"It's not what you know, it's who you know."
I can't tell you how many times people have told me this during the past year. It seems to be the favorite unsolicited phrase of every career contact, older co-worker and advice-giving relative. They all told me to use contacts, make connections and be shamelessly bold in asking for help. I ignored them at first. It's just not in my nature to send emails to people I have never met, asking for their help in getting a job just because we lived in the same dorm our first year. But now that I am in my last semester and the reality of graduation is undeniable, I find myself much more willing to be both shameless and bold in my job hunt. It's amazing how motivating the possibility of unemployment can be.
My parents, of course, are among my many advisers. Like all the others, they encourage me to ask for help within the University network. Unlike the rest, however, they have a specific person in mind. They've told me time and time again, "Write to Katie Couric. You never know what might happen."
With my new found shamelessness I decided to see what might happen if I actually took their advice. In my column today, I will take advantage of my connections writing for a publication, which is circulated both online and in print. Perhaps sharing my intended letter to Katie Couric here will increase the chances that she will see it. At the very least, I can say that I encouraged my fellow fourth years to be more outgoing in their job search. Here goes nothing:
Dear Ms. Couric:
I have long admired your career and consider you to be a strong female role model for young women like myself.
Like you, I have served as an editor at The Cavalier Daily, and I aspire to be a journalist after graduation. As an English major, I have excellent written and verbal communication skills. Through my Media Studies minor I have also gained a strong understanding of news and information in the digital age. So far so good, right? I think I have the skills to be an asset to any news organization which would hire me - it's just a matter of getting their attention.
But I don't want to work for just anyone. I want to work for you. I know your new talk show launches this September, and I think it could use the perspective of someone like me. In an interview with ABC, you said you hope the show "will be one place where you can go to make sense of a very complicated world and figure out ways that you can feel elevated and also things that you can learn that will improve the quality of your life." You said this would be a "tall order," but I believe I can help. As a soon-to-be college graduate I am familiar with the issues facing young men and women today, like the daunting prospect of the job market - just as a random example. I can bring the fresh perspective of the digital generation, Facebook and texting addictions and all.
Should this letter happen to reach beyond my usual audience of family and friends, thank you for taking a moment to read it. Any chance you have a job opening for me?
Sincerely,\nKatie McNally
Katie's column runs biweekly Tuesdays. She can be reached at k.mcnally@cavalierdaily.com.
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