Again, life has been in the way of me being in a state of constantly updating this blog, and other things have taken precedence. This is okay.
I got a job! I got a job at a restaurant and I've trained two days so far and have training again tonight. I don't know my schedule beyond that, but I suspect it will be a number of lunch shifts and perhaps weekday nights.
The people are VERY nice at the restaurant, and I like it. The computer system is pretty easy though I expect it'll get harder when I'm at it on my own without my training waiter right there with me. The menu seems awfully long and there is a lot of overlap among dishes, so it seems kind of challenging to learn everything, but I'm going to keep going and a combination of studying and experience will make it happen, I'm sure.
Since I'm in training, I'm making minimum wage, but once I'm on my own, I'll be making a much lower minimum wage plus tips. I grabbed a mason jar for my change, but other than that I haven't really given much thought to how I want to handle money now that I'll have an income for the first time in, what, eight months?
I want to set some aside for savings, give some to Mom and Dad for room and board, and buy some things I've been wanting, like a phone and some kind of phone plan, but I'm okay with waiting a while for things. I just want to make a plan soon so I don't find myself three or four months in, $6.45 in my savings account and wondering what I did with the money I made.
I imagine being on top of your finances has some similarities to being on top of your weight, except I hope it takes less time. I spend way too much time reading about and working on my fitness as it is, and I really don't need any new projects between family, the blog, exercise, cooking, the boyfriend, and more.
Showing posts with label The Great Employment Experiment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Great Employment Experiment. Show all posts
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Falling Behind on Blogging
Sorry for not updating the Great Employment Experiment lately. I started it two days behind, then tried to catch up, had some busy days with the family that left me more behind, then felt kind of hopeless. Here's my abbreviated employment wrap-up just so I don't feel like I have to dig myself out of this ever-deepening hole and therefore psych myself out of posting at all.
Day 3:
On this day, I grabbed a pile of resumes, wrote the following on a small sheet of paper: the names and numbers of two references, the addresses of my former jobs, and the phone numbers of my former jobs. In retrospect I'd suggest writing down three references, and your pay rate from hire to leaving each job. I have no idea why places ask for your former rate of pay, but I never remember it and it always annoys the crap out of me, so write it down now
Then I drove around from 10am to 4pm. I picked up applications from places that weren't hiring and took the time to fill out applications for anyone who was, or who didn't immediately tell me they weren't. I asked to talk to managers when I handed in the apps, and if they weren't available asked when someone in charge of hiring would be in. I wrote everything in a notebook, including times managers would be in and their names. I found a lot of places weren't hiring, but I felt good about the time I put in.
Day 4:
Didn't work on job stuff due to hanging out with my Dad.
Day 5: I went to check on the application I'd put in for Sonny's and found that while they weren't hiring, they would keep me on the top of their pile in case they need someone soon. The manager really liked me and I liked him and the restaurant, so it was disappointing that the timing didn't work out. I also did my first real day at the gym (warm-up, weights, cardio, then yoga) and my dad and I went to The Museum of Southern History. Kind of funny, kind of awkward, kind of informative, and kind of terrible. Worth the $3 admittance, though!
Day 6:
We went to the roller derby! No job search 'cause it was the weekend and I was lazy. I think I did my taxes that day, so that was some (eventual) money in my pocket.
Day 7:
Spent time with the family, worked out, watched some NHL playoffs with Dad. Dad spent the whole day tending to his grill, smoking beef back ribs, pork spare ribs, and a Boston butt. Lots and lots of red meat.
Day 8:
Today! This morning I filled out an online application for VyStar because when I visited them last week they told me all their hiring was done online and they didn't have physical applications nor did they even know if they were hiring. Knocked that out, shaved and dressed for a couple drop-by interviews at two Chili's locations, and tried my luck. At the first I had the same story as with Sonny's. I'm obviously great, they'd love to hire me, they don't need anyone now, they'll be in touch. Both managers in this position have said that no experience isn't a problem and is sometimes a good thing, as servers sometimes bring bad habits from their old employers. I thanked the manager and went to the Chili's a bit closer to home. The good news is that they were hiring, because the manager was in an interview. The bad news is that I couldn't stick around and meet up with the manager because I had to get the car back to Dad for his blood test. I left my resume a copy of my application from the previous Chili's since they'd run out of copies and couldn't print more and, oh look, I'm just so prepared.
