An Update - Finally!

I didn't realize it has been a month since I posted last!  That's probably because there's been next to nothing going on.  However, there is a ray of light starting to shine through.  I'm starting to get phone interviews and in-person interviews.  There aren't many, but there are some so that's a start.  I'm realizing phone interviews are becoming more popular as a pre-screening technique.  I suck at them.  So much fail.  I found a list of 100 questions on Monster.com that I'm going to actually write out answers to.  One that I struggled with just today on a phone interview was about short and long term goals.  First, my only short term goal is to get a job, and my long term one is...??  I don't really have any goals.  My life isn't really about my work.  I'm finally just now starting to separate my sense of self from my work (or lack thereof) and actually be okay without it.  I think it's also fair to say that it was dangerous for me to do that since my last job was pretty dysfunctional there at the end. 

My husband, the sweet thing that he is, took me with him on his business trip to Vegas this week.  I didn't think I'd need a vacation after being unemployed for 2 months, but apparently, I did!  Even though I worried about my cats too much, I had a great time and was able to relax!  I also got some good news when I got home that I really can't discuss here, but yay! 

Yay!

So let's not talk about the horror that was the Butler/UConn game last night, okay? 

I had an interview today for a job I heard about via a recruiting company I apparently had sent a resume to on Career Builder or something.  I keep track of all of my job applications, but you know what?  It's hard to keep track of them when some companies don't even list their name or even a recruitment firm's name!!  I was basically told there are 2 positions available:  Administrative Assistant (easy, usually low-paying) and Office Manager (ding!).  The only drawback to the Office Manager position was that I'd have to go to Nashville, TN to train for a month.  I wasn't thrilled about that, but that was mostly because it was tough to even get much about the job out of the recruitment firm guy.  Plus, I didn't know what kind of arrangement was going to happen in Nashville because if I were to be away from home for a full month, including weekends?  That would be tough.  However, after my interview today, I feel so much better about the company, the position, the training, all of it!!  The interviewer spoke to me in a hotel atrium which was kind of a nice way to be interviewed instead of in a conference room.  He even told me that my second interview would probably be in a Starbuck's or something.  That right there is cool.  

Anyway, I was told I'd probably be hearing something soon about a second interview.  I'm pretty excited about this job, and I felt I'd sold myself well enough.  I think having a new suit on helped my confidence!  The other great part?  I'd be making WAY more than I was before.  I'm now looking at possibly going to Nashville as an adventure.  I actually love going to new cities and learning how interesting they are in different states.  However, I'm being trained off-site so that I can come back and completely change the culture of the existing location.  Um, awesome?  I'm pretty sure I can do it, but yeah, that's a big responsibility!  I think I'm up for the challenge though.  I entered my last job having no previous experience in that industry, and it was a tough job, but I did it!  (And did it well, I might add.)  

I think one thing I might do is look up Nashville-based food places on Food Network and see what I can eat while down there!  Plus, I think we might have to invest in a laptop so I can take Warcraft with me!  They were aiming to get a person selected by the end of this month so hopefully I don't have to wait too much longer to find out!  I'll still continue to search though.  I had a phone interview yesterday with someone else so at least I'm starting to get calls now.  

After all this, I called my dad to tell him the good news and how well I thought the interview went, and then he tells me he's on the way to see grandpa in the hospital which I knew nothing about.  (His actual words were "I guess you already know about that."  No, not when nobody tells me about it!)  I guess they moved him to the ICU today since he has pneumonia (for like the 5th time).  I won't go into the details, but needless to say, this is not good.  He was a smoker all his life and finally quit when he got COPD and emphysema.  Oh, and had a heart attack.  

Currently I have a cat on my lap who keeps biting me to remind me to feed her (and the other one).  I guess I'll go do that now!  Thanks for reading!  

On the Verge of Something?

