Haley Patterson '14 : Levett Career Center : Hanover College

Haley Patterson '14

Career Center: What is your current employment and how did you acquire it?
Haley Patterson: "I started working at Harrison College the day after I normally would have started school at Hanover. Life is so coincidental that way. Upon graduation in May of 2014, I had my mind set on finding a job and moving to Indianapolis. I was accepted into Christian Theological Seminary and am set to begin in the fall of 2015. It only made sense to get a head start and be set up in Indianapolis prior to that. I knew little of the actual struggle it would be to find employment. Which leads me to my first words of wisdom: patience is key.
I applied to almost thirty positions over the summer without hearing back from a single company. I used Career Builder, Indeed, and LinkedIn to search for jobs in many different areas in Indianapolis. Three months is a short time in the long span of things, but having just been on that graduation high, it felt like forever. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a position popped up for a Director of First Impressions. Having worked at Bonefish Grill for five years prior in almost every position, first impressions were a skill I had learned to perfect. The job descriptions matched up perfectly, and the day after I applied, while driving to New York, I got a call to come in for an interview at the end of the week."

What struggles and unknown hardships did you encounter as a recent graduate?
"I graduated from Hanover majoring in studio art and theology. Director of First Impressions was not on my radar for future careers, and marketing myself wasn't the easiest thing, either. I met with Margaret Krantz multiple times my senior year, getting feedback on resumes that I had created. Some of the best advice I received from her was to utilize job descriptions in your resume to help relate your past experience to your future endeavors. During my interview with my now boss, he said something that stuck with me. "I don't want this job to be your career, but I do want to allow you the opportunity to learn new things about this line of work and take it with you as you go." He also informed me that out of 200 applicants and 8 interviews, I was the person he chose. If those aren't daunting statistics to overcome for your first job interview, I am not sure what is. My only previous interview experience had been with Bonefish five years prior, so learning that I would be an executive assistant to the VP of Enrollment and Marketing was scary."

How did the Career Center help you in your job search?
"My Hanover education taught me how to think, question, and have confidence in what I knew and what I was capable of. Having majored in art and theology taught me the necessity to learn things and apply them to life as you go. That is something that every Hanover student should take with them and take advantage of while in school. It is something that was evident during my interview at Harrison. Without the Career Center and my Hanover education, I would not have had faith that I could avoid being just another recent college graduate looking for a job."

Do you have any words of wisdom or advice to share with Hanover students?
"Don't put yourself into a box when confronting the job market; be open to positions that may utilize your skills in an unexpected area. These positions can provide invaluable learning experiences and preparation before landing that 'dream job'."