thoughts on the oddities of job-searching
I’ve been applying to and interviewing for jobs for about two months now. Everyone says the average job search takes three months, and I just finished my classes, so I feel on schedule. But in this current interim—no new job, no classes to attend, no homework to complete—I’m doing some serious reflecting. And I have to ask: has anyone else experienced any of the following, strike-me-as-weird situations?
Here, in random order, are my top-five weird job-hunting experiences (all true, with no embellishments, and all occuring in the past two months):
1. Interviewing for jobs I never applied for
Twice now, reputable companies with actual facilities and professional websites have sought me out regarding open positions. Company MM found me through my posted resume on Careerbuilder. They thought I’d make a good copywriter or researcher. Company WA noticed my resume on my school’s e-recruiting site; they interviewed only me for a marketing role they promised involves writing.
2. Awkward meetings
There was the guy who never smiled and had a weak handshake, the woman who wanted a “voice,” the company who completely changed the open job’s description, and the VP whose first interview with me lasted four hours.
3. Multiple meetings
For Company WA (see 1), I’m going to a third interview Wednesday. As far as I know, I’m the only person being interviewed. They also said (two weeks ago) that they wanted to make a decision quickly.
4. In-House Miscommunications
This one surprises me most, I think. At Company NC, the HR woman’s explanation contradicted the position’s manager’s explanation. At WA, the first VP said things contrary to what another VP did.
5. Slow, Slow Responses
There are jobs I applied for in April that still haven’t been filled. HR says they’re considering applications or planning to interview soon or (my favorite:) “we’ll be in contact soon.”
Sigh. I know businesses are busy and hiring a writer/editor/marketer isn’t Priority One. But, really, can I just say this? There must be a better way.
Filed under job-hunting | Comments (5)philosophy of giving
Tuesday, I mailed these to my friends R & J, whose little one was expected to arrive July 17. The booties weren’t perfect—in fact, they didn’t really match—but I spent a ton of time on them. They were my first intermediate-level project, full of undoing and redoing. Several times, I almost gave up and just went to their registry, but I really wanted to make something special, so I kept trying.
After a couple weeks of work, I wrapped the booties up and made a gift tag, attached a card, and dropped the package in the mail. I knew they’d love them, imperfections and all; that’s just how R & J are.
Wednesday, I got a horrible message from R—probably the most horrible message you can imagine: their beautiful, turns-out-curly-haired, 8-month-along baby died.
She said it’s been surreal. The memorial service and burial will be Monday, and they’re grieving in an unimaginable-to-me sort of way. Cringing, I warned her about the booties—horrible timing, I said. Maybe it’d be easier not to open them.
And yet I’m glad I sent them. I’m glad that weeks or months from now, when R and J are remembering, they’ll have them. I’m glad that even if no one ever wears the poor unmatched pair, my friends know I love them and was thinking about them.
I think that’s the point of gifting—communicating love through some physical object. In the midst of all my financial planning and seeking-to-save-ing, I can sometimes forget this. I want to be able to give to my friends because I love them; I want to be able to use money—that’s why it’s worth it to save and to plan. That’s the point.
Filed under a deeper look at life, gifting | Comments (8)the month of June
It’s that time of year again: wedding season. I received an invitation Saturday, from a college friend I haven’t heard from in three years. We were very close once–during my sophomore and junior years–but truthfully we lost touch during my last semesters, and we didn’t keep up with writing/e-mailing after graduation. I’ve never even met her fiance and only know how they met, now, after having visited their wedding webpage.
But I miss her sometimes, as she was a good friend for that period of time, and I am really happy for her. The wedding will take place in North Carolina (i.e., I won’t be attending), so I’m left with one main decision: what to send?
I’ve written about budget gift-giving before, but one point is worth repeating: homemade gifts, if you can manage them, often cost less and mean more.
In this case, it involves a little research into the couple, since I don’t know what they like/want. They registered at both Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond, so I discovered their kitchen colors: green and cream. Handy, since I happen to have knitted two dishtowels in just those colors.
.
For their gift, I attached a little gift tag to the towels, bought a pretty handsoap from Bath & Body Works ($5), and used a wedding card I already had. The total cost, including yarn, comes out to around $13, if that, and the gift is personal and took effort.
If I knew the couple better, I might make a full-on basket out of the idea: add some more soaps or other green/white accessories from their registry.
Filed under gifting, thrifty tips | Comments (2)
