P.S.

If anyone has ever had to sit through an exit interview and the situation is such that you are being terminated.... it pretty much sucks. You basically have an HR doofus (I know, it is not his fault he has the worst job in the universe) reading a letter aloud to you about how you lost your job and you better be nice to "The Company" and he knows this is confusing but "we" just have to get through it together.

My thoughts on that are:

(1) I can read
(2) I don't think this is confusing
(3) If you think this is confusing, maybe I should be the one doing your job
(4) I am not an idiot
(5) Stop looking at me like you feel bad for me. I feel bad for you, because you have to run this pointless meeting about how I no longer work here.


To make the 20 minutes go by even faster... I decided to make the meeting as awkward and as uncomfortable as possible.


When he said: Do you understand you need to turn in all property and information you have on "The Company" by the end of the day?
I said: The only property I have is my ID (here it is) but the information is in my head... soooo, I am not sure what you want me to do.

When he said: Do you know what COBRA is?
And after I explained it perfectly succinctly,
he said: Okay, well it sounds like you know exactly what COBRA is! But, let me just read this aloud to you anyway so we make sure this part is covered.

When he said: Can I verify this is your current address?
I said: Yes, until August 30. After that I am homeless.

AWESOME. I love being laid off. Except for the fact I don't get my severence check for 10 days. 10 MORE DAYS until I can apply for my Australia Visa. (Yes, it is still on the table. It is just waylaid until I get that check, unless I get a job in the meantime).

Wait for it... wait for it...

I finally got contacted about a job. And it wasn't just any job.... it was the one I called my Dream Job (in a previous post but I am way too lazy to link to that right now. If you are reading this and there is a link, then I can pat myself on the back for getting over the fact I have to navigate away from one page to get the address and then come back in order to link it up).

Anyway, I didn't get an interview, but they did ask for more information about my perspective on things... You know, the read this and respond and then we will decide if we like you. Which I was completely fine with because I actually like getting assignments and completing them. If I could have printed it out on pink paper and submitted it in one of those plastic report folders I would have been a happy camper. I also sort of wish I could have made it a multimedia report, but we'll save that for another time I guess. Nerd Alert.

I turned that in and am waiting to hear if I get a call for an interview. In the meantime..... I have already started researching apartments in New York City. Because you know, why not? It's clear they are going to hire me and I am going to move there, so I am just preparing for the inevitable. Not jumping the gun at all.

My number 1 (and only) place to find apartments is Craigslist. It serves me well in Boston. I know which ones are the scams and which places are legit. I know the neighborhoods. I know if you find a really cheap apartment in Back Bay it's actually in Framingham.

New York city apartment searching via Craigslist is a lot trickier. I put in "Chelsea" and got places in Harlem. Then I tried "Brooklyn" and I got New Jersey, Bridgeport, and even New Haven.

Okay, I am not sure where this story is going. END SCENE. Shut it down.

Insanity Part 2--- Keeping Organized

One of the most stressful parts of looking for a job is keeping track of things during the application process. Every place these days seems to have their own systems of accepting applications. Some ask you to email an HR type inbox (after which you immediately receive a form response with the details of their hiring process or a basic thank you and we’ll get back to you- maybe). Others will ask you to fill out a form online and upload attachments for your cover letter and resume… or worse, make you copy and paste your resume and cover letter into the dreaded text box. As much as I’d love to give you a world of tips on how to navigate through those systems, I can’t… you just have to suffer through it and do it. But, I can help you stay on top of your applications so you know who you have already applied to, who you need to follow up with, and applications you still have pending. Read on.

When I want to stay organized in life, I have two main methods. Since so much of applying these days is via the internet, your inbox can be a great way to keep a handle on everything that is going out and coming in. Another way is to set up some sort of what I like to call a “Tracker.” This is an external database that you create and maintain to hold all of the information on every job to which you have applied or want to apply. I will outline both ways below and you can choose what makes sense for your personal style; I typically do a combo of the two.

