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So I hear you’re looking for a new job? Whew! I know exactly how that can be.
It’s like, you’re thankful for the one you have... but you want more. Whether it’s more opportunities, more professional development or our favorite: more money. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve (subtly) stalked your dream company, Indeed and LinkedIn get more attention than Twitter and Facebook, and getting your resume in the hands of the right person is all you want. Again, I feel you!
But before you get overly frustrated with your job search journey, take a listen to how mine has been going. And hopefully, this story will remind you that things always happen exactly how they're supposed to…
But for you to get a clear understanding of what I’m talking about, let’s take it back to 2016…
So, it’s 2016. I currently have one degree in graphic design and am pursuing another in web design (hence how I was able to make this site). I knew that my time in school was coming to an end and I 100% needed real world experience.
Fact about me, I love that I went to grad school. I gained so much via my graduate assistantship. I was blessed with the best boss and mentor ever, Dr. Christa, I was able to live on my own for the first time, I made new friends, and I got my first car! My classes were interesting, my tuition was paid for, and I was extremely thankful.
But like I said, my time in school was coming to an end... I had one more year left and although I’d have two degrees by the time I was done, I had no real world experience. AKA at the very least, I needed an internship, bad. Especially because I had hopes of getting a job right out of school.
So I applied to countless design internships for the summer of 2016.
But nobody was messing with your girl. I wasn’t getting any callbacks, no interviews, nothing. But I needed experience! So I started applying to other fields closely related to design and guess what? I got a call! From a company named OpenSesame.
Opensesame is a Portland based online marketplace that provides elearning courses for employee training and they were interested in having me be on their marketing team for the summer. Initially, I was “heck yeah!” I was soooo excited! Not only would I be getting real world experience (and a check) but I’d be able to spend the summer in Portland, OR with my Mom! So I was here for it! And accepted the offer, immediately. .
But aside from all the excitement, I have to be honest… I felt a little insecure. I was happy and so appreciative that they wanted me on the team, but it was for a marketing role. I had been in school for now five years and my focus had always been graphic design. So for this marketing opportunity to come, I was lowkey indifferent about it...
But I decided I would make the best of the situation and finesse as much design work as I could into my day to day responsibilities...
Three months later, not only did I have the absolute BEST time in Portland, OR. but I gained experience, a few mentors, and a new found interest in marketing.
It’s crazy how things work out.
So after the internship, I go back to grad school, finish my program, and on May 14, 2017, ya girl was officially hooded. I now had a bachelor's and master’s degree by the age of 24 and just knew I would be having job offers from everybody and they momma!
Not so much. Because after I graduated, I was out of work for three months.
Now that I think back though, that time off was necessary. Because ever since I stepped on a college campus (back in 2011) I spent my summers taking classes and working. So to have an extended break after six years of consecutive schooling? I lowkey wasn't mad at it.
But, I also needed a job. And two degrees sounds nice, but two degrees with only 3 months of real world experience? Well lets just say that the job recruiters weren’t feeling it. So I had to be humble. And how humble was I?
So humble that my two degree having ass applied to be a personal assistant at a construction company (while doing freelance web design on the side).
Cause yall, I had bills! A hefty car note to be exact and a credit card, and debt, so I had to do what I had to do! But again, things always happen how they’re supposed to, because with that opportunity I was able to help GMA Construction Group develop their marketing department. How so? Let me explain…
So when I applied to GMA in June 2017 they were creeping up on their third anniversary. Their goal was and still is, to “develop people that will transform communities.” This black owned construction company provides everything from general contracting, to construction management, cost engineering, and much more.
So what the heck was I gonna do there? Technically I got hired to be the president’s personal assistant, but when he saw I had a background in marketing we basically came to the agreement that I would assist him and be responsible for the marketing too.
I was pumped! As long as I was doing some kind of marketing, I was pleased. I don’t know how I got in there… or how it all worked out... but it did. And next thing you know, I’m taking notes during the presidents morning meetings and coming up with social media plans in the afternoon. I was able to help develop their new website, get them new branding materials, and I was meeting new people at the construction conferences I was attending.
It was lit! A true stepping stone! Nobody would’ve ever told me that taking a personal assistant job would result in me gaining soooo much experience.
And family! From the boss, to the superintendents, to the project managers, to the carpenters, everyone who came through the GMA doors knew the big head, friendly, skinny girl at the front desk by the name of “Jay.”
But after ten months, I wanted more. More responsibility, more actual marketing tasks. GMA Construction Group was a great company, but there wasn't any way for me to move up…
But, as usual, God came through with the W and blessed me with an even greater opportunity…
My first “big girl job” as a digital marketer for a financial trading software company in downtown Chicago.
And I was SHOCKED! And yall, the description was so lit! I’d be responsible for creating strategies, developing new campaigns, being over the social media, designing branding materials, helping with the website. So. Much. Marketing. It was everything I wanted and more!
