Q. I just want to first say I like how your column is so adaptive to the time of year. I've enjoyed reading a lot about finding internships or jobs after graduating, as I'm simultaneously going through all this myself. I had one quick question that is also related to this specific time of year. In particular, I'm wondering how to capitalize on a good experience with a spring career fair.
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Recently my school took part in a regional career fair (Central New York Communications Consortium), and I was selected for an interview with Conde Nast. It was specifically for an editorial position, and I left the interview feeling really, really good about how it went. I followed up quickly that week by mailing a thank you letter, and when I left the initial interview, my contact said to drop her a line (via e-mail) closer to graduation.
I thought through my e-mail carefully -- I covered my professional approach toward graduation, touched on some of the interview, reiterated my desire to be with Conde Nast and added a little bit of information about my personal life. Then, to my surprise, she responded with just a simple:
Hi --Great to hear everything is going well. Your thank you note did arrive. Good luck finishing out the semester.Should I be discouraged? Should I have waited a little longer before contacting her? Should I simply follow-up with a "thanks for the well wishes, I'll make sure to keep in touch?" I was just caught a little off-guard by the quick and short response because I thought the initial interview went very well. Maybe I just had the wrong initial impression, but I wanted to seek out some second opinions because this type of job process (going through the career fair avenue) probably takes a little more work and I don't want to invest a majority of my job search efforts if my chances are already non-existent.
Thanks for any insight you may have.
Confused Career Fair GoerA. I can see why this struck you as discouraging, and I confess that I have probably done the same thing.
I'll try to explain how this happens, but first I'll answer your question. I would persist. Your e-mail reply sounds right, and it would be a mistake to let this connection whither because of what sounds like a hastily written answer.
Three things come to mind. One is that you, like a lot of people graduating this month, could be a candidate for either a job or an internship. A smart editor will refrain from putting you in one bucket or the other. So, while you might be excellent for one type of opportunity, if it does not exist, you might not yet be qualified for the other.
Another thing you've probably encountered is an editor who is encouraging and enthusiastic. Yes, there are some. We sometimes talk about people who are hard to read. That does not just mean they are all sour poker faces. It can mean that some editors unfailingly try to give people a positive interview and a boost. They want to represent their companies well, and they want to help interviewees' confidence. But they might give you the impression that you're closer to being hired than is true.
The third thing is that this person might just be incredibly busy and might be getting a lot of e-mail. She is trying to answer promptly and she is still being positive, but her brevity has been jarring.
Very little of this guesswork has to do with you. Hang in there. Persistence can strengthen that connection. Abandonment just won't.
Coming Monday: She has her hands full with a job, grad studies and a child. How will she get the experience she needs to break in professionally?
