It's been a while since my last post, so I apologize to my dear readers, it's been a busy month of June. To start with, I started volunteering and by the middle of the month, I was hired to walk people's dogs.
I must admit that picking up other animals' poop was not something that I imagined I would ever do for money after I got that fancy calligraphied degree from college. Even so, the job isn't that bad and it does get me out of the house for a few hours a day- time that is mostly spent in traffic. Northern Chicagoland is pictured under the dictionary definition of gridlock. I typically walk about 3 dogs a day for 20 minutes each and it is nice to be outside in the sunshine. I just wish I wasn't putting so much of the dough back into my Civic.
There's been little else happening with the job scene aside from developing my bag pooper-scooper skills. Some hits on my resume but little to show for it at this point. It's frustrating that I keep thinking by next month I'll have my life back and I can begin planning for things but by the end of July, I don't really think I'll have anything new to report. It's easier I'm beginning to think, to just not hope for things and accept what they are.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Dog Gets Job
This makes me laugh but is also incredibly disheartening.
From my local paper the Daily Herald by Burt Constable:
E-mails from prospective employers impressed with the résumé on a job-hunting Web site flood the inbox at the home of Cory Creager and Dorie Pike-Creager. For the unemployed Roselle husband and wife, the job offers give them pause. Or maybe paws.
The resumé is for their dog, an 8-year-old chocolate springador (Labrador/springer mix) named Josie Girl.
"It's just so clear she's a dog," says Creager, 40. "Her skill sets are giving paw, chasing squirrels, napping and doing her business."
That didn't stop the dog from getting five glowing e-mails on the day her résumé was posted and more than two dozen since then.
"I saw your résumé on the Internet and felt that I should contact you immediately," reads a typical e-mail, this one saying it is from a state director for American Income. "Our company currently has openings for several outstanding individuals like you."
One with a return address of The Prudential Insurance Company of America offers a training opportunity for "talented and skilled individuals" and reads: "Having reviewed your résumé, I think we should talk."
"Based on my initial review of your résumé, I believe you may be an excellent fit," reads another that says it came from Farmers Insurance and may have a sales job that could pay $550,000 a year.
"It still makes me laugh," says Pike-Creager, 44, as she visualizes her dog sitting at a computer in a cubicle in the corporate world. "But it's kind of disheartening."
The couple, who have daughters Emma, 12, and Josie, 10, ran a nutrition store in Roselle until the economy forced them to close this spring. They know the agony of unemployment and don't want to make light of people's serious job searches.
"This grew out of frustration," says Pike-Creager, who typed up the humorous, corporate-speak résumé late one night. Hailing Josie Girl as a graduate of "Paw Paw University," the résumé touts achievements such as "Successfully oversaw the location and whereabouts of family hamster on many occasions, and didn't eat it" and "Developed fleas on occasion and initiated a risk-assessment initiative to effectively reduce and eradicate the little pests."
"It was kind of cathartic," says Pike-Creager, who failed to get the "validation" she had hoped. "I'm so not validated. I'm worthless. My dog can find a half-million-dollar job and I can't."
The job-hunting site, CareerBuilder.com, didn't respond to a request for comment for this column, but a dog could draw positive comments from many online job-search companies, says John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray and Christmas, a Chicago-based outplacement consulting firm.
"You wonder if the job search is the tail wagging the dog," Challenger quips. "There's no question that today, a lot of the early screening is automated. They couldn't possibly look through the tens of thousands of résumés they get every week."
Filtering software, not humans, scan scores of résumés, searching for a few key words. Josie Girl's success "put a good mirror to the fact that those first e-mails back are meaningless," Challenger says. Employers might be throwing a bone to applicants to see which ones are dogged enough to emerge from the pack.
Challenger suggests Josie Girl's owners take comfort in knowing that lots of employers apparently "love their dog" as much as they do, and from learning the lesson that "you can't find your job by sitting in front of a computer and e-mailing out résumés."
Pike-Creager and Creager, who recently completed the schooling to be a fitness trainer, say they'll be networking and knocking on doors.
"What happened to the good, old-fashioned days when someone put an ad in the newspaper and actually looked at résumés?" Creager asks.