Make your Inbox work for you
I am a huge fan of Gmail (you know, the email system provided for free by Google). If you have something else, what I mention here will still apply, but you might need to make minor adjustments.

Since I submit almost all applications electronically, I’ve devised a system to keep track of all of the emails I am sending out and receiving back. It’s pretty basic:

• While searching: I don’t search for jobs and when I find one apply for it right then and there (unless I am extremely excited and cannot wait even a second to begin my cover letter and update my resume). Instead, I copy and paste the posting into the body of the email (including web links, who needs to get this email, and notes to myself on the opening and what I might write in my cover letter), enter the subject line as the job opening and the company, and save it as a draft. I DO NOT enter anything in the “To” field. Doing that would probably result in a slip of the hand and the hiring manager reading my notes on the job posting which could say something like: “Might be way under-qualified but highlight college experience working in the writing center.” At the end of every day, I can look at my drafts and see how many jobs are out there waiting for my application.

• The initial application: Once I am in the mood to hammer out some cover letters and play around with resume formats (again), I go to my drafts and start working. When I have stuff ready to send out, I simply email the hiring manager with my attached documents and BCC myself on the email. I blind carbon copy myself because I think CCing yourself looks weird. I’d rather they not know I am including myself on the email. Then again, maybe I am just a secretive person and like to be stealth. Your call. Anyway, this just keeps a copy in my inbox with all of the relevant documents relating to that position, to which I can then attach a label.

• Application Statuses: To keep track of where each job stands, I attach a label to it. This is the Gmail version of a folder, so if you use Outlook or Hotmail or Yahoo or whathaveyou, you can use folders to do this very same form of organization. The labels I use are: Application Sent, Follow Up Call, 1st Interview, 2nd Interview, etc. When I am bored and I need something to do, I can click on Application Sent and see if any of them have been pending for more than a week and then I will do some sort of follow up call on those and switch their label. You can also have multiple labels on them, so you can keep everything in Application Sent and have the full list there.

• Threads: Since Gmail is brilliant, anything with the same subject heading will stick together in one long email thread. So, if I get a phone call from someone, I usually reply to my own email (just to myself) with notes on the phone call. Example: Spoke to Edith, had brief phone interview. Scheduled meeting with Jack for blank date, blank time. By doing this, I am keeping all records related to the job in one place.

That’s the basic system. If you are looking for something more detailed, then think about:

The Tracker
If you are the sort of person who likes to check things off as they get done, this kind of system is for you. You can tailor it to fit exactly your needs and at the end of everyday you can look back on your accomplishments and feel proud of yourself, which might be just the thing you need to feel if you are struggling through unemployment. It can be as simple as a word document or an excel sheet, or if you are super technologically savvy you could even set something up in Access or another Database application. That’s your call.

My personal favorite form of a tracker is in Excel (Spreadsheet if you are a Mac user). In my current job I practically live and breathe Excel trackers. I love them because you can add and remove columns (categories) with ease and you can filter and sort based on what you want to see. You can include links to websites or documents for easy reference. It’s a great way to keep everything in one place.

My basic tracker would include the following columns:

• Date Updated: Under this column you can keep track of when you last worked on this job opening. Don’t disregard keeping track of the date. You’d be surprised how fast the week goes by so you want to keep a record of when you last checked in on this job. Maybe you applied for it and haven’t heard anything and it has been a couple of weeks. That could be an indicator you need to check in. Maybe you have done all of your follow up and it has been a couple of months. Maybe it’s time to make this job inactive. Keeping track of the dates is a good reality check.

• Company: This one is pretty obvious. You need to know what company the job that you applied for is in… but, make sure to take this to the next level. The company name should be a link to the company website so you can easily access information on that organization if they call you and you need to jog your memory on who they are and why they applied.

