WaMuuMuu

I have an interview for next Wednesday.

It's with a newspaper in a town about 20-30 minutes away.
I know that originally I have said that I did not want to do journalism, even though I graduated with that degree. However, I have come to realize that in this economy, you have to get a job and then ride out this bad stretch.

I would estimate that this bad stretch will continue for at least one or two more years.
And clearly, the $1.50 that I've earned this month writing this blog is not going to be paying any bills. On the upside, I have had almost 500 hits. Google told me.

So, even though I did not want to get into journalism, I am going to give it another chance. Don't get me wrong, I like journalism, but sometimes it can be quite frustrating, such as when a source doesn't call back or when I'm having trouble with a story. That, fortunately, does not happen very often.

And, writing for a newspaper will give me the opportunity to continue writing, which is something I like to do. I'm planning on writing a variety of things. I've held off writing for myself (other than this blog, but hey, it's for you after all) since I've been searching for a job.

It's funny because after two months of searching I'm closest to having a job through doing none of the hard work that I've proclaimed. Well, sort of. Networking has worked the best. It's hard for me to say it.

I look at myself and I know quite a few people. It makes me wonder what people do when they do not know a whole lot of people. Oh, wait. I know what they do. They line up at the unemployment office and take my money.

I once watched a video in one of my classes from the '70s or '80s (well, maybe the '90s) that showed people who scammed the US government into getting welfare. I can't even imagine how many people do that now.

Especially in this economy.



If you try hard enough, eventually you'll catch a break. The odds will slowly be in your favor. It might take two months like it did for me or it might take six months like I heard about for one person. It might take two years.

That would suck big time.

So that's my final advice. (For today?)
Networking will pay dividends. Let people know you are searching for a job.
Don't be afraid to turn down job offers. It might be the greatest thing you ever do.

Oh, and a little anecdote:

I interviewed for this sales position. The guy told me if I wanted the job to call him. I called him a few days later. He didn't answer. I left a message and he called me back a couple days later. I told him I didn't want to take the job.

He acted all cool, saying "oh, well that works out for both of us. I wasn't sure you really wanted to do it." Now, when I was interviewing, he was super pumped to hire me. Like he wanted me to start the next day. But, not wanting to be too pushy he told me to call in the next couple days.

He also told me he wasn't good at sales and all that baloney. Too bad I'm not an idiot. Classic sales technique. (Seriously watch the video connected to "Classic") Always look like the bigger person.

So don't take jobs that you don't want to, just because you need a job.

Millions of people do that.

And now look where we are.

Reel Chill

I don't like it when people tell me that something will happen and then doesn't.

It drives me crazy. I don't like to expect a phone call and then have it not come. That's rude. It's not cool. I understand if people are out of town, but don't tell me that I'll get a call. Then I don't get a call.

It would be much easier on both parties if someone just said, "look you'll hear from us for sure by next week." Instead of "hey, we'll call you tomorrow."

Earth to Matilda. Just lay it on me straight. I can handle the truth. I will not blog tomorrow for sure and probably not on Sunday. I'm going out of town. It'll be cool.

Keep searching for a job (and searching for a job for me) and I will respond to all your comments on Monday. Oh wait, you all do not leave comments.

I guess I'll just have to write a regular blog. Have a good one!

SNL That Biz

I had an interview today.

I have another one in an hour. Don't worry though, it's a phone interview.

I'll tell you this. Some interviewers are good and some are bad. Some just sit there. The most awkward thing is when you have finished answering a question and there are like 3-5 seconds of silence.

That happened to me today. About 10 times. I would finish answering a question and the interviewers (there were two) would just sit there staring at me. I almost wanted to look behind me and check if there was someone over my shoulder.

Did they expect me to talk for ten minutes for each question? I would give my answer, or my little anecdote and they would just sit there. Part of the problem might have been that one of the interviewers was friendly and one was a robot.

They had a sheet of paper where they asked predetermined questions. They read them straight. It was awkward. Some of the questions it seemed like they didn't even know the answer. I think that one of the reasons that it was so awkward was because the friendly lady kept waiting for the robot lady to speak. I'm guessing that the robot is a bit more talkative when she gets to know someone.

