My Own Two Feet

One thing I've been focusing on in my life lately is learning that I can do it all, have it all, and be it all - all on my own. As Jane Fonda says, "standing tall on my own two feet." On Tuesday, I received a formal offer for the internship level of my dream job. Not only was I so excited to get the offer, I felt even more empowered because I had sought out and landed the job on my own. 

I had heard from a friend of mine who moved home after college that the company he works for had a legal intern this summer, who would be returning to school out of state soon. So I asked for the head legal counsel's email. I didn't tell my friend why  I was asking for it or what I wanted to email him about; I wanted to sink or swim on my own. So I attached my resume and writing sample to an email bragging on myself. That last part has always been something I've struggled with. While I know that walking into an interview or writing a cover letter detailing personal accomplishments is easy for some people, I was raised not to brag, so it's against my nature to say those sorts of things. But I did it. I told him that I've always been interested in this company, that I want to stay local, but do international work, and that I saw their company and my interests as being aligned. That I thought I was the perfect person for this job. Within an hour I'd gotten an email back from him saying that Recruitment would be in touch to schedule me for an interview. In two days. While it was hard for me to put it all out there, I realized that no one would know if I failed but me and the guy I emailed. 

I gave it my all- the full pitch - and I got it. 

When I went to tell my friend that I had been offered the job during the interview, he was surprised but oh so excited for me. He explained that he'd been so busy with work he hadn't thought twice about why I was asking for the legal counsel's email, but that it made sense. He told me that he would have been more than happy to go ask for a job for me, but that he was proud of my for doing it on my own. As someone who's known me since the eight grade (forever!) he knows that I'm not always the boldest, most assertive person. So it made me feel so good to have dinner with him over the weekend and hear him say that he had so much respect for the way I had handled myself. And that's such a great feeling. 

Putting it all out there is hard. Rejection is the absolute worst, especially when it's for a job you really want or something you're really invested in. But when you work hard, lay it all on the line, and it pays off-- it feels so so good. I could have asked my friend to help me get the job. I could have used his name in my email and tried to get the job based on knowing him- but I know that I wouldn't feel as good as I do now, knowing that I did it all by myself. Even though I haven't always been great at it, I'm learning that I can, in fact, stand tall on my own two feet.