• Open Position: Again, hello Captain Obvious. Enter the job you applied for in here and link it to the job posting/description. Why do you need to keep track of specific jobs/postings? (A) You might need to access the job description in a pinch and this will make it easier (B) These companies are probably posting multiple jobs and you might be interested in more than one. (C) They also might post it, remove it (either they filled it or decided not to hire at that time) and then post it again later on (maybe their new hire didn’t work out, maybe there are multiple people in that role and it opened up again). If you see the same posting later on that you’ve already applied for, you don’t want to send out the exact same application. What you want to do is write a follow up email or give a phone call and express something along the lines of: “I applied for this job back in April and I noticed you posted it as available again. I am still interested in this opening and would love to discuss my qualifications in person.” This shows that you are committed to their organization and the opening, and you will likely get an interview. (True story, this happened to me).

• Status: Where are you in the process? Here is where you can make note of whether you submitted your application yet, did the follow up (if possible), got an interview, had a second interview, etc.

• Resume Sent: Enter a link here to the copy of a resume that you sent out. If you are like me you have upwards of 10 versions of your resume. It’s always good to bring the same resume to your interview that you sent with your application (unless you have an improved version, in which case bring that).

• Cover Letter Sent: Enter the link to the cover letter you included. Sometimes I write silly little cover letters and I just like to read them to myself before I go to bed. Kidding. (A) It’s good to refresh yourself on all of the materials you sent to an organization before you go on your interview. That way, you can reiterate those main points and if they compliment you on your cover letter you know what they are talking about. (B) If you are applying for similar positions in multiple organizations, you can use the same basic cover letter tweaked with specifics that their organization might find applicable. If you have them all linked up here in this tracker, it’s easier to find and makes the application process that much easier. No one likes to write cover letters, so this way you have access to all of yours in one spot, linked up to job titles that they were used for.

• Other Notes: Here’s the place where you write all of the things you want to remember about a job. Maybe there was a concerning salary range you will need to know to address in case they give you an offer. Maybe you are bad with names and want to keep track of all of the people in the organization you have spoken with—Phone interview with Edith, Face-to-Face scheduled with Jack, etc. Anything you want to keep track of that can be useful down the road can be stored here.
  

The reason why Excel/Spreadsheet works so great is because you can filter. Depending on what aspect of your job search you are looking to focus on in that particular day, you can pull up your tracker and get the information you need. Maybe you are not in the mood to search new jobs that day. You can use this tracker to see which jobs you still need to apply for and make sure none fall through the cracks (I always think the fresher a posting is when you apply, the more likely you will get an interview). Or, you can see what jobs need follow up. Maybe there are jobs you haven't checked in on in a while and haven't heard back from them. See if they are still posted and if so, give that company a call.

**I realize this is a lot of info and it might seem like too much work to set up and maintain. I promise you it is not. And I truly believe if you have an organized system, eventually you will have success in your search. And if you don't, at least you will have a record of all of the jobs you have applied for and you can print out all of the cover letters and resumes you've sent, all of the email correspondance between you and corporations, all of the rejection letters.. and use them to wallpaper your bathroom as a last resort to curb boredom while unemployed. Happy hunting!**

The new dream... AUSTRALIA

So, in my warped sense of twisted logic... I think I need to move to Australia. Let me outline my points here and you can be the judge.

Point 1: I think I am done with Boston. To take one of my favorite phrases (taken from a short story by Haruki Marukami) and reshape it to explain what I mean--- Boston for me is a marriage of convenience, not an act of love. I do really like Boston. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here now. I came up to this city because a lot of my college friends were in and around here, and let's be real, I am definitely more of a city girl these days than anything. But, it was about convenience in the end. Not too far from home with lots of people I knew. I love the city, but I am not in love with the city. Maybe that's why I have applied for more jobs (in total) outside of Boston than in Boston. So... I hate to say it Beantown... I think we need to part ways for a while. It might not be permanent, but, I need to try out new cities before I can come back to you.

