Molly Mulhern has proven that you never really know where a job might take you.
The Austin, TX, resident had been working as an event coordinator after graduating from Rhodes in 2018, but she found herself out of a job due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With much of the economy shut down, she wasn’t having success finding employment—until one day she stumbled upon a posting for a candlemaker at a Texas beeswax candle company.
What happened next is buzz-worthy.
Mulhern initially questioned applying for the position, wondering, Would this veer me away from my career goals? Would I be able to afford rent?
Mulhern—who describes herself as well-rounded and outgoing—researched the company’s mission and learned that it worked with local beekeepers and made recycled beeswax donations to charitable organizations. That lit a fire in her to apply for the candlemaker position.
“I had no prior candle making skills, but I decided to take a chance on something new,” she says.
Mulhern was granted an interview via Zoom, and that’s when the interviewers noticed social media experience on her resume. They asked if she would be interested in the position of social media manager—which is what she really wanted to do.
“After just one month of working for this company, I’m now officially their social media manager, and I help out with candle production, too,” says Mulhern. “You never know where opportunities will take you, so it’s important to go with your gut when adjusting to life’s changes.”
Mulhern holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and theatre from Rhodes and says, “A big thing I learned from Rhodes that has helped me tremendously during this unexpected job search is to never reduce myself to fit into just one box. Rhodes allowed me to grow as a person and a professional in multiple areas and taught me how to think creatively when approaching difficult situations.”
Her advice to current job seekers: “Don’t lose hope. Find the perseverance within yourself to keep going and open yourself up to opportunities you might not have considered before. You might just end up exactly where you’re meant to be.”