Age: 22Hometown: Basking Ridge, NJUndergraduate Degree: English Major with a Creative Writing MinorYear of graduation: Spring Semester 2014
Her Campus: During your time at Bloomsburg, what activities were you involved in?Ali Murphy: I was an active member of the sorority Phi Iota Chi (Pixies). I also was a Her Campus Bloomsburg Contributor and the Social Media Director.
HC: What do you miss most about your time at Bloomsburg?AM: What I miss most is being surrounded by my best friends virtually 24/7. I also miss my sorority and being a part of all the exciting events they do. Obviously I miss the party scene and how every weekend there is something to do with your friends. Surprisingly, I do miss my classes. There were so many amazing courses I was able to take with brilliant professors who I loved. And last but not least, I miss Marley’s and PB Beer!
HC: How long did it take you to find your new job? And do you have any helpful suggestions for the soon to be college graduates?AM: It took me three months to find a job after I graduated which is pretty fast. In the process, I learned it is 100% about making connections and creating a strong viable network, aka “who you know”. If you are sitting on Monster.com for hours at a time sending out resumes, you’re doing it wrong. It is rare that you will get an amazing position from a site like that. USE LINKEDIN. If you don’t have an account, make one after you finish reading this article. LinkedIn is the number one place employers are looking for people to hire. I actually got my job by simply connecting with alumni from Bloomsburg on LinkedIn. My current boss messaged me and said, “Hey! Thanks for connecting, I don’t see many people from Bloomsburg. I would love to talk to you about if you would be interested in working for my company.” It was as easy as that! When we met we laughed and shared stories about being at Bloom. Companies hire people who they can relate to or have some sort of connection with. Simply having an amazing resume, fifty internships, and an impressive degree does not cut it every time – however, it certainly doesn’t hurt!
HC: What is your role at ISPOSSIBLE IN TECH? And what is a typical day in the office like?AM: My current title at ISPOSSIBLE IN TECH is Community Manager. I am in charge of keeping all of the Social Media platforms up to date. I also do event planning for the tech events we host. ISPOSSIBLE is a tech-staffing agency, we host monthly events in order to expand our network and connect with our clients and candidates on a more personal level. Our last event, which was based around inspiring women in tech, was held at Etsy! Working here I get to meet so many brilliant people as well as work with amazing companies. I spend my day collaborating with my boss, Tiffany, about future events, keeping up with Social Media, and also assisting with recruiting by reaching out to potential candidates in order to place them in their ideal roles.
HC: How has being an English major helped with your new career?AM: Being an English major has helped me tremendously. When it comes down to it, companies are always looking for writers. It is a skill the surprisingly enough many people in the professional world struggle with. Sometimes my boss will even ask me to edit things for her. I love being able to say that I devoted my college career to writing.
HC: What was your hardest transition from Bloomsburg to the “real world”?AM: Social Media has made the transition 1000 times worse! Being able to see all of my friends together back at Bloomsburg without me has been hard. I will admit, I felt a little lost and hopeless right after I graduated. After a month with no job, I had the attitude that “this is it, I will never find anything!” Clearly I was wrong. I now have the attitude that life is not over after college, it really has only just begun.
HC: What do you enjoy most about working in New York City? And do you have any plans on moving there?AM: I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be commuting to NY for work. I hated NYC growing up! I lived so close my whole life and had gone in many times with my family for shows and dinners, and I always thought it was busy, annoying, and smelly. I had an internship with Elie Tahari winter break of my senior year and it hit me then. I loved working in NYC. The energy from the city is incredible. It is hard commuting everyday but I’m okay with it for now. Once I get off of the bus in the morning I’m thrown into thousands of amazing people and professionals and it puts me in the mood to work. By the time I walk to work, I am ready for the day. It’s hard to explain the energy but it is addicting. I am 100% moving to the city. I hope to move to the Upper East Side.