Point 2: I am not a quitter, but there aren't a lot of jobs around. I am pretty positive I am not going to find a dream job at this time. I am not, in fact, quite sure if I know what my dream job is-- it is still up in the air, just a glimmer in my eye, but not a reality yet. My potential dream jobs likely live in non-profits and have to do with Art... not exactly growth markets that thrive in poor economic times. So... I could take a job that is nothing I really want to do, suffer through the bad times with it, want to poke my eyes out every single day, get little to no vacation time, and cry on my couch every night. Or... I could go to Australia. Dramatic? Maybe. But read on.

Point 3: I've talked to both of my recruiters (they don't know about eachother... shhhh! don't tell) and they have individually mentioned that I should consider temping for a while and hopefully one of the temp jobs will become permanent. Initially, I thought this was brilliant. I am an excellent employee. I can pretty much do any job and am a reputable Jill of all trades. I have health insurance until November, so I don't have to worry about that-- why not temp and hope it is temp to perm and then perm? Then I remembered.... I am not trapped in Boston. I don't have a husband. I don't have children. I don't have a mortgage. I don't have a dog. All I really have is a couch that I adore, some unfinished art on the walls, a really comfortable bed, and a whole lot of shoes (and coats and clothes in general). All of these items are happy to go whereever I go without complaint, or sit in a storage unit for months and blissfully await my return. It's true. I can see sticking out a temp job hoping it becomes permanent if I needed to stay in this city (or wanted to)... but it is hard for me to stay here and do a mindless temp job when I can be doing a mindless temp job elsewhere.

Point 4: If I am planning on moving away anyway... it should be somewhere cool and interesting. BUT, it's costly to move across country or to a new city without having a job. It's also scary. So, if you are going to move somewhere brand new and embark on an adventure (maybe your last big adventure)... it should be a good one, right? This is where Australia comes in.

Point 5: Australia has a Work and Holiday Visa that was essentially created for wandering souls like myself.. those of us who are only truly happy when they are out in the world. You can enter Australia and work for up to a year on this visa. This means you can pick up temp jobs along your travels to make some money and experience a new city, culture, continent. You need to be 18 years to 30 to partake in this Visa and have a certain amount of money in the bank. I qualify. I am not sure if I will ever qualify for this Visa again. This really truly could be my only chance to take this oppportunity.

Point 6: Australia is very very far away and I have never gone there because the flight can be $$$ and once you are there, you want to see it all and 2 weeks (the average American holiday) won't get you far. I have been spoiled at this job with vacation time, getting upwards 4 weeks a year since I started. Taking an Australian vacation was always an option, provided I had the money for a plane ticket. Once I get a new job... I might not get 4-6 weeks of vacation time a year. I might only get 2 weeks (THE HORROR).

Point 7: Have I mentioned in this blog that I am soon to be unemployed with no prospects of a new job? Have I mentioned I have applied for over 30 such new opportunities in 10 plus industries with the hopes of finding one and have 2 lovely recruiters looking as well and nothing has come along? In my world... this is what we'd call lemons, people. LEMONS.

Point 8: I'd like to take these lemons I have been dealt (small, non-juicy, Market Basket lemons, shipped in from CA... not large Sorrento lemons fresh from a market stall) and make lemonade. Doesn't Australia seem like the most refreshing lemonade? I think it does.

IN SUMMATION:
I think all the stars have aligned: (1) I am unemployed as of August 1 (2) A severence check will fully stock my previously lacking bank account (3) No jobs in sight... except for temping. (4) I hear about the Australian Work Visa thing (5) I qualify for the Australia Work Visa

How is this not FATE? I happened to talk to a girl I went to Stonehill with about her Australian husband/fiancee and how she moved to Australia for a few months an how easy it was right at the time in my life when I was going to be unemployed, severed from my job by a hefty check, no jobs in site, floundering in the pool of "what am I going to do next" and am not yet 30. Right? How can I avoid these signs....

