The Job Hunt That’s Shaping Me
This job hunt has been one of the most exhausting, eye‑opening, humbling, and strangely motivating experiences of my life. When I started this journey eight months ago, I had no idea how many twists, turns, interviews, rejections, surprises, and small victories would come with it. I also didn’t realize how much I would learn about myself, this industry, and the people who quietly root for me along the way.
Colorado State was the first big swing. A Zoom interview with three people, great energy, real excitement, and then silence. The job disappeared. Months later it reappeared as if nothing had happened. I reached out again and still nothing. That was my first lesson in this process. Sometimes the silence has nothing to do with you. Sometimes the silence is the answer. And sometimes the silence is just the result of a messy hiring process that you’ll never fully understand.
Then came Texas. Five interviews. Real conversations. Real connection. Real hope. I heard things like see you soon and you’re going to love Austin and we can’t wait to meet you. I let myself believe it because it felt real. And then the call came. They went with a graphic designer. Not a storyteller. Not a producer. Not the role they described. It stung. It confused me. But it also reminded me that hiring decisions are rarely about talent alone. They’re about internal politics, timing, budgets, comfort zones, and sometimes just the personal preference of one person in the room.
Notre Dame was another chapter. Three interviews for the lead producer role. I made it far. I didn’t get it. Then I applied for the football content job, the one I’m most qualified for, and didn’t even get an interview. Then I was back in the mix for a hybrid men’s basketball and football content role. Every time I apply, I can see the traffic on my website spike. It’s surreal to watch people from these schools click through my portfolio, my blogs, my work. It’s like watching them peek into my creative brain. Sometimes several people from the same school look at it within hours. It’s a strange mix of hope and vulnerability.
Virginia Tech has been a bright spot. Three interviews already and now I’m flying out for the final round. This one is for in‑venue board content for seven sports. It’s funny because at MSU, they kept trying to hire out for board content. They quickly learned that outsourcing hype is risky. If you don’t understand the vibe, the athletes, the culture, the energy, you can’t fake it. It becomes a disaster. Virginia Tech seems to understand that. They want someone who can feel the heartbeat of their sports, not just fill a screen.
I was still in the running for the other football content creator roles, the content producer job at Oklahoma, and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs job is interesting. It’s entry level and heavily phone‑based, which wouldn’t grow my technical skills much, but it would open doors. NFL doors. Power Four doors. Doors that lead to other doors. Sometimes the step that looks small is actually the one that changes everything.
Other schools like Tennessee, Miami, SMU, Missouri, and Michigan State have been on my website too. UConn turned me down, which hurt because I really wanted that one, but today they were all over my site again. You never know what’s happening behind the scenes. You never know who is reconsidering you, who is watching your growth, or who is waiting for the right opening to reach out.
I’ve had to remind myself constantly that there are many reasons I don’t get interviews or offers. Sometimes someone internal is already lined up. Sometimes they want a man, consciously or not. Sometimes they think hiring someone who does as much as I do will create more work for them. Sometimes they’re afraid I’ll raise the bar and expose how low it’s been. I can see the content some schools put out. I know what I could do with it. Maybe that intimidates people. Maybe it excites the right ones.
If I could go back to the beginning, I would have kept a spreadsheet with every job posting date, application date, cover letter, job description, contact name, LinkedIn outreach, interview date, and follow‑up. I’ve learned the hard way that this process is long, messy, and full of moving parts. But I’ve also learned how important it is to build relationships. Upgrading LinkedIn so I could message people directly was one of the best decisions I made. Almost everyone responded. Some of those conversations turned into real connections. Some turned into interviews. Some turned into mentors.
My website has become my home base. My portfolio. My voice. My proof. My blogs have become a way to show how I think, how I create, how I see the industry. Sometimes I write a blog that directly relates to a job I’m applying for. And then I watch someone from that school click on it the next day. It’s like a silent conversation between me and the people deciding my future.
I always follow up with thank you messages. Every interview. Every connection. Every person who gives me five minutes of their time. The Texas recruiter felt so bad about how things ended that she helped me get another interview somewhere else. Barry Hinson at Oklahoma State has been one of my biggest encouragers. A year ago we talked about NIL, branding, and storytelling. He remembered me. He believed in me. He still does.
This journey has been brutal. But it has also been shaping me into someone stronger, more resilient, more strategic, and more aware of my own value. I’m not done. I’m not discouraged. I’m not backing down. I’m documenting this adventure because one day I’ll look back and see how every no, every silence, every almost, every interview, every website click, and every connection was leading me exactly where I was supposed to go.
Another end of the week is approaching, then late one evening out of no where I get the call to fly down for an interview. Within a week, I get the dream offer and here I am stepping into my role as the Director of Creative Content for Florida State University Athletics. I took a risk holding out for this job. I walked away from safe choices because something in me knew this was the one worth waiting for. Within days of being here, the feeling was undeniable. Peace. Joy. Clarity. This is exactly where I’m meant to build, create, and grow. This is the chapter that changes everything.
Regan Jones is the Director of Creative Content for Florida State University Athletics, where she leads the visual identity and storytelling strategy for one of the nation’s premier athletic programs. She joined FSU in June 2026 after four years at Missouri State University, where she shaped the creative direction for football and basketball and produced cinematic content that elevated engagement across 19 Division I sports by more than 200 percent. Her work includes intro videos, recruiting features, in‑venue board graphics, and the documentary series The Maroonprint, which highlighted the history, culture, and heartbeat of Missouri State football.
Before stepping into collegiate athletics full‑time, Regan served as the marketing and creative strategy manager at SVN | Rankin Company, overseeing digital branding, commercial listings, and social campaigns, including a high‑impact video project for the Tournament of Champions. She is also the founder of My Charmed Productions LLC, where she continues to produce independent creative work.
Regan’s passion for storytelling began in second grade with a camcorder, her siblings, and a backyard full of imagination. By eighth grade she was creating hype videos for the Greenwood Bulldogs Championship Football teams, discovering the spark that would eventually become her career. She graduated from Missouri State University in 2020 and has spent every year since building a body of work rooted in emotion, authenticity, and the belief that great stories can change the way people feel about sports.
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