The bad news is that when I called later in the evening, I spoke to someone who told me that if the manager liked my application, he would call me. Now, I have no faith in myself on paper. I could get a job at a hotel with this resume, but to show someone how great I am for this unrelated job, I need to see him or her in person. So I am going to be annoying and disregard that advice from the phone, dress up to apply and interview again tomorrow, and show them just how much they need me. Honestly, I hate to think of them wasting time on other, far less awesome applicants, heaven forbid they actually hire one of the losers. So I'm going to stick my neck out and do this. For them.
I'm kind of nervous about it, though. I know I shouldn't be. I'm also planning on applying to the Outback that's a bit farther away from the house, the Japanese restaurant on San Jose, and maybe Carrabba's. Yes, I know that last one is way out of my league, but I'm going to try everything, darn it.
I still have some applications I haven't followed up on, but they're not for jobs I'm particularly jazzed about. If they call, they call. At the moment I'm really not desperate enough to reach for something that doesn't excite me. the opportunity to learn more about banking/credit unions by working at VyStar is exciting. The chance to wait on people in a restaurant, running around and making cash every day is exciting. I'm not sure I want to risk my happiness on getting a paycheck just a week or two sooner than if I'd held out for something more enjoyable, and as I don't have any huge bills coming up, I'm not overly concerned. I do have to pay my student loan and gym bill, but they're less than $100 a month together.
That's one of the reasons this wasn't the best time to do The Great Employment Experiment, I guess. I'm not desperate. I'm not that hungry for it. I want and need a job, but if I slack I can get by for a bit. Sorry! I'm just not as motivated as I need to be to really tear it up like I usually do. I'll try to be helpful and continue this series anyway, and I appreciate everyone who's following along. ^_^
Day 3:
On this day, I grabbed a pile of resumes, wrote the following on a small sheet of paper: the names and numbers of two references, the addresses of my former jobs, and the phone numbers of my former jobs. In retrospect I'd suggest writing down three references, and your pay rate from hire to leaving each job. I have no idea why places ask for your former rate of pay, but I never remember it and it always annoys the crap out of me, so write it down now
Then I drove around from 10am to 4pm. I picked up applications from places that weren't hiring and took the time to fill out applications for anyone who was, or who didn't immediately tell me they weren't. I asked to talk to managers when I handed in the apps, and if they weren't available asked when someone in charge of hiring would be in. I wrote everything in a notebook, including times managers would be in and their names. I found a lot of places weren't hiring, but I felt good about the time I put in.
Day 4:
Didn't work on job stuff due to hanging out with my Dad.
Day 5: I went to check on the application I'd put in for Sonny's and found that while they weren't hiring, they would keep me on the top of their pile in case they need someone soon. The manager really liked me and I liked him and the restaurant, so it was disappointing that the timing didn't work out. I also did my first real day at the gym (warm-up, weights, cardio, then yoga) and my dad and I went to The Museum of Southern History. Kind of funny, kind of awkward, kind of informative, and kind of terrible. Worth the $3 admittance, though!
Day 6:
We went to the roller derby! No job search 'cause it was the weekend and I was lazy. I think I did my taxes that day, so that was some (eventual) money in my pocket.
Day 7:
Spent time with the family, worked out, watched some NHL playoffs with Dad. Dad spent the whole day tending to his grill, smoking beef back ribs, pork spare ribs, and a Boston butt. Lots and lots of red meat.
Day 8:
Today! This morning I filled out an online application for VyStar because when I visited them last week they told me all their hiring was done online and they didn't have physical applications nor did they even know if they were hiring. Knocked that out, shaved and dressed for a couple drop-by interviews at two Chili's locations, and tried my luck. At the first I had the same story as with Sonny's. I'm obviously great, they'd love to hire me, they don't need anyone now, they'll be in touch. Both managers in this position have said that no experience isn't a problem and is sometimes a good thing, as servers sometimes bring bad habits from their old employers. I thanked the manager and went to the Chili's a bit closer to home. The good news is that they were hiring, because the manager was in an interview. The bad news is that I couldn't stick around and meet up with the manager because I had to get the car back to Dad for his blood test. I left my resume a copy of my application from the previous Chili's since they'd run out of copies and couldn't print more and, oh look, I'm just so prepared.
