110 Percent
kosmo - See all 468 of my articles
3 Comments
When I was a senior in college, I applied for a lot of jobs.
The College of Business at Iowa State would publish a list of companies that would be interviewing on campus each week, along with a job description. There was a set of numbered bins (or perhaps they were boxes) that corresponded to each job. If you were interested in a job, you left a resume and cover letter in the bin. The company would sift through the applicants and decide whom they wanted to interview on campus. If that interview went well, the company would have you interview at their site.
Every week, I diligently dropped off resumes. I had some interviews, but not job offers.
One week, I printed off my resumes in a computer lab at the far end of campus (where I worked) and trudged through rain to the other end of campus to submit them. I began dropping resumes into bins and noticed that I was missing one resume.
I had a dilemma on my hands. It was Friday afternoon, it was raining, and I was very close to my apartment. The only current copy of my resume was in the computer lab on the other side of campus. I could just say “good enough”, since I had applied for several other positions that week. Or I could trudge back across campus, print the resume, and then retrace my steps in order to apply for the one additional job. This would delay my weekend and result in me getting even more wet.
I decided to give the extra effort. I got soaked in the rain and I was late getting home, but I slept easier that night.
I received a total of one job offer that year.
Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking. I crossed campus twice in the rain to make sure that I applied for that one extra job – and that’s the job I’ve landed. I’ve worked for the company for twelve years now.
Remember this story the next time you’re tempted to cut a few corners.
What did you miss over the weekend?
- Peter Rabbit gave a recap of the Six Day War on Friday.
- Also on Friday, Johnny Goodman makes his NCAA football picks for week 1.
- On Saturday, Cheri Nobel reviewed World Wide Open, the new debut CD of the group Love and Theft.
- Barack The One Term President Editor's note - I'd like to welcome the visitors from The Centsible Life. If you want to get a good...
- Welcome Back, Bob Bob Inferapels approached me today with the good news that he is able to resume his weekly entertainment column. Â Not...
- Editorial Shakeup and Writing Opportunities Note: there will be no new articles on Saturday or Sunday. Â We will resume our regular schedule on Monday. Â Scroll...
- Job Hunting for Writers: 7 Similarities Between Job Search for Writers and Other Professions [/caption] People sometimes have misconceptions about writers’ lifestyles and the job-hunting process. It is not all about trying to get...
- Weekly Thoughts: I'm on MSN! Have you ever found yourself winning a prize you hadn't even entered to win? Like, at a drawing at the...
- Busy Week, Business Thoughts, and Media Exposure Here are some things going on with me personally this week. I may be the most busy person in the...
Comments
3 Responses to “110 Percent”
Leave a Reply
Set up a customized icon to appear next to your comments! Is your comment not appearing? Don't worry - I'm not censoring you. Your comment just got caught in my spam filter. It will be viewable shortly (almost always within 24 hours, and much more quickly 90% of the time).Copyright for all content belongs to the writer identified in the byline. Copyright for any content not associated with a particular writer belongs to Kosmo. Copyright for comments belongs to the writer of the comment.
Content from The Soap Boxers cannot be reused in any manner other than what is allowed under the fair use doctrine of US copyright law or the applicable copyright laws of your country.
© 2008-2010. All rights reserved.
Please email Kosmo at Kosmo@ObservingCasually.com with any questions you may have.
The Soap Boxers is a division of Hyrax Publications
Soap Boxer Search
Just For Laughs
Category
Recent Posts
Search by Writer
Lazy Man and Money
Blogs Written By Us
Financial Blogs
Fun Blogs
September 7th, 2009 @ 2:01 pm
I love real-life stories like this, much better than fiction. I am a true believer that things happen for a reason and that our life’s destiny is pretty much predetermined. If you weren’t one resume copy short and things proceeded as usual, imo you would not have gotten the job. I believe it was fate more than going the extra mile.
Total Comments by Patti: 33
September 7th, 2009 @ 4:45 pm
Wow, that’s quite the story. I’m sure this one will be nagging in the back of my head the next time I think about slacking off on something, trying to convince myself it doesn’t matter.
Evan Kline´s last blog ..Be a (HTC) Hero — Android-ilize your Windows Mobile Phone with PointSense
Total Comments by Evan Kline: 103
October 18th, 2009 @ 12:55 am
Very cool story! It was the same thing for me. There was a 6am bus on Sat morning I had to get on to go to DC for a job fair. NOBODY showed up except for me on the bus.
We changed vehicles, and i got a 2.5 hr chaufer limo take me up and back. It was awesome, and I got the job that allowed me to be where I am now.
Financial Samurai´s last blog ..You’re Rich And I’m Rich, OK! You’re Still Rich And I’m Not As Rich, Not OK!
Total Comments by Financial Samurai: 13