I wanted to be consistent in writing blog entries, but there’s really not a whole lot to report on right now in life. I’ll give you an update on where I am in the job search: no job yet. It’s definitely been a longer process than I anticipated. Ever since I was in high school, jobs came knocking on my door and I hoped the same would be true after college. Sadly, that has not been the case (at least not yet). I’ve been spending most nights on my computer searching for jobs in Peoria. At first, I started on the jobs sites Monster and HotJobs but those did not prove to be very helpful. First of all, they’re littered with ads and fake postings. Moreover, it doesn’t seem like a lot of employers in my field (interactive media) post their jobs on these websites.
I came up with a new idea (that may or may not be all that clever) for searching for jobs, at least in interactive media. I like the idea of working for a company that has clients—a job that is project-based so I won’t be working on the same thing all the time, a job where each new project introduces a new challenge that takes intense research and focus to solve. I thought of types of companies that would offer an experience like that. For example, my list of types of companies included the following (among many others):
- Advertising agencies
- Marketing consultants
- Software development
Armed with my list, I needed to find a place where I can find businesses like these in a specific geographic area. Answer: the yellow pages. The yellow pages has the name and phone number of every business by area and tagged with categories that explains their type of business. So, I went to yellowbook.com and typed in “advertising agencies surrounding peoria, il” and was returned with a list of the names of advertising agencies in Peoria and the surrounding areas. Then I search the companies' names on Google and find their websites and see if 1) their website makes them look like a reputable company (first impressions matter, after all), 2) what kind of work their company produces, 3) whether they have a blog (a blog gives insight to what the company is like to work for and what they value), and finally, 4) if they’re hiring. I’m happy to report that this has been successful in getting me the names of some contacts that may be interested in hiring me full-time … whether or not it has been a good way of looking for jobs is yet to be seen.
More important than pursuing employment, however, has been my pursuit of God. My walk with God has looked very different after leaving Bradley. My whole life I’ve had a youth group, a Bible study, a campus organization (cru), or something to be attending during the week to connect with friends and invest in our faith together. However, I don’t have any of that right now. I’m too old for youth group, I don’t know of any Bible studies that are going on right now, and cru is on break for the summer (and I’m not a college student anymore anyway). Without having the constant encouragement available to me, pursuing a relationship with God has been challenging. I'm looking forward to see what's going to happen next. I trust that God has something big planned—although job searching may be new to me, I know its not new to God.
What are you pursuing right now?
Comments
Dan. I read your blog update this morning and I think your new approach toward your job search is a good one ... yes - even clever. One other idea to add to the mix >>> Have you considered looking into Caterpiller? I am guessing that they are one of the larger employers in the area. While I am not sure if they would have an exact match for interactive media, they may. Or perhaps something interesting in their IT area. Just a thought. I remember the transition from college (Navigators) to "real life" ... for me it was a significant change. Give yourself grace as you make this transition. I am praying for you ... did so just this morning in fact. Love, Uncle Ed
Thanks Uncle Ed! In fact, I did look at Catepillar yesterday and they do not have any immediate full-time openings in anything I'd want to do.