And the perks! Oh my God, yall ain’t ready for the perks:
Free food (and I don’t mean a bagel here and there, no, like meals meals!)
A flexible work schedule
And the option to work from home on Fridays!
It was a small team (just two people to be exact) but I was determined to make the most out of this and get at least two years under my belt from this job.
Okay so, statistics sidenote: most millennials don’t even make it to two years at a job. The recruiting industry says things like millennials “hop around” and are “never really satisfied, always looking for the next big thing, etc. etc.”
The oldies love throwing salt on our names, so I was determined to beat that statistic!
So I endured. And did it all! Everything from email marketing, to designing branding materials, to running the social media accounts, to creating campaigns, and even working with a third party company to develop a new site for us...
It was all going well, and I would've stayed there for even more years but then something happened…
Wait, that sounded dramatic. So something did happen but it was good! Because again, things always happen how they're supposed to.
Okay, so. In February 2018, I was told we were going to be working with a third party company named G39 Media. They would be helping our two man team develop our new website and it was my responsibility to design the pages and serve as a liaison.
Again, it’s lit! Cause now I’m thinking, like “wow! I get to meet new people, who also have a passion for marketing.” This was something I truly craved! Because again, I didn’t work at a marketing agency, I worked at a company that sold financial software who just happened to have a marketing team (aka me and my coworker). The goal is to sell products and make money. Having a marketing team helps, but they were selling software before this team was even created. For 30+ years! So basically marketing ain’t running or stopping no show.
Best way for me to put it is like this: Think of a car.
The engine makes a car go
You can’t do anything without an engine
The “engine” at the company I worked for was sales
Sales made the company go vroom vroom because they are the ones pulling in money
While marketing on the other hand is more like support and could be considered the seat belts
And even though it's frowned upon, you can still drive a car without seat belts
But okay, back to the story.
So, I met with the third party company G39, to present my design ideas and I’m not gonna lie...our connection was electrifying. I was so used to not being around people who were passionate about marketing that when I got around them team I was shocked.
These people truly cared. We were able to have conversations about design, best practices, and current trends. It just all felt so good! I loved talking to them and looked forward to our meetings. They served as a community that I had been craving since I left grad school in 2017 and I enjoyed their support. I liked them, they seemed to like me, and I wanted more.
So what did I do? I slid in the Chief Marketing Officer’s DM on LinkedIn.
Yup! I surely did! And why? Because you literally miss 100% of the shots you do not take. (Speaking of shots, I still can’t believe Kobe is gone. Smh. Rest in Peace to him and GiGi and all of the other lives that were taken. Smh crazy!).
So after I slid in her DM, a relationship started to form. Not only did I meet with her on multiple occasions, she introduced me to the owner, and their marketing coordinator. I wasn't even working there, but the community aspect I received was so warm and genuine. These people enjoyed marketing just like me and I found myself wanting to talk to them more and more.
So after they invited me to an event, (that I was happy to attend, of course) I took a few of their marketing materials home (a pen and flyer to be exact), and decided that somehow someway I would be working with them in the near future.
I put their flyer on my fridge, and used their pen to write down my goals, specifically saying “One day I will work at G39 Media.”
Months went by and things at my current company started to take a turn (feel free to read the story Closed Mouths Don't Get Fed for that tea). I was getting impatient, I wanted to control the narrative, I wanted to work at G39.
But God (and the universe) had different plans for me.
God knew how bad I wanted two consecutive years on my resume! And He knew how professionally insecure I felt not having it. Because again, I had been in school for six years! My peers (aka my job search competitors) who didn't go to grad school, already had two years on me. So obtaining two years on my resume from my current job was a must! But times were getting… hard.
In a matter of a few months I got a new boss, who’s managerial style was.... Different.
I was getting the runaround when it came to getting a raise (never got it, btw) and the fact that I wasn't getting any support professionally or creatively was starting to hit harder than I thought it would.
But I wanted that 2 years. I was only 8 months away from it. I wanted to do it! I needed to do it! But things were getting so hard… I wasn't as happy going to work, and I started to feel more unappreciated than empowered. It was a tough time for sure.
But, I couldn't just quit my job. I had bills! And G39 wasn't hiring at the time, so I had to move smart. And I did!
I started revamping my resume, applying to other places, and I even took a free Google Analytics course to earn my first certification. When I finally got my two years I wanted to hit the ground running! I had the degrees, the certification, a strong skillset! Now I just needed the right opportunity…
But, one thing I had to realize, and keep realizing to this day, is that we truly don’t have any control over this thing called “life.” So although at a year and 8 months I was ready to leave my job, God wanted more for me.
He wanted me to get two years at this job and he wanted me to develop some patience too (another goal that I ironically jotted down using my G39 pen).
