I've been pretty busy these past couple of weeks between applying for jobs and getting things figured out in my personal life/living situation/seeing if we can save my mom's house, etc. I have also had a few interviews as well as spent some time following up on some jobs and trying to contact the right person in charge of hiring at various organizations. Here is a quick list of some of the places I've been applying:
Verizon-went to hiring fair, interviewed with an HR rep, was told I'd be contacted the next week, tried following up and was given the run around. Haven't completely given up but decided my efforts would be better spent on other endeavors that are actually more in my fields (music or library).
Library Assistant for Contra Costa County-Applied weeks ago, interviewed last week. Only an on-call position so only a few hours guaranteed. I feel like I did well at the interview. Nothing I couldn't answer, felt very confident about public library work.
Applied for Library position for San Mateo County, got accepted for a test in a few weeks on a Saturday morning. The date can't be moved, they have a strict policy since they have so many applicants and it happens to be the morning of a wedding I'm supposed to be at in LA. I'm trying to work out with my boyfriend to have him drive down there ahead and then I will hop on a flight dressed in my wedding attire and meet him there just in time for the 5pm wedding...Sounds like a logistical nightmare, I know, but he really wants me to go with him to the wedding. It's for
a good friend of his and he's never been to a wedding before, I can't let him go stag! Anyways, they have three part time positions available and out of the 100+ people that they are letting take the test, the top 45 get called for an interview.
Applied for a position as a bookbuyer for an independent bookstore in SF.
Applied for an Online Catalog Publisher position at Apple.
Applied for temporary position at the Exploratorium for Library Assistant.
Applied for a part time paid internship with redwood city library system for the summer.
Applied for Stanford Auxiliary Library (in Livermore) position as a Storage Facility Worker, hours would be full time, 6am-3pm ouch! It looks like a really cool facility to work at though.
Oh yeah and I got accepted to the Library Science Master's program at SJSU. I am just waiting to hear about financial aid to see if I can actually enroll and start the program in the fall!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Looking for Jobs Sucks!
So I took two days off from the job search to get my taxes done and now I am back on it and let me tell you I did not miss it one bit. I have decided to start keeping a log of all the places I have applied to and the positions as well as the job searches I have done on the internet including which search websites and keywords. I am hoping this will keep me consistent and lead to a systematic approach so that I am not jumping around trying different places and forgetting others. Hopefully if it's all written down in one place I can refer to it during the week as a kind of check off list. The one's I never forget are Craigslist, monster, careerbuilder, bajobs, and indeed. The keywords I usually use are music, customer service, dogs, library, books, bookstore. Then I can get more specific and list specific companies or organizations that I check individually. For instance, yesterday I looked into comcast, post office and PG&E, which by the way had NO openings in the bay area. Comcast had some but they weren't for customer service or anything, they were for tv production. Time for bed and hopefully in the morning a bunch of jobs that I am totally qualified for will magically appear on any one of these places' website. One can only dream...
Monday, April 12, 2010
A New Kind of Job Market
I am not old. I am only 24 years old. However, I feel like I am old when I say that job searching is not the same as it used to be! The last time I was actively engaged in searching for a job was about 3 years ago before I landed my job working for the library.
One of the interesting things that I notice during my current job search is that a lot of places tell you that after you apply: DO NOT CONTACT US WE WILL CONTACT YOU. ouch....that is not the way it used to be. To call and check up on your application status used to show your initiative and could potentially move you to the top of the pile. Now this is looked down upon and could potentially move your application to the trash bin for not following explicit instructions. They often say there are too many applicants and if everyone called they would be overwhelmed. The last thing you want to do is call and bug someone who is considering you for employment.
Another thing they are saying now is if you have questions before you apply: DO NOT CALL ABOUT THIS JOB; EMAIL OR WEB APPLICATION ONLY. ouch...I guess there are so many jobless people out there they don't want to be bombarded with our pathetic pleas of "please give me a chance I really need this job". Yes, some places had you apply online. But most places liked you to send in a paper copy of your resume. Now that is also discouraged. So much for all the time you spend formatting your resume, they want it cut and pasted in plain text into an email or web application. There is almost nothing you can do to put yourself in a favorable position unless you are already there.
What do you do if the only areas you need to improve on are "experience"? Well it's a little late for that now... Many entry level jobs I am seeing now, even those listed for $8-10 an hour say they want 2 years of experience in the field. I guess we should redefine what "entry level" means. Unless you volunteer your time to get experience you are pretty much screwed.
Some people say it's very competitive out there in the job market. I feel like it is less competitive. Competition implies that everyone has somewhat of a chance and that there are things you can do to give yourself an edge over the other competitors. It's not a competition anymore. In the present day, I feel like the ball is entirely in the employer's court. We are at their will. There is almost nothing you can do now to make that personal connection that could give you an advantage unless you already happen to know the employers personally. My guess is that nepotism is at an all-time high. What employer has the time to search through all of the resumes that are out there now? More of us are jobless than ever, especially in California, and we are all applying everywhere. I guess I don't blame them that they would save themselves some time by hiring based on reputable referrals from their employees, friends or relatives.
This brings up a very good point--networking. It is actually something a job hunter can control. I think that is a good place to end for now. I definitely need to talk to more people and make more friends ASAP!
One of the interesting things that I notice during my current job search is that a lot of places tell you that after you apply: DO NOT CONTACT US WE WILL CONTACT YOU. ouch....that is not the way it used to be. To call and check up on your application status used to show your initiative and could potentially move you to the top of the pile. Now this is looked down upon and could potentially move your application to the trash bin for not following explicit instructions. They often say there are too many applicants and if everyone called they would be overwhelmed. The last thing you want to do is call and bug someone who is considering you for employment.
