Dy-NO-mite!

Well folks, I am exhausted. I don't know how long it's going to take me to adjust to the ninedafive grind. Probably not as long as it's going to take me to adjust to sitting at a desk for 40 hours a week.

I won't lie, I already started to fade a little yesterday and today. Forcing myself to write sans inspiration (or knowledge of the topic for that matter) takes me right back to the miserable papers I had to write while completely drowning with senioritis last year.

Updates on the office experience:

• My ability to answer the phone and take down and relay messages has greatly improved. Woo.
• I'm learning a lot of things- and very quickly, ie- HTML (which I despise), tons of marketing stuff, and things about the communications world I never thought I'd give two shits about.
• I was put on salary a week ago, after them only knowing me for a week. I'm rather impressed with myself.*
• I have slowly drained all the technology I was given on day one so that I now must be provided a new monitor that's bigger than my TV at home and new computer to handle my speedy multi-tasking abilities. My new monitor arrived today, broken. My bosses believe that I am jynxed.
• I'm bonding with the other creative, a designer, over how ridiculously nuts and vague our bosses can be. And also how hysterical they are.
• There is an insane lady who runs an "Express Lab" across the hall. She has thin hair that she dyes black and wears hot pink lipstick that rubs off on her teeth. I'm 99.9% positive she has a crush on one of my bosses and she's asked me at least three times if I could help her out with SEO stuff, even though I told her I'm only just learning how.

Now, though, if I have any energy and any eyesight left at the end of the day, I stuff down some of Seth Godin's blog and read quite a bit of media news from where ever the links lead me. My research at work has given me a better perspective of just how much there is going on on the web. Wow.

Other than cool videos or FML-like sites, have you guys found anything cool on the web recently?

*I should note that I'm still making less than half of the average starting salary for somebody in my position and, though I'm alloted, I don't take lunch breaks. But I do get there at five of 9, and leave at 5 after 5. I'm all for working hard and I am very aware that I need to prove myself as an employee, and a creative one at that, but my job search, my research and my experience has taught me something. Business is cold and selfish. Sure we can be friendly, heck- we can even be "friends," but the bottom line is- what are you doing for me? What am I going to get out of this relationship? Are you going to take advantage of me? How far can I push you before you think I'm taking advantage of you? People take advantage of other people in all aspects of life, but if there's one time they're more likely to do it- it's when their money is on the table. Business to business may be more relaxed than business to customer, but it's still money. And it all makes me so uncomfortable. That, right there, is why eventually I want to just write. You know, after I have enough money to be comfortable. :p

First Impressions: Boutique Pros and Cons

Three days of training and my first day under my belt and I think it's time for first impressions.

Summary: The office has four rooms. Two decent sized and well-lit one-man offices for the CEOs, one medium-sized room that the hallway opens up to with my desk and the designer's and another large room off to the side, holding another programmer hostage to silence as he focuses on whatever frustratingly tedious programming task needs to be done by the end of the day. The phone has three lines. Everybody has an extension, (but as the official not-actually-a-secretary, I'm in charge of screening them all.) The bosses walk around barefoot and shout to each other in Hebrew. One smiles and winks a lot. The other is uncomfortable holding eye-contact for extended periods of time. They both encourage being outspoken and openly joke about unprofessional things. There's Budweiser with Lime in the mini-fridge. I am the only woman. The temperature is 68F. The web site needs to be redesigned and revised and they need to create and implement a marketing campaign.

Pros:

• Everybody's friendly. There's no stuffy atmosphere: "She's not in the IT department, so who gives a shit?"
• It's so small, it doesn't take long to get to know people.
• Straight out of college with a title like "Director of Marketing."
• Swearing out of frustration is expected.
• I don't have to spend a gajillion credit bucks on dress clothes.
• I don't have to spend a gajillion credit bucks on dress clothes. (Yeah, that needed to be listed twice.)
• Having a job.

Cons:

• You can't hide when you're in a terrible mood.
• You really get to know people.
• Everybody hears when you answer the phone and stutter because it still makes you nervous. Yeah, it's just answering the phone but jeez there are a lot of buttons. And a whole computer system too. bah.
• It's freezing.
• Straight out of college with a title like "Director of Marketing."
• The title without the pay.
• Having a job.
• That really cute twenty-something from the other job is still at the other job.

That's all I've got this far. I can feeeeeellll the pressure and am beyond anxious to prove myself while I'm still not over feeling like I don't have to prove myself. The first day went well. It was supposed to be part time, but that lasted approximately three hours and was concluded with a discussion about how it's pertinent for me to be involved in everything. Other than the fact that I have serious issues with manning the phones, which hopefully won't get me fired, I think this is a great first job and transition into the professional world. (So they aren't very professional in the suit-wearing, hob-knobbing, beat-around-the-bush sort of way, it's still an office with responsibilities and goals and achievements.)

