As Celine Dion says, "And that's the way it is."

So, yesterday got awkward. For me, at least. Because the elephant in the room was finally, somewhat addressed.

I got an email from my current coworker, who is a lovely person, and who is looking out for me. However, that 'looking out for me' now includes letting me know when a position comes in from a client that I'd be a good fit for and submitting my resume for that.

Which, when reading in writing that you are definitely not getting the job you applied for even though you've been working your butt off to impressive everyone while doing at-times tedious filing work, is not the best of news, even if it's about a potential job.

Obviously, my time here is not going to be what I originally came here to do. However, the good thing is that I haven't given up my good mentality yet. Which is a miracle (yes, it's only been two days, but that's how quickly I can turn from hopeful to completely pessimistic... actually, try two minutes). But it's also in part from a new, tiny tiny hope that this position will turn into something part time and permanent. It was mentioned as a possible outcome in the previously mentioned email, and I'm going to latch on to that and fight for it. Like these creatures... www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeOSXtBCY30 ...latch on to a whale carcass. Ok, so they're not really fighting for it as much as DEVOURING it, but I really just needed to share that special video!

Anywho, part time work isn't too shabby of a deal, provided I can temp around those hours so I make a full-time wage, or I get an agent and start making boatloads of money acting. I'm thinking that's definitely the realistic option too, so maybe start looking for me on TV or billboards or in movies. Yes, I will sign autographs, but I will have a limit per day, so get to it early.

The good news for all three of you reading this, outside of now knowing that you'll be able to have an autograph, is that there are a lot more possibilities for blogs about bad interviews or awkward temp gigs then there are for me to find a happy home in a job and have nothing at all to share with you.

And on that note, go celebrate that excellent news while celebrating your holidays this week, whatever they may be. And yes, I mean that in the British sense of the word too, for all you spring breakers! Paarrrrrrttttaaaayyyy!

"It's a job that's never started that takes the longest to finish."

Quick, lunch break post.

Yes, I said lunch break. Yes, that means I'm still temping.

And I've just been asked to stay on for two more full weeks, starting with today. So hey, I guess I'm employed for Passover and Easter (if that's confusing to you, don't worry about it. You obviously need to get to know me a little better) and leading up to the weekend before Tax Day. Sweet. I can splurge on chocolate rabbits, Maztoh, and maybe even some new Spain soccer attire for the pre-World Cup party I'm attending in two weekends. Fernando Torres will always be my hero.

However, now I'm running into a mental predicament. Because I came to terms with my second round of unemployment over the weekend, thinking how maybe doing straight up temp work wouldn't be the end of the world, and I could audition for more theatre or volunteer with PAWS at long last (although PAWS = me getting a puppy or seven, so I may need to wait on that one still) or start my serious acting agent hunt instead of my serious job hunt.

But nooooo, the minute I decide this forced-upon-me decision isn't so horrible, I have to put it on hold for another two weeks. Which will most likely consist of me thinking about how I want a freaking full time, permanent, secure job so I don't have to worry about LIFE every other day, or so I can continue to avoid the terrifying world of being a career-seeking actress (yes, this is me admitting that maybe sometimes I put off auditioning not for the reasons I say I do but because I am a pussy. Ugh. Unemployment makes you look at yourself and it is not a fun thing a lot of the time, let me tell you.), or so I can stop battling intensely in my brain about what the hell I'm doing with myself. And I mean a Skywalker vs Vader battle, where someone will lose a hand and someone will have to die, though hopefully with a nice little reconciliation at the end and maybe a ghost appearance that is NOT Hayden Christenson!

So that's why dragging out this temping position might not be good for me. Not because I don't want to do temp work, because maybe I do. Or because I'm not happy working again and making money, because I definitely am. But because my poor little brain never settles itself down and two more weeks means my current state of peace will last for about a day or two, and then I'll be on the phone in tears again with someone who loves me but who still probably hates dealing with sobby, whiny, insecure me.

