CREDIT: UWATERLOO.CA
Susie Mah has started the job interview process in hopes of landing her dream position.

So here I am typing this column out at 1:45 a.m. I've got a job interview in exactly 11 hours and of course I can't sleep. This is a job I want really, really badly. Everything I've done at Fanshawe College for the past year, two months and two weeks has been leading up to this moment of truth: will I be able to work in my new, chosen field?

I'll be graduating from the Law Clerk program at the end of this semester. I did all four academic terms back to back and skipped the co-op option in my hurry to get my diploma and hit the job market. As I look back, I can hardly believe how far I've come, how much I've learned, and how fast it's all gone by.

I'm going to miss this school and my classmates and my teachers. Being that I'm a "mature" student, this is my third scholarly goround. I have a diploma from Dawson College (in Commercial Art) and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Concordia University (in Cinema: Film Production) from a hundred years ago, when Graphic Design was called Commercial Art and we did it without computers, thank you very much.

Though colleges and universities now look positively Jetsonesque compared to my day, the uncertainties of the job market never change. I was also told back then there were too many graphic designers and not enough jobs. And if you want a recipe for sleepless nights, just try breaking into the film industry in Toronto!

Well, I survived and I even thrived. I sent out my resumes, did my cold calls, and hit the pavement with my portfolio. In my last interview with the last art director on the list of 30 art directors I stalked and hounded (nicely!) to see me over a period of three months, I got hired and was on my way.

Many years of job searches, cold calls, and interviews later — because I ended up working freelance and on contract most of my life — I still have to take a deep breath before I pick up the telephone to try to persuade some stranger on the end of the line to take a chance on me.

However, you learn not to let the insecurity and fear of rejection stop you from putting yourself out there. Over time it does get easier to pick up that phone and persuade that employer of your uniqueness and great qualifications.

One unexpected insight I've gained is that you have to sincerely want the job and love the idea of working for that particular company. No matter how good I am at tweaking my resume and cover letter, once I'm in the door and speaking to that employer, if I don't 100 per cent want to be working there, I don't feel good and it shows.

So I hope my passion for my new field and for this particular law firm and for this particular job shines through loud and clear today. Because I really, really want this job!

Susie Mah is president of the Fanshawe Adult Social Club. A pot-luck party is planned for November 14 at 6 p.m. and all are welcome. Please email Susie at ascfanshawe@hotmail.com for more information.