I had an interview today!  It was with a staffing company, but the position is a contract-to-hire job that sounds promising so far.  The recruiter said they take care of their employees (huge YAY) and are a steady company with room for advancement (also yay)!  If I get the job, I hope I can do enough to convince them to keep me.  (Plus, after I become "official" I'd probably get paid more since they would pay me through the staffing company initially.)  She told me they don't have a lot of turnover, and most of their placements at that company have stayed long term.  Guess what else?  I didn't even see this job online; the recruiter found me!  After all the zillions of jobs I applied for, one comes out of the blue.  I am certain I could do the job.  I just hope that they are good people to work with and for.  I think everything else will fall into place.  I make friends easily, and that's always been the hardest part of leaving any job--my friends that I leave behind. 

I could interview with the actual company as soon as Wednesday so I guess that means I'm taking my sister suit-shopping with me tomorrow!  I guess the person who has the job I'm going for is leaving at the end of this week so I could potentially start as soon as Monday!!!  That would be excellent, but it does mean I wouldn't be able to file unemployment for long (maybe like a week's worth).  Oh well, I guess actually being employed would be better!  I think it would allow me to get all my unresolved feelings resolved, and I could actually move the heck on.  

I guess I'm more excited about this position than I realized. :) Let's just hope it works out because staying home is awesome for like a week, and then it gets old fast!

A Bit Discouraged

Okay, a lot discouraged.  College was a waste of time.  (Uh, thanks, IWU, for exactly zero help in getting an internship or a job.)  If you're not a nurse or an engineer, you're screwed, pure and simple.  I'd rather have gone to trade school at this rate.  I'm entering week 4 of being unemployed, and it just plain sucks.  I've sent resume after resume to anything I could even remotely do, and I have yet to receive one phone call.  Now I kind of know what my sister feels like.  

My resume is one page and is pretty succinct.  I have plenty of experience in the construction field and I'd say my experience in general is pretty advanced so I feel like I'm above an administrative assistant job at this point.  I don't really want to take a pay cut because even though I was fired, my last employer paid me the same rate for about 2 or 3 years so it's not unheard of.  In fact, if I got the same job today, I'm sure I'd be paid more because I was still being severely underpaid.  I'm sure that's why I was let go though...probably paying me more than the other lady was making since she hired in as a receptionist and probably is being paid as such.  I hope I never see her face again, honestly.  

This post is not a sunshine and flowers post.  I'm normally pretty positive and optimistic, but at this point, I want to shoot someone.  I had a small breakdown this morning, and it sucks.  I'm thankful that I'm not responsible for my own apartment any more, or I would be in an even worse place mentally.  

My self-esteem is suffering at this point, and I hate my former employer for it, personally.  I used to be greatly appreciated and quite frankly a "super star" there.  I know I can do a lot of great things, but I got driven into the ground there, and they let me go for what was a bullshit reason.  It's not that I wasn't doing my job or slacking off or anything.  Not taking initiative?  Are you effing kidding me??  From what I hear, they're also trying to get some of my coworkers to quit.  Plus, one of them got written up because of something that really should have been my fault since I made the decision.  That just pisses me right off.  I'm trying as hard as I can while I look for a job to pass along anything I see for my friends.  Several of them need out of there.  All of us "peons" are the smart ones in the company, and the management can't see that so they treat everyone like crap. 

I heard before I left that one of our friends who was fired at the end of October finally got a good, better-paying job, but holy crap, that was a whole 4 months without a job!!  He was screwed over too.  Never asked for anything, came in, did his job for 18 or more years.  He never went above and beyond, but he knew how to do his job well.  Why is that so wrong??  Why is it a crime to not be a butt-kisser that makes everyone sick??  I KNOW that's why I was let go.  I refused to cow tow those people and so the lady that did got my job.  It's so gross. 

I was searching for jobs before I wrote this post, but it's been on my mind for, like, forever so I figured I should get this out before I explode.  At least it's spring, and it's a gorgeous day outside.  I have a husband with an excellent job, and we're even going to be able to take a good vacation this spring so I really shouldn't complain.  I can though so I will.  