Oh, and the title? It's a LOTR quote. This is why Tolkien is also my hero. And moreso than Torres (sorry buddy, but bring back the faux-hawk and then we can talk!).

"If no one will listen, if you decide to speak..."

A proud or shame-filled few of you may know these lyrics from the original Idol, Kelly Clarkson, but they're actually from the original song by the lovely Keri Noble. FYI.

Anyways, I'll tie this all in in a moment.

Here's what I briefly have to say to update you on my situation.

I don't know where I stand here, if I have a job after this temping thing is up, or if it's all coming to an end at the conclusion of the week. It's driving me nuts, because I'm really enjoying my time here so far, the people are great, and I feel like I actually have room to grow if I get to stick around for a while. So, the suspense is killing me. I'm having mild breakdowns at inconvenient times worrying about possibly having to find work again after a tease of a great job. I'm constantly over-analyzing anything and everything I hear, I see, I'm told, I do, I'm asked, etc. while working. I'm obsessing about what I need to wear to make an impression. I'm hating my allergies for making me look like I'm sick and gross and snotty.

And I'm absolutely terrified of asking if I'm staying around or not. Because I feel like it's not going to be the answer I want, and therefore, I don't want to know because it will break my poor little heart.

Not to mention, I've completely given up my unemployment supplements for this gig, and I'm almost positive I can't get them back if I'm on my own again, so I'll be out on the streets and panicked about money MORE than I was before. Which leads to the immediate assumption that I'll be moving home, living off the folks, and growing fat and sloppy playing video games and being friendless in the wilderness of the backroads of Oshkosh. Very valid fears.

Anyways, tomorrow I'm going to grow the balls I need to just ask if I'm staying past Friday or not (That's what the song lyrics were for... me. To encourage me to speak. Cheesy, yes. But totally motivational. Listen to the Keri Noble version. NOW.). And then, since I'm going to Madison for the weekend, I'm either celebrating, mourning, or drinking away the frustration of being strung along for a longer period of time (but also the joy of still having an income for the time being so I can spend that money on booze!).

And still the hunt goes on, just in the waiting-in-the-tree-for-the-deer-to-walk-by kind of way (What!? I'm from the Midwest, I'm allowed to use horrible deer hunting metaphors!).

The No Good, Terrible, Very Bad Interview

So, I'm temping away my days and I love it.

I know that sentence is kind of hard to embrace, since it includes the words "temping" and "love," but seriously, this place has been good to me so far!

However, I am not here to ooh and ahh over my current, though possibly brief, employment stint. You will all be thrilled to know that I have been interviewing still, and I've got a good little morsel of a story for ya'll. Happy early St. Patrick's Day!

So, yesterday, day two of the temp job, I had an interview scheduled for 6:15 pm, giving me 45 minutes to commute north and be ready to rock and roll. They were actually great, because they agreed to stay around late so that I could come in without having to take time off of my second day in the office. However, I felt guilty doing it, since I want to stay where I'm at, and I couldn't tell anyone. So why wouldn't that be the day I leave at the same time as two of my new coworkers?! And why wouldn't we all be taking the exact same train north!? And why wouldn't they be curious to know what my confirmation phone call on the train was about!?

So, they both got off the train, and I continued on my way to the ever-so-discreet "meeting" I had just confirmed, feeling like a total schmuck. Awesome.

I arrive at the building and have to call the guy to let me in. He comes down to meet me, as I'm standing there in a purple dress with matching purple heels like someone out of Mad Men or something. And I shake hands with a boy in a black sweatshirt and jeans. Not only is he totally casual, but he doesn't seem to care about washing his hair, yet the side-swiped bangs make me think that's his most cherished feature. Hellllooo emo Pete Wentz.

So, I'm obviously excited. Ok, but seriously, having walked around in heels all day, the jeans were definitely appealing (not his, obviously, just jeans in general). The space was all cool and lofty, so things started looking up.

