from a little girl. It's never too early to learn how blessed you are.
I like my internship!
I like my credit cards!
I like my college degree!
I like my family!
I like my hair!
I like EVERYTHING!
I CAN DO ANYTHING GOOD!!
BETTER THAN ANYONE!
I WILL FIND A JOB!
Thank you Jessica. My mirror and I are going to be having alot of face time together in the near future. On a serious note though, I've always learned that there is some value in daily affirmations like that--looking yourself in the mirror and asserting yourself!
Friday, May 28
Thursday, May 27
In a bit of a pickle..
I clearly have been watching way too much baseball lately with all the baseball lingo I have been throwing around lately. Go Phillies!
Anyways, I'm in a pickle because I just don't know what to do about this whole job search thing. I'm still doing my internship once a week. Except now I'm not technically the intern and I'm getting paid. I can't even tell you how much I love this job. I wish they were able to hire me full time. For once I feel so content with a job and feel so passionately about it. I feel as though I'm able to integrate what I love doing with what I'm good at and I'm learning so much about a field that I never knew much about before. I just love it! I'm trying to work hard and prove myself so that maybe they will see the value in hiring somebody on full time or even part time..just more than once a week!
The problem is the fact that I don't have a sugar daddy or rich parents to allow this lifestyle of only working one day a week. I do not want to leave this job to get a full time job that I probably won't love. I love this job too much. But I have plans of grad school, traveling, getting married in the near future (and not to mention I am notorious for blowing all my money on clothes and books) that just won't happen on the salary of someone working one day a week.
I sucked it up and got a babysitting job for a few months before I went to LA so I could just make some money. It bores me. I want to be doing what I went to school for. I babysat for all of middle school, high school, and college. I need a break from kids before I start popping them out myself.
So what to do, gentle reader? Do I suck it up and try to babysit until maybe they can hire me (even though there is no guarantee) or do I just move on and find a full time job? Ah..maybe I'll dust off the old Magic 8-ball and see if that has the answer..
On a brighter note..my trip to Los Angeles was AMAZING. So much fun and I'm not totally broke. I decided it might not be a good idea to spend all my money on Rodeo Drive and come home with credit card debt. Here's a little taste of LA from me to you..
Anyways, I'm in a pickle because I just don't know what to do about this whole job search thing. I'm still doing my internship once a week. Except now I'm not technically the intern and I'm getting paid. I can't even tell you how much I love this job. I wish they were able to hire me full time. For once I feel so content with a job and feel so passionately about it. I feel as though I'm able to integrate what I love doing with what I'm good at and I'm learning so much about a field that I never knew much about before. I just love it! I'm trying to work hard and prove myself so that maybe they will see the value in hiring somebody on full time or even part time..just more than once a week!
The problem is the fact that I don't have a sugar daddy or rich parents to allow this lifestyle of only working one day a week. I do not want to leave this job to get a full time job that I probably won't love. I love this job too much. But I have plans of grad school, traveling, getting married in the near future (and not to mention I am notorious for blowing all my money on clothes and books) that just won't happen on the salary of someone working one day a week.
I sucked it up and got a babysitting job for a few months before I went to LA so I could just make some money. It bores me. I want to be doing what I went to school for. I babysat for all of middle school, high school, and college. I need a break from kids before I start popping them out myself.
So what to do, gentle reader? Do I suck it up and try to babysit until maybe they can hire me (even though there is no guarantee) or do I just move on and find a full time job? Ah..maybe I'll dust off the old Magic 8-ball and see if that has the answer..
On a brighter note..my trip to Los Angeles was AMAZING. So much fun and I'm not totally broke. I decided it might not be a good idea to spend all my money on Rodeo Drive and come home with credit card debt. Here's a little taste of LA from me to you..
Tuesday, March 30
Extremely Antsy & Incredibly Broke
I am on a marathon job search for a part time job and I feel like I'm at the point where I'm losing momentum and hope of ever crossing that finish line.
I've been aggressively looking for a part time job these past few weeks because I'm broke and needing money to eat, and oh yeah, go to Los Angeles. I've given up looking for a full time job until May because I'm really loving my internship that I'm doing 1 day a week for 8 hours and I feel as though the experience is well worth it.
I haven't been paid for the past 2 months that I've been there but starting next week I'll be getting paid. It's not a lot of money, clearly, because I'm only working 8 hours but it's something. It does, however, prevent me from finding a job that won't make me work Tuesdays. I'm trying to stay away from retail and from dragging myself back to my previous place of employment to get my job back. I've been looking for anything--administrative assistant, babysitting, etc. but NO luck.
