By Claire Klieger
It’s that time of year again – the excitement of Pen Relays! This iconic event has gotten me thinking about the similarities between it and the experiences of many of the students I’ve seen this week who are still very much still in the midst of their own job or internship search run (and feeling like they are falling behind in the race). So, in honor of Penn Relays, I offer these comparisons between the search and track and field events:
Be prepared for hurdles. 
Each step of the search process is like a hurdle that you must successfully clear. To feel prepared for your own race, try to anticipate the hurdles along your own course: what exactly does the application require? How can you tailor your resume for that opportunity? What kinds of questions might you get asked during an interview? Will there be an assessment? Whenever possible, do what you can to get ahead of such challenges by preparing effectively so you come across both confidently and comfortably during interviews (we in Career Services can help!). That said, there may be roadblocks you do not expect so keep your own mental agility in shape by re-familiarizing yourself everything on your resume and staying calm, cool and collected under pressure.
At times you may feel like your world has been turned upside down.
The landscape of your search can change very quickly so that you may go from feeling frustrated by not having any interviews or offers to have several at once or, more likely, a combination of the two. When you feel overwhelmed by the process, touch base with us to chat about how to ask for more time on an offer or let an employer with whom you have an interview know that you just received an offer elsewhere but are really more interested in their opportunity. And, if nothing else, this topsy-turvy positioning can certainly give you a fresh perspective!
Sometimes you are the baton.
Even if you’ve been doing everything right in your search—applying for lots of positions, making sure your resume is in great shape, networking with alumni, and more–you may find that it takes a while to find something. And, it can be very frustrating because so much of the process is outside of your control. In a sense, you are like the baton, being passed from one interview round to the next without control over the outcome. However, just like the perfect baton pass, the opportunity and timing has to be right so if you did not get the offer you had wanted, it may not have had anything to do with your own efforts or talents. In many instances, it is because it was just not quite the right fit or the employer thought it was a slightly better fit for someone else. Take heart in knowing that employers were impressed enough with your credentials to ask you to interview so you indeed have everything you need to be successful.
Endurance is key
When you’ve running what feels like your own job or internship search marathon for months, it can be hard to stay motivated, particularly if you’ve already encountered several situations when you made it to final rounds of interviews but failed to receive the offer. Or, it can be tempting to stop applying for other opportunities while you are in the midst of interviews. The trick to any successful marathon, however, is to keep at it. There are definitely many great things still out there. Employers hire all year round for full-time opportunities and even for internships, we find that some of the most interesting opportunities, particularly with start-ups and in entertainment, do not get posted until late in the spring. So, when you reach your own point of job search fatigue, stop by Penn Career Services to get the boost you may need to get back on track.
Good luck with your race!
