Unemployed Yet Again

millie-bell:

YES! OCCUPY!

I know this has already been reblogged a million times, but… what’s one more?

I hate this article

I have mixed feelings about even posting this, since I really don’t want to promote this horrible article, but here are some excerpts:

“What a [job candidate] likes to do outside of work might show how they are in their job,” she says. “As a hiring manager, what you don’t like to hear is, ‘I just like to sit around at home and read books all day.’”

Yes, god forbid you hire someone intelligent who actually enjoys reading!

Some career experts also warn against the tired stand-by opening lines in a cover letter. “Opening a letter with a passive and clichéd statement such as ‘Enclosed please find my resume highlighting my experience and skills that would help your company to grow and succeed,’” is a no-no.

I know they get tired of reading the same cover letters, but seriously, there are only so many ways to say “here’s my resume.”

College Grads Gain on M.B.A.s

Yeah, big surprise here. I saw this one coming a few years ago.

Back in 2007/2008, I applied for those summer associate positions at various banks. It was for the summer of 2008, which is just when the recession really hit, so you can guess how that went. I was contacted by one bank, BNP Paribas, via email to complete some sort of online “psychological screening.”

I never heard from them again, so I guess I failed.

Hey everyone,

I gave up on this blog for a while, since I was trying to focus on my new grad program, but I do have a few complaints to share… so here I am!

Recently, I came across a site called “occupy occupy wall street.” This group is apparently united under the premise of “the 1% strikes back.” Yes, because, clearly, they really need to strike back against something??! (Needless to say, I am one of the 99%.) I know that the occupy wall street protests haven’t really articulated their goals and objectives in terms of what they want to gain from protesting, but I think it’s important to draw attention to the huge income disparity in this country, so I support them. Anyway, this site stated the following:

“To be angry at the wealthiest Americans for their success is simply childish jealousy from those who have failed to create the same opportunities themselves,” representative John Selvig states. “America is not kindergarten; there are winners and losers. This is a country where if you work hard in the right field you can become extremely wealthy. We are proud of that wealth and will not sit back and watch a group slander it in our own backyard. We will not stop until #OOWS out-occupies the occupiers.” This movement believes that “The system is not broken and we will fight, at all costs, to maintain the status quo. We are the 1% and we are 100% proud!”

Wow, really? The system isn’t broken? Oh, so you (you meaning the Wall Streeters actually responsible for the recession, which is not all of them - many people worked in departments unrelated to subprime mortgages) MEANT to bankrupt all the banks? You did that on purpose? The recession was intentional? Rising unemployment in the U.S. is all fine? People just need to work hard in the right field?? (If you are unemployed, how are you supposed to work hard? Not everyone has the start-up money for their own business.)

Also, apparently, life IS fair (according to this guy, at least). Who knew? Certainly not me. I thought it was pretty obvious that not everyone has the same opportunities, regardless of how hard they work. Luck and timing play a huge part in any kind of success.

Whoever John Selvig is, I hate him.

100% proud? Of what? Having no compassion or empathy for other people? Refusing to see that there are hardworking people out of work all over, and it’s NOT THEIR FAULT, it could happen to anyone, and it could happen to you too, asshole.

After I read this, I was thinking - if someone said this to my face, this is what I would say to them:

“I graduated from college when I was 20 years old. I worked full-time for a few years, then went to business school. My GMAT score was over 700. For a year, I worked 9-5 and went to class at night. Then I went to school full-time and worked part-time. One semester, I took 3 classes and worked 2 part-time jobs. I was a leader in a student group (leaving out the details here that could identify me), maintained a decent GPA, and earned my MBA before I turned 27. I went to every networking event, job fair, headhunter, and contacted every connection I ever hard. I spent years looking for a job, went on dozens on interview, and didn’t get one. Look me in the eyes and tell me that this is my fault.”

Then, if the person I was speaking to wasn’t sufficiently contrite, I would continue yelling at them:

“Do you want to tell me that it’s my fucking fault? Do you? Do you? Huh?”

Ok, so this fantasy got away from me a little.

As per my previous post (here), I was recently rejected from a position that I wasn’t sure I wanted anyway. I wish I could give the details, but I’m paranoid that someone who knows me will find this blog and identify me:( However, my freelance assignment recently ended, so I’m back to hanging out at home, applying for jobs, and looking for free/cheap things to do. Since I’m going back to school this fall, I’m no longer looking for a full-time job, and I’m focusing on finding something for the summer or something part-time instead. Somehow I thought that might be easier… naturally, I was wrong!