Granted, it wasn't a bad interview. They asked me a question or two that they probably thought I couldn't answer. Stuff like: What is a grant. I nailed it. Go me.

Here's the thing though. The best interviewers are the ones who talk to you and ask you questions in a normal voice, in a normal tone and in a normal manner. It's perfectly fine to have a guide as an interviewer. But use that sheet of paper as a guide, not as a script. Improvise a little bit.

Plus, it looked like they had never read the questions before, so they didn't quite flow.

I'm just saying this stuff for the potential interviewers out there. Now I know what I don't want to do.

The best interviews that I've had were the ones where the interviewer had a conversation with me. So, that's what you should try to do.

That's what I tried to do today. I tried to steer them away from their script. It worked in a few instances. I tried to look them in their eyes and tried to get them to respond back to me in a conversation. I used a conversational tone.

A conversational tone is what you will use in most all settings. Conversations tell you so much more than a formal interrogation ever will. Also, instead of predetermined answers to questions, as an interviewer you can actually focus on what the interviewee is saying.

Also, many of those pamphlets and books lie to you in regards to what the interviewers will ask. Many of them will ask maybe two or three of the questions that you are prepared for.

I'm waiting for someone to ask me about my strengths/weaknesses. In the four interviews I've had so far, nobody has asked me those.

If I'm ever an interviewer, and I'm sure I will be someday, I'm totally not going to ask the questions that they tell you the interviewers will ask. Why?

Because then I can see how someone will:

-perform under pressure <-Great YouTube Video
-adapt
-use body language

And hey, aren't those more important than figuring out someone's practiced answer about their weaknesses (that are probably actually strengths) or strengths (that are just the opposite side of their "weaknesses")?

Go job!

Ode To Friday

Fridays are the worst.

No real new jobs are posted, except for my favorite ones about earning $10,000 in the next five minutes. Fantastic.

Sometimes I don't heed my own advice and I apply for some random jobs on Craigslist and Monster, just to see what will happen. Sometimes it's nothing. I've become a little more cynical also, so in my e-mail subject line I'll write random stuff.

You know, you never know if that will set you apart from the hundreds of others trying to earn $10,000 in cinco minutes. Lately I've been putting: If You Hire Me, I'll Be Your Best Employee Ever.

That, technically, is true. Additionally, I've also decided to create some opportunities of my own, such as this blog and also starting an ETRADE account. I'm fairly happy so far because I have broken even.

My grandfather always tells me to buy GE stock, so I did. It's a fairly solid and low-risk investment. I also invested in this company that makes fake blood. How awesome is that. I've already made $25 off that company. Score. So, you might say that I'm a day trader. Well, I don't actually trade that much because it costs $12.99, so you might say that I'm a day watcher. Kinda sounds like a vampire.

My Alma mater also has a job board, which I do not understand at all. There are jobs posted on the board that do not qualify for any college grad. There's a bunch of JCrew postings on the one I go to right now. How does that make sense? People are going to college so they don't have to work at crappy JCrew. They want to buy the clothes, not have to work a minimum-wage job for 10 hours just to buy a pair of jeans. (Wait do they sell jeans? I have no idea.)

On a side note, I don't shop there. I actually have no idea where they are located. I got some $20 jeans that don't look like they were found on a corpse in the Sahara to make them look "vintage."
They are nice and blue. Not like this. Pathetic. But creative and cost-efficient I must say.
On another side note, don't search for "jeans" on an image search. Because you'll just get self-obsessed girls. And guys. Ew.

I applied for a job at a medical center yesterday. The job qualifications were nerd like:
-Set up computers
-Set up scanners, stuff like that
-Give basic info about how to work the media

That would be perfect for me. What you have to do is apply online. I watched as my application was received, and subsequently filed and not hired in a matter of 20 minutes. That's dumb. Maybe I'll call them. I say, don't put out a post if you don't actually want to hire someone. Especially me. Because I know that stuff.

I think it's go time. I need to make some progress so I don't feel like this was a useless week. Time to get on the phone.