I on the other hand had an in-depth answer, which I post here, as I was out of work for 15 months. It was a chance to have almost a 2nd personal statement, and I took full advantage of it.
🙂
Following 2001, the New York City job market was slow, particularly in classical music publishing and the temp market. When my job at Peermusic Classical was eliminated by the president of the larger company, I was faced with the challenge of regaining employment in this environment. In September of 2001, I had begun to work with KittyKind, a no-kill cat rescue group, and while job hunting, I spent increasing time at the shelter. My responsibilities included cleaning cages, administering medications (including bringing the onset of symptoms to attention of qualified medical personnel), transportation of animals, home/acclimation visits for recently adopted animals, and website management/technical support.
I discovered a talent for socialization of feral and semi-feral cats. Taking a very steady and patient approach, I was able to work with a sizable number of strays, taking them to a point where they were adoptable. This approach is currently invaluable when handling fractious patients. I also found that I was good at teaching and passing on information, advocating for proper care; the other side of this was realizing my impatience with people who ask questions without wanting to hear the answers. Over time, I've learned to temper that impatience, taking a more measured approach. These realizations are important every day as a veterinary nurse, where I regularly engage in client education for the doctors.
I also realized that my collaborative skills were not well developed, I had always worked on individual projects. Technology was trending towards teamwork, so as a volunteer and freelancer, this is where I focused my development. For example, another KittyKind volunteer and I rebuilt the organization website: she handled design, I managed structure. This relationship success led her to recommend me as her replacement when she left her job, a technical project manager position which I held for over three years. Being a collaborative team leader has been useful in academic laboratory classes and study sessions, as well as at work where my job includes managing nursing shifts. The value of a professional network has also stuck with me, and I make a point of cultivating relationships both in and out of my profession.
I feel that the period of unemployment, while long, was nevertheless productive. It enabled me to realize talents that I had not previously been aware of, and to work on weaknesses which if left unmanaged could have been detrimental. More importantly, this time could be pointed to as the first stirrings of a serious consideration of veterinary medicine as a career.
