Graduation Speech
In January-February 2026, I attended The Workplace’s Platform 2 Employment program. I was honored to be the student speaker at the graduation ceremony. Here’s my message.
Good morning everyone, my name is Hollie Randall, and I attended Platform 2 Employment back in January. I’d first like to congratulate you all for completing P2E, and for those who may have landed a role - I’d also like to congratulate you. After two years of job searching, leaving my job, and navigating unemployment for five months, I finally started my new role as a marketing coordinator. Along the way, I discovered that landing a new role wasn't just about having the right resume or the right experience — it was about learning to see myself differently.
When I was in a college resume class back in 2015, I was told, as a creative major, I had to make my resume stand out with a unique, well-thought-out design. I even created my own brand logo. But what did we learn that second week of P2E? Who’s reading our resumes? Applicant tracking systems, we learned, scan for keywords, skills, and simple formatting to filter applicants before they meet human eyes. That week, I moved everything into a plain Word document, added the right keywords, and used tools like ChatGPT to work more efficiently. But the resume was only part of it.
I also had to reframe my story. My previous role was unique and vast. As the only full-time marketing team member, I handled everything related to marketing and communications. This included running a volunteer-led art program. I’ve never put this on my resume, because what did that have to do with marketing? Anthony, my P2E teacher, taught us not to sleep on those transferable skills. Event and exhibit planning, networking, and leadership — all of it came from that little art program. And where am I working now? A fine art auction house.
But the most important thing P2E gave me wasn't resume tips or transferable skills. It was confidence. When I started looking for a job while still in my old role, I was exhausted, and I was resigned that I wouldn’t find something new. Then, I left my job, and the longer I was unemployed, the more I felt I wasn’t good enough to land a role. I procrastinated filling out applications and skipped writing cover letters, not because I was lazy, but because I was defeated. I think a lot of us felt that way on day one. Those early exercises — what skills do we have, what are we most proud of, felt silly at first. But the more we talked to each other, and dug down to find our own passions, purpose, and power…the more I felt, hey, I can do this. And I did.
So I’ll end with a question that Anthony Sharp started each of our classes with. What are you most grateful for today? I hope your answer is yourself — and the hard work you've put in to find your next chapter.
Thank you all, and thank you, P2E, for all of your support.
Find out more about Platform 2 Employment at this link.