Until he walked into the conference room with my requested water... in a red plastic cup. You know, the ones that you see crushed on the ground covered in old booze and dirt at house parties. So, professionalism isn't really there thing then?

It continues.

I'm introduced to his associate, who seems nice enough, and we get started with the interview.

You know what I love? When interviews involve hearing a lot about a company and the position and all the perks and horrors of it all, while I interrupt every once in a while to mention my past experience and what I could bring. And what makes them even better?? When it is completely obvious that they are trying to sell you on the whole deal and not vice versa. Granted, I don't exactly enjoy selling myself to people, but isn't that what you're supposed to do in an interview? Yeah, things were going well.

Not only did they talk about all the horrible things that come from working there (the market is BAAADDDD, you don't really get paid because it's 100% commission, you have to work 10 hour days and you can't even leave for lunch), but they complained about things, bantered back and forth with sarcastic remarks, and actually mentioned that one person who was fired had been a bitch so it was totally fine.

And then they threw up the big, bloody, red flag. At least to little ole gay-friendly, feminist me.

"One thing we think it's necessary to warn people about is that we are not PC here."

Ummm.......

I get that being PC isn't always easy, or fun. And I understand that being PC sometime includes just being polite and considerate of others, and not swearing or burping or whatever. Oh WAIT. No, that's not the definition of PC. No, that's the definition of being a nice human being. So, PC means being considerate of others' beliefs and identities and all that fun stuff.

Or, as a fun little source you may have heard of called Mirriam-Webster puts it, political correctness is "conforming to a belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex or race) should be eliminated."

Yes, I looked up the definition.

That's how serious I take this.

Also, did they NOT see my resume, where I state that I studied Women's Studies and LGBT Studies in college?? WHY ARE THEY INTERVIEWING ME??!?

Anyways, I'd heard enough at that point. Especially when the side-swipe dude let me know that no one ever gets really offended, although there was one time when he did.

Ten bucks says it was regarding his hair.

So, they finally complete the 'interview' and I think I'm free to go home and get some sushi with the bf. Nope. Oh no. No, I need to meet with one of the partners now. Awesome. But, even better than staying to talk with yet another person, side-swipe continues on to tell me that this partner man is going to purposefully try to bore me and I need to make sure I look attentive. And then they left me to wait for the partner to come in.

Yes, I completely thought about, and even visualized, what it would be like to just get up and book it out of there. The conference room I was in was right in the front of the office, and everyone else was further back. They wouldn't have even see me go.

Buuuuuttt... they also had my name and all my info, and that's just shady for me to do, even if I don't want the job. That's like when someone doesn't ever respond to an email that's personally directed to them. Yes, I have specific examples of these types of situations. I think you probably figured that one out though.

Anywho, I stayed. And the guy came in and talked, for probably TWENTY MINUTES, about the history of the company and what the company is all about and so, so, so much more that I didn't care about. But oh, I was VERY attentive. I smiled, laughed, nodded in agreement, made sure my eyes were wide and didn't stray away. This? Is why I am an actress. Haha.

But guess what? It STILL DOESN'T END HERE! Seriously, it actually continues to spiral downhill. So he finally finishes up his shpiel and decides to actually learn something about me. He asks me where I grew up and we talk about how good Midwest people are.

Then he asks me what my parents do for a living. Um, ok? How does this pertain to me getting a job? So I mention my dad's company and start to say how my mom volunteers. But no, he jumps right into asking what my dad DOES at his company. WHAT?! WHY? I'm now totally uncomfortable, and kind of pissed off, so I give the snoozer my dad's full title (Obviously, I'm talking about President Obama here, which is why this is sooooo uncomfortable.). He says something along the lines of wow or some other remark that doesn't help my irritation, and moves on to asking more about my siblings and my interests and yadda yadda.

Meanwhile, because this is not over YET, side-swipe comes back in (later telling me he did so in order to break up the boringness of the partner guy) and the two of them have a back and forth banter of sorts.