NOT TO MENTION: My horoscope has been telling me to throw caution to the wind, take chances, and abandon my nature to over plan things.

The 5%:
I have been saying I am 95% sure about Australia. This means I 100% want to go to Australia, but 5% panic about the future. If I go, can I really afford it? Will I spend all of my savings? Will I come back to the States unemployed, broke, and no way to make money because there are still no jobs in sight? These are the scary questions lurking in the back of my brain.

Then I tell myself, Jenn, you are pretty responsible and smart, and a fairly good planner. While I am in Australia, I can continue the job search and keep things on my radar. I've been wanting to do something with writing for a while now... freelance writing doesn't have an office. It doesn't have a cubicle in East Bum US office park to report to Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm. Maybe whilst I am living up the Aussie dream, I can pursue my real dream: to have someone pay me to write by first doing it for free to get some clips together. Maybe, this crazy opportunity will open up doors that I would have never known existed had I not gone to Australia....Maybe I will meet someone who wants to give me a job when I get back. Who knows! I certainly don't, and maybe that's for the best.

So, do you agree or disagree. Anyone? Anyone?

I will take comments now, please.

(Post Script: I will continue the post about Job Searching--The next steps, Keeping organized, Etc, shortly.)

How I feel at my job right now

This is extra funny because I have been a temporary vegetarian (which means I ate chicken at my parents house on Sunday-- but haven't eaten any other meat since last time I was home).

Insanity? (Part 1--- Job Search Tips)

Apparently the fact I have applied to over 30 jobs so far is insane. I don't think so. I think I am just extremely good at finding jobs and I have a very organized system so I can apply to EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. It's called my "No Job Left Behind" Act.

Since there are tons of job seekers out there... I figured I'd share my secrets on how to find new job postings and how to stay organized when applying for them.

THE SEARCH

Get your feet wet with the basics: I start out using sites like Craigslist, Idealist (for non-profit opps), Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed and Simply Hired.

• Craigslist: Craigslist is where I start when I am looking to see what is going on for jobs in different cities. It's mostly a time passer when I am at work... plus you can find lots of random local part-time opportunities from smaller business. For instance, I found a marketing assistant job (designing posters) for a local food restaurant/ market. Those are the types of opportunities that are a hidden gem on this site--- you probably won't find your next big career opportunity on this site, but you might find some good networking opportunities or basic administrative jobs to pass the time for now.

• Idealist: I signed up to recieve the daily alerts. You can select the states you want to be alerted about (right now mine are MA, CA, NY, and Washington DC) and they email you all of the new job postings. This is alot easier than checking Idealist daily. I set it up so my email account automatically filters all emails from Idealist into its own folder so I don't feel like I am cluttering up my inbox. Not only do I receive job postings from them, but I also ask for local Events and Volunteer opportunities. Sometimes the events are job fairs or interesting (and free) workshops that you can attend. And the volunteer opportunities are good to see because you might find a new organization you are interested in (which during your free time you can volunteer at) and maybe get a paying job from there.

• Monster and Careerbuilder: I find these sites mostly useless, but I consider them my "back pocket" sites. I have my resume posted on both of these and get alerts from them about new openings that I can pretty much take or leave. It's mostly recruiters from large corporations that will contact you, but it is still good to know what may or may not be out there (watch out for scams). I figure, if I am desperate down the road, I will use this more.

• Indeed & SimplyHired: Both of these search engines have the same general idea that you can search all job boards at once. I started out using Indeed, but SimplyHired has more filter options which are very handy when you want to narrow it down. For instance, if you search SimplyHired for jobs in publishing, then you can narrow it down by job title, salary, full time, experience level, degrees required, etc. I usually start out with a broad search and then narrow it down accordingly. You don't want to start too small, and a job posting might ask for a certain experience level but also think a combination of experience and education is okay. So don't sell yourself short by searching for only the opportunities you are qualified for-- you want to have stretch opportunities, too.

