A Day In The Life of a Professional Superhero: Was Grad School my Kryptonite?

Meg Pomante, aka: the artist formerly known as Mirzoeff, is a 10+ year seasoned veteran of the non-profit Development and Fundraising industry.  As a current gear shifter seeking opportunities in the HR/Training and Development field, Meg boasts a lovely Masters in Leadership degree from Cabrini College by wearing her “Will Work for Self-Esteem” sandwich board and ringing her bell while walking up and down the streets of Delaware County.  Meg has spent her career gaining experience in: major gift prospect research, membership and corporate sponsorship solicitation and retention, grant research and proposal writing, event planning, career services and professional development, workplace training, project management and program coordination.  To learn more about or to connect with Meg check her out on LinkedIn , or to learn who pissed her off in traffic this morning, follow her on Facebook.  And if you’re really bored, feel free to follow her pictures of her kid, food, beer and other random intimate objects on Instagram.

Seven words. One sentence. One statement. One life altering decision. The day I uttered the words out loud, was the day my life turned upside down (for the better)… “I want to go to grad school”.

My reasoning to go back to school wasn’t to better myself, or to become a more educated professional, it was to find myself. I know that sounds so profound, but it’s the truth. I realized I had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew three things about myself– I thrived on interacting with people, I enjoyed and was most successful at building and maintaining relationships, and did best in fast paced, high energy settings.

My husband suggested I look in to a Masters in Leadership program as it might help me to better figure out what I wanted to do, and also give me key opportunities to network with other professionals. God I hate it when he’s right. I eventually began classes in a Master’s of Science in Leadership and completed the program in 20 months. It was the most exciting, stressful and enlightening experience. I learned so much about myself, who I am as a professional, as a leader, and most importantly I met some extremely intelligent and kind people.

The program helped me to realize the best fit for me, with my strengths and skill set, was a career in Human Resources. A few professors and peers helped me to develop a new resume, cover letter, and elevator speech that would explain my past, present and hopeful future. So there it was… I was shifting gears… changing career paths. I was ready to take on the world and make my move.

Cut to a year after graduation. I am unemployed, going on almost a year of job searching, working with three recruiting firms, sought out a career consultant, joined three professional HR networks/associations, beefed up my LinkedIn profile and have put in countless hours of online and in-person networking, reached out to fellow Alumni who are in the HR field for assistance, had lunch meetings and gotten references to positions… all to get five face to face interviews within the last year. Some would say that’s not bad, but for all the work I’ve put out I’m not sure it was worth it. At a few of those interviews I was told one of two things, “you really don’t have enough experience”, or my personal favorite “I just think you’re TOO smart for this job”. So what you’re saying is, I’m either a complete degenerate and you’ve wasted your time bringing me in, or I’m some kind of ivy eating, letterman sweater wearing genius that couldn’t possibly be happy in this position? Where AM I? What is HAPPENING?

No one ever warns you about the dreaded career shift. Many companies claim they “embrace and encourage” those who are shifting industries and “welcome” those who want to learn. Do you? Do you really? Because what I’ve found is a hell of a lot of output on my end, for an incomparable and marginally smaller return on investment because I just don’t have the experience.

You, the job seeker, sit at your computer for HOURS, to apply for these jobs and the process is draining. Upload Resume Here. Upload Cover Letter Here. List Job History. List Education History. Why do you think you are a good fit for this position? I’m sorry, but what did I upload my resume and cover letter for? Is it decoration? Or will you be printing it out, along with the Life and Times of Megan Pomante I just wrote on your application page, in order to fulfill your personal vendetta against trees? It’s a ridiculous cycle that probably doesn’t even get your resume in front of the hiring managers. Not to mention the followup process, or lack there of. You could train and have a successful career as a trapeze artist with Cirque de Sole before you get the dreaded “No thank you” letter in the mail from your “perfect” position that you spent hours applying to. It’s emotionally and mentally exhausting, and frankly at 32, I’m not sure how much more I can take.

I’m frustrated because I’m being turned away before I have the chance to prove myself. I’m being told “No” all because I either don’t have the experience, or I’m TOO experienced (which I still think is laughable). I believe a good leader would be able to detect my professional maturity, they would understand that my skills are refined, and pick up on my task oriented work ethic. A good leader should know that any monkey can be trained, but it all depends on the trainer as to whether or not they put on a good show.

So I throw it back to all those companies that told me no; that answer isn’t good enough for me. I’m a daughter, a wife, a mother, a friend, a student, a working girl… I’m a Professional Superhero for Pete’s sake (haaay, Pete!) If I can do all those things, and do them well, why on earth don’t you think I’m not good enough to do this job? Is it my ten plus years of experience in various roles? Is it my gregarious personality and natural leadership instincts? Is it my proven organizational skills and attention to detail? Is it my Master’s degree with shown GPA of 3.8? Is it my stellar references from former employers, professors, and current supervisors?

Bottomline is, if you want quality employees, you have to streamline the application process. You have to put dedicated and authentic leaders in a position to review resumes and be able to pick out the unique qualities from said applicants.

For me, this is a sprint not a marathon. I have a family to provide for, a child in daycare that depends on my salary, bills to pay, and the most important – I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror and be proud of where I am. I am nowhere closer to finding a full-time job then when I first started looking in December. It’s not for lack of effort, but then who or what is to blame? Is there blame to place? All I know, is it’s a stressful and anxiety ridden time not just for me, but my family… all so I could “find” myself. The question is… was it worth it?