THE WHITE BLAZER

TODAY I WENT TO THE CAREER FAIR. I WALKED IN WITH CONFIDENCE, THANKS TO MY WHITE BLAZER AND OH SO BUSINESS-LIKE BUN, CASUALLY STROLLED UP TO THE CHECK IN CLIP BOARD AND RESUME IN HAND. AFTER SLAPPING ON MY INCREDIBLY STYLISH NAME TAG, I MADE MY WAY DOWN INTO THE DEPTHS OF THE BJC, WALKING INTO A BLUR OF STANDS AND MORE ADULTS THAN I'VE SEEN IN A MONTH.

WELL, I'VE HAD JOBS, I'LL OF COURSE HAVE NO TROUBLE TALKING TO THESE FRIENDLY LOOKING FARM FOLK. YEAH, I WALKED UP AND DOWN EACH ROW, GLANCING LEFT AND RIGHT JUST LONG ENOUGH TO ABSORB THE STANDS PRESENT; MAKING THE CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO KEEP MY HEAD HIGH AND MY STRIDE RELAXED. I FINALLY GOT TO THE LAST ROW, SLIPPED IN LINE AT SOME ZOO STAND, AND STARED AT THE GIRLS HEAD IN FRONT OF ME.

WHILE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THINKING OF MY FIRST WORDS TO MY FIRST POSSIBLE FUTURE EMPLOYER, THE HEAD FINISHED HER SPEECH, WALKED AWAY, AND REVEALED MY FRESHMAN SELF TO THE KIND MUSTACHED EMPLOYER IN FRONT OF ME. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO SAY. 

WHAT CAME OUT WAS SOMETHING OF A MIXED INTRODUCTION AND QUESTIONING OF WHAT EXACTLY THE COMPANY WAS. "WELL WE'RE A ZOO" THE MUSTACHED MAN SAID. RIGHT. GREAT START.

SO HE COULD OBVIOUSLY TELL I WAS NERVOUS AND BEGAN SPEAKING ABOUT EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR IN AN EMPLOYEE AND THE DIFFERENT POSITIONS HE HAD TO OFFER. I THANKED HIM FOR HIS TIME, WALKED AWAY FEELING INCREDIBLY AWKWARD, AND HUMBLED.

MUSTACHE MAN GOT MY HEAD STRAIGHT, AND AFTER HIM I FELT FAR MORE RELAXED, CRACKING WHAT I THOUGHT WERE FUNNY JOKES AND GETTING A LOT OF SMILES OUT OF A LOT OF EMPLOYERS. 

I WALKED AWAY AN HOUR LATER FEELING CONFIDENT; I'D MET NEW FACES, COMMUNICATED WHO I WAS CLEARLY AND IN A RELAXED MANNER, ASKED QUESTIONS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY HAD GENUINELY MEMORABLE CONVERSATIONS.   

I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF EMPLOYERS AS ANOTHER SPECIES IN A WAY. GIVE THEM YOUR STATS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS TOPPED OFF WITH AN EAGER SMILE AND THE JOB'S YOURS. BUT THESE EMPLOYERS DIDN'T JUST WANT ANOTHER TALKING RESUME. THEY WANTED CONVERSATION, SOMEONE TO CAPTURE THEIR INTEREST IN A UNIQUE WAY. 

IN A WAY I FELT A LOT LIKE MY WHITE BLAZER. TAILORED, PROFESSIONAL AND PERFECTLY PAIRED WITH A PAIR OF KHAKIS THAT SCREAMED PROFESSIONALISM. ON THE OUTSIDE YES, THE BLAZER WAS PERFECT FOR THE FAIR, BUT ONE'S APPEARANCE ALONE WON'T PORTRAY  WHO THEY ARE AS A PERSON. 

I WENT INTO THE FAIR THINKING I HAD IT ALL FIGURED OUT, SIMPLY BY THE LOOK I HAD AND THE MOTIONS I KNEW I'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH. BUT I LEFT KNOWING THAT PEOPLE COME TO PENN STATE FOR A REASON; BECAUSE EVERY STUDENT HAS SO MUCH MORE TO OFFER, AS AN EMPLOYEE AND A PERSON, THAN JUST THEIR DEGREE.