Back in my college days I was studying to be an Administrative Assistant. At the time, the current job at which I was employed had absolutely nothing to do with working in an office and I was anxiously looking for employment that better suited my future degree. I scoured the newspaper’s “Help Wanted” section weekly, watched for ads to pop up in local business and kept my eyes on the Internet as there are always a plethora of job postings there. I waited and waited…interviewed at several locations and still heard nothing.

One day, I saw an ad for a local car dealership that was looking for a part-time secretary to work evenings (5:30PM – 9PM) and on Saturdays. Immediately I was excited because this would give me freedom during the day for school and would definitely accommodate my schedule. So, I went in and filled out an application. I was pretty confident that I would get a call for an interview as I had been in college for over a year and was nearing my graduation date. Well, I heard nothing and called to check and see if the position was still open. It was, but they were still interviewing. After about a month I had given up any hope of getting a job there and was still filling out applications.

Then, one day I received a call…from the dealership! They asked me to come in for an interview and I nervously prepared. My college had instructed us to create an awesome portfolio that could be used in interviews. My portfolio contained projects and examples of my knowledge of certain programs and their features and it turns out, that really “wowed” my future employer. She had never seen anything like it before and it really helped me get my position there. Yes, I got the job!! It was well worth the effort and I stayed there until my daughter was born…4 years later.