New tips

After moving back to Utah in July, I decided I would start to prepare to take the GRE (haha). I wanted to take a class since I had tried to study for the test while in Denver and did it for a little while but eventually gave up. I knew the U offered classes and found out that members of the Alumni Association were given a discount. So I signed up but still couldn't afford the class, let alone the test. But then a new incentive was brought to my attention: the Alumni Career Services program. It's a six month program and you're given the opportunity to attend two workshops. I have been trying to attend one for a while but they've been repeatedly canceled. This Monday I was finally able to attend one titled: "Troubleshooting: Why You May Not Be Landing a Job".

A couple of helpful tips for me personally (or what I thought would be helpful, I guess only time will tell if it pays off or not):
-Join LinkedIn. But not just join, have a complete profile, join groups, connect with people you know, etc. I have now joined so if you're on there, look for me!
-Be more aggressive during interviews. Obviously you don't want to be overly aggressive or they will be put off by that but go into an interview like it's a discussion. Not only are they trying to see if you'll be a good fit in their organization, you want to see if they'll be a good fit for you. Don't wait for them to ask every question, follow up their questions with yours, if you have them. And above all, ask for the job! This is one thing I've failed to do, not because I didn't know you were supposed to but because I have not really known how to do it without coming off desperate. I know the person who took my place at the health department was given the job because she said "I really want this job" during her interview. Seems easy enough but I will want to phrase it differently. Once I meet with the counselor for the Alumni, this is something I will be asking her.

Stay tuned! I meet with her next week and post anything that might be useful for others out there.