On the 2nd day of my new job the General Manager called me into his office…

He said, “Take a Note” and began to dictate a memo out loud to me.

He stopped mid “memo” to scold me for not taking secretarial shorthand. It was 1997.

He was outraged. And so was I.

I was crazy offended.

I had a TOP undergraduate degree and he thought I was there for shorthand, which hasn't been done since the 60's.

I had just completed 2 years working directly for an MD who could do rings around this bozo.

I went straight to my manager and told him I was done.

He bargained with me and had the GM back off.

I went back to my cubicle and vowed to Get the F Out.

But I was too chicken to quit.

So, that moment I made a list of 10 PR firms I wanted to work at.

None of them had “job openings” in the Boston Globe or AdWeek.

(yes this was in the days of Netscape – Google didn't exist yet).

I became a job ‘stalker.'

I learned who was HR, management, and on the PR teams.

I got interviews, but I was told I was too old for entry level (at age 24).

I kept at it for 5 months, until one day my former colleague called about an opening at her firm.

I went to the interview and I worked there for 10.5 years.

Who's on your job ‘stalking' list?

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– Kelley Joyce, MBA, CPC

Kelley is a career development coach who is dedicated to helping people discover their career path and land their dream jobs. She has served hundreds of professionals across the U.S., U.K., and Australia since 2012 to radically change their relationship with work.