Another thing they are saying now is if you have questions before you apply: DO NOT CALL ABOUT THIS JOB; EMAIL OR WEB APPLICATION ONLY. ouch...I guess there are so many jobless people out there they don't want to be bombarded with our pathetic pleas of "please give me a chance I really need this job". Yes, some places had you apply online. But most places liked you to send in a paper copy of your resume. Now that is also discouraged. So much for all the time you spend formatting your resume, they want it cut and pasted in plain text into an email or web application. There is almost nothing you can do to put yourself in a favorable position unless you are already there.
What do you do if the only areas you need to improve on are "experience"? Well it's a little late for that now... Many entry level jobs I am seeing now, even those listed for $8-10 an hour say they want 2 years of experience in the field. I guess we should redefine what "entry level" means. Unless you volunteer your time to get experience you are pretty much screwed.
Some people say it's very competitive out there in the job market. I feel like it is less competitive. Competition implies that everyone has somewhat of a chance and that there are things you can do to give yourself an edge over the other competitors. It's not a competition anymore. In the present day, I feel like the ball is entirely in the employer's court. We are at their will. There is almost nothing you can do now to make that personal connection that could give you an advantage unless you already happen to know the employers personally. My guess is that nepotism is at an all-time high. What employer has the time to search through all of the resumes that are out there now? More of us are jobless than ever, especially in California, and we are all applying everywhere. I guess I don't blame them that they would save themselves some time by hiring based on reputable referrals from their employees, friends or relatives.
This brings up a very good point--networking. It is actually something a job hunter can control. I think that is a good place to end for now. I definitely need to talk to more people and make more friends ASAP!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Trying to Start Fresh
I am starting this blog to try and document my job hunt during this rocky time in our economic history. It also serves another purpose of helping me keep track of my job search.
I currently have one job working part time for a public library as a library clerk. I make good money per hour, but only work a maximum of 16 hrs per week, so it's not like I'm well off by any means. I definitely live paycheck to paycheck, have little in a savings account and do not have health insurance. I am not living on the streets but my standard of living is not what I would have expected for myself, especially at the age of 24 with a Bachelor's degree.
I started looking for a second job in December of 2009 when I knew I was going to be graduating from San Jose State University at the end of the month and wanted to have something lined up to fill in the hours that I would no longer be spending at school. I started out with only one real goal: not to accept anything less than $10 per hour. I figured this wouldn't be too hard; I am smart and would have a Bachelor's degree by the time of hire. I also have years of customer service experience as well as various computer and clerical skills, to name a few.
From December until March, I have applied for approximately 20 jobs, maybe even more than that. Some of those include library jobs at various public and private libraries, customer service jobs all of which I met or exceeded the qualifications for. Because of my desire to work with dogs, I decided to try and pursue that line of work as well, just to get some work experience with animals. After all, this was going to be a secondary job, and not my primary source of income, why not try something new and exciting?
Well, now it is April and nothing has come of the jobs that I have applied for. I've tried following up on the ones that don't specifically say "Don't call us, we'll call you" but nothing has come of it. I have even applied to places such as Peet's Coffee and Barnes and Noble (I know, they both go below my $10/hr minimum standard I set for myself, but I was getting desperate). Still, nothing. I was starting to feel the pressure as three months have gone by and I have no extra income to put towards my student loans when I have to start making payments in July. Then, to top it all of, I get notified on April 9th that I will be getting laid off in June. Happy Graduation To ME!
I honestly don't know what I am going to do, but the pressure is on. I'm trying to be positive and think of it as a new beginning where I can start fresh but I just can't help being bitter and frustrated. All I can say is, Times Is Hard...
I currently have one job working part time for a public library as a library clerk. I make good money per hour, but only work a maximum of 16 hrs per week, so it's not like I'm well off by any means. I definitely live paycheck to paycheck, have little in a savings account and do not have health insurance. I am not living on the streets but my standard of living is not what I would have expected for myself, especially at the age of 24 with a Bachelor's degree.
I started looking for a second job in December of 2009 when I knew I was going to be graduating from San Jose State University at the end of the month and wanted to have something lined up to fill in the hours that I would no longer be spending at school. I started out with only one real goal: not to accept anything less than $10 per hour. I figured this wouldn't be too hard; I am smart and would have a Bachelor's degree by the time of hire. I also have years of customer service experience as well as various computer and clerical skills, to name a few.
From December until March, I have applied for approximately 20 jobs, maybe even more than that. Some of those include library jobs at various public and private libraries, customer service jobs all of which I met or exceeded the qualifications for. Because of my desire to work with dogs, I decided to try and pursue that line of work as well, just to get some work experience with animals. After all, this was going to be a secondary job, and not my primary source of income, why not try something new and exciting?
Well, now it is April and nothing has come of the jobs that I have applied for. I've tried following up on the ones that don't specifically say "Don't call us, we'll call you" but nothing has come of it. I have even applied to places such as Peet's Coffee and Barnes and Noble (I know, they both go below my $10/hr minimum standard I set for myself, but I was getting desperate). Still, nothing. I was starting to feel the pressure as three months have gone by and I have no extra income to put towards my student loans when I have to start making payments in July. Then, to top it all of, I get notified on April 9th that I will be getting laid off in June. Happy Graduation To ME!
I honestly don't know what I am going to do, but the pressure is on. I'm trying to be positive and think of it as a new beginning where I can start fresh but I just can't help being bitter and frustrated. All I can say is, Times Is Hard...
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