By, Rachel Martin

I have finally come to the realization that I have a good resume. I’ve worked hard and I am proud of what I’ve done. So, I totally agree with Christine in her post “Changing Fields” when she says, “celebrate your victories”. How you do that differs from person to person. Maybe you go out of a happy hour with friends or a nice dinner. For me, it was redoing my resume.

I was looking for a job in the interactive world and got some great hits and a job offer with my newly polished resume. The problem is it’s a little below me, but it’s exactly what I want to be doing. I was offered a 3-month UNPAID internship to learn how the website works and then after that term I would become a real employee.

During the interview she told me I had the position and wanted me to meet with a few other people who had gone through the internship and were now real employees. A newly graduated, tall boy walked into the room holding my resume. Someone 5 years younger and with not as much experience was about to interview me.

I had two options: be a total snob and talk about how qualified I am for this job or find out what his background was and how he fell into this job right out of college. I chose the latter. I realized that we just took different paths and he decided to go into websites immediately and I chose magazines.

Bottom line is, I’m totally stoked to start this internship even though I’m 28 years old. It feels right on so many levels and I know this internship will turn into something bigger. Wish me luck, I start August 23rd!

What was the last unpaid job you took? Was it worth it?

How old is too old to take an unpaid internship? I’m already committed to this job, so I won’t change my mind, but I’m very curious…

Ever think of starting your own business? Are you too afraid that you won’t be able to do it? Worried about the cost of a start-up or about your ability to run a company?

These are things all entrepreneurs think about.  Fear is a powerful tool, but not a good one.  It’s a setback and it should be thrown out the window along with self-doubt. 

Having a thought or an idea is just the beginning of starting a business.  Actually, that’s probably the easiest part!  It’s true when they say success doesn’t happen overnight and determination plays a key role in becoming an entrepreneur.  The negativity that will surround you is inevitable, but it’s up to you to take that negative energy and either ignore it or let it affect you.  I chose to ignore it. 

When I started Relax Missy, I was just out of college and landed my first full time job with benefits.  I started saving as much money as I could out of my paychecks and placed it aside for my company.  I didn’t have a trust fund or rich parents, I used my own hard earned cash to fund my way out of the 9 to 5.  Everyone that says you need 50k and up to start a home based business is lying (or they got ripped off). 

There are many, ways to save money, and one of them is doing the legwork yourself.  Take advantage of free attorneys from colleges.  Use your home as storage.  I actually think starting a business without much money is better than starting up with lots of cash.  Being broke allows you to hustle to find a way to make it work and exhaust all options that other people would never know existed.

Self-doubt and fear haunt everyone.  It’s probably the main reason why most people don’t take the leap to entrepreneurship.  Let me tell you, I had no idea what I was doing when I started, and I still don’t!  I’m learning as I go along and hiring college interns who have the energy and motivation to work with me.  As your business grows, you can slowly start to expand with an office or warehouse and even a CEO if you think you’re not the best CEO for your company. 

Starting your own business is a learning process and will always be one.  Even companies that have been around for years are creating their own unique ways to advance; for example, Apple. Until now, Apple had never built an iPad before.  I’m sure there were some roadblocks along the way, but now that they’ve gotten through it they can improve their product and processes.

The saying “just do it” may be cliché, but it’s so true.  If you have a great idea and want to act upon it, then you will figure out a way to make that happen.  Research and business forums are great ways to start.  From there you will be surprised as to how quickly knowledge starts to pour in. 

Working independently, away from the “9 to 5″, is what fuels me to keep growing my business. 

What motivates YOU to start your own business and work for yourself?

Most of us are not locked into tenured positions within financially (or bureaucratically) stable companies; indeed, most of us are now struggling to restructure our resumes and cover letters to land that one-in-a-million job.  And because of this current economic depression, any nine-to-five job these days, whether it be slinging DVDs at Blockbuster or running the corporate mainframe, can now be deemed a one-in-a-million opportunity to make a living.

But keep the faith, ye persistent, yet, unemployed one, because while we writhe and wriggle endlessly re-writing resumes, our future employers are also sweating, restructuring what they look for and how they interview as they try to fill these limited-time-only positions.

For both the interviewee and the interviewer, the job interview is like a blind date. The only information one has about the other is limited to tidbits of facts collected from recommendations, resumes, or profiles on Facebook.  Neither party truly knows the other, and from the jump, there is only a minimal emotional investment and, therefore, nothing really to lose. So, interviewee, fear not the job interview.

In fact, the job interview is less about intimidation and more a function of building personal relationships between potential incoming employees and already-established, team leaders.  While the process is just as tedious for the employer, – who most often than not must plan recruitment meetings, delegate hiring responsibilities to other members of the company’s team, and reevaluate qualifications for new recruits – the job interview process provides an opportunity to heighten employee solidarity and duty efficiency.

As an interviewee, you may experience a more hate then love-filled relationship with the job interview experience (that is until you receive the long-awaited, “You’re hired!” phone call, then somehow the love pours back in).  The tediousness of the endless revisions and fine-tuning of the resume and cover letter is enough to throw even the most level-headed and rational person off kilter.  Then, as you wait your turn in the lobby, clutching onto the resume you re-wrote five times for this specific position, anxiety sets in and the sweat from your palms stains the ivory-toned paper you choose particularly from Kinkos.

And to top it all off, after your name is finally called, and you seat yourself in front of your potential future boss, you must now fight through the intimidation and nerves to successfully sell yourself and your skill-sets to a complete stranger who holds the viability of your financial future in his/her hands.