Which leads to the next and scariest part.

Snoozer partner tells side-swipe: "I like her. Let's hire her. Let's hire her right now."

Internal Me: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCKKKKKKK. Ohgodohgodohgod. Now I have to tell them to their faces that I don't want to do this, and they are going to ask me questions about it and I have to be polite and they may try to convince me and I just want to LEAVE!

Side-swipe: Well, we should probably get you in for another interview, so that you can sit down with a team.

Internal Me: Ohthankheavens.

External Me: Ok, great!

They then tell me they want to do it during normal office hours, obviously, since it's a team of people, and I let them know I'll talk to my current temp bosses and see if they'll let me leave early one day to interview. Which of course I'm not going to do since I have no desire for the position and my temp job has the potential to become a real job that I would probably enjoy.

We say goodbye, I book it out of there, I'm awkwardly stopped on the stairs so side-swipe can give me his card, and then I am GONE. An hour and a half later. Starving, crabby, and no longer able to do my 6 loads of laundry as planned.

Two days later? I send side-swipe a very happy-go-lucky email saying thanks but no thanks since I don't think it will suit my interests and I can't take on the demands of the position currently. Meaning I don't want to hear people swearing up a storm all day and offending their coworkers and living in an office trying to earn a single dollar.

And so, the now lukewarm job hunt continues. As I try to patiently wait for word as to whether I'll be working beyond two weeks. Oof.

Meanwhile, you'll be hearing more horror stories on the job hunt, I'm sure!

Happiness is a Warm Gun

While jobs relating to children don't seem to find me appealing after they originally contact me (I seriously don't get why it's so hard to send out a quick email saying thanks but no thanks. I did it as a recruiter, and I had like 300 people to email!), I'm beginning to feel good about a recent company I've interviewed with.

Yes, I realize this is a horribly depressing moment for those of you who are reading this as the possible coming-to-an-end of my blog, but before you get too upset, nothing is set in stone yet. I have another potentially awkward interview scheduled for Monday evening, and I will continue to share my awkward life encounters and especially my audition experiences long after I find a job. So wipe away that single tear, and let's move on now.

As I was saying, I had an interview with a small (as in, the number of employees aren't in the double digits yet) company on Tuesday, the day after the DOUCHEBAG experience, and then moved on for a second interview on Wednesday.

And I have nothing bad to say.

Crazy, right?!

But really, the people were awesome, the company seems great, the location is fantastic, and I'm really excited by the opportunity.

It's actually a little freaky because it seems impossible for things to work out that well. It makes me uncomfortable, since it's an experience I haven't had.

And it's not a done deal yet, so I am going to be silly and superstitious and keep my mouth shut, but I am temping for them while they make a hiring decision, since they can't make that decision for a few weeks and because they're short staffed, and that makes me feel more confident that they like me! Obviously I'll keep you posted.

And while I get that you want to hope for bad things to happen so that I can continue making your days brighter with my hilarious storytelling, it'd be cool if you could wish me well and hope for good things, since this blog has yet to be picked up for a book deal and therefore I need to make a living. And if I'm dead from starvation you're probably going to have less opportunities to read my funny stories about auditions and creepy encounters on the CTA (which I guarantee will happen). So let's hope for the best here, huh!?

Also, I applied for a dog walking position today that I saw on Craigslist, if that makes you feel any better about possible future awkwardness!

But, if I somehow run out of things to share, remind me to tell you about the audition I went to a few weeks ago. In a gym. That smelled like poop.

PS... The title is a reference, not a suicidal comment. It's my attempt at being abstract about how my happiness at getting a job might make people think this blog is dead. Yes, really. And I'm more concerned about your state of being if you don't know that song.

The Silent Treatment

An update on the 'To Be Continued' post.

They are ignoring me. (They, just to remind you, being the childcare company that asked me random questions over the phone, like "mountains or ocean?")