I don’t have any money to travel, I don’t really have any hobbies, I don’t have a lot of job leads, so I’m back to harassing temp agency employees to try to find an assignment for me. Oh well. Meanwhile, there’s still lots of television shows I haven’t seen yet.

Being rejected for a job you didn’t even really want! For some reason, it’s more insulting than being rejected from something you actually wanted.

Has anyone else had this experience?

(in keeping with my promise to post a bunch of old stuff, this was something that actually happened in December 2010)

Today my only plan was to go to the liquor store, to pick up a bottle of Bailey’s that I had promised to bring to a holiday party at a friend’s place. When you have only one errand to run, somehow your whole day revolves around that. So today was liquor store day, and then I got an email about a job from someone requesting a phone interview. Well, naturally, my first thought was “I will have to schedule this phone call around my trip to the liquor store.” (have I mentioned that the store is 2 blocks away?) Ummm….maybe that kind of thinking is the reason I don’t already have a job?

When the next interviewer asks me about my ability to “prioritize,” maybe it’s best if I don’t share this one?? ha ha. (btw, I obv didn’t get that job - but that’s a story for another post…)

Since my job/project is ending soon, I need to find something else to do for a few months until grad school starts in the fall. (Funny, I always thought that the one thing I would NEVER turn out to be is one of those career students. I guess you really can’t predict anything.)

Naturally, I’m searching for some sort of summer job/part-time job I could keep during the fall semester. However, since I’m find it just as difficult to find a part-time job as a full-time one, I’m trying to think up some additional ideas. Here they are:

• watch everything on HBO GO online (it contains almost every HBO show ever created)
• watch everything in my Netflix Instant queue via my Blu-Ray player
• watch the entire Homicide: Life on the Street box set (I’ve been meaning to do this for a while)
• go to the park or something (note: this is unlikely to actually occur)
• read all my shelves of books I’ve been meaning to read
• volunteer - it’s better than an internship since at least it would involve a worthwhile cause (note to self: find a worthwhile cause). 
• try to start some kind of freelance writing career (I’ve tried, very briefly, in the past, but didn’t get very far).
• put together a book proposal about unemployment in America among 20-somethings (probably the same idea every other unemployed 20-something has).
• I dunno, anyone have any other ideas??

(via jjlouis)

So, since a few people have asked, here’s some info about what I’ve been doing lately…

I’ve been working at a short-term, part-time job, which is probably ending in a few weeks. Unfortunately, I’m actually hoping that it ends soon, since (like some of my previous jobs), the reality of the position was not at all what the hiring manager told me it would be. I keep reading articles about how you can learn something from any job, even if you feel like it’s beneath you… the only thing I learned from this one is “don’t trust anyone, ever,” but, I knew that already.

(Ok, I’m sort of kidding. But this job sounded really interesting during the interview, and it was definitely a let down. Oh well. I’ve been on other interviews recently and maybe something else will come up soon.)

In that respect, I am currently semi-employed, and soon to be unemployed (yet again)… no big surprise there:(

In other, better, news… I have decided to go back to school. I recently applied and was accepted to a new program that is writing-related (I can’t give away too much since it is a specific niche program). It’s a few days a week, so I am still looking for a part-time job. (And I still have years of stories about business school and bad interviews to share, as soon as I get around to writing them!) But I’m happy that I finally have something to do that I’m excited about. It starts in the fall, so I still have the summer to wait around, hopefully work if I can find a job, etc. I had considered going back to school for another degree for a while, but I couldn’t find anything that was really right for me. Then I found out about this one, which sounds exactly like what I really want to do. It’s for a master’s degree, but not really a traditional academic program, with lectures and all. It’s more about the writing. So for once, I’m feeling optimistic…

Having Needles Stuck Under Your Fingernails Should Not Be Part Of The Job Interview Process

badjobinterviews:

The job interview process can be quite taxing to the applicant’s mind, body and wallet, but at no point should it involve being tied up, flogged and tortured… right?

Authorities in suburban New York have arrested a man who did the above-mentioned things, and more, to men who thought they were applying for high security gigs in the intelligence-gathering industry.

The jobs were fake, but the pain was real.

This is so horrifying.

Since I am (probably unreasonably) paranoid that my boss checks my Internet browsing history, I do most of my stupid web surfing/slacking off on my phone instead of my work computer. That will probably backfire though, I bet he thinks I’m texting instead. Today I spent my morning squinting at Thought Catalog on my phone, while trying to look serious and not laugh out loud. I’m sure that wasn’t suspicious at all.