If this were those good, old-fashioned days, an executive at the job-search company would see the story of Josie Girl and respond by offering Pike-Creager and Creager jobs screening online résumés to make sure they are legitimate.
If not, maybe Josie Girl can find another use for the newspaper.
From my local paper the Daily Herald by Burt Constable:
E-mails from prospective employers impressed with the résumé on a job-hunting Web site flood the inbox at the home of Cory Creager and Dorie Pike-Creager. For the unemployed Roselle husband and wife, the job offers give them pause. Or maybe paws.
The resumé is for their dog, an 8-year-old chocolate springador (Labrador/springer mix) named Josie Girl.
"It's just so clear she's a dog," says Creager, 40. "Her skill sets are giving paw, chasing squirrels, napping and doing her business."
That didn't stop the dog from getting five glowing e-mails on the day her résumé was posted and more than two dozen since then.
"I saw your résumé on the Internet and felt that I should contact you immediately," reads a typical e-mail, this one saying it is from a state director for American Income. "Our company currently has openings for several outstanding individuals like you."
One with a return address of The Prudential Insurance Company of America offers a training opportunity for "talented and skilled individuals" and reads: "Having reviewed your résumé, I think we should talk."
"Based on my initial review of your résumé, I believe you may be an excellent fit," reads another that says it came from Farmers Insurance and may have a sales job that could pay $550,000 a year.
"It still makes me laugh," says Pike-Creager, 44, as she visualizes her dog sitting at a computer in a cubicle in the corporate world. "But it's kind of disheartening."
The couple, who have daughters Emma, 12, and Josie, 10, ran a nutrition store in Roselle until the economy forced them to close this spring. They know the agony of unemployment and don't want to make light of people's serious job searches.
"This grew out of frustration," says Pike-Creager, who typed up the humorous, corporate-speak résumé late one night. Hailing Josie Girl as a graduate of "Paw Paw University," the résumé touts achievements such as "Successfully oversaw the location and whereabouts of family hamster on many occasions, and didn't eat it" and "Developed fleas on occasion and initiated a risk-assessment initiative to effectively reduce and eradicate the little pests."
"It was kind of cathartic," says Pike-Creager, who failed to get the "validation" she had hoped. "I'm so not validated. I'm worthless. My dog can find a half-million-dollar job and I can't."
The job-hunting site, CareerBuilder.com, didn't respond to a request for comment for this column, but a dog could draw positive comments from many online job-search companies, says John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray and Christmas, a Chicago-based outplacement consulting firm.
"You wonder if the job search is the tail wagging the dog," Challenger quips. "There's no question that today, a lot of the early screening is automated. They couldn't possibly look through the tens of thousands of résumés they get every week."
Filtering software, not humans, scan scores of résumés, searching for a few key words. Josie Girl's success "put a good mirror to the fact that those first e-mails back are meaningless," Challenger says. Employers might be throwing a bone to applicants to see which ones are dogged enough to emerge from the pack.
Challenger suggests Josie Girl's owners take comfort in knowing that lots of employers apparently "love their dog" as much as they do, and from learning the lesson that "you can't find your job by sitting in front of a computer and e-mailing out résumés."
Pike-Creager and Creager, who recently completed the schooling to be a fitness trainer, say they'll be networking and knocking on doors.
"What happened to the good, old-fashioned days when someone put an ad in the newspaper and actually looked at résumés?" Creager asks.
If this were those good, old-fashioned days, an executive at the job-search company would see the story of Josie Girl and respond by offering Pike-Creager and Creager jobs screening online résumés to make sure they are legitimate.
If not, maybe Josie Girl can find another use for the newspaper.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Green Shoots
I keep reading these stories about the economy that mention "green shoots of optimism" popping up all over the place. While I'm glad to hear that most economists think the recession is bottoming out, it'd be nice if the employment numbers started to change as well. One of the most frustrating economic realities is employment as a lagging indicator of health. It takes a while for employers to shed the jobs in the first place and it takes even longer to convince them to make new ones and hire again.
As it is now fully green around here, with leaves fluttering in the breeze, I can only hope some green will finally shoot up in our apartment. After all, we have great sun exposure...
As it is now fully green around here, with leaves fluttering in the breeze, I can only hope some green will finally shoot up in our apartment. After all, we have great sun exposure...