Besides, we're only posing. For now, anyway.

Let me reiterate, Stay Positive.

I've been to hell and back this summer, all while staying wrapped up cozily in the same comforter I spent four years of college in (what? It's a really nice one.)

Lacking a desk, most of my computer usage, and therefore job searching, has taken place in the comforts of my bed. Also lacking any proximity to my friends, most of my socializing has occurred through computer usage. Other than cleaning and the grocery store, I spent the majority of the summer so far hiding from the humid and rainy Florida summer by sleeping.

I've read many a Facebook updates and Tweets (is that the right terminology?) that hit every shade of the spectrum when it comes to the summer after graduation. Summer classes to finish up, getting that last bit of traveling in, "bonfires, beers, and blunts," job searching, job interviewing, job going, job complaining, lack-o-job complaining, internship bitching, internship appreciation, getting married, having babies, and the list goes on. Really, it does.

I am, unfortunately- but for the sake of my friends still searching, admitting to my lack-of-life and bed-induced craziness to let you guys know that you will all find something incredible when it's right.

I really did start to lose my mind the week before last. I sent out and emailed and cold called until I was so discouraged I hated everything. I felt like I was waiting around for somebody to respond to my email and say "Wow, ERIN! YOU'RE PERFECT FOR THIS JOB! Please come work for us! I'll start you at $60,000!" Finding a job in the wrong market, in the wrong economy is a full time job, a full time commitment and a full time downer.

They aren't offering what I think I want to do.

What do I want to do?

That is not what I want to do.

I really like that, but they didn't respond to my resume.

Should I send a .pdf or a .doc?

Is this cover letter pretentious?

That's not enough money to get an apartment and pay my student loans!

That's too far away with traffic.

That's not enough hours.

They aren't offering an insurance package.

What if I can't find something?

But then I hit a point and said, I need something to get me started, to get me going, and ultimately- to get me out of my parent's house, so let's get this ball rolling. The job I got was posted as an administrative position for a small company that wasn't sure what they needed. Turns out, they needed someone more than to just answer phones, a Director of Marketing. I know I got really lucky, and I say that knowing that the pay is not competitive in the least and I also have no insurance.

Most of the people I know who are actively looking for jobs right now have portfolios that put mine to shame. Most of the people I know are personable, intelligent, resourceful, and motivated. (Most :-P). And, because of the school I got to go to, most of the people I know are also lucky enough to not have the same financial pressures that I do.

So, what I want to say is, enjoy this odd liminal period in our lives. So what job searching is a pain in the ass? So what you feel like if you hear "well, because of the economy we..." one more time you're going to punch a wall?

When in your life are you going to WANT, want- not neeeed, a job as much as you want one right now? Enjoy the excitement and the urgency and the lure of something new. Enjoy the yearning to prove your accredited knowledge and your unpaid experience. Enjoy it if you can, because it'll be over before you know it and it'll never be this way again.

The Snarky Job-Search Attitude...

...Must be put on hold because....

I GOT A JOB!

I put six weeks of pessimistic searching to a halt this weekend and replaced it with the attitude that this week would be different.

Before I elaborate, I have to say that I am quite impressed with myself. Discounting employment agencies, I sent out countless resumes and cover letters or no cover letters or pdf resumes or .doc resumes or cover letter with pdf.....and so on- I only got three actual interviews within my job search. All were obtained through email applications. The first was prior to the start of this blog and was purely informational. For the second, I sent just the .doc resume and well, you heard lots about the interview in the two previous entrees. For the third, I sent just the .pdf resume. Both interviewers told me right off the bat that my resume stood out.

I guess I did too, because both places offered me jobs this week.

A few hours after I posted my previous rant, Interviewer #3 called me and after speaking with them, the position sounded great and I was really astonished I got a job offer the same day I met with them.

The untimely editor-in-chief called me today to offer me the editorial assistant job I thought I'd be perfect for, but, I'm positive I made the right decision in taking the other position.

Though it was advertised as an admin job, I've trained and talked with the CEO's of this computer programming company for hours and it's obvious that the admin stuff is just a product of them being such a small company and needing filler. What they really need is a Director of Marketing. Somebody to re-vamp their web site, create a marketing plan and materials for them and so much more. I'll be forced to learn the future of advertising, the entire digital world, and a little bit of programming lingo too. The possibilities are endless and this will look fantastic on my resume.

I'll be sure to keep coming back to write about the little idiosyncrasies of the professional world that drive me bonkers and other random little related tidbits (though the office I'm in is the one that requires uber amounts of casualness - including barefootedness, beer in the fridge, and shouting to one another from separate offices.)

Until then, good luck to all of you still searching. Keep it positive because it really does make a difference.

Another Interview

Alright ladies and gents. First I should say that I'm sorry the last post was cold and not very Erin-esque. I guess I wasn't in the mood to write.