The bad news is that when I called later in the evening, I spoke to someone who told me that if the manager liked my application, he would call me. Now, I have no faith in myself on paper. I could get a job at a hotel with this resume, but to show someone how great I am for this unrelated job, I need to see him or her in person. So I am going to be annoying and disregard that advice from the phone, dress up to apply and interview again tomorrow, and show them just how much they need me. Honestly, I hate to think of them wasting time on other, far less awesome applicants, heaven forbid they actually hire one of the losers. So I'm going to stick my neck out and do this. For them.
I'm kind of nervous about it, though. I know I shouldn't be. I'm also planning on applying to the Outback that's a bit farther away from the house, the Japanese restaurant on San Jose, and maybe Carrabba's. Yes, I know that last one is way out of my league, but I'm going to try everything, darn it.
I still have some applications I haven't followed up on, but they're not for jobs I'm particularly jazzed about. If they call, they call. At the moment I'm really not desperate enough to reach for something that doesn't excite me. the opportunity to learn more about banking/credit unions by working at VyStar is exciting. The chance to wait on people in a restaurant, running around and making cash every day is exciting. I'm not sure I want to risk my happiness on getting a paycheck just a week or two sooner than if I'd held out for something more enjoyable, and as I don't have any huge bills coming up, I'm not overly concerned. I do have to pay my student loan and gym bill, but they're less than $100 a month together.
That's one of the reasons this wasn't the best time to do The Great Employment Experiment, I guess. I'm not desperate. I'm not that hungry for it. I want and need a job, but if I slack I can get by for a bit. Sorry! I'm just not as motivated as I need to be to really tear it up like I usually do. I'll try to be helpful and continue this series anyway, and I appreciate everyone who's following along. ^_^
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Great Employment Experiment - Day 2
Once I finished my resume, I spent a day driving around the area where I wanted to work. I recommend this seemingly not super important step to anyone out there. It gives you a chance to reacquaint yourself with your area, seeing the streets and strip malls around you as if for the first time. Pull in and drive right by stores, looking for "Now Hiring" signs, and make notes.
Remember that big box stores tend to have a LOT of employees, which means lots of turnover. Even if there's no hiring sign at Best Buy or Staples, they'll probably be looking for someone very soon.
I recommend this after you do your resume and get your clothes together, because signs go up and signs go down, so doing this before you even have your resume might cause you to get your hopes up for an opportunity that will be taken while you're busy rewriting your job experience into active voice.
I'm restricted to workplaces that are 5-15 minutes away from the house because I'll be using my parents' car and will be getting dropped off/picked up most of the time, so that's where I looked. I jotted down one page of hiring and another page of places I should check out anyway. It wasn't hard and it was kind of fun riding around, really seeing what was in the different shops I never really looked at before.
Conclusion:
This step is fun, and could combined with your next step if you're crunched for time, but I got really nervous on the first day I wanted to go applying and just drove around doing this instead. It gave me time to think about where I'd be applying and what route to take the next day, so I don't consider it a waste.
Remember that big box stores tend to have a LOT of employees, which means lots of turnover. Even if there's no hiring sign at Best Buy or Staples, they'll probably be looking for someone very soon.
I recommend this after you do your resume and get your clothes together, because signs go up and signs go down, so doing this before you even have your resume might cause you to get your hopes up for an opportunity that will be taken while you're busy rewriting your job experience into active voice.
I'm restricted to workplaces that are 5-15 minutes away from the house because I'll be using my parents' car and will be getting dropped off/picked up most of the time, so that's where I looked. I jotted down one page of hiring and another page of places I should check out anyway. It wasn't hard and it was kind of fun riding around, really seeing what was in the different shops I never really looked at before.
Conclusion:
This step is fun, and could combined with your next step if you're crunched for time, but I got really nervous on the first day I wanted to go applying and just drove around doing this instead. It gave me time to think about where I'd be applying and what route to take the next day, so I don't consider it a waste.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The Great Employment Experiment - Day 1
The first day of your job quest is kind of lame, I'll admit. This is the day to write your resume. If you've done this before, you can probably update your old one, but if you haven't, break out the word processor and get to typing. The last post in this series gave you a few resources for resume writing, but anyone could plug away at Google for a few minutes and you should have a pile of sample resumes to steal ideas from.
This took me a day and a half, one day of working on my "experience" section, putting what I was responsible for at each job into fancy resume words, and half a day stating my objective. I'm something of a perfectionist, what can I say? This is actually a good time to be a little obsessive, so I suggest you read, reread, and share your resume with your most critical friend. You'll be walking out after dropping it off at your dream job when you notice you mixed up some letters in a way your spellchecker didn't pick up.