Creating a Network
I started volunteering last week with a domestic violence charity here in the northwest suburbs. It's a great charity called WINGS that helps women and their children who have been displaced by domestic violence. I'm working at their charity shop, sorting donations, straightening racks and this week I plan to learn the register. It's a great program with a safe house for the women and three charity shops that help support the safe house. The clients in the program can even come to the store and "shop" for free for their families. I was told each is given an allotment for the store based on family size.
In addition to getting out of the house every once in a while, I'm hoping that I'll meet some people around here and be able to network as I'm helping out. I've never actually tried networking as a formal thing before, so this is new. My boyfriend recently started a volunteer gig too. His has the possibility of being a paying position though, so it's a little different. The concept of networking is still the same though. Hobknobbing with employed people and hoping that like a virus or something, it rubs off.
Everyone says networking is the key to finding something in a down economy or any economy for that matter. I hope they're right. Because I'm beginning to think unemployment will be the death of me. After nearly a week, my tension headache has finally started to ease, thanks in part to the monetary help of a friend. This help will get me through one more month of expenses, one more month to find a job. And I know, I should be optimistic, and think that I will finish June employed but that's easier to write than believe. When March went out like a lamb and no job had come to claim me, I was alright. I mean it had only been a month, April would be much better- I'd definitely be employed by my birthday. Now my birthday is a month behind me and all that looms across my future is endless job ads, like the rainbow on the horizon. It seemingly has no real end point or a true beginning it just arcs into the mist.
I wish my recent good news fortune cookie would have been a little more time specific when it said, "struggle has ended. happier times are ahead." Just when, oh fortune cookie gods, is that supposed to happen?
In addition to getting out of the house every once in a while, I'm hoping that I'll meet some people around here and be able to network as I'm helping out. I've never actually tried networking as a formal thing before, so this is new. My boyfriend recently started a volunteer gig too. His has the possibility of being a paying position though, so it's a little different. The concept of networking is still the same though. Hobknobbing with employed people and hoping that like a virus or something, it rubs off.
Everyone says networking is the key to finding something in a down economy or any economy for that matter. I hope they're right. Because I'm beginning to think unemployment will be the death of me. After nearly a week, my tension headache has finally started to ease, thanks in part to the monetary help of a friend. This help will get me through one more month of expenses, one more month to find a job. And I know, I should be optimistic, and think that I will finish June employed but that's easier to write than believe. When March went out like a lamb and no job had come to claim me, I was alright. I mean it had only been a month, April would be much better- I'd definitely be employed by my birthday. Now my birthday is a month behind me and all that looms across my future is endless job ads, like the rainbow on the horizon. It seemingly has no real end point or a true beginning it just arcs into the mist.
I wish my recent good news fortune cookie would have been a little more time specific when it said, "struggle has ended. happier times are ahead." Just when, oh fortune cookie gods, is that supposed to happen?
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Hanging On
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way- Pink Floyd
Got some news for you boys, it's not just the English way. Although my desperation is beginning to feel less quiet, harder to hide. It's like it's percolating inside me and the pressure mounts each day.
Yesterday I was unable to pay to get to a job interview. I had to borrow the money, not for the first time, in order to get downtown to a recruiting firm. After rushing there, developing several new blisters on my feet that have me hobbling today, my new recruiter said there weren't any jobs available. But I should keep him apprised of my job situation and if, if, something comes up he'll let me know. Dejected and in pain, I wandered back the 30 blocks or so to the train station. It's funny too, this recruiter had expressed sympathy for the trek from the suburbs to downtown but in spite of that psuedo-sympathy, he had no problem wasting my time with a 20 minute discussion of their lack of jobs that meet my qualifications.
On the train ride home my phone rang. Excitedly I answered, hoping it was a job call. It was. But before my hopes raised, the woman on the other end told me it was a "proactive interview" with no available positions at this time. Timeframe for when positions might be available? Nope. I, of course, accepted the interview. What else can I really do at this point, besides hang on?
Got some news for you boys, it's not just the English way. Although my desperation is beginning to feel less quiet, harder to hide. It's like it's percolating inside me and the pressure mounts each day.