I have no idea what happened, what I did to them, or if something horrible occurred (which would be bad), but I have now emailed the woman twice over a two-week time period since she sent me an email about needing to reschedule my interview, and I also followed up by calling the office and leaving a voicemail for the woman who originally interviewed me over the phone.

Nada. Zero. Zip. Zilch.

They hate me.

Maybe they figured out I'm not a fan of children??

Speaking of which, I not only updated my profile on the nanny website I had posted stuff on a while ago, but this time I actually searched for families that matched my profile and then (and this is the big shocker) I even emailed one of the families about nannying for their four-month-old daughter!

Times are a getting desperate.

I also haven't heard anything from that family.

Once again, the silent treatment is a move made in the ongoing game of my job hunt.

You will be shot for this!

The baby lady did not call me back!

Story of my life. Well, minus the 'baby lady' part.

Here's another fun little diddy though...

So, yesterday, first interview with a company for a little while now. Whoohoo!

The one word I'd use to sum up the experience?

DOUCHE.

Douche, douche, douche.

And I'm not talking about keeping clean. I'm talking about the attitude of a person.

Let me start at the beginning. I had received a call from an international staffing agency, that we will leave unnamed, about my resume I had posted on one of the tons of job search engines. Apparently they were looking for a recruiter and were interested in me. The guy who called told me to check out their site and call him back if I was interested. I looked it over briefly, reading about what they do, who they find jobs for, where they're located, and all that jazz. I called him back and let him know I was interested, expecting to talk in more detail. Nope. He said great, here's when you should come in for an interview, see you then. So I was going into this thing a little more blind than I expected.

So yesterday, I checked out the site again before my interview and discovered a somewhat hidden link to the internal position I was interviewing for, and started to read about the details.

Oh f*ck.

It was all sales. Like big time sales. Not the kind of recruiting I was interested in. Boo. I kind of had expected it, but seeing it in writing confirmed my fears. So, I debated pulling out (that's what he said?) of the interview, but I thought I might as well go in and learn more and see if there's maybe something I missed that makes it sound better, or if they had another position or something better suited for me.

I get all dressed up, and in killer pink heels might I add (thanks Angie!), and head downtown. Turns out, the office was 10 floors below my boyfriend's office. Ironic, but kind of awesome. Unless I got the job and then for some unforeseen reason we broke up and hated each other and then saw each other in the lobby and it was awkward and awful and one or both of us cried and then I had to quit to get away and then all my friends picked him over me and I became unemployed and alone and sunk to the level of loving cats and got 7 and shared cat food with them and talked to them as if they were children and walked them on leashes around the neighborhood in a velor sweatsuit and crocs with socks. Or something along those lines. I haven't really thought about it too much or anything.

Annnnyyywhooo, I go in for the interview and discover the guy I had spoken with on the phone was out for the day for some reason, so I'm meeting with some other guy.

Now, those of you in sales, you probably think this is silly of me to describe this situation as douchey because I should have expected it, but I didn't because I'm so sweet and kind and wonderful. Hahaha. But really, I didn't know what to expect, it just definitely wasn't this.

The new guy starts talking immediately about what the company is about and what they're looking for, without asking me a thing. Now, I'm assuming he grabbed my resume right before he walked in the room, since someone else had been handling my info earlier, so you'd think he'd want to know more about me a little first? NOPE. He tells me the job is hard, but the company is great, and then he talks about money. I, being Jewish and all, am not comfortable talking about money. Actually, I shouldn't throw my people under the bus like that, as I feel most people are a little awkward about talking money, especially two minutes into an interview. So he's talking about the half million you can make in the industry and yadda yadda yadda. And then he moves on to my resume and asking me questions.

He asked me two questions total.

Question number one: (He glances at my resume, which could have been upside down and I doubt he would have noticed) Tell me about your previous experiences.

So I talk about my last jobs and how they'd relate to this position, including my 3 month stint with Careerbuilder, and why I left the company after that short of a time period.