Branching out: Once you've done your basic search, you've hopefully found some jobs to apply for and gotten ideas for new searches you might want to do.

• From SimplyHired & Indeed: Since these sites are directing you to new job boards... take the time to search those as well. For example, I went on a publishing kick the other day and searched these sites for Editorial Assistant jobs across the US. One of the postings was listed on a website called journalismjobs.com. I then did a search on that website to see what else was out there (I started out very broad just to see what types of jobs were on there). From there I was able to see what other entry-level and mid-level job openings tend to be available in the field of journalism. Obviously, Editorial Assistant isn't the only way you can get your foot in the door in that field. If you have background in Marketing, that could be the way to go. Even Sales-- every publication needs people with Sales background and if that is the experience you have that is the way you can more readily transition to a new field.

• Local Job Boards: It's important to move beyond Craigslist when you are looking for local jobs. One of my favorite local boards is hireculture.com, which focuses on jobs in the Arts. It's updated daily and covers all of MA. You might think-- why do I care about MA jobs? Even if that isn't your location or your interest... you'd be surprised what finding sites like that can lead you to. For example, almost every site like this has a Resources page (or Links, or Related Links, it could be called several different things). On the Mass hireculture site, I was able to tap into the New York Foundation for the Arts job board. That led me to my dream job (below) and all of the resources on that site, which led me to Americans for the Arts job board... as well as various Museum opening job boards. Then, I googled "Cultural Councils California" and found another job board. This is just the route I took. You might have done the same thing and ended up on a completely different trail of sites, but I promise you will find something new every day.

• Do research to find a company you'd actually want to work for: Job search engines are only going to take you so far. Yeah, you will find everything that has posted out into the world wide web... but, that is only a percent of the number of jobs that are available. A lot of companies have recruitment departments within their HR team that serve the purpose of scouting out new talent. This means they don't neccessarily wait for prospective employees to contact them, they spend more time looking for you. What if you are not on their radar? You have to go onto their website to find them. How do you find these companies? A lot of publications keep lists of the Best Companies to Work For, Top Growing Small Business, Top Non-Profits etc. You just need to find the list. So instead of hanging out on Job boards... google Top Business in your area, or Top Non-Profits, and I guarentee you will find a list. (Newsweek.com, Inc.com, FastCompany.com all have such lists, for starters). From that list, go ointo each site individually to see how they do recruitment at their corporation and apply.

• Recruiters/ Headhunters: It never hurts to go to a recruiter. Right now I have two people from different agencies who are working to find me a job. How do you find a recruiter? This is where Monster and CareerBuilder can actually help you. Take a second to do a search for a job you'd want. From those results, at least half of them will be posted by staffing agencies. I don't recommend applying for the job right then and there (think about how many people are replying to that ad, and what kind of email inbox is it really going to? This is just the way they generate new leads).... Instead, go to the staffing agency website and look up what their company is about, what kind of jobs they usually have in their database, and if it seems like they could help you with more than just what they have posted. If they seem like a good fit, contact them through their website (don't go through Monster or CareerBuilder, and honestly, you don't even need to mention the job that you found and are interested in unless you think it could help them see what what type of job you are looking for. Those posted jobs are usually just generalizations or examples of types of jobs they have available and aren't usually specific openings) OR ask your friends if they have ever used that staffing agency. If you can get a name of a recruiter and contact them directly, that is far better than going through the form on the website. They are 100% more likely to get in touch with in 24 hours and will be more helpful down the road because they know you will report back to your friend (who could need them again in the future) and pass on their names to someone else.

The next steps: If you are doing all of this, you are probably generating tons new leads of jobs a day. Searching for a job IS a full time job... and you don't want to get yourself overwhelmed or confused (although I can imagine the tips above are both of those things).