I'm giving myself until the end of this week and then I will submit to being a retail slave once again.
Dear employment gods, please oh please be nice to me this week!
I've been aggressively looking for a part time job these past few weeks because I'm broke and needing money to eat, and oh yeah, go to Los Angeles. I've given up looking for a full time job until May because I'm really loving my internship that I'm doing 1 day a week for 8 hours and I feel as though the experience is well worth it.
I haven't been paid for the past 2 months that I've been there but starting next week I'll be getting paid. It's not a lot of money, clearly, because I'm only working 8 hours but it's something. It does, however, prevent me from finding a job that won't make me work Tuesdays. I'm trying to stay away from retail and from dragging myself back to my previous place of employment to get my job back. I've been looking for anything--administrative assistant, babysitting, etc. but NO luck.
I'm giving myself until the end of this week and then I will submit to being a retail slave once again.
Dear employment gods, please oh please be nice to me this week!
Monday, March 29
Swagging my way through unemployment..
Even though I got a great internship, I'm still not making any money! I'm absolutely broke and it doesn't help that I've decided to go on vacation to LA in May! :)
I've been exploring different ways that I can make some money or get freebies during unemployment--both conventional and unconventional ways. I stumbled upon Swagbucks from a friend who was telling me how she has been winning all these Amazon gift cards through it and that piqued my curiosity. I like free things!
I'm still new to Swagbucks but I'm learning. You earn swagbucks by searching (like you would on Google or Yahoo) & buying things on certain sites. There are a ton of other ways that you can earn swagbucks but I'm still learning the ropes. I'm hoping that some of YOU can help me learn! Are any of you on there? Any tips? Is it worth it?
Anyways, I'll keep checking out Swagbucks and give you all the latest on whether it is worth doing to make some extra money/get free things!
Go here to sign up and get 30 free swagbucks: SWAGBUCKS!
I've been exploring different ways that I can make some money or get freebies during unemployment--both conventional and unconventional ways. I stumbled upon Swagbucks from a friend who was telling me how she has been winning all these Amazon gift cards through it and that piqued my curiosity. I like free things!
I'm still new to Swagbucks but I'm learning. You earn swagbucks by searching (like you would on Google or Yahoo) & buying things on certain sites. There are a ton of other ways that you can earn swagbucks but I'm still learning the ropes. I'm hoping that some of YOU can help me learn! Are any of you on there? Any tips? Is it worth it?
Anyways, I'll keep checking out Swagbucks and give you all the latest on whether it is worth doing to make some extra money/get free things!
Go here to sign up and get 30 free swagbucks: SWAGBUCKS!
Thursday, March 25
Hiatus
So, I've been on a little bit of a hiatus for personal reasons but I'm back now!
Since February I've been working for a magazine doing marketing/social networking. It's been great so far but it's unpaid so I'm really struggling moneywise. I'm trying to at least find a babysitting job to do on the other days of the week that I don't have the internship just to be bringing some money in but I'm striking out in that way as well.
So, I'm starting again, full speed ahead, with the job search.
Since February I've been working for a magazine doing marketing/social networking. It's been great so far but it's unpaid so I'm really struggling moneywise. I'm trying to at least find a babysitting job to do on the other days of the week that I don't have the internship just to be bringing some money in but I'm striking out in that way as well.
So, I'm starting again, full speed ahead, with the job search.
Monday, February 8
10 Common Resume/Cover Letter Mistakes
Get your resume and cover letter out and check it against this list! I've compiled a list of mistakes from feedback on my own resume/cover letter, notes from various professors, and things I saw on the web!
Your resume and cover letter are the first impression. I know for a fact that mine is not strong experience wise so I need to make sure I compensate for that and avoid common mistakes that could land your resume straight to the "Absolutely Not" pile.
1. ME, ME, ME attitude: Avoid focus all about YOU and YOUR needs. The hiring manager isn't sitting around thinking about what they can do for YOU. They need someone to do a job and to add value to their company. You need to make them aware of what YOU can do for THEM. Avoid telling them how much this job would help your career and your skills but rather show them how your skills and career goals could help them to achieve their goals and objectives. Show how you would indeed be helping them out. It makes perfect sense and is completely logical but it seems like it is a big trap for those of us writing resumes. I fell into it until a kind mentor told me the mistake.