And then he decided to tell me that my resume is basically crap, since my jobs are all somewhat short term and that makes him doubt my loyalty. Well, not him, but probably his boss (he liked backhand insulting me and then blaming it on what his boss would potentially say).

And here is what I wanted to say but of course didn't: Dude. If you would look over my resume in a little more detail, and maybe ask me a few more questions, you would realize that I've been in the actual working world for a little over two years and I have had a total of three jobs. One in Madison, which was temp because I was moving to Chicago in the autumn, and then two in Chicago. One wasn't right for me, and then less than a month after I left that one, I started with the place I was at for over a year before they laid me off, which guess what? Wasn't something I was exactly happy about, since I liked it there and was (gasp!) really loyal to them, and still am even in my unemployed state. Everything else was in college, and by everything else, I mean the two jobs I had in my four and a half years there, the second one being basically a promotion my first one within the university. So I'm sorry I haven't held down one job for seven years, but I've been a little busy getting educated and finding my place in a new city. Sorry if that's a concern for you.

But no, I kept my mouth shut and smiled and nodded and pretended like what he said was totally justified based on our five minute long conversation thus far.

Question number two: Where are you looking to go in your career path?

I explain that I'm interested in HR recruiting, and that I've been looking specifically at positions in that field, as well as more basic admin work.

And then he says this. Let me give you a word of advice.

Now, let's remember how this all started. They recruited me. They saw my resume, called me, and brought me in for an interview without asking these very very basic questions over the phone.

His word of advice? Don't say HR OR recruiting when meeting with recruiters. Because they are basically the opposite of each other. Total enemies. Recruiting is sales, and HR is more compensation packages and admin work and things like that. Saying HR OR recruiting to them is a big red flag.

What I wanted to say but of course didn't? I'm sorry, but did I ever use the word OR in my sentence? Because if you listened, instead of talking about yourself and your job the whole time, you would have realized that I said HR Recruiting, meaning I want to recruit in an HR position more so than be in sales. Aka, I DON'T WANT THIS JOB. THIS IS A WASTE OF MY TIME. YOU ARE A TURD. Goodbye.

Instead, I smiled and nodded and pretended he was super nice and helpful and interesting. He then told me that he'd bring my resume and the information we discussed to his boss and they'd be in touch.

And then he compared their job hunt to an execution, "lined up against a wall and shot at" style. That's how they're selecting candidates? Lining everyone up, picking out who to kill, and who to keep? Awesome. BYE.

And that was that. I debated emailing them and withdrawing, but then I realized they'd be the people who'd laugh at that, pointing out how I actually thought I had a chance and I'm hurting them by withdrawing. So screw that. I'm giving them the silent treatment. Real mature, huh?

Wanna know what the douchebag did two hours later? Asked me to join his network on LinkedIn. Probably because he wanted to show me all his connections and 'guide' me on my path in life. Thanks, but no thanks.

And that was that experience. One more for the books.

A word to the wise, try not to insult the people you're recruiting for a position, whether or not you think they're a good fit. It just doesn't reflect well upon your company, even if it is a cutthroat environment. Or reference executions. Also, kind of an odd way of promoting what you do there. Just sayin'...

Kids. I don't know what's wrong with these kids today.

Here's a quickie before I leave you for the weekend.

I am not a fan of children.

Seriously, I don't really like working with kids. I've worked with them in shows, and they are whiny, they misbehave, and they don't know how to shut up backstage. So I am the shusher and I HATE, let me repeat, HATE shushing in any way shape or form. I was the kid who got shushed. Traumatizing. (And Drew, shushing me? Is not a funny joke.)

Anyways, children. I just am slightly uncomfortable and irritated by them. But here's the the thing. They love me. For real. Kids, for some reason, latch on to me. It's probably because I talk to them normally, instead of like they're kids. Or something like that. So, while I'm not a fan, I'm apparently good with them.

