Finding that first job, or any job, can be a harrowing process. It’s often a leap of faith in the pursuit of that perfect pairing. Mikaela Barlow, Visual Designer at Kettle, shares her experience and recommendations.

Remember those notes that got sent around in elementary school that said something like “Do you like me? Check yes or no.” That’s essentially what I did, but instead of sending it to an unsuspecting classmate, it went to my favorite creative agency, Kettle. As a college senior, I was knee-deep in my job search. It was application after application, and frankly, it was looking bleak.

As someone who hates being the center of attention, “cold-calling” recruiters and companies was a complete nightmare. I took that leap of faith and before I could spiral into anxiety, I asked myself “What’s the worst that could happen?” If anything, it would just add to the mountain of rejection emails in my inbox.

I found Olivier Peyre through a search of Kettle’s employee list. His profile picture was friendly enough and his bio said “DM me. We’re hiring.” Okay, say less, Olivier. Because I was a broke college student and couldn’t afford Linkedin Premium (still can’t; sorry, Linkedin), I got the free trial to do whatever the professional equivalent to sliding into DM’s is. My message to Kettle’s co-founder was very polished and annoyingly formal, (I may or may not have asked a ‘friend’ to help me make this better.)

After a few weeks of silence, I figured I’d have to move on. However, a month after I sent my DM, I got a response from the co-founder.

Moving the conversation to email seemed like a relatively good sign to me, but I’ve always had a bad habit of getting my hopes up, so I tried not to read too much into it.

I came to terms with the fact that I wasn’t being completely delusional when he asked me about my projects.

In this next response, I reached a huge milestone: addressing him by his first name. Looking back on it now, I’m not sure why I decided to do that, but I’ll just chalk it up to confidence.

He said “yay!” That has to be a good thing, right?

Meanwhile, my imposter syndrome was relentless, but these people are smart and wouldn’t have let me get this far unless they liked my work.

Note that these emails were getting more casual and less rigid. Big moves from past me.

It was time to interview. I couldn’t hide behind buttoned-up emails anymore. I actually had to talk to people now and showcase my amazing personality (kidding, kidding).

But before I do any grand reveals, I want to share some tips/thoughts of what I learned throughout this process.

1. 🤔 Don’t be stubborn. If you’re not willing to adapt to changes, whether it be with social skills or technology, it will be very difficult for you to succeed in a world where change is the only constant. Keep up with the times or everyone else will leave you in the dust. Also, if something’s not working for you, switch up your strategy.
2. 😅 It’s okay to follow up. Emails get lost and conversations get forgotten. Make sure you’re on the top of their mind. You’re not being annoying, I promise.
3. 😎 Be yourself. Yes, everyone says this, but they’re right. Skills can be taught but a personality can’t. If you’re cool, make sure employers know that.

The job hunt can be exhausting and disheartening. All in all, it’s about quality over quantity. I’ve sent out hundreds of applications with no luck, but once I actually connected with someone, that’s when I saw success.

Okay, so back to the story, because I’m sure the wait has been unbearable.

There’s no real suspense to this because you already know I got the internship. Just pretend to be surprised, okay?

I got the job! Cue shock from the reader.*

In a true full-circle moment, I went back to the place where it all started, LinkedIn, to make sure everyone knew I’d be Kettle’s newest creative intern.

This is the part of the article where I get all sappy and sound like a LinkedIn influencer.

It was terrifying having to put myself out there, but the pros outweigh the cons. Shoot your shot. Worst case scenario, they think you’re annoying and you don’t hear from them again. Best case scenario, you get a job at your favorite creative agency.

I guess Kettle checked ‘yes’. Thanks Kettle, I like you too.