Successful Job Seeker Karen McCarthy Advises: Use Your PSGCNJ Skills

By Fran Sullivan

Karen McCarthy, now a program coordinator at Rutgers University, knows all about the importance of networking. It is what brought her to her first PSGCNJ meeting. While taking a course last winter, she learned from several classmates about our organization and decided to check it out. She immediately plunged into PSGCNJ activities, taking ACT training and getting busy with committee work. Her hard work paid off in benefits.

“PSGCNJ helped me to stay positive and busy while searching, but more importantly, I was able to use my existing skills and gain some new ones as well,” said Karen. “My ability to speak about my work with PSGCNJ gave me confidence on interviews. I wrote for the blog, and it was a confidence boost for me. I am feeling happy and am challenging myself to get involved in areas that are new and feeling confident doing it.”

Her experience with the PSGCNJ blog played a major role in her successful job search: Her interview at Rutgers involved a writing test.

For job seekers, Karen advises staying balanced and positive because you never know what opportunities may be just around the corner. Karen is an example of that: she interviewed for her current position seven months earlier, but did not get the job. The person who got the position then was offered a job in Europe, and Karen was invited back to interview.

Said Karen, “You never know when or where a job may come up or re-appear, so always send thank you notes for interviews and leave a good and lasting impression. Also, PSGCNJ taught me the importance of networking all the time, even when you have a job, because you never know. Pay it forward and help people whenever you can. One week after I started my job an agency reached out to me for a potential job — I referred them to a friend of mine in transition that I thought would be perfect–and she got the job!”

Editor’s note: PSGCNJ is always looking for good content for the blog. Send your article ideas to our Managing Editor at fchaves411@gmail.com.