I'm Not Who You Think I Am
Any guesses on my educational background? By degree, I am a medical technologist. That is a four-year degree with a heavy emphasis on physics, chemistry, biology and math. Medical Technologists are the people in the various hospitals and research labs around the country running tests and digging for answers to medical mysteries. I worked in the microbiology lab of a large Detroit hospital after graduation. I was assigned to fun things like urine, stool, food and CSF cultures. You didn’t see that coming, right?
Most assume I have a background in business or career counseling. I fell into the recruiting profession. It is a long story I will save for another day. The condensed version is I failed to consider the lack of social involvement when picking my degree, I ended up hating the solitude of the lab, and by a complete fluke, ended up working for a recruiting agency. Moving on…
If I had had a crystal ball as a freshman in college, I may have picked an education path more in line with what I have ended up doing. Boy, what a mistake that would have been. You see, it’s the medical technologist in me that makes what I bring to the table different from some of my peers. When I got a specimen in the lab, I knew I was getting it from someone who was not well. Something was going on with the person and my ability to sniff out clues was crucial. Medical technologists are hunters, of sorts. The assumption was always that something might be there, and every effort must be made to find the hidden and not-so-hidden. Though many of the tests I ran produced normal results, I never let the stats sway my commitment to approach every specimen with my eyes, nose (don’t ask) and brain on full alert.
The habits gained from my dance with medical technology often have me approaching searches from the opposite direction of those I’m attempting to help. Many job seekers are convinced nothing is out there, so they go through the motions with their search and end up with the negative result they expected. I, on the other hand, am trained to believe the potential for a positive result is everywhere. Since I’m focused on proving something exists and others are focused on confirming their belief that something doesn’t, the information we collect is entirely different.
A short way to sum up this long point is that your eyes are inclined to believe your brain. If your brain says nothing is there, your eyes won’t see the obvious. Though it’s important in medical settings to prevent eyes from overlooking things, I promise it’s just as crucial in a job search.
Lisa Parker joined the MSU Alumni Office in May of 2012 as the Director of Alumni Career & Business Services. She was then elevated to Senior Director of Alumni Engagement in July of 2016. Her prior experience includes 17 years of progressive leadership roles in third party recruitment.
