isolated_lee's journey

I recently graduated with an MA in History and have been working as a research assistant at a museum for the past two years. My role involved managing collections, handling administrative tasks, and archival work. However, I am eager to pivot out of the museum sector and explore opportunities in business operations, potentially at a museum, library, or media company in the future. Unfortunately, my museum experience seems to be limiting my job prospects, as I feel like I’m being viewed solely as a 'museum person desperate for a job.' Recently, my mom's friend offered me a position as an Office Assistant at his auto body shop. The job would involve a variety of back-of-house tasks, such as pricing items, handling payments, customer service, payroll, administrative duties, social media management, and building vendor relationships. It’s a small shop with only one location, and the pay would be around $15-$16 an hour, full-time, with insurance. I plan to track everything I do in this role, just as I did in my previous job, including the number of people I help, scheduling, and training. I see this position as a stepping stone to gain real business experience, even though I don’t intend to stay there long-term. I’m willing to put in the effort and do a great job, but I’m also aware that I might need to leave after a year or two to pursue my true interests. I’m contemplating whether this Office Assistant role would be a good move for my career pivot. Should I take this opportunity to gain experience, or should I keep looking for something more aligned with my ultimate goals?

I applied for a coordinator role in HR/People Ops at a company I found on LinkedIn around 4 am. To my surprise, I received an email from a recruiter just four hours later, at 8 am, asking to schedule a screening call. This is my first time going through an interview screening process, and I honestly expected to wait weeks or even months for a response, likely leading to a rejection. The job posting has been up for about a month, and only 20 people have applied, which makes me feel a bit more hopeful since I noticed there were only 6 applicants when I submitted my application. I'm trying to pivot into a corporate role after spending the last two years working part-time in public-facing positions. Now, I'm wondering what to expect from this screening call. I've read that it usually lasts about 20 to 30 minutes and serves as a fit check rather than a final interview. I need to prepare a brief introduction that ties my experience in public roles to the responsibilities in People Ops, like managing sensitive information and staying organized. I'm feeling a mix of excitement and nerves about this opportunity.