Today, I received an email from Nordstrom Recruiting. I usually receive 3-4 emails per day regarding new openings. The emails are not based on your qualifications, but rather positions you listed you would be interested in. Anyone who knows me, especially those who have had a substantial conversation with me, know how obsessed I am with the Nordstrom company. As a regular customer since practically birth, it only seemed logical that I find a job for Nordstrom.
During the winter season in Florence, I was offered a Summer Fashion Merchandising Internship at the Nordstrom in Arcadia, Calif.
From that momentous point on, I had learned the ins and outs of a company that I had already loved and admired. Every opportunity I had to share something about Nordies, I wouldn’t hesitate. It happened so often, I didn’t even realize how crazed I was sounding. I sounded like I was part of a cult – that’s how much I had immersed myself into the company.
Sadly, I was unable to continue my time with Nordstrom since I was still a student at PUC, located in the middle of nowhere. Having to leave Nordies was a sad day because I had made so many contacts in such a short time and I knew by leaving, I was risking the opportunity to be at the front of these important people’s minds when better opportunities would arise. But instead, I was determined to finish school (no question about it) and hoped a Bachelor’s degree would make me a more valuable candidate for a full-time position.
Okay, getting to the point of this post. Today, as every other day, the Nordstrom Recruiting emails came in. Lo and behold, the idealized career every young PR girl could dream of right out of college was available: Fashion Public Relations Specialist IN Seattle! The job could not be a more perfect fit for my next step.
I eagerly rushed back to my room to start writing my cover letter and tweaking my resume. After spending a good 45 minutes doing so, I proceed to apply online. And then the sentence hits me like a ton of bricks:
Requirements:
- At least 3 years experience in communication, public relations or related field
Umm, yeah. Don’t have that. I have experience communicating and using the skills I’ve acquired from my public relations classes, but none of it was ever seen outside of IH 323.
I’m starting to feel the antagonizing Catch-22 crush my naive young college grad (almost) mentality. I need experience, but the jobs that are above minimum wage require experience. At this point, I know I am under-qualified for this position, but ever since freshman year and people asked what I wanted to do with PR, I’d enthusiastically reply, “Fashion PR!"
I’m really hoping and praying I’ll get a chance at something I know I will kick butt doing.
(And no, this isn’t the only job I’ve applied for … but it just seemed so suiting to my freshman year career fantasies.)
Back to studying and patiently waiting for the next step.
Tay
delight & dwell 