A New Adventure

The past year I have searched for many different jobs. Private school administration. Online marketing. University recruiting. Education companies. Big corporations. So many different avenues. I’ve heard many “no” responses and many unanswered responses. In spite of this, I wasn’t discouraged. All the previous jobs I had received came in the most unlikely way and since my life follows patterns, I expected a similar outcome. I will post those stories too as they are quite the ride. I kept plugging away at the job search. After graduation, I tapered off the search as I dealt with the emotional drain from the previous two years, the death of my grandma, and just wanting time to have fun.

In July, the associate dean of BYU’s business school called me. He offered me a project based position to work with diversity recruiting. “Jackpot!” I thought. The school currently had a hiring freeze and I felt this was my ticket in when that freeze was lifted. I played in California the next week, talked with the associate dean a couple of times, and returned from vacation ready to work. As the next few months passed, hope waned that this could turn into a full time position. One day the associate dean warned me warned me that the MBA recruiting position was just approved but just because I was working for him right then did not guarantee I would be hired for the newly approved opening. That message sat with me for a few weeks. Though I applied for the position, I realized that I did not fit with the ideals of the MBA program and the person they wanted in that spot. When I saw that the MBA office had reposted the opening, I emotionally abandoned the opportunity altogether.

Thus began my journey. My grandpa always told us “It isn’t what you know but who you know.” MBA school constantly emphasized the importance of networking to find what you want. I took both to heart and reached out to Taylor, a family friend. I bumped into Taylor in the student center the previous week when I was spending time with a brother-in-law who was in town. What a fortuitous meeting! I emailed Taylor and he spent some time deciding who to introduce me to, what industries to target, and where to focus my energies. I began setting up informational interviews, attending conferences, and reaching out to those who were eager to help me. Each person either suggested a position I could apply for in that company or someone else that would be valuable for me to talk to. The doors began to open!

The week after Thanksgiving I met Joseph. Though we both felt I wasn’t the best fit for his company, he suggested I talk with Michael who worked at a company in Salt Lake. (They provided consulting services and designed training/learning programs to help solve the needs of the companies.) Guess who was also connected to Michael? My new friend Taylor. Taylor introduced Michael and me via email and within the hour Michael responded with openings that matched my interests. Even better, two people had just given their two weeks notice and the company needed to fill the positions quickly. Michael and I discussed the workings of the company and my excitement grew throughout our conversation. He also put me in touch with Anna, the Director of Instructional Design, and she asked for my resume. She immediately responded to my email and invited me in for an interview. Both Michael and Anna’s eagerness to meet with me stemmed from my dual background in education and business.

Two days later after talking with Michael, I was sitting in Anna’s office. I was nervous! I spent six hours the day before preparing for the interview. I've never done that! The first 30 minutes of the interview I took a writing proficiency exam. Basically a dumbed down version of the grammar part of the GMAT. By the way, I maintain one of the questions had no right answer. For those of you who know grammar, I’ll give you the sentences and you can let me know if I am wrong. I was supposed to meet for 30 minutes with Anna in a one-on-one interview but we ended up talking for over an hour! By the end of the interview she said two key important things: 1) I can see you quickly becoming a Lead Designer in the company; 2) When can you start? Needless to say the interview went well and Anna was thrilled to have me part of the team. I start Wednesday which means all of this happened within 1½ weeks! I will be trained/mentored for 3-6 weeks depending on how quickly I pick up the process and protocol. Who are we kidding? It will be three. :) Then I work as an Instructional Designer where I provide consulting (needs analysis) for companies and work with a team to design solutions for their company depending on that need.

Little did I realize a year ago that my journey would lead me to a job where I could do both business and curriculum design. I searched for companies like this but always seemed to come up short. The Lord prepared every step of the way. How grateful I am for His divine guidance.