Well, a day and a half later, I had a shiny new resume. I typed it up in Microsoft Word, but if you don't have that, OpenOffice is a free suite of office tools, from a word processor to other tools that do spreadsheets, presentations, and paint. I emailed the resume to myself and printed it from a computer hooked up to a printer. You could do this at a FedEx Office or a library, and then run 15 or so copies.
Conclusion:
This part is as hard as you make it. How intense you want to be is up to you, but I suggest you put a lot of time and effort into your resume, because when you can't get in there and talk to a manager, this is your business card. Do you want to regret little mistakes that make you look less qualified than you are?
I hate making my resume, but I love how I feel when I'm done with it. You can do this.
This took me a day and a half, one day of working on my "experience" section, putting what I was responsible for at each job into fancy resume words, and half a day stating my objective. I'm something of a perfectionist, what can I say? This is actually a good time to be a little obsessive, so I suggest you read, reread, and share your resume with your most critical friend. You'll be walking out after dropping it off at your dream job when you notice you mixed up some letters in a way your spellchecker didn't pick up.
Well, a day and a half later, I had a shiny new resume. I typed it up in Microsoft Word, but if you don't have that, OpenOffice is a free suite of office tools, from a word processor to other tools that do spreadsheets, presentations, and paint. I emailed the resume to myself and printed it from a computer hooked up to a printer. You could do this at a FedEx Office or a library, and then run 15 or so copies.
Conclusion:
This part is as hard as you make it. How intense you want to be is up to you, but I suggest you put a lot of time and effort into your resume, because when you can't get in there and talk to a manager, this is your business card. Do you want to regret little mistakes that make you look less qualified than you are?
I hate making my resume, but I love how I feel when I'm done with it. You can do this.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Great Employment Experiment - Day O
Before I started looking for a job, I did a few things to help my chances of finding employment. They fall into two categories: getting my head ready and getting my appearance ready. I recommend these steps to anyone looking for a job, and they can take from just a couple hours to several weeks depending on your finances.
Getting My Head Ready
There are lots of job-getting resources online and in print. A mistake many jobseekers will make is not to spend a couple hours just poking around the internet looking up tips on job interviews, building a great resume, and dressing appropriately while looking for work. I've done this before but I still flipped through my (digital) copy of the Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Resume before and while rewriting my resume, and browsed the About.com Job Searching portal.
I also like to ask myself possible interview questions when doing mundane tasks like washing dishes or showering, just to help finesse my answers and remind myself which subjects sound awful when you bring them up. It's better than finding out during an interview!
In addition to all this, I'm reminding myself of things that give me confidence. I can present myself well because I know how to speak to people and I have relevant experience.. Somewhere, some dummy is getting fired from my dream job. I can write a killer resume. People like me. I'm going to do great. It's just a job, there's no reason to freak out. If I like it, I'll quit it.
Resources:
SoYouWanna Ace a Job Interview?
Sample resumes from About.com
Job Application Guide from About.com
Seven Steps to Positive Self Talk
The best of Courage Wolf
20 Tips to Nail a Job Interview
Download The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Resume
Download Great Resume: Get Noticed, Get Hired
Download Same Day Resume: Write an Effective Resume in an Hour
Download The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Interview
Download Nail the Job Interview!: 101 Dynamite Answers to Interview Questions
Download Winning The Interview Game: Everything You Need To Know To Land The Job
Getting my Appearance Ready
Alright, so I'm in the right headspace. I'm educated about what I need to do to get this job and Courage Wolf has me feeling super confident and only slightly homocidal. Let's do this, right?
Sort of. Now's the time to examine my closet. My clothes are pretty sparce because I've been losing weight and because I've moved twice in six months. Luckily I went on a bit of a shopping spree before I left Toronto and came away with a few pieces that will work for job interviews. My sister also gave me a couple awesome pieces from last season's Cabi collection that look great together or separate and are totally interview appropriate.
Putting together a handful of good interview outfits (I'd suggest a minimum of three) is important, because everything having to do with applying for a job should be done in an outfit you're not embarrassed to be seen in, just in case the manager happens to be in and you're able to do an interview on the spot. You may then be called back one or two times to interview with different managers/HR, and then have to go through training before the place has a uniform for you. This happens more often than you think!
