The author graduated from college with a job lined up.
Courtesy of Jessica Scranton
Last May, I graduated from Smith College. Now I live in New York and work as a Project Manager at PDS Development, a Brooklyn-based real estate development and consulting firm. My experience with the job application process had nothing to do with LinkedIn, a perfect résumé, or most of the mainstream advice Gen Z has been given about landing a job.It had everything to do with human connection.I've loved all things real estate and design since I was 10 years old. I grew up around it — spreading garden mulch on Brooklyn investment properties for $15 an hour, shadowing agents at showings, interning at a local architecture firm, and ultimately passing my real estate licensing exam at 18.Thankfully, I landed my dream job straight out of college in a unique way.A Facebook post, and seizing the momentOne day, during my junior year, I randomly hopped on Facebook and spotted a post in a community group called "Park Slope Together," formed during COVID to support neighbors and local businesses. A successful real estate developer was looking for administrative assistance, and I was hungry for real-world, working experience — something not easily accessible as a full-time student in Massachusetts.Twenty-three people flooded the comments. I messaged him directly on Facebook Messenger, we got on the phone, and within days, he started sending me remote tasks to complete while I finished my studies. The most amusing part? He lived up the street from my childhood home; we were neighbors.I worked quietly in the background of his operations for two years.