• Focus: If you are unsure of what your next career move will be (but have a few ideas in mind) start by keeping a running list of the types of jobs that interest you as you find them. Then, you can do focused job searches by referring to that list. Each day, pick a focus and pursue it to its fullest to find all of the opportunities out there. Once you've gone through your full list, start from the beginning again and see what is new.

• Set up a schedule: Depending on the other things going on in your life, you will want to set up a schedule that you can stick to so you make sure you don't lose momentum. Maybe you are busy during the day, but have time to search while watching TV in the evenings. Maybe it makes sense for you to search for jobs during the day, keep a list, and then apply at night or the following morning. Maybe you can only commit to searching for jobs on the weekends, or a couple of times a week. You don't need to be strict, but definitely come up with some sort of a system or block of time that you can devote just to the job search. It will help in the long run.

• Be patient: Your dream job might not be out there today... but don't worry. Maybe you will find a good stepping stone job that will help you get to your dream job. Maybe in a few weeks your dream job will be posted somewhere. There is no sense in getting frustrated or upset during the search... you never know where life will lead you! Hang in there.

Those are all of the searching tips I can think of for now... Later on I will post more on how I keep organized when applying for all of these openings!

My dream job lives in NYC

Do you believe in fate? I do. Which is why when I saw this recent posting- Jenn's Dream Job- It was as though this job was not posted for the greater masses looking for careers in the arts, but gift wrapped in the most delicate layers of tissue paper, tied up with golden ribbons and delivered by a fairy godmother with gossamer wings to me personally (via my computer screen)to read this morning as I checked the job boards for the 37th time in the past 2 weeks. Shockingly, I am not being remotely sarcastic. Apparently, finding the description of my dream career (the answer to the question of where I want to be TOMORROW) turns me into a rose-colored glasses wearing idealist.

Not only is this a really neat organization (www.arttable.org) but the actual job seems perfect for me. Event planning and fundraising- that's the kind of stuff I want to do with the rest of my life, because it is just as fun as it is challenging. Even more surprising-- the start date range is exactly when I want my new job to start and the salary range is within what I make now.

The perfection of this opening can only mean one thing--- Too good to be true AKA You will never even get called for an interview, Jenn. HOWEVER-- if anyone out there has any connections with the NYC and BEYOND women-in-arts world and can help me snag an interview, please be sure to let me know.

Updates on the job hunt

I may not be getting a ton of responses, but that's not for lack of trying. Here are the positions I have applied to so far:

Administrative Assistant in various industries (10)
Floral Design Trainee/Sales Associate (1)
Editorial Assistant (4)---> Latest idea was to get into Publishing. I LOVE READING!! Can you imagine if I got to read for a job?
Executive Assistant (3)
Sales Coordinator (1)
Special Events/Promotions (1)
College Writing Consultant (1)
Gallery Assistant (3)
Gallery Sales Consultant (2)
Museum Development (2)

I am not sure why I am trying so hard to be honest. I have also posted my resume on Monster and CareerBuilder and I have gotten more than enough gems to pick from just from that, including:

• A Boston company that said I could make up to 100k 'Honest Dollars' in one year, 250k for 'Top Producers'. I have to wonder if the top producers aren't honest
• 2 Financial Services firms located in east bum Ohio
• An Admissions Advisor for an unnamed online university, in a confidential location. The mystery is obviously enough to draw me in.

Granted, it is only the first day of having those posted, so maybe something good will come of it in the future. My philosophy is--- it can't hurt to try.

.....21 Days Until Unemployment

What do I do?

Since I have been asking everyone and anyone to help me with my job search (AKA Operation Find Me a New Job by August 1), it's only right that I actually tell you what I actually want... right?

At first, I was going to give you a bit of background on what I've done, what my skills are, my present position within the company.... but that got complicated. I currently work in the travel industry liaising between our sales team in Boston and our Operational team abroad. That's really all I can say without starting to sound like Charlie Brown's mom: WAH WAH WAH. If you've ever tried to explain your job to someone, you probably know what I mean.