On to the business:

I spent an effing lot of time in the last interview- almost two hours- and they didn't even so much as grace me with a response to my follow up e-mail, which included my references, or my follow up phone call over a week later.

Dear Editor-in-chiefs everywhere:

Thank you for showing interest in my resume. Thank you for taking some of your precious time to spittle the workings of your magazine at me. No thank you for not asking me most of the standard interview questions that I was wayyyy prepared for. "I think that my strongest characteristics include my ability to ....." No thank you for not showing appreciation for my clever way of taking your negativity, "Unfortunately, there would be some clerical where you would have to run some forms up to IT," and impressively turning it into something positive "Oh, well that sounds like a great way to get to know people around the office."

PSHT.

Please do not introduce me to your team, encourage me to chat away with numerous other head honchos, and then IGNORE ME.

I may be just another college graduate trying to put my foot in the door in the wrong market in the wrong economy, but I am a human being! My time is precious too and you know what?

My feelings are hurt. I could check off everything on the MSN article's Top 10 Clues your interview went well and yet.... no response from you. At the very least you could tell me you didn't think I was qualified for the position or that somebody more qualified came along.

STOP LEAVING ME HANGING.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

EBJ

On a brighter, less rant-induced note:

I had another interview today with a really laid-back internet company. The Craigslist post had some content that seemed a little sketchy to me like "Cleavage won't get you the job, we want somebody with skills." Apparently that's necessary in SoFlo. I wanted to respond with "Well what if we have both?" but I thought that might be unprofessional. It was under the post as a part-time admin position but after talking to them it sounds like they need a lot of copywriting. Lots of room to grow, both financially and with hours, and the company is incredibly small and casual and they seem really cool. I felt awkward going to a job interview in jeans, but they were insistent on dressing casual. Glad I did because they were all wearing t's, shorts and Birkenstocks. The previous company I interviewed with also claimed to be casual, but when I showed up in dress pants and a cardigan, I still seemed fairly underdressed. Who knew casual was such a flexible term?

Also, a fantastic upside to interviewing lots and still being unemployed: I'm learning my way around. Considering how anxious I get when I don't know where I'm going, this is an incredibly good thing.

Roller-coasting and Interview Prep

Sorry for the delay, I've been..... dun da dunnnn- busy (hooray!!)

So let's start with the roller-coasting.

Monday morning I got my act together really early: I made arrangements to meet with another employment agency and filled out a rather extensive pre-interview form, got an e-mail from a local marketing group requesting an interview with me, got a call from a web site I sent my application to on CareerBuilder, and filled out an application for a part time management position at a retail store close to my house.

After being thrilled about speaking to a more professional employment agency, I got even more excited when I got the e-mail from the marketing group who's job posting looked almost perfect. Then I Googled the company and found out they've scammed quite a few people and don't even have a real site (for an internet based company.) But I didn't let my positive glow fade. I was confident in the application I did for the agency and how many resumes I had sent out. Not 15 minutes after I found out about the scam, I got a call for a copy editing/ editorial assistant job (YAY!!!) The woman I spoke with was enthusiastic and said that my resume looked impressive, "a perfect fit."

Arrangements were made for an interview the following day at 5:00p.m.

Interview Prep:

First thing's first: I picked out an outfit that was both professional and comfortable. Too many times I've gone on interviews in full suits to places where jeans and collared t's are the norm. Too many times I've been uncomfortable in a button-down that doesn't sit just how I want it to. This time, I opted for black dress pants, a button down and a sweater - an outfit I know that won't be a distraction from conversation (either in my head or the employer's.)

Second: I got my study on. I read numerous articles on their web site, took some notes of three things that stood out to me (approachability, cleanliness, ease of navigation.) Then, I searched for AP (Associated Press) style quizzes to brush up on some rules for the copy editing test I would have to take. I came across this fantastic site that offers an assortment of quick lessons and quizzes, written by authors with a snarky sense of humor.

I also checked my resume to make sure it was perfect, as well as made sure that I had a complete list of my references and their contact information with me.

Beyond the "good night's sleep," I made sure not to eat anything funny (hey, I haven't been on an interview in a while and I know that regardless of what I'm interviewing for, I immediately get that "first day of school" nervous belly ache when I take the exit ramp off of I-95.

So, the interview.

I showed up and met the chief editor, who I spent the next half an hour discussing the workings of the office and my previous experience at my internships. She explained that their were two openings- one editorial assistant job (part-time and entry level) and one copy editor job (full time and full benefits.) I, and I believe the interviewer, thought I was a better fit for the first opening, but of course I want a full time position! We talked for a while before she sent me on rounds to meet the rest of the copy team and interview with the head copy editor and her assistant, as well as the person below her in the editing line (who told me that the owner of the company was an SU graduate!)

I thought the interview went pretty well, but, as the article says, you never can tell if somebody else interviewed better than you. I'll keep you all posted.

Until then, Happy 4th of July everybody!