Yesterday I was unable to pay to get to a job interview. I had to borrow the money, not for the first time, in order to get downtown to a recruiting firm. After rushing there, developing several new blisters on my feet that have me hobbling today, my new recruiter said there weren't any jobs available. But I should keep him apprised of my job situation and if, if, something comes up he'll let me know. Dejected and in pain, I wandered back the 30 blocks or so to the train station. It's funny too, this recruiter had expressed sympathy for the trek from the suburbs to downtown but in spite of that psuedo-sympathy, he had no problem wasting my time with a 20 minute discussion of their lack of jobs that meet my qualifications.
On the train ride home my phone rang. Excitedly I answered, hoping it was a job call. It was. But before my hopes raised, the woman on the other end told me it was a "proactive interview" with no available positions at this time. Timeframe for when positions might be available? Nope. I, of course, accepted the interview. What else can I really do at this point, besides hang on?
Sunday, May 24, 2009
The Others
Sitting by our apartment complex's pool, waiting for my black bean burgers to heat up on the grill, I got the question every job seeker dreads in mixed company; "how's the search going? Any good leads?" Those questions are usually followed up by the "what are you looking to do?" and looks of sympathy as the questioner realizes I've got none of those super valuable advanced technical skills or accounting experience.
I know our guests were just being polite, hoping to have the opportunity to offer me some encouragement. But I've found that spending any down time away from the endless lists of job postings and websites and resume revisions is best spent pretending I'm normal. Pretending that everything is OK, while inside there's turmoil and constant frustration. Unfortunately, the longer I search, the greater the distance between myself and those around me who get up every day and head off to work. The more impossible I find it to field those questions, which inevitably come after the "how are you?" And the harder it's becoming to keep up the facade of calm certitude, the thin grip on optimism that this test too shall pass.
Today my laptop died and I lost for a while that grip, it's slipped now. Now I have to spend some time wiping my damp palm, hoping that my next handhold will be stronger, last longer. Hoping that the next handhold will be helped along and strengthened by a call for an interview, an encouraging e-mail or a nice lotto win.
I suppose that's the trouble with hope and optimism though. They can exist independent of support and sometimes even reality. Sure would be nice though to have a little external push to help me keep keeping on.
I know our guests were just being polite, hoping to have the opportunity to offer me some encouragement. But I've found that spending any down time away from the endless lists of job postings and websites and resume revisions is best spent pretending I'm normal. Pretending that everything is OK, while inside there's turmoil and constant frustration. Unfortunately, the longer I search, the greater the distance between myself and those around me who get up every day and head off to work. The more impossible I find it to field those questions, which inevitably come after the "how are you?" And the harder it's becoming to keep up the facade of calm certitude, the thin grip on optimism that this test too shall pass.
Today my laptop died and I lost for a while that grip, it's slipped now. Now I have to spend some time wiping my damp palm, hoping that my next handhold will be stronger, last longer. Hoping that the next handhold will be helped along and strengthened by a call for an interview, an encouraging e-mail or a nice lotto win.
I suppose that's the trouble with hope and optimism though. They can exist independent of support and sometimes even reality. Sure would be nice though to have a little external push to help me keep keeping on.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Another Job Fair
Waiting for a half an hour to speak for less than five minutes to a recruiter from a staffing agency at a local job fair today, I met a man close to my father's age. He said he has two teenagers and he's been looking for work since September.
Given the anxiety that I'm already beginning to feel three months into the search for my next new position, I can only imagine how I would feel if I had more than my cat, Lizzie, depending on me for income. Stressful as the unemployment situation has been, I feel grateful that it's just me.
I've started this blog to describe the ups and downs of job searching during the so-called "economic crisis." Of course, in developing my blogging media skills I am also hopeful that this blog will not last long as a chronicle of unemployment but rather will become an exercise in writing.
One last note on job fairs- they would be so much more useful if they had actual jobs on offer.
Given the anxiety that I'm already beginning to feel three months into the search for my next new position, I can only imagine how I would feel if I had more than my cat, Lizzie, depending on me for income. Stressful as the unemployment situation has been, I feel grateful that it's just me.
I've started this blog to describe the ups and downs of job searching during the so-called "economic crisis." Of course, in developing my blogging media skills I am also hopeful that this blog will not last long as a chronicle of unemployment but rather will become an exercise in writing.
One last note on job fairs- they would be so much more useful if they had actual jobs on offer.
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