Get a Job... Check! 2:21 PM

I have been waiting to blog about this day forever.

So here goes (I can hardly contain my excitement!!!!!!!).

On Friday, December 10th, I was flown out to Chicago for final round interviews with my first pick company. It was very last minute. I was called on Wednesday evening, and everything was ready to go that night. They put me up at The James Hotel in Chicago (which is amazing, by the way), which was perfect. I got to grab dinner with my sister and parents at Big Bowl (one of my favorites! I went their for the first time with Abi, his sister and brother-in-law) on Ohio Street, walk around with them a bit in the bitter cold, watch some tv, and get a great nights sleep. My interview on Friday wasn't until 2:30, so I woke up at my leisure, showered, got an amazing breakfast, prepped, and even did some shopping on Michigan Ave. Truly the perfect way to calm pre-interview jitters! I bought some adorable stationary, went back to my room, changed, and headed out.

I was scheduled for a total of six interview slots. Two were with my contact in HR (who was absolutely positively amazing. So supportive, so upbeat, and so encouraging. They're [we're?!?!] lucky to have her!) to touch base before and after the interviews, and four were with upper management in the department. All of the interviews went really well. Conversational, friendly. Of course, I was challenged quite a few times, I definitely had to prove myself and prove that I had the skills required for the position, but not one person treated me as an inferior, entry-level chump (this is rare!). I stood my ground, spoke articulately and honestly, told them what I knew and what I still wanted to learn, and got really positive feedback. Everyone I met was witty and brilliant, but humble. A perfect combination!

A few days later I was asked to complete one more task, just to make sure that I had a handle on the analytics and number crunching required for the position, and then boom. I had the data turned in by Wednesday, December 16th, had a verbal offer by the 17th, and a written offer by the 18th. My offer letter was signed and returned yesterday, and I can now confidently say that all of my hard work paid off. Come January 18th, I will be starting as a Customer Intelligence Analyst at DraftFCB, Chicago, and I could not possibly explain in writing how thrilled I am! I feel so lucky to have secured a position at the first company I walked into and felt a surge of familiarity, recognition, and comfort. I love the company, I love their work, everyone I've met has been wonderful, and I can't wait! Despite the cliched jumping up and down with joy, I totally did it. I had to! I couldn't stop myself!

So that is that, folks. You've read through all of my career-search anxieties, my pessimism, and my optimism, alike. Thanks for sticking with me through it all! It's been (this is absolutely a retrospective statement) fun! I am enthralled with where I've ended up. From now until January 17th, however, I intend to sit back, relax, and marvel at being done with college (I forgot to talk about that!), and having my first job lined up. It's an amazing feeling, and I am truly so lucky to have landed up where I am. Thank you to Miami University for an unbelievable few years. Despite the Ugg wearing, Northface flaunting, upper middle class white kid stereotype, I am undoubtedly a Miami Girl (though perhaps of a slightly [very slight, I do have Uggs and a Northface, ha!] different sort]. I had the best college experience at Miami and will never stop talking about how amazing of a school it is. Thanks to my best friends and roommates, the boys next door, and my family for popping a bottle of champagne with me to celebrate. To avoid a very tacky "thank you" speech here, I'm just going to end by saying...

Here's to the next few years. Keeping my best friends close and introducing them to my new ones. Keeping my family at an arms length, or maybe a drive away. And to learning every single thing I can, soaking it all up, and actually being proud of myself for all the hard work I've put in to get here. May the next few years be as great as the last few!

I'll keep you posted on how that goes. For now, HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR! I May everyone enjoy the holidays with their loved ones by their side.

Love you all,

A

Winding Down... 8:21 AM

Wow, so here I am, at the beginning of my final week of Undergraduate classes. I am rather speechless. Unfortunately I have nothing profound to say, no astonishing words of wisdom, no epiphanies to share, just a simplistic post about what it feels like.

I don't think it's hit me, honestly. College has been a sweet, sometimes bittersweet, emotional roller coaster spotted with academia. It's been incredibly enriching and has included some of the most beautiful, painful, enriching, and frustrating moments of my life. There are, of course, things I would've changed, but everything I went through made me who I am today. And, I'm thrilled to say, I'm happy with that.

This past semester has been everything I hoped it would be. It was filled with reconciliations, genuine enjoyment, and reminiscing. I couldn't have asked for more. This weekend, my friends threw my roommate and I (she is also graduating next week) an amazing Farewell Party. It was one of the best nights of college and the perfect way to bring college to a close. My roommate Cynthia and I made t-shirts for everyone to sign as a little reminder of all the important people we knew at Miami and of one of our final nights. In retrospect, I'm so glad we did it! They turned out really cute! I do wish I got a picture of the whole group, but I'm happy with the pictures I did get (Picture of Cynthia (left) and I (right) in our Ts)!

On a separate note... I am still in interview mode. I've recently received a job offer from Smuckers (the company I interned with this summer) in traditional category management, and have been interviewing with DraftFCB (still sooo exciting!) and a really cool, modern, diversity-based agency called Walton-Issacson. I actually have a phone interview with one of Draft's Customer Intelligence leads today and will be going in for full-rounds within the next month. Leo Burnett has kept me hanging a bit, but I've been trying to get back in touch with them. Hopefully that will happen soon. I guess I'm okay with not having a job upon graduation. It is a tough, tough time in the industry, and I'm lucky to have the interviews I do. I will keep updating as more things begin to fall into place.

So here's to the last week of Undergrad and to all of the memories I've made throughout. College was, indeed, the best time of my life. Even more so than people say.

Wistfully Yours,

A