It may be cliché but the older I get,
the truer it seems. Is it because I have “been around the block”? "The past is catching up with me"?
Generally speaking, “it’s a small
world” is viewed positively.
Take today’s job market, for instance. I
have a college kid who’s looking for a summer internship. It’s nearly
impossible to get a job after school these days without having a notable,
successful internship. In days past, you sent a resume, had an interview and
got the job based purely on your skill set and personality.
Not so these days.
The world revolves, good or bad, around
whom you know. So living in a small community and having parents who went to
large schools can make a big world seem a teensy bit smaller. That is
definitely the positive side of “it’s a small world.”
My daughter previously refused to “use” anyone so she stubbornly made the job
fair circuit. I admire her determination. However, there are times when people are
pleased to help you like those who’ve bowled with you every New Year’s Eve while growing up and lived across the
street for years. They’d rather hire a kid with whom they have
history, a known commodity, instead of someone they’ve just met.
As days
towards summer tick off the calendar and possibly a little applied pressure, we encouraged her to send her
resume to a few dear friends who have successful businesses. Within an hour she received a reply.
“Hello Miss Amanda-
It is very ironic, but we are looking
for a marketing / advertising intern for the summer. The potential candidate
must have the following skill set:
•
Female
•
Big Ten Conference
•
Young, energetic, outgoing personality
•
Creative
•
Family history of good athletic genes
Let me know when you are available to
interview with my sales manager, Tom Johnson.
Steve”
(Note: I went to college with him and we were very
good (platonic!) friends. I swear.)
“He’s not joking. Just having fun with
you. That’s what he thinks of you. Cool, right? Follow up with a date to meet
his sales manager.”
It’s a small world.
Recently I had a conversation with “Steve”
and he told me he hired T.J. Johnson, a guy from college.
While in the end, we ultimately became friends,T.J. and I weren’t just "friends" for several months our sophomore year.
And the reason we stopped hanging out was that he wasn’t a good kisser. Very
shallow of me, I know.
There’re times when the phrase “it’s a
small world” is awkward. This is one of those times.
By now, T.J. knows Gina’s daughter is
coming in for an interview, which makes it necessary to tell her that I know him.
Details will be conveniently left out. Hopefully he has a poor memory.
“You have to kiss a lot of frogs to
find your prince” is a great cliché as well.
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