Which brings me to my point. I just got a call today about nannying for a 3-month-old boy. Apparently somewhere in my early stages of job hunting, I put all my info on a nanny website. So this woman saw it, for some unknown reason decided I might be a good fit, and called me.

Here's the thing. Babies are not that bad, provided they're not colicky and crying constantly or pooping all over the place. Which is kind of an oxymoron, I know. But really, they sleep and eat and poop (hopefully not a ton though). So maybe I could do it?

Anyways, I talked to the woman for a bit and she asked me to send her more info about my past experience. Which I did. After taking a few hours to come up with that. Which included calling my mother and asking her the names of the people I babysat for in high school. Oof. It's a stretch, but hey, I know how to talk myself up and I think my 'Nanny Resume' actually looks pretty good, even if the most recent date on there is 2004!

So, we'll see what happens. I'll keep you posted. And I promise, if I get the job, I will not ever write about the details of a poopy diaper. That's what your newly parenting friends on Facebook are for!

Back in the Saddle Again (But backwards, like the Old Spice guy)

Sorry 'bout the silence, but I was out of town, without internet or phone access. It was archaic. And you should have seen me right before I had to turn off my phone on the flight... I was literally rapidly scrolling through Facebook to get my fix before I had to go without it for 5 days. Unbelievably pathetic. But the joy I had turning on my phone again after my trip made it all worth it.

This? This is why a job like the first one I blogged about, that Dating Company, would NEVER EVER EVER work for me. No computers, no thank you.

Anywho, I don't have much to write about here since I haven't had much of anything happen since that stupid modeling interview thing (which I never did follow up on, and which I never heard another peep from them about).

I haven't heard anything from the one job I'm still waiting to interview for. I never got a response to my email about hopefully rescheduling the interview she wanted to do on a day I was out of town. And I've yet to hear anything back from the follow up I sent yesterday about that rescheduling. Soooo... write it off? I'm not sure. I am slowly losing interest in the gig, but I don't want to give it up as a lost cause yet. Mainly because that's so depressing, as it's the last possibility I've got at the moment.

This is why I really can't write a lot today. Because it's so much less funny and so much more whiny when I don't have hilarious interview stories to share.

Ok, new subject. That was getting too annoying to handle.

I don't know if you realize this, but I am a HUGE Craigslister when it comes to job hunting. I'm sure you're all rolling your eyes at me now, since all of these crazy interviews suddenly make perfect sense, but there is something about the simplicity that is the organization of Craigslist that makes me so much more drawn to it.

So, with the month of the active job hunting I've been doing, averaging about 15 hours a week searching and applying to positions, guess how many Craigslist jobs I've applied to?

As of this moment, 45. FORTY-FIVE CRAIGSLIST JOBS.

I can't decide if that's an embarrassingly low number, or an embarrassingly high number. Or if I should be proud that I haven't been murdered yet. I'm going with that one.

And, to close this post, I'll leave you with a copy of a standard response I get for applying to a receptionist position on Craigs (outside of all the ones that immediately ask me to go fill out all my information on another staffing/job searching site that wants to link you to as many sponsors as they possibly can):

"Hello Applicant,

This is an online/work from home job, the Hiring Dept of the company has reviewed your resume and we believe you have the required qualifications for the job. Do you have a yahoo messenger on your computer? If not download one.
To proceed with this Data entry Clerk job position ,you must undergo an online interview that will be conducted via yahoo messenger.


I want you to setup a yahoo messenger (IM) and Instant Message the Hiring Manager Mr James York on his yahoo ID (james_work71@yahoo.com) asap for the interview so you can get interviewed for the position.

This is a full-time job with benefits and the hours are great, get started with the online interview process and get back to me as soon as possible.

Hiring Department
Mr. John David"

Receptionists typically mean front desk, right?? If anyone feels like 'messaging' the dude, go for it! There's something about interviewing for a position I didn't originally apply for over Yahoo Messenger that seems a little off to me. If only they had said gchat, then we'd be talking!