Our world is full of stories of failure, disappointment, and mediocrity, all of which can become discouraging when in the midst of seeking a new job. And the role of the employment counselor can become more that of cheerleader than anything else at times. So I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about some success stories from among our alumni at Presbyterian College that come to mind, and a few principles that can be drawn from them. These principles can be shared with clients at any point in their career path. They just happen to be from my work with traditional college students from South Carolina.

1. A young man from a small town in South Carolina was finishing up his high school career as a football standout, with plans to pursue culinary school. But his coach had just been recruited to a very small college in a nearby community and asked him to consider trying out for the team. After all, a four-year degree added to his culinary skills would mean he could manage a restaurant, not just do the cooking. So the young man wound up playing four years of college ball, improving his skills, and decided to give the NFL a shot. It would, of course, be a long shot, coming from the smallest D1 school in the country, but he gave it his best and ended up drafted in the sixth round. Now, three years later, he’s been chosen for his third straight Pro-bowl special teamer award, although he may forego it if his team continues to win. His name was on the tongues of the commentators yesterday (Dec. 27) as he was targeted again and again by an offense testing his consistency – after all, this was only the second defensive start of his career. He responded with an interception in the end zone and a fourth down stand with a tackle on the 2 yard line. By-the-way, he also just got an extension on his contract for $15M. What does this have to do with you and your career? Like this young man, your path may change from what you think it is right now. But you can control your destiny to a certain degree if you never give up and work hard to set yourself apart. Each new challenge is a fresh opportunity to impress someone who’s eyeing you for a future opportunity. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Bethel and https://arizonasports.com/story/501139/justin-bethel-interception-looms-cardinals-win-packers/)

Career Tip One – Give it your all wherever you happen to be because you never know what opportunities may lie ahead.

(This may also be called having “GRIT.” Grit means consistent, focused, effort and it correlates with success – https://www.wired.com/2011/03/what-is-success-true-grit/)

2. A young woman in New York City is also from the same state, but from a little larger community. She had an interest in pageants growing up, which helped her develop self-confidence. (Needless to say, being on stage competing didn’t necessarily instill confidence in one attempt – this took time.) Fast forward to her college career. Strong academics and supportive faculty had helped her continue to build confidence – as well as skills. She was visiting NYC on a college break and took a chance on holding up a sign telling the TODAY show producers that she wanted to be a summer intern. Her confidence and creativity paid off – she not only landed that internship, but is now the Chief of Staff for Buzzfeed. (https://theeverygirl.com/building-business-at-buzzfeed).

Like the first story, you may wonder what this has to do with you and your career future. Maybe you didn’t grow up in pageants, building such self-confidence. But you can definitely act on what little confidence you have.

Career Tip Two – Take a chance whenever you see the opportunity, and incorporate a personal touch of creativity to stand out from the crowd.

This is actually a two-part tip: taking advantage of opportunities and using creativity to become noticed. Not everyone has a gift for creativity, but finding the right mentors can help with that aspect. But both processes involve OPENNESS to something new. Forbes published an interesting article on the topic of creativity used to enhance the interview process. (https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/08/15/20-creative-things-job- seekers-have-done-to-get-noticed/#305832e25867) Overcoming the natural reluctance to meeting someone new is possibly the biggest challenge for many candidates – just take a deep breath and go for it!

3. Another young man had a different set of interests, although he also played college football. He was seeking a career in medical sales, which is one of the toughest fields to get a foot in the door for. But he was willing to pay his dues, completing an internship which was only marginally related to the field. Through the internship, though, he began to meet people within the field, and he began to build relationships with them, demonstrating his hard work and integrity. His final season of football was a busy time for this starting quarterback, but he never neglected the relationships he was building off the playing field. Rather than asking for direct help in making connections, though, he asked for advice and feedback on his efforts, demonstrating a willingness to learn and a high regard for the opinions of his new contacts. Through this relationship-oriented approach, he was suggested for an opening which had not even been announced.

This story may be a little more obvious – networking makes a difference. But it is the way in which he networked that is a key component of his success. This individual didn’t see his contacts as someone to be exploited, or as a stepping stone. Instead, he saw his contact as a valuable resource, worthy of respect, and someone to listen to (not step on). And it didn’t start with the contact in the industry – it started with building relationships outside the industry, in seeing the value of people and relationships, and of the interconnectedness of our business culture.

Career Tip Three – build relationships that are respectful and mutual, and nourish relationships rather than exploiting them.

US News offers a solid article on the topic (https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/10/18/6-networking-tips-for-your-job-search). Here’s another link, too, to a strong TED talk on moving beyond the resume in the job search process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88qytVWuz2A

I could easily provide more examples of students who have found success in the past, but more importantly, I look forward to the opportunity to help YOUR student find their own success in the future!

Written by Lynn Downie, assistant director of career programs.