My purpose for working is to be able to afford the cost of living and to be able to pay all of my college tuition. I also want to work to do something that I enjoy! These are all reasons that I feel is my purpose for working because I think everyone should have a career in something they really enjoy and where they can also make a comfortable salary.
My “why” affects my career path because it can help me understand if a career path is meaningful to me and can determine if a business aligns with my career goals. Having a “why” guides priorities like how I spend my time and helps me stay focus on what matters most to me. It can also help me know if a job role or organization is a place I can see myself growing in the future.
I am motivated by my parents and knowing that they have done a lot to provide for me, so I want to be able to provide for them in return. I’m motivated by my education because I want to get my bachelor’s degree and be educated enough in my career. I also am motivated by wanting a sense of purpose, I want to feel like I belong in the world, so striving for a job that can offer that motivates me. Having these motivators makes me feel proud of myself and feel accomplished.
An experience that has made me feel fulfilled was being on the leadership team for my high school show choir. I was able to be a role model for the other girls and could be someone that they all leaned on and went to in a time of need. It made me feel good about being in that position because I could be someone that others would go to.
The work experience I had wasn’t great. I have only worked one job before and it was from October 2024 to January 2025. I was dealing with a severe medical condition and had to try my best to balance being able to perform my tasks at work and dealing with my symptoms from my medical condition. I had asked for accommodations, but it was hard for my managers to keep giving me breaks, so I ended up quitting when I was hospitalized. I had a hard time getting along with my managers because their personalities were very harsh and that made it difficult for me to adjust. I do miss working in a restaurant, but it showed me that I cannot handle the physical work.
A good thing I got from that work experience is the friendships I made with my coworkers. Working in the restaurant and food service industry, I got to experience serving the people in my area, which I really liked. I was able to get along with the customers and coworkers which made me feel a sense of belonging in the restaurant.
Some hard skills I possess are presentation skills, management skills, and writing skills.
Some soft skills I possess are teamwork, communication, and problem solving.
If someone were to describe what I am good at, they would say that I am a great photographer, analyzing and critical thinking. Photography is something that I am super passionate about and I take pride in. I am very good at catching things that others don’t typically see, so I could be described at analytical. I also have very good critical thinking skills and can do my best to solve complex problems and can think outside the box.
Communication: I have been a clear and effective communicator in when I was working my first job at a restaurant because I had to speak with clients about the menu, communicate with my coworkers about a customer’s needs, and a lot of the times we had a customer who was not satisfied with the quality of their experience at the restaurant that I worked at so I had to give my apologies to the customer and let my manager know the situation so she could handle it appropriately. I have also used communication skills when I was in an all-girls show choir. I would send messages to the girls to let them know about events or practices coming up and would verbally prepare them for what to expect.
Critical Thinking: I have used critical thinking skills when trying to solve conflicts or problems between friends and family members. I try to be very open minded when someone comes to me looking for answers to their problem. I try to listen very intently to the situation and always use the information given and I think about the situation in a different way, without the person’s bias, to shed light on something that the person probably hasn’t thought about before.
Professionalism: I have been professional when being interviewed and after I had gotten my first job. I had dressed appropriately and tried to look my best in order to give the impression that I was good enough for the job. I had answered all the questions that the manager had asked in a very thoughtful and respectful manor. When I had gotten the job, I had to remain that professionalism with customers by being respectful, looking my best, and upholding the standards of the company.
Teamwork: I have used teamwork skills in my show choir. We were constantly working together to set up and tear down our equipment and risers, helping each other get ready for our competitions, and being supporting and collaborative peers. We did team building exercises throughout the year to strengthen our team and gain stronger relationships with each other.
Resume: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rhNq288NQxKNoFsk8s3Zk9Dx-gU_hwhfY6XDcXbP2sA/edit?usp=sharing
Cover Letter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YmnUTUcivZ_xXZ_XdgnBo9W4MIfYXCVL8d7sv04wJao/edit?usp=sharing
I feel like my resume and cover letter are an attempt at the presentation of self by trying to come off as professional and confident in my skills and abilities to meet the criteria of the job being offered. I think that it represents self-premotion because I’m highlighting all of my good qualities and skills that would benefit the company. It also is representing exemplification because I’m talking about being a hard worker and trying to show that I can be very dedicated to this job.
The different areas where stress would be induced by this job is the fast-paced environment, I do work well in a fast-paced environment, but it can be very stressful if I am not prepared or focused. The job also requires for its employees to get a TS/SCI/polygraph before starting the job which can be stressful because I’d want to make sure I passed. The job is a photographer for national security efforts so it’s essentially a government job which can also be very stressful because I’d want to make sure I’m upholding each standard and rule that they have.
