Prior to my freshman year at Oregon State, I spent time on the job portal searching for potential employment opportunities. I applied for several positions, not too strongly considering hourly wage and looking more for steady income for my foreseeable college career. My choice came down to two positions, equipment maintenance at Dixon recreation center or a job with campus recycling. I had interviews for both, and knew that the pay for Dixon was slightly higher. I was more intrinsically motivated to work at Dixon, knowing about the energetic environment of the recreation center. The search for compensation was motivated mainly by myself wanting to have some financial stability and build up my resume for when I later apply for internships. I also realized getting a job my freshman year would make me accustomed to working a part time job, as opposed to having to add working a job to my schedule later on in college not being used to working. This opportunity at the recreation center encouraged me to put significant attention towards interviewing skills and presentability. I spent time researching common interview questions and reflected on my last few years to think of relevant stories that would tell the interviewers about myself. This job used traditional hiring methods, looking into my personality rather than evaluating how well I knew how to fix exercise equipment. After completing my interview, I felt the group of people would be a good fit for me and I accepted. The aspect of community with my coworkers and gaining knowledge about tools in a positive environment led me to accept the job offer. After getting this job at Dixon, it made me realize that the ability to present yourself and perform in interviews is just as crucial as having a good resume.
