Now that I’m officially nine months into my first professional job (on this date, fun fact), I want to share some of my first sage advice.
Research from the Federal Reserve Bank in St.Louis recently found that more than 1 in 3 U.S. young adults (aged 18 to 24) reported having no wage or salary income in 2022. This is up from 1 in 5 in 1990. This was a genuine possibility for me as I faced the daunting challenge of my senior year of college. By the time the April of my senior year had arrived, I had no offer to speak of. Luckily for me, typing this now, I had a plan. I understood that you must have something under your belt to set you apart from the crowd to enter into any application process. For me, it was an officer position as the head of public relations at a Rutgers HR club, some social media work I had done at an apartment building I’d worked at, and most importantly, three internships consisting of projects and events I had managed to claw my way into through family, friends and mentors.
Many students and in 2024, graduates from my alma mater Rutgers University are currently faced with this proposition; how do you go from no professional experience at all, to the expert expected on modern job applications? This question is not just about gaining professional experience, but about personal growth and learning. I want to focus on this question because some of the most valuable professional lessons I learned came from the beginning of my professional life. At that time, my resume consisted of kitchens, cafes, thrift stores, summer camps and preschools. Each of these experiences, though seemingly unrelated, contributed to my overall growth and prepared me for the professional world.
My top three lessons were:
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- When you start, keep quiet and pay attention
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- When you’re learning, you’re proving yourself
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- When you’re experienced, show kindness to others
These lessons are two-fold. They benefit the people around you as well as yourself. Beginning each job was a series of risks, questions, and mistakes. As we become more catered to through technology and its many applications for advertising and entertainment, the slow, complex process of developing professional skills becomes even more difficult. However, the experiences you gain when serving the public are priceless. Whether I was making lattes for exhausted regulars, dropping kids off the bus at the end of the day, or showing someone where the vintage Hawaiian shirts were for their party tonight, I came to understand more about people.
As a leasing and marketing assistant at Standard New Brunswick, I understood what it meant to truly learn a role and eventually become experienced in my role. After learning the main functions of an apartment’s administrative office, sales, event planning, and touring, I moved on to “whatever’s needed”. This period of that job was one of my fondest professional memories. The wacky characters, the achievements, and most importantly, growing closer to my team. The most important experience from this role was learning the value of customer service. As the voice on the other end of the line, armed with solutions and a roadmap for action, I learned that genuine assistance and empathy can leave a mark on others.
wAmidst the hustle and bustle of daily tasks and responsibilities, it’s easy to lose sight of the impact we can have on others through genuine acts of kindness and assistance. However, my experiences have taught me that these small gestures can leave a lasting impression and forge meaningful connections. Whether you’re networking at an event or job fair, interviewing for a new role, or connecting with someone for coffee, it’s important to remember the power of kindness. Each interaction presents an opportunity to showcase your skills and expertise and connect with others on a deeper level. Whether offering a word of encouragement to a nervous job seeker or putting in a good word for a friend, these moments of authenticity can lay the foundation for lasting relationships and collaborations.