God wanted me to trust that He had everything under control and all I needed to do was trust the process....
I'm saying this now with no problem, but when you're going through something it can be hard to remain positive.
Think of a time in your life when you had to wait on something. Like legit wait on it and there was nothing you could do to speed it up. You had no final say and no time machine. What did you end up doing?
You waited. Because again, we have no control. Over anything! But how you wait says a lot about you too...
So during my waiting time, I focused on the positives of my job (like the free food, nice view, work from home Fridays) and started venting to my support system…
I can remember talking with my Mom about work and getting reminded that “delayed does not mean denied.” I can remember talking with my Auntie Bunny and hearing her say things like “Lele, pray and tell God exactly what you want! He’ll do it for you!”
Or even my best friend London, I can remember her sending me messages like “your job don't even realize who they have on their team! They gon miss you when you gone.”
Them, my Discovery church family, my ships, and my friends, all poured into me when my work cup was truly empty! And by the grace of God, I reached my goal of 2 years at my job in January 2020!
Yup! 2 years, finally!! Whew, I was so happy to see that update on LinkedIn. I just knew brighter days were coming and soon I’d find a new marketing job to call home.
To be honest, I didn’t want to go back after the holidays but I had to get out my feelings. I had to remember that God blessed me patience and endurance to make it to two years, and that He’d bless me with a new job when the time was right.
And because faith without works is dead, I began applying to even more jobs. While I was in Portland for the holidays, I updated my resume and added a new work experience bullet point that made me so proud:
Blogger & Brand Strategist for JalyssaDoubleU.com
I battled with adding the blog to my resume for the longest! I knew I had done so much work for JalyssaDoubleu.com… from email marketing, to getting it on the first page of Google, to literally designing and developing it from scratch (via my handy whiteboard). The blog was this amazing passion project that I loved but I was afraid of how future employers would take it...
I mean, this is a personal blog. So I’m on here talking about personal things. Everything from heartbreak to eating struggles, hell even plastic! So I wasn't sure if I wanted JalyssaDoubleU.com to be on my resume…
But after looking for a job for so long, and not getting any call backs, I was like “you know what? I’m gonna add it. Nobody’s calling me for an interview anyway! So maybe adding the blog stats and responsibilities will help.”
And of course, because God (and the universe) work in mysterious ways, I got a call just three days later!
Then, I received another call!
And another call!
And next thing you know, I had 3 opportunities knocking at my door! I was shook! Cause again, just last month no one was hitting me up! And now I had three potential job opportunities.
I was overly excited! But then God added a cherry on top to my job search journey...
So I was at work, minding my business, and a certain Chief Marketing Officer hit me up on LinkedIn letting me know their company was hiring. Her exact words were “I wanted you to be the first to know.” And what company was this?
Yup! G39 Media! After months of staying in contact, reading their blogs, and I guess staying on their radar, they remembered lil ol me! And wanted me to apply. I couldn’t believe it!
And now, less than two weeks later, I’m proud to say that I’m the newest member of their marketing team!
As I type this I still can’t believe it. My eyes are literally watering and I cannot believe God really came through for me like this!
G39 Media is a digital marketing agency. So everyone truly cares about it. Remember my car scenario from earlier? Well at G39, the engine is marketing and I get to have conversations with people who actually care about it.
That support and collaboration I craved for years has now been gifted to me with a shiny red bow. To say I am appreciative would be an understatement. All that praying, waiting, and dreaming, and now I finally get to work at my dream company! Like, I legit still have their pen I snagged a year ago, and their flyer is still on my fridge!
It’s crazy and amazing how things worked out. God truly came through with the W and I’m so happy to have a relationship with Him. He gave me my two years of experience, a support system to encourage me when I got low, a steady income, and now this huge and unexpected blessing of working for G39 media.
My heart is so full. And I am so happy! I’m looking forward to starting my new job and truly embracing this experience. I am so happy that I didn’t act a fool at my old job and ruin any relationships and I am so happy to be leaving there on good terms.
But okay, I know this is getting hella long, so I’m going to leave you with this…
No job is perfect. And I understand we all want to be working in our desired field, and we want more money, and a supportive staff, etc, etc. But, if you don't remember anything from this story please remember this:
In order for God to bless you with more you have to be appreciative for what you already have. You can’t expect a brand new Mercedes Benz when you’re not even appreciating your 1998 Corolla. You can't expect a six figure job when you're not even appreciating your five figure one.
So whatever you’re aiming for, keep aiming for it! Keep manifesting! Write out those goals and keep speaking those things as if they were. But make sure to remain humble and appreciate what you have at this moment. Because at a point in time you were praying for the job you have right now...
I truly hope my job search has given you some kind of encouragement to keep going! And I wish you the best on your journey.
Til next time,