Since that method is a complete wash, what I can do is tell you a little bit about what I want in my dream job... and maybe you can help me get there. Maybe it won't be in this next form of employment, but hopefully my next role will get me closer to where I want to be in the future.

So, here goes. Ideally-- I want to work for myself either in the form of a freelance writer, art/textile maker, or hot chocolate shop owner. Even more ideally, a combination of those three things would really make me as happy as a clam. In addition, I'd like my future to involve supporting charitable causes. Basically, I want to live in a world with rainbows and sunshine and unicorns and be my own boss.

I've been trying to think about how exactly to get there. In order to run my own business of a hot chocolate shop that doubles as a gallery/studio space and still allow time for writing on the side... I have a feeling I need to save some money. The only way to save money is to actually make money, and with my ridiculous Boston rent and only average paying job, that just hasn't been happening for me.

This means I have two choices. I can get a higher paying job that does not interest me in the slightest but allows me to check in at nine and check out at five and reap the benefits of a decent paycheck and pursue my artistic dreams on the side. OR-- I can worry about the money side of things later and get a job in a non-profit arts organization to gain experience and learn a little something about how to potentially run my own show one day. Either of these would work for me.

To give you even more background on what I am looking for (aside from anything, as the case may be) there have been particular things that have piqued my interest while scrolling through pages and pages of job postings on 10+ different job search engines.

(1) Interesting organizations: I don't mind being an administrative assistant in an organization that I consider cool. Zipcar is one of these such organizations. Young, hip, and such a neat idea (car sharing for the carless city dwellers like myself)-- I'd love to work there.

(2) Firms that deal with the creative side of things: Even though it has been fun to be a jet setter the past four plus years working in the travel industry, that job sector just isn't hiring right now. My skills are pretty transferrable, though, and if I am going to continue to work for "the man" I'd like it to be in a slightly more creative field. I always tell people, "I speak creative." This means, I can communicate with artists, graphic designers, musicians, floral designers, etc... and translate it over to what the rest of you speak. I can do this because I am half creative. So-- if you know anyone who works for an Art school, an Interior design firm, Publishing company, Events Management or PR firm, etc, I want to know about it.

(3) Non-profits with missions I can stand behind (and understand). I'm not really an activist type person who goes out and pickets in front of the state house. However, I do like to support causes in more subtle ways. Examples of non-profits that have missions I like: Reach Out and Read (gets books to underpriviliged children through their local pediatrician), Americans for Arts (top non-profit that promotes Arts organizations), and really anything that involves the Arts or reading or writing or Vespas.

(4) Location, Location, Location. Yes, I live in Boston. But, I don't consider myself stuck here. I've been looking for jobs in New York City, Washington DC, Savannah, Philly, coastal California, Seattle... and would be happy to consider other locations that have a neat art scene and preferably don't require a car (unless the job pays well).

That's really all of the criteria I can come up with at this stage. But will post more as I think of them. In the meantime-- if anyone out there thinks of any place I should be looking at... please continue to send them along. Thanks ahead!

Savannah Love

You might know this already but I have this tendency to prematurely jump ahead to the end result before even completing step 1 in real life. I did this while in the midst of applying for a job at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). Now, I have only been to Savannah twice, but I do love it there. It is a pretty little city that is super artsy and very Jenn.

Here I am, plugging away at the clunky online application system when I start daydreaming about my new life located in Savannah, GA. So, I take a pause to search for my new home (I will need a place to live, right). Lo and behold I find approximately 30 million places that all cost half or less than what I pay for my current apartment in Boston, are two to three to five times the size, and, the frosting on the cake, almost all of them allow dogs.

In my head, I have fallen in love with Savannah and planned our future life together (I will live in a 2+ bedroom apartment/house with wraparound porch and adorable dog name Mr. McRuffington) and I haven't even finished applying for the job.


Right.

So---- here's where you come in. Anyone know of any job openings in Savannah? I think I need to go to there. Now.