Finding that perfect Job

Starting my job search began when I was still in college, casually looking around the LinkedIn jobs tab. I started searching in the Orlando area, and then became a little more courageous in searching the New York area. For months I waited for responses. There weren't any. Well, that's not completely true. I found two part time jobs while I was still in school during the fall semester through LinkedIn. But as graduation came around no one would respond to my applications. There were so many great opportunities on LinkedIn that I couldn't believe no one was responding. Its not like there was/is nothing on my resume!!! I have lots of skills! So I would continue to refine my search from Entry Level positions to Associate and vice-verse (which can be found on the left tab after you have already begun a search).

It's not WHAT you know, it's WHO you know, right? WRONG. It's both. Yes, I said both. I am friendly with one of the Public Relations managers at Team Disney and she became my mentor. She still couldn't help me acquire a job at Disney. I had to go through the application process like everyone else. I was given a job opportunity with a travel agency in New York. They are affiliated with my uncles and I went on a trip with their company AND roomed with the pilgrimage director on that trip. Did I get that job? No. Why you ask? Because they found someone else with 20 years of experience. I gained the jobs I have now because of my hard work in searching the web, and constantly applying and asking around. I would apply to at least 3 jobs a day. I even started keeping track of where I was applying; with whom, with what company, when and where they are located. (I only started doing this because, of course, in one interview someone asked me where else I was applying. My response was bulls**t because I couldn't remember the hundreds of jobs I'd applied for. In my head I kept thinking "are you kidding me!!?!?? Why would she ask me that? I have been applying EVERYWHERE!!!). Once I was keeping record of my applications, by righting them down in a notebook, I started to feel a lot more confident and was receiving more and better responses. That is when I acquired the part time and now the full time. The part time I acquired on my own and the full time I received thanks to one of my staffing companies I have been working with since the beginning. They are actually the only staffing company at the beginning who would deal with a new graduate looking for an entry level job. I can explain how staffing companies work at another time.

A list of websites that have helped me along the way in finding jobs and internships are as follows:

• LinkedIn 
• NY Creative Interns 
• Indeed 
• Media Bistro 
• Career Builder 
• Intern Match 
• Disney  -WARNING: you need a log in account and at first, it literally takes forever to apply for your first application. Word of advice, Disney LIKES long resumes. They don't want to see a one page resume. What's that you say? Everyone tells you to write only a one page resume? I know. That is true, for EVERYONE ELSE. But for Disney, THEY DON'T. Lucky for me (not), I didn't know this until after I had applied for multiple positions there. They want to know everything you did in your past jobs and internships and volunteer work. Don't leave anything out! But only keep it between 2-3 pages. I applied to 16 different openings and received a call back for ONE and still didn't get it. After you apply to your first one, the rest are easy because Disney saves your responses from your previous application. That is why I was able to apply to 16 different jobs. You'll see if you apply.
  Also, they don't tell you this either, they usually only accept you if you have participated in the college program or was a previous Cast Member before applying for a job in their corporate office. I did neither. But taking those phone interviews and applying gave me a lot of experience and learning.
• Searching top staffing companies in the New York area who were associated with marketing positions
• New York Times Jobs

Others I heard about but didn't use as much were:

• Cyber Coders
• Manhattan Jobs
• Beyond
• Startwire
• Friends and Family

I am also into fashion and creativity. So I applied to positions by searching companies or websites I thought I would be interested in.

• Fashion Jobs
• Martha Stewart
• Target
• Job Score
• Friends and Family

Another piece of advice: I saved almost every email I received in a separate folder JUST IN CASE. You never know especially when you receive an email from a company and you don't remember who they are or when you applied for them, you'll have a copy in your email in a separate folder.

I know there are more out there and I have forgotten some but these have been awesome at helping me find what I was looking for. Which is, and was, a marketing position dealing with the marketing or social media department. I was even looking at jobs for advertising and public relations. They say it's this economy. But if you aren't willing too look hard and long for the job you want in life, you're not going to find it.