by Tommy Slotcavage, MOL Class of 2020

Job hunting is daunting – there’s no other way to put it.  That process is made even more intimidating when you’ve never had an internship nor even been to a career fair.  Thankfully, I had some vague work experience, but it didn’t necessarily pertain to what I wanted to do – a career on the business side of healthcare.

With that, I came into the year with a confident exterior, but an anxious interior.  I knew the first weeks of the semester were going to be tough – adjusting to classes, innumerable career fairs, and trying to make friends, and to be honest, they were.

Worried about everything, I prepared.  I went to the career advisers – Matt and Brenda.  They tweaked my resume, worked on my pitch with me, and helped me pick companies to target.  I conveyed my qualms about never having had an internship, and they assured me that it could be done, but it would require work from my end.  They advised me to reach out on LinkedIn, text, email – anyone I knew in the healthcare industry.

So, I networked.  I targeted three companies, and thankfully, I knew at least one person at all of them and met others via networking.  It was time consuming and absolutely a grind, but I was able to establish solid connections and even get referrals in areas where it may have been difficult for me to get a job otherwise.

Beyond that, knowing that familiar faces would be greeting me at those career fairs lessened that fear of approaching with a pitch.  Having someone lend an encouraging smile while you talked to one of their coworkers was enough to help me pitch confidently, leading me to get three interviews at the three places that I wanted to work.

The rest was all preparation – researching the companies that I was doing, talking to people in the roles for which I was interviewing, and showing a genuine interest in the company.

So in fewer words, what I’m trying to say is this: the job search process is anxiety inducing.  Getting a foot in the door is tough.  BUT, if you use your career coaches, you put in the time to network and create that friendly connection, you CAN get a job at one of your top companies.

I’ll be working at GE Healthcare in the fall in their Commercial Leadership Program, and I couldn’t be more excited.  I wouldn’t be where I am without the MOL Program.