The Hiring Process is Not Always Linear

The hiring process is not always linear. This was the actual process when I landed my first full time job of Associate Producer after I graduated from college. Yep- this crude drawing looks the way the chaotic process felt! There were a lot of reasons why I may not have ended up with this job:

- There was no job posted - I found a company that was a perfect fit of my interests (television, internet, marketing) and skills (project management/producing) and wrote a detailed cover letter asking if they had any positions available.

- Great Recession - This was also at the beginning of the great recession. Thanks to graduating a semester early and my internship experience, I was able to slide in before headcount at most companies was cut.

- Delayed response from Hiring Manager - There were 2+ months of back and forth before I was offered the job. I kept following up with the hiring manager, and after my second in-person panel interview, she told me to never lose my persistence as that was what kept me top of mind for the role and is an important skill for a Producer (project manager). It turned out that she was just bogged down with work and this wasn't the top priority- not a great candidate experience, but it happens.

Not every path is the same, don't be discouraged if yours is different than everyone else's.