But quell those nerves.  Because once you are able to swallow the fear and realize that these interviewers and potential employers are just people, too, there is, indeed, much to love.  With every interview you experience, whether passed or failed, comes the much needed practice in solidifying your sense of self and confidence.  And the more companies you interview with, the more exposed you are to different work environments and the more likely you are to find and land a position with a company that suits your work habits and desires best.

“Perception is reality.” What does this mean to you professionally?

Let’s be clear, the way people view you and the work that you do is the legacy you will leave behind.  Every day as we interact with others both personally and professionally, we leave an impression.  As you go about the business of conducting your life people make judgments about your character, your appearance and your abilities.  Even your paper trail (i.e. resumes, credit reports and yes people…websites and web profiles) can lead someone to draw conclusions about who you are.

I like to remind myself of this phrase from time to time, as a reality check of sorts.  This phrase became painstakingly evident to me in my own job search.  I went through a long interview process which went well at each phase.  The company all but made an offer at the final interview and began to check my references shortly after.  I tried to subdue my excitement (and ignore my doubt) until I had an offer in hand, and low and behold there was a reason, I did not receive an offer.  What I did receive was a letter from the company explaining that they wouldn’t be making an offer based on information in my credit report. Needless to say, I was disappointed, mostly in myself for being in the position to be viewed in such a negative light.

There was a major lesson learned here!  No matter how many pep talks I received from dear friends telling me I was perfect for the job and it was their loss, at the end of the day, my character and integrity were called into question.  This company decided against me based on judgments they made as a result of the paper trail I left behind in my personal (financial) life.  The poor decisions I’ve made previously have had far reaching implications that I had to contend with.  I share this experience to educate about the importance of perception.

Remember that perception is indeed reality.  While you may think one way about yourself, others might perceive you to be quite different.  Most (if not all) of us deem ourselves good at what we do and highly capable.  I caution you, not only as a career development professional, but as a person who has learned the hard way. These days companies are using a variety of tools to determine your merit and if you would be an asset or a liability.  Be aware of how others perceive you.  I challenge each of you to conduct a perception is reality check.

Today’s career dilemma is addressed by Chrissy Scivicque, founder of eatyourcareer.com.

“Dear Chrissy, 

I love your blog and the career advice you give, so I felt you were the perfect person to ask about my career dilemma.  I currently work in the financial world and am eager to make a switch into marketing.  Although I don’t have any agency experience in marketing, for the past few years I have been doing online marketing and social media consulting.  I also have a blog, have taken online classes on the subject and have a decent online presence. 

Would you recommend that I focus on increasing my freelance clientele or do you think it’s better to get some corporate experience in marketing before going out on my own? As always, thanks for your advice!”

-Carrie J.

First off, congratulations on all of your career success so far. Don’t get so bogged down trying to figure out your next move that you lose sight of all you’ve accomplished. Take a minute to celebrate your victories!

Okay, now, let’s look at your dilemma: To stay in corporate America soaking up experience or head out on your own into the world of Marketing “2.0”. Big question.

Certainly there is something to be said for learning the ropes of an industry before setting out on your own. However, it sounds like you’ve been doing that for a little while now—quite successfully, in fact. Even though you’ve been working in the financial world, you’ve been out there learning on your own and physically implementing your marketing knowledge. Sounds like you’ve been holding down two jobs…which can get exhausting, I know.

There are pros and cons to staying in the corporate world to gain some hands-on marketing experience. Just like there are pros and cons to going out on your own. So, you need to evaluate your goals and where each option fits in with your goals. I’m going to outline some questions I’d like you to think about.

• If you were to stay in the corporate world, what specific experience would you hope to gain?
• How would it serve you when you eventually do head out on your own?
• How long are you willing to spend getting that experience?
• Do you feel financially secure enough to go out on your own now? If not, how much would you like to have saved?
• What appeals to you about being self-employed?
• If you went out on your own now, what struggles do you think you would have? What can you do to help minimize those struggles?
• What has been your experience with your freelance clients thus far? Did you feel adequately prepared to meet their needs?
• Is there a service that you’d like to offer to your freelance clients that you can’t because you don’t know enough about it?

In my experience, I’ve seen that effective, energetic and experienced marketing professionals are in great demand. In this field, building your online presence and network appear to be more important than building your resume. Of course, a corporate/agency marketing job would offer you many things you just can’t get on your own, including valuable industry contacts, so you’ll need to weigh the importance of these things.  

Going into business for yourself requires more than simply knowing your field and the job. You have to market yourself, sell your services, track and manage your income and expenses, and a whole host of other things that aren’t always fun. With your background and experience (and your obvious intelligence) I have no doubt that you could do it very successfully if that’s the road you choose. Surely there will be stumbles and fears, but there’s no avoiding that when you’re carving a path of your own.

My Recommendations

Review the questions I listed above and be honest in your answers. If you choose to stay in the corporate world, focus on gaining experience, expanding your network, and saving some money. But give yourself a finite period of time. Make it one year, two years, whatever you need. Outline exactly what you want to accomplish in that time frame and then make your move.

Also, look for other options. You outlined an either/or scenario: You’re looking to either increase your freelance clientele or find fulltime employment in marketing/PR/digital media. Might there be a middle-road that you haven’t considered? These days (with the economy fluctuating so much) many companies are hiring part-timers and contractors. Could you possibly find a part-time or contract role in marketing that would allow you plenty of time to increase your freelance client load at the same time? Look for ways to break out of your limited thought patterns and find new opportunities.

Unfortunately, I can’t just give you a simple answer. This is something that requires your full commitment, whatever you choose. So the decision has to be yours. Focus on your career needs and how each of the various options will help you meet those needs. And seek one-on-one career guidance for more in-depth assistance.