The bad news is that with no job and no clothing fairy swooping in to wave her magic wand, you'll have to be creative. Do you have any money you can put toward this goal? Then I'd suggest hitting up the Goodwill and then some consignment stores for clothes. If you're broke as a joke, think about who has an interest in you getting a job. If you live with your parents or significant other, see if they can spot you some cash so you can go to the -you guessed it- Goodwill. If you have a roomate staring daggers at you while you read this, try them. Your success in this job hunt benefits them, and you'll pay them back out of your first paycheck, honest to goodness.
I love Goodwill and have found a lot of great clothes there. For women I'd say to look for neutral-colored pants or a skirt that you can pair with different shirts, and two or three dressy blouses. Dresses can be lovely, but unless you're creative*, they can only be worn one way. Shoes are important and are easy to forget, so make sure to find a nice boring pair that you can wear with everything. If you have simple and understated jewelry, wear it, but avoid stuff that's overly flashy. Find clothes that fit your body, look appropriate for your age or a bit conservative, and look like they cost more than four dollars. No one has to know that they didn't.
The general rule I've read about job interview clothes is that you want to dress as well as someone working at the place to which you're applying or bit better. As my method of job-getting involves applying at a variety of places, I think about the classiest joint to which I'll be going and aim for that or higher. My uniform for job searching used to be black pants, long sleeved button-up shirts, and black loafers, but now I'm willing to go more feminine and season-appropriate in my clothing choices. I'll be wearing low black heels with this outfit and this dress,
It's also important to take care of your hair, makeup if you wear it, nails, toenails if they're visible, facial or leg hair, etc. The basics. The same rules apply: go for classic and conservative, and make it look like you're a functioning member of society who's not going to pilfer from the cash register. There are lots of guides online depending on what you're looking for, so just google nail care/effective deoderant/how to undo dreadlocks as your needs call for it, alright?
Resources:
*How to wear a dress as a skirt, from a fantasic fashion blogger right here in the Jacksonville area
How to Dress for a Job Interview from CollegeFashion
Michelle Phan's natural makeup video tutorial
About.com's guide to job interview readiness for men, featuring advice on facial hair, outfits, and other things I didn't cover very well for men
Today's Conclusion:
It takes a bit of time to prepare for the job hunt. It's best to accomplish these things passively and at your leisure, reading about job interviews and building your closet gradually while working another job. If you don't have that kind of time and need a job NOW, dedicate a day to this. It's worth double the time you'd put in filling out online applications, so do it and get ready to see results.
Getting My Head Ready
There are lots of job-getting resources online and in print. A mistake many jobseekers will make is not to spend a couple hours just poking around the internet looking up tips on job interviews, building a great resume, and dressing appropriately while looking for work. I've done this before but I still flipped through my (digital) copy of the Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Resume before and while rewriting my resume, and browsed the About.com Job Searching portal.
I also like to ask myself possible interview questions when doing mundane tasks like washing dishes or showering, just to help finesse my answers and remind myself which subjects sound awful when you bring them up. It's better than finding out during an interview!
In addition to all this, I'm reminding myself of things that give me confidence. I can present myself well because I know how to speak to people and I have relevant experience.. Somewhere, some dummy is getting fired from my dream job. I can write a killer resume. People like me. I'm going to do great. It's just a job, there's no reason to freak out. If I like it, I'll quit it.Resources:
SoYouWanna Ace a Job Interview?
Sample resumes from About.com
Job Application Guide from About.com
Seven Steps to Positive Self Talk
The best of Courage Wolf
20 Tips to Nail a Job Interview
Download The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Resume
Download Great Resume: Get Noticed, Get Hired
Download Same Day Resume: Write an Effective Resume in an Hour
Download The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Perfect Interview
Download Nail the Job Interview!: 101 Dynamite Answers to Interview Questions
Download Winning The Interview Game: Everything You Need To Know To Land The Job
Getting my Appearance Ready
Alright, so I'm in the right headspace. I'm educated about what I need to do to get this job and Courage Wolf has me feeling super confident and only slightly homocidal. Let's do this, right?
