Blue skies are fading: Gold Skies Ahead
Many of you may be wondering why this Wheel Deal post is not arriving on the usual Monday at 9:00am. The past few days have been a full sprint of job interviews and the interviews I am running for new caretakers, so Wednesday became the new Monday this time around. I am writing this with my second cup of coffee after my usual morning ritual of scrolling through LinkedIn. The algorithm shows me roles I have already applied to, only for me to see they have been reposted. I think oh boy, there they are again. Ogilvy, Edelman, VML, Real Chemistry, APCO, Burson, Weber Shandwick. The list goes on.
The one bright spot is that many of these agencies still stay in touch. Recruiters check in on how I am doing, offer mock interviews, send me new roles, and keep my materials on file. It feels less like blue skies and more like gold skies, the kind where doors open when the timing finally lines up. I remind myself how fortunate I have been to reach second and sometimes third round interviews. After a while you learn the rhythm. A thirty minute recruiter call followed by a series of Teams conversations where you try to see if the chemistry is there. Sometimes you walk away feeling like you have known the person for years. Other times it feels cold from the start and you politely exit after the final we will be in touch.
Last Friday I had an interview for a dermatology account. It was not Alzheimer’s or Duchenne or anything in neurology or rare diseases, but skin is still personal because my dad has vitiligo. The recruiter and I bounced ideas off each other and the conversation felt natural. Later that day I received the email for a Teams interview. It felt like a group I could thrive in, even if I did spend part of the weekend laughing at myself for mixing up the name of the holding company with the agency under it. One of the team members admitted she made the exact same mistake in her interview and had still been hired. It was simple but human. Whatever happens, it left me feeling grounded and energized.
Before I could overthink any of it, the weekend shifted into packing mode for my move to the Upper East Side. This is my first full one year lease in New York with no resemblance to my NYU years. Every place before this echoed something from college, but this one stands on its own. Imposter syndrome shows up sometimes, but you jump anyway. As Scott Galloway says, if you are not in rooms you do not deserve to be in, you are not trying that hard. Feeling like an imposter usually means you are surrounded by impressive people. In my own words, you listen more than you talk at first, you prepare outside the room, and eventually you earn your spot.
I felt that most clearly on my first day at Porter Novelli. I walked in feeling completely out of my depth. Now that feeling is more minimal, which tells me I need to keep stepping into similar rooms. Growth has never been smooth. You jump, even if you are still the punk twenty five year old in your parents eyes. Somehow wiser. Somehow still figuring it out. Coming back to the city this way feels strange in a good way. A little older. A little more real.
Back home in the Berkshires, I was also deep in the caretaker search. I narrowed it down to two finalists, and Monday and Tuesday were twenty four hour trials with people I originally met on Facebook. Even after weeks of talking, trusting strangers with your body from day one feels surreal. I walk them through dressing, transfers, shower routines, and we talk to break the ice. It is vulnerable but necessary. After a long process that started in early October, I finally have a new team in place, and it feels like a weight sliding off my shoulders.
On the job side, the grind continues. More health PR interviews. Creative roles like Carnegie Hall on the side. I reviewed my notes from Friday because on Monday I had another interview for a similar role. These roles usually involve managing accounts, keeping cross functional teams organized, monitoring media landscapes, taking notes in client meetings, and helping develop content for pharmaceutical clients. Sometimes you get exposure to influencer partnerships and thought leadership too, which I always enjoy.
To prepare, I ran through common questions. I researched my interviewers. I read old posts to remind myself of the story I have been building since graduating from NYU in 2023. This interview felt especially meaningful because the agency had worked with two companies that developed Duchenne drugs. They understand rare disease. Networking helped too. A colleague from my internship referred me after we reconnected. Even though we only overlapped briefly, she still took the time to help. Those gestures make the process less lonely.
Like always, my brain replayed the interview afterward. When they asked how I manage cross functional deliverables, I gave my usual answer about starting in a notebook, moving things into Excel, and sending reminder emails. It was solid, but later I wished I had gone higher level. Something about structured workflows. Something about project management systems or AI based trackers or an account management platform. Not that I use all of them. I just wished I had shown I know how to speak about deliverables in a way that sounds less college and more early career.
The moment that stayed with me came later. When they asked how I adapt when timelines shift, I should have been honest and said I did not have the perfect example in the moment. Instead, I drifted into a tangent about choosing the wrong speaker for an event. Not a bad story, just not the story the moment needed. Even with those small missteps, the momentum still feels real.
I also spent part of the week as head of HR for Charleys Angels, also known as my caretaker team. When I am back after Thanksgiving, the walls will not feel empty. They will be covered in art. Roxy will bark. And the apartment will finally feel like home.
Follow my blog to see how the job hunt unfolds and how the apartment comes together. Here is to a great Thanksgiving. Q1 is almost here. For some agencies it is the reset moment. For me it is the chance to grow from intern to Assistant Account Executive and bring what I learned from Porter Novelli and Rare Disease Research LLC to a new team. Gold skies ahead.