I know I'll find a job, but when I do, I just want it to be the right one that I can actually enjoy doing for people who appreciate it.  I'm even considering a career change.  Maybe I do need to go to trade school or get a 2 year degree in something other than "business" (Man, what a cop-out. What did I know about what I wanted to do with my life at 18 or even 22?).  I think at this point I'll start looking for volunteer opportunities so that I can have something to get up for in the mornings and something I can tell employers I was actually "doing" while looking for work.  I'm thinking the Hamilton County animal shelter or humane society.  I really love animals, and if I can't bring myself to be a vet (blood=ew), then I at least want to help in some way.  

Anyway, I highly doubt anyone's actually reading this now since I haven't posted in ages, and no one bothers to comment, but thanks for reading all the same!

A Few Days In

I'm finding it's really odd not to have to get up at a certain time every day and drive across town. I am definitely the kind of person who likes to keep a schedule. I am attempting to look for jobs every day, but once you do that, the number of pages you have to view every day gets a lot smaller. 

I haven't had a call or email about a potential interview yet. I've had a couple of emails come back to me that indicate I was not selected. One job I am pretty sure I was overqualified/too expensive for. The other was for a job that I really actually wanted, and it was good pay. I was definitely disappointed not to get a call on that one.

I got an email from a former business contact asking for my cell number, but after I responded, I haven't heard anything further so I'm not sure what that was about. 

Maybe I should try to apply for some sort of proofreading job because some of these job descriptions/postings are rife with misspellings, errors, and other nonsense.

You know what's interesting? The senior pastor at my church is moving on to another sort of ministry. He's not sure exactly where to yet, but he's at least listening to God telling him to do something. I cried like a baby on Sunday because I felt like he was talking directly to me and about me. He mentioned that it can be scary, and it definitely is. I think getting let go was probably the best thing to happen to me, as scary as it is. I'm glad we're not hurting for money, but still, what do I do now? I feel like the jobs I'm applying for are okay, but I haven't seen anything that made me go "wow" (other than that job I mentioned being disappointed about). I don't know if I'm supposed to change careers, and if I am, what to?

Not to sound cocky, but I've always been good at school and excelling in just about everything I do. I figured after college, figuring out what to do with my life would be easy once I got my first job. I guess I figured wrong! I'm sure I'm not alone, but I'm entering the second week of not having anything to do. I have a best friend who's been in the same job since graduating college. I kind of envy her. She seems to be doing well, and she's doing what she's good at. She seems to have found her calling. What is mine??

One thing I am glad about is that this will tell us if I can be a SAHM when/if we do have children! Sorry if this is a rambly post, but if you've read it, comment please! Otherwise, I feel like I'm talking to myself, and I do enough of that already.

Getting Started

So to catch everyone up, I recently became unemployed as of February 25, 2011.  I appreciate my last job in that it taught me a lot professionally and personally.  As a result, I think I have more opportunities open to me than I would have if I had just stayed at one of my previous jobs.  It was definitely time for me to part ways although I should have probably quit a long time ago.  I was going to launch into a tirade about it, but then I thought better of it since it's quite possible someone might even find me through this blog and offer me a job.  (Oh, wishful thinking, you are amusing.)  

One of the things I'm finding I greatly dislike about applying for jobs is that a lot of employers have their own applications and logins that they want you to create and basically type the same information that is on your resume over and over and over again.  Does anyone really know why they do this?  Usually those same sites will ask you to also attach your resume.  I find doing all of this redundant.  

I'm trying to maintain my sanity by dedicating some time every day to searching and applying.  I've contacted people I've worked with in the past and even some of my former vendors to see if there's anything available there.  

I would really like to get a job soon so that I can go back to some sort of routine instead of mostly being a housewife which isn't too hard right now since it's just me, the husband, and two cats.  

Now that I'm blogging about this adventure, I'd like some suggestions!  I've never blogged before, and even though I will keep my blog grammatically corrected and all that, I'm wondering what to put where.  Since I'm blogging about my job search, should I put up my resume in case a potential employer wanders by?  Is that a bad idea?  Should I take my personal information off of it?

Also, feel free to share your own personal stories of job losses, searches, and even bad boss posts just to amuse me.