Not So Funemployed

The hunt for a career path is still going strong, as in I haven’t yet been hired by my dream company but I have taken on the world of retail in the mean time. As much as searching for careers and being unemployed is in itself a full-time job, it couldn’t hurt to get some experience in a different field and make some much needed funds in the meantime. So far so good…

I’ve noticed over the last couple of weeks that the number of jobs being posted to various websites etc… have slowed down substantially. Whether that’s because it’s almost holiday season and no one really wants to hire someone before they leave for the holidays, or company’s have just filled their quota, I’m not sure but it is not a reassuring pattern.  Either way, I’m still holding out hope that one of the myriad of dream jobs I’ve applied for will call me out of the blue and offer me a life boat, aka  job STAT. 

Dear Dream Job, 

Please hire me. I’ll work really hard and prove myself. I promise. 

Sincerely, 

Me

Who knew November was just around the corner? It’s been two full months since the 9-5 life ended and the job searching began. So far everyone’s told me that it took them 3-4 months to find their dream job and eventual career path and to not get discouraged but it’s proving to be a difficult task. Especially since everyone around me is busy with their lives and I’m still seemingly stuck in pergatory (for those non-English majors - no man’s land). I’ve had numerous interviews that have (in my opinion) gone pretty well and I always get the “I’ll be in touch by the end of this week, or early next,” yet nothing seems to come to fruition. It’s either that I’ve been one of the interview early birds and the ones after me have been more impressive and qualified, or they’ve simply forgotten my bubbly spirit and zesty personality by the time the decision gets made, either way I lose. However, having down moments every once and awhile is necessary for me, it gets me to pick myself up, do the proverbial dust off and try harder (essentially write stronger and more creative cover letters). Being discouraged only makes matters worse for me, and there’s really no point in that so the only option is positivity and employment vibes, which are bound to work eventually… right?

On a completely different and non-related note the Funemployed life just got a little less unemployed and a little more part-time employed. I’ve finally hit the point where money is necessary and a part-time job is therefore unavoidable. We’ll see if retail therapy works its magic on the other side of the register - aka stay tuned for updates on life being part-time funemployed. My thoughts are that this life is bound to be the same as being full-time funemployed but with a little less time job searching and a bit more funds in the bank. Props to friends in retail who manage to get this girl hired for once.

Until next time… 

Employers are powerful, especially when you’re unemployed.

I had a ‘character building’ experience last week with a potential employer which was definitely out of the ordinary. I say ‘character building’ because it’s better then saying ‘weird’ or ‘terrible’, it also makes people think you’re a kind soul. Anyways, so this interview was for the menial job of being a personal assistant (I shouldn’t say menial but who really grows up wanting to be a personal assistant, which ironically, is one of the questions the employer asked me.. awkward). You’d think the standard interview questions would apply, which was what happened during the pre-screening interview. When I finally got to meet the man of the hour, aka the big boss, it was the weirdest interview I think I’ve ever done. Not only were the questions seemingly irrelevant (I’ve subsequently learned that NOTHING in an interview is irrelevant), but he was asking questions that had nothing to do with my past experience and how I was qualified for the job he needed me for. A day after this ‘character building’ experience I got an e-mail from him asking me for my transcript (which costs me money to get, by the way) but also this:

“Where would you like to live and why?”

….

For the job of being a personal assistant? Really?? I could understand if it was a job that required travel, or maybe a fun playful question that you could answer to his face, bantering with his facial expressions, but writing a paragraph about where you want to live and why as the THIRD requirement for getting hired as a PA? I was/still am to an extent baffled. I’m leaving the fact that he asked me for my transcript as a side note, because that’s a whole other bag of questions I have not given myself the time to address yet. 

Needless to say, my desperate self wrote the paragraph and ordered my $30 transcript and sent them both off to be combed through. Who knows if my BAH University education and previous work experiences will be enough to book travel arrangements and schedule meetings. I’ll keep you posted.

This post doesn’t really have a point, more-so that interviews and employers have a lot of power; the power to make you revert back to your Grade 1 self (and writing ability ex. “I would really like to live in ______ because of the beautiful weather….”); the power to make you look like a complete idiot in an interview, answering why you want the job of a PA when you’re dream job is something entirely different (yes, those were the order of questions); and of course the power to either hire you or send you back into the sea of unqualified candidates and shark-like job-seekers. It’s an embarrassing life, but someone’s gotta do it.

Interviews suck. Plain and simple. They’re awkward, uncomfortable, sometimes insincere and in extreme cases make you feel like crying because you’re clearly underqualified and over-confident. Not all of this is from personal experience (ahemyesitis) but in most cases everyone’s felt one or more of these things on at least one occasion. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been on numerous interviews for various companies and have picked up some tricks that make the interviewing process a little easier on the job seeker. Again, all this should come with a disclaimer seeing as I am still funemployed, but at least I’m getting a range of experience with character types and figure out the places I DON’T want to be in 25 years… Here are some notes on things to be aware of and keep in mind when faced with the prospect of an interview. 

1) Always keep your personality or at least parts of your personality visible. Don’t hide who you are to fit the needs of the job, the employer in that case isn’t hiring you, just your stodgy alter ego who will probably end up dreading work every morning. The perfect job will embrace your personality and use your energy as an advantage, or so I’d like to think.

2) Always do your research and ask questions! There’s nothing like entering an interview and having absolutely NO idea what it’s for and more importantly what the company does. It makes you look like an ass and you’ll probably end up leaving with your head hung low, which is not good for the jobless self-esteem. Always come with some questions in mind, even if you don’t really have any burning desire to actually know the answer. If it’s a job you really want (even if it’s not, the employer may know someone - refer to post 1 about Connections…) have some questions in mind to ask the employer when it’s that time during the interview. A former boss of mine actually turned the tables during my interview, forcing me to think of questions to ask him about his business, the company etc… for a full 7 minutes. In situations like these, if you don’t know a damn thing about the business, you’re pretty much screwed, that is unless you’re a drama student and are used to improv. 

3) Don’t arrive more then 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Sounds like a stupid tip, but if you get to your destination a full 15 minutes before your due, in my humble opinion you look ridiculously eager AND run the risk of pressuring the employer to see you before they’re ready. You really don’t want to meet a flustered interviewer who’s not interested in your answers because they’re still thinking of what they could have done in that 15 minutes before they were due to meet you. Bad for you in the long run.

And

4) Confidence is key. Even if you’re completely wrong for the job and you know it, never let that confidence waver (however, there IS such a thing as TOO confident). Or on the flip side if you’re not really a confident person, fake it till you make it. I’d like to think employers are more attracted to someone who’s proud of their accomplishments and is more then happy to share everything they’ve done (that’s sort of relevant of course) and why they’re a great addition to the team. I always like to take some things that may not be on my resume or entirely relevant and spin it to make it work with the questions the interviewer is asking. The fact that I come from a big family can show that I can deal with multiple different types of personalities and embrace chaos in a good way, for example. This little tidbit is not on my resume, but can be of use during an interview. 

Interviews really are stressful and scary at times, but if you look at it as a way to show yourself as a real 3D person and not just a piece of paper, they’re pretty important for you and the employer. 

Ugh.. Interviews!