Employed from Quarantine

Exciting news my loyal fans – come June, I’ll be working as a news producer for 13WHAM in Rochester, New York!

It all seemed to happen so fast. Here’s how I landed a job in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic.

It all started with a text from a friend. My friend works at WHAM and said there was an opening for a producing job.

I had already sent out maybe 50 job applications by this point. I’ve networked with maybe 15 strangers who gave me all kinds of advice about my resume and job search. Any leads anywhere was a huge help.

On a whim, I sent an email to the news director. To my surprise, the news director wanted me to give him a call shortly after he got my email. After a short chat, I told him I would fill out the online job application and wait. And that’s what I did.

I sat back and kept working towards my classes and SBU-TV, now all online. I kept producing stories and staying up-to-date with news in Cattaraugus County. Ya know, nose to the grindstone and all that.

I was still applying to jobs. I didn’t want to take anything for granted, so there were plenty of applications sent out while I stayed in my little house.

During one of my work days, I got an email about a video interview with the news director at WHAM. I was excited, but oh so nervous. I never had a video interview before, and I was anxious if my professionalism would translate through the phone screen.

After some embarrassing technical difficulties, I connected to the news director and executive producer in Rochester. I thought we had a good conversation but I didn’t want to take anything for granted. So, I sent a little thank you and crossed my fingers.

The day flew by and to distract myself I went on a walk with a friend. In the middle of our nature walk, my phone started to go off.

I answered the call – the news director offered me the job!

I seriously couldn’t believe it, so I even asked him. “Really?” He laughed and said no, but went on to give me details about the job.

I almost teared up when I learned the news. After all of the long nights worrying about what my future holds, especially since classes went online, it felt like a huge weight off my shoulders.

Now if you came here looking for tips on how to find a job while stuck at home, I have no idea what to tell you. The only thing I can tell you I did was work hard…that’s about it. I’m not sure what set me apart, but I worked hard all 4 years of college and it feels like it really paid off.

There are so many people I want to thank. First, my family has always supported me during my highs and lows. Thank you for pushing me and never letting me slack off. My friends, they always support me and let me vent when stress builds up. I can’t thank you guys and gals enough for being there for me during the craziness at SBU. To all my professors, thank you for pushing me to report better, write better, and be a better journalist altogether.

I start working in June, so in a month and a half(ish) I’ll be learning how to adjust to Rochester life. If you want to stay updated with my transition to “adult” life, follow my blog and social media pages!

I hope everyone is staying healthy and staying home. Looking forward to reuniting with family and friends when the pandemic slows down!

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