Sort of. Now's the time to examine my closet. My clothes are pretty sparce because I've been losing weight and because I've moved twice in six months. Luckily I went on a bit of a shopping spree before I left Toronto and came away with a few pieces that will work for job interviews. My sister also gave me a couple awesome pieces from last season's Cabi collection that look great together or separate and are totally interview appropriate.
 |
| J does it well. |
The bad news is that with no job and no clothing fairy swooping in to wave her magic wand, you'll have to be creative. Do you have any money you can put toward this goal? Then I'd suggest hitting up the Goodwill and then some consignment stores for clothes. If you're broke as a joke, think about who has an interest in you getting a job. If you live with your parents or significant other, see if they can spot you some cash so you can go to the -you guessed it- Goodwill. If you have a roomate staring daggers at you while you read this, try them. Your success in this job hunt benefits them, and you'll pay them back out of your first paycheck, honest to goodness.
I love Goodwill and have found a lot of great clothes there. For women I'd say to look for neutral-colored pants or a skirt that you can pair with different shirts, and two or three dressy blouses. Dresses can be lovely, but unless you're creative*, they can only be worn one way. Shoes are important and are easy to forget, so make sure to find a nice boring pair that you can wear with everything. If you have simple and understated jewelry, wear it, but avoid stuff that's overly flashy. Find clothes that fit your body, look appropriate for your age or a bit conservative, and look like they cost more than four dollars. No one has to know that they didn't.
The general rule I've read about job interview clothes is that you want to dress as well as someone working at the place to which you're applying or bit better. As my method of job-getting involves applying at a variety of places, I think about the classiest joint to which I'll be going and aim for that or higher. My uniform for job searching used to be black pants, long sleeved button-up shirts, and black loafers, but now I'm willing to go more feminine and season-appropriate in my clothing choices. I'll be wearing low black heels with this outfit and this dress,
It's also important to take care of your hair, makeup if you wear it, nails, toenails if they're visible, facial or leg hair, etc. The basics. The same rules apply: go for classic and conservative, and make it look like you're a functioning member of society who's not going to pilfer from the cash register. There are lots of guides online depending on what you're looking for, so just google nail care/effective deoderant/how to undo dreadlocks as your needs call for it, alright?
Resources:
*How to wear a dress as a skirt, from a fantasic fashion blogger right here in the Jacksonville area
How to Dress for a Job Interview from CollegeFashion
Michelle Phan's natural makeup video tutorial
About.com's guide to job interview readiness for men, featuring advice on facial hair, outfits, and other things I didn't cover very well for men
Today's Conclusion:
It takes a bit of time to prepare for the job hunt. It's best to accomplish these things passively and at your leisure, reading about job interviews and building your closet gradually while working another job. If you don't have that kind of time and need a job NOW, dedicate a day to this. It's worth double the time you'd put in filling out online applications, so do it and get ready to see results.
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Great Employment Experiment
Do you know anyone looking for a job? That person who spends hours filling out online applications and cruising craigslist but, even with a willingness to take ANY entry-level job, never gets hired? I've known people like that and have tried to tell them how they can improve their job search, how filling out applications isn't enough and how craigslist and Monster and CareerBuilder are almost always a massive waste of time for basic, customer service jobs.
I think if you've got a degree and want to work within your field or you're trying to advance your career, yes, it may take a while to get hired. But when people my age and younger (people with no set career path who basically need to just pay their bills and buy food) say they're applying everywhere with no luck, I get annoyed. Then I try to give advice, it gets ignored, and I secretly call them terrible, terrible names.
Maybe people who don't listen to me think I have it easy. Maybe they think I live in an exceptional area with more jobs than qualified applicants. The unemployment in Jacksonville was actually 10.6% in March while the national unemployment rate was 8.8% in March, so it looks like we have it a bit worse off than some places.
My nonexistent knowledge of statistics and economics aside, I think we can all agree that Jacksonville isn't a breadbasket of jobs, but I have a secret that lets me believe that, in all but the smallest of towns, I will always be able to get a job. The secret?
Every day in every place, people are being stupid.
Never underestimate the capacity for someone to shoot him or herself in the foot. Employed people are coming to work drunk, not showing up for their shifts because they decided to take a mini vacation with friends, or are doing any of the huge number of idiotic things employees do to get fired. Recession or economic boom, Obama or Reagan, Jacksonville or Tallahassee or Toronto, someone out there is screwing up a good thing.
Also, of course, people are always moving, people's job needs change, true, but I'm willing to bet on human stupidity above almost anything else, so that's what I count on.
The Conditions of my Job Hunt
I find myself without a job and back in a country where I can legally work, so I'm going to walk you through the process I go through to get jobs, each application and every interview.
