Meredith Rund recently started her baking company, Grove Street Bakers. Since she started her company, she has already begun to ship her baked goods all across the country. Meredith has always been fond of baking but she did not think she would start a career in baking so quick. Being a recent college graduate, she has yet to find a full-time job and she needed to find a way to generate income.
A: What college did you attend and what was your major?
M: I attended NIU and majored in Political Science.
A: Why did you chose that major?
M: I have known I wanted to work in non-profits since high school and political science is the route I chose to get there.
A: What experience do you have in that field?
M: I loved my classes but otherwise I have very little experience in politics. I did an internship working for a political consulting firm and have worked for the NIU Foundation for several years.
A: While you were pursuing your degree, what did you hope to do after graduation?
M: I wanted to work for a non-profit. I love the idea of making a legacy of giving through an endowment. I hope to find a job at a education based non-profit hopefully at a university or library.
A; How has your experience been looking for a job?
M: Looking for jobs is never fun but I have made the best of being unemployed. For the first month I spent most of my time canning food from my family garden. In the last couple months I started a small business to make ends meet until I find a full time position.
A: Would you like to talk about a company you applied at and were declined? If yes, did they provide any feedback why they rejected you?
M: At first I applied for the jobs I wanted the most and thought at least one would get me where I thought I want to be in 5 years. I got several follow up e-mails and phone calls but nothing panned out. After a month I started applying for everything I can. Some websites like CareerBuilder allow you to apply for jobs quickly and without much effort. That is great but they also get so many applications because it is so easy that you never hear back from any of the companies at all and when you do, it is about how “we have gone with a candidate who’s skills are more fitting for the position.” One company was nice enough to send me a rejection post card.
A: Would you like to talk about a company you interviewed at but were not offered the job? If yes, why do you think they did not hire you? Did they tell you why you weren't hired?
M: I have only had about 10 interviews since applying for jobs. Of those I only got a couple responses telling me why I was not chosen and all but one used a template response. The worst experience was with a law firm in the city with whom I did a initial interview and then a round two interview and never heard back from them at all. I have little doubt that most of the jobs I have interviewed for and not gotten a response I didn’t have enough experience.
A: What advice do you wish someone gave you before you left college?
M: “Find something to keep you busy.” I am lucky in that I have a busy family and a community I keep active in but I know most people don’t have the same experiences when they find themselves with so much downtime.
A: Talk to me about Grove Street Bakers?
M: Grove Street Bakers is a small business that bakes homemade cookies for local delivery or mail order. I offer a cookie of the month and for the holiday season about a dozen different holiday cookies.
A: Why did you start Grove Street Bakers?
M: One of my life goals is to open some form of eatery with my sister. I started Grove Street Bakers to keep busy and because I saw a need that wasn’t being met. I have been baking for as long as I can remember so I know that I have plenty of experience in this field.
A: What do you hope to accomplish with Grove Street Bakers?
M: Around the holidays there is a high demand for homemade cookies. Cookies from stores are expensive and don’t taste that great. I am hoping to provide a delicious, butter-filled product at a reasonable price. I don’t know what Grove Street Bakers will do after the holidays but I am hoping to keep finding a need that can be addressed in my community.
A: How has social media played a role in your life? Has it helped your job hunt? How has it helped Grove Street Bakers?
M: Social media plays a big role in my life. I am not like most college students who check their facebook a dozen times a day. I might check it a couple times a week, but there have been several organizations that have posted that they are hiring and they ended up having a position I was interested in. With Grove Street Bakers social media is playing an integral role. I am using my blog Grove Street Bakers to display photos of my cookies and post a cookie of the month. In the next couple weeks I plan on branching out to facebook.
A: In 140 words or less why should someone hire you?
M: I am young and not looking to hop from job to job over the next several years. I am looking to find a job I am passionate about and make it a career. I am a long term investment with a high level of computer skills. Having worked at the NIU Foundation for the last three years has been a great learning experience that I hope to apply that experience wherever I end up. I bring a lot of energy to work every day and bake good cookies.
If you want to purchase cookies from Meredith for the Holiday season go to:
Filed under: Interviews
Tags: communications, Events, Grove Street Bakers, job, job hunting, Meredith Rund, non-profits, Political Science, public relations, social media
