pins on Pinterest and some recent thoughts of mine regarding design, fashion, and diy:

1. I went quite sometime neglecting nail polish. Let's be honest, it chips in a day with the way that I am constantly typing, crafting, and creating things. But even though it rarely looks perfect, it is kind of fun to have your outfit be completed with a fun shade on your fingernails. Also, ladies, shouldn't we take full advantage of our ability to paint our nails? Men don't do it, and what a shame for the nail polish of the world to go to waste. Lately, I've been loving light lavender nails and as always, blush and coral shades are my jam. I would love to get a hold of this gorgeous pink shade by Essie, but for now I'll just stick to my go-to lavender shade.

2. I can't say I own a wealth of them (perhaps because they don't offer as much versatility), but printed pants have been my recent craze. I am loving these ones that I found on Pinterest and brown heels are the perfect pairing (God knows I love a good pair of brown shoes, ahemm 90% of my shoes are brown. Guilty.) I think printed pants make styling easy if you have enough plain tops in your wardrobe to make it work. And it also looks like you have quite the adventurous style when you rock some crazy floral or geometric print, amiright?

3. I finally put my favorite private Pinterest board out there in the open. I'm pretty proud of this board and I felt like it would really help out those that are trying to figure out their voice when it comes to self-promotion. This plastic custom slipcover would be perfect to hold your portfolio and resume for interviews. Beyond that, I stuck some good ideas for resumes, business cards, and portfolios in there too. You'd be surprised how many people contact me about designing resumes, those are some good ideas to start with if you're in that same boat.

4. I may start a series on creating some of my favorite DIY projects on Pinterest. I need a reason to create some new fun things and everyone loves a good DIY tutorial, right? One of my favorite recent finds is this mason jar that is adhered to a wood block and stuck on the wall to help minimize clutter on a desk and use the wall space wisely.

5. I am still obsessed with Emily McDowell. I don't know if I mentioned this artist before, but oh boy, her cards are my favorite. I love her custom writing, her color schemes, and her fun doodles. I may have to devote a future post to using artists like this chick as an inspiration. She's genius.

Moodboard Sources: Blush and Black Outfit, (Outdated) Desktop Calendars, Watercolor Peony Wallpaper, Poster Design, Greatland Lettering, Stop and Breathe Quote.