I'm looking for entry-level service jobs, retail and waiting tables. My work experience is primarily within the realm of hospitality, as my last four jobs have been hotel front desk work. I graduated high school and have some college, and all the jobs in my official employment history are ones where I've worked at least nine months and have been adored by my bosses. Sure, you could say I'm starting off with an advantage, but how did I get my first, second, third jobs? Exactly how I'm going to get this one. Heck, I'm specifically looking to get out of the hotel biz for a while, so my experience doesn't directly translate into experience for what I'm applying, though there are similarities.
I have access to a car which gives me a leg-up on my search, but I'm confined pretty closely to this area since the car is Dad's. I'm trying to make my drive to work less than ten minutes so that whoever takes me to work only has a 20 minute round trip, saving gas and time. We have a good amount of strip malls and chain stores in the area, so that's where I'm going to focus my job hunt.
Who Should Care
What I'm going to suggest in this series of posts should be useful to anyone who can speak and write English well, has a high school degree or GED, doesn't have a shockingly bad job history or criminal past, can properly clean and groom him or herself, has a bit of cash to invest in running copies of a resume and an interview outfit or two, and who is looking for any entry-level customer service job they can get. Having the internet also appears important, because I'll post informative links to shed more light to topics, and to read them you'll have to have to be online. Then again, you found this blog, so you'll probably be alright.
Let's call this an experiment in putting my money where my mouth is, or, putting my reputation where my long-winded preaching is.
I think if you've got a degree and want to work within your field or you're trying to advance your career, yes, it may take a while to get hired. But when people my age and younger (people with no set career path who basically need to just pay their bills and buy food) say they're applying everywhere with no luck, I get annoyed. Then I try to give advice, it gets ignored, and I secretly call them terrible, terrible names.
Maybe people who don't listen to me think I have it easy. Maybe they think I live in an exceptional area with more jobs than qualified applicants. The unemployment in Jacksonville was actually 10.6% in March while the national unemployment rate was 8.8% in March, so it looks like we have it a bit worse off than some places.
My nonexistent knowledge of statistics and economics aside, I think we can all agree that Jacksonville isn't a breadbasket of jobs, but I have a secret that lets me believe that, in all but the smallest of towns, I will always be able to get a job. The secret?
Every day in every place, people are being stupid.
 |
| I told you. |
Never underestimate the capacity for someone to shoot him or herself in the foot. Employed people are coming to work drunk, not showing up for their shifts because they decided to take a mini vacation with friends, or are doing any of the huge number of idiotic things employees do to get fired. Recession or economic boom, Obama or Reagan, Jacksonville or Tallahassee or Toronto, someone out there is screwing up a good thing.
Also, of course, people are always moving, people's job needs change, true, but I'm willing to bet on human stupidity above almost anything else, so that's what I count on.
The Conditions of my Job Hunt
I find myself without a job and back in a country where I can legally work, so I'm going to walk you through the process I go through to get jobs, each application and every interview.
I'm looking for entry-level service jobs, retail and waiting tables. My work experience is primarily within the realm of hospitality, as my last four jobs have been hotel front desk work. I graduated high school and have some college, and all the jobs in my official employment history are ones where I've worked at least nine months and have been adored by my bosses. Sure, you could say I'm starting off with an advantage, but how did I get my first, second, third jobs? Exactly how I'm going to get this one. Heck, I'm specifically looking to get out of the hotel biz for a while, so my experience doesn't directly translate into experience for what I'm applying, though there are similarities.
I have access to a car which gives me a leg-up on my search, but I'm confined pretty closely to this area since the car is Dad's. I'm trying to make my drive to work less than ten minutes so that whoever takes me to work only has a 20 minute round trip, saving gas and time. We have a good amount of strip malls and chain stores in the area, so that's where I'm going to focus my job hunt.
Who Should Care
What I'm going to suggest in this series of posts should be useful to anyone who can speak and write English well, has a high school degree or GED, doesn't have a shockingly bad job history or criminal past, can properly clean and groom him or herself, has a bit of cash to invest in running copies of a resume and an interview outfit or two, and who is looking for any entry-level customer service job they can get. Having the internet also appears important, because I'll post informative links to shed more light to topics, and to read them you'll have to have to be online. Then again, you found this blog, so you'll probably be alright.
Let's call this an experiment in putting my money where my mouth is, or, putting my reputation where my long-winded preaching is.
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