Finally Found a Direction?

NO LONGER LOOKING FOR WORK. I DIDN’T FIND A JOB BUT FOUND A NEW DIRECTION WHICH INVOLVES MORE SCHOOLING AND INTERNSHIPS.

As I walked across the stage on Saturday, May 16th, during the graduation for History majors at Virginia Tech, I couldn’t have been happier. I was receiving a bachelors degree from one of the top schools in the country. It didn’t take me more than the time that was expected, I had never failed a class, and while I had had fun in between the studying and paper writing, I had succeeded. But it was a little bit bitter-sweet when I thought about it more. As with many college seniors (or, now, recent graduates) I was graduating into a job market that was the worst witnessed in MY short lifetime and I did not have a job – or even more than one interview – yet. To make matters worse, I HAD been searching for jobs that were of interest but even the entry level jobs had requirements of two years or a masters degree. I found myself asking what good it had done spending almost 100 thousand dollars in out-of-state tuitions if I would graduate with nothing but paper to show for it.

I can’t honestly say that I believe grad school is in my near future. While it may behoove me to once again hit the books at another time in my life, it currently is the last thing that I would like to do. This begs the question though: What is a 20-something graduate supposed to do if they can’t stand to do more schooling and can’t get a job without it? Let’s face it, gaining two years of experience if you didn’t obtain an internship during your college years is next to impossible. The only way to gain the experience necessary to take an entry level job is through what you do anywhere from one to four years in advance.

As I sat at my desk tonight feeling sorry for myself over not having any options at this point (I have been casually looking for more than two days….closer to two or three months) I decided that I have the opportunities and options in front of me so why not use them? So I turn to my website. I’ll admit that I haven’t updated much in the past but in reality, what percentage of people who start a blog actually stick with it? I’d be willing to bet the number is pretty low. In this post, I’m going to list some things about me, copy in my resume at the end, and provide a link to download the .doc version and, hopefully, this will reach the hands of someone….or a bunch of people…who can and are willing to help me.

About me: I’m Christopher Shawn Smith and I’m a 22 year old who’s originally from Atlanta, Georgia. I came to Virginia Tech in 2006 with an undeclared major (University Studies here) looking to work in the government upon graduation. I bounced from Political Science, to Communication, and finally landed on what was my Minor from the start: History. While I’ll admit that I did some slacking off in the beginning, I feel that my overall transcripts show that I do have what it takes to compete, learn, and produce. In my final two years at Virginia Tech I posted the types of GPAs that I feel I’m capable of rather than the type of GPA that my overall reflects (2.68/4.00). In high school I obtained the rank of Eagle Scout as a Freshman, an accomplishment that I believe shows that I have gained leadership skills as well as proven strong morals and dedication.

What I’m Looking For: Anything! I feel as if I really do apply to the cliché that you can “Do anything you put your mind to.” I’m a quick learner who is willing to go through a few rough weeks to accomplish a task and succeed at a position. I feel as if I excel at one-on-one sales and have three years of customer service  experience that range from helping customers directly to answering phones and directing phone calls. I’m willing to move to anywhere in the country world if the job is right. While I’ve loved living on the East Coast for the past twenty-one years of my life, I’m willing to go nearly anywhere that I’ll get offered. I’m a big-city type of guy but have lived in Blacksburg, Virginia for the past four years and have come to at least appreciate the small town feel. I have experience with all of the basic Microsoft Office programs and moderate WordPress experience.

Below is my resume. I have left an email address specifically for this (Just in case spam-bots happen to grab it while browsing websites) and can give further contact information if you contact me. Thanks for reading this long blog-post and I hope to hear from you! If you’d like to email me directly, the email can be found in the resume posted below. If you do not have a job to offer, feel free to tweet out this blog post or pass it on to someone who does or may have some leads. Any help is appreciated, no matter how small or large.

Resume(Click the link to download a .doc copy of my resume):

Christopher Shawn Smith

Blacksburg, Va 24060 | | Smith.Chris.VT@gmail.com

Skills

- Microsoft Office (Word, Power Point, Publisher)

- Moderate WordPress experience

Education

- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

- Bachelors of History, Obtained May 2010

- GPA: 2.68/4.0

Employment History

- Sales Associate, Staples Inc.  (5/15/2005 – 8/15/2006)

Peachtree City, Ga

- Provided customer service in technology and office supply sales

- Promoted extended warranty sales

- Processed cash and credit card sales

- Established customer loyalty

- Effective team member

- Cook, Shane’s Rib Shack  (6/1/2007 – 8/15/2007)

Peachtree City, Ga

- Aided in preparation of ingredients and meals

- Prepared entrées

- Ensured that food complied with governmental standards and regulations

- Maintained a clean work environment

- Quality Assurance Engineer, Semper Fi Web Design  (6/1/2008 – Present)

- Analyze project development

- Provide input on layout and design effectiveness

- Sales Clerk, Volume II Bookstore (Virginia Tech Services, Inc.)  (7/30/2008 – 5/6/2010)

Blacksburg, Va

- Processed cash, check and credit card sales

- Handled and directed phone calls between departments and management

- Provided customer service in general books department

Achievements

Eagle Scout Award

- Gained important leadership skills that can be used daily within multiple fields