2. Spelling/Punctuation Errors: It's kind of like when I'm reading a review from an author about their own book and they have horrible grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I find myself passing on their book if they are writing at a second grade level. It's an eyesore to hiring managers when there are run on sentences, obvious spelling mistakes, and punctuation running amok. I've found when I'm rushing to get a resume out I make dumb little mistakes like missing a word in the middle of a sentence or using "hear" instead of "here" because my brain is faster than my typing. Just slow down and write it. Check it. Get someone else to read it through. Check it again before you send it off.
3. Responsibilities over results: I got this tip somewhere online and I wrote it down but can't remember where it came from! Avoid focusing entirely on your responsibilities from your previous jobs and not taking enough time to focus on the results. Telling your responsibilities is a good thing as it gives the hiring manager an idea of what you did at your previous jobs. However, don't let it overshadow the results & the things you accomplished. This shows how valuable you were to your previous employers. Tell them about how you increased profits in your region or how you won an award or increased your subscription base by %2. This one is hard for me because I don't have alot of accomplishments that can be tracked on my resume. Make sure you keep track of these things whenever you are employed.
4. No objective/summary on your resume: I never thought this was a big deal until I started looking at other resumes from my peers. Having a clear objective or summary can tell the hiring manager what you want to do and are suited for. This clearly requires some tailoring to your resume for each job you are looking for if they are different industries or are in different fields but it will be worth it to make the extra effort. It makes you looked focus even if you really are willing to accept any job.
5. Incorrect contact info: Seems silly and obvious but make sure your email address is current and spelled right. Make sure your current number is on there.
6. Going overboard on the format: Keep it simple and don't be more concerned with how it looks over what it says! Don't use tiny fonts or different colors or a few different fonts. Make it easy on the eyes. Don't include a picture of yourself unless it's for a modeling gig. Clearly there are some jobs in industries looking for some creativity so use your discretion. Make it crisp and concise. Utilize bullets. It needs to be easy to read.
7. Don't get too personal: Do not litter your cover letter with the sob story of your life or revealing too much about your personal life. Make sure any websites or blogs you give them do not have anything inappropriate on them.
8. Forgetting those keywords: All hiring managers are looking for certain key words based on the position and industry. They are easily able to scan your resume for keywords on the computer by using databases that are searchable by key words. Welcome to technology, kiddies. The internet has made it so that the number of resumes being sent for a particular job is astronomical. More resumes means more time to read through them all. Therefore, why not weed out the ones that don't have keywords they are looking for? So, use those keywords. Here is a good article to get you thinking about those keywords.
9. Improper format: Make sure you have it saved in the proper format so that it can be opened. It depends on what they ask for but make sure it can be opened. Recently I forgot to save it to an older version of Word and sent a resume off and it couldn't be opened with my newer version of Word. Luckily, she emailed me back and told me to send it again via email or another format but you won't always be that lucky.
10. LYING: I shouldn't even have to say this but I do. DON'T LIE on your resume or cover letter! Don't exaggerate too much. You will get caught. It might not be right away or even formally but it will end up biting you in the butt at some point. Don't do it. Just don't.
I've heard it said that most employers only look at each resume for about 30 seconds so make those 30 seconds count!
Any other feedback you have gotten about resume mistakes you've made? Did I forget any?
Your resume and cover letter are the first impression. I know for a fact that mine is not strong experience wise so I need to make sure I compensate for that and avoid common mistakes that could land your resume straight to the "Absolutely Not" pile.
1. ME, ME, ME attitude: Avoid focus all about YOU and YOUR needs. The hiring manager isn't sitting around thinking about what they can do for YOU. They need someone to do a job and to add value to their company. You need to make them aware of what YOU can do for THEM. Avoid telling them how much this job would help your career and your skills but rather show them how your skills and career goals could help them to achieve their goals and objectives. Show how you would indeed be helping them out. It makes perfect sense and is completely logical but it seems like it is a big trap for those of us writing resumes. I fell into it until a kind mentor told me the mistake.
2. Spelling/Punctuation Errors: It's kind of like when I'm reading a review from an author about their own book and they have horrible grammar, spelling, and punctuation. I find myself passing on their book if they are writing at a second grade level. It's an eyesore to hiring managers when there are run on sentences, obvious spelling mistakes, and punctuation running amok. I've found when I'm rushing to get a resume out I make dumb little mistakes like missing a word in the middle of a sentence or using "hear" instead of "here" because my brain is faster than my typing. Just slow down and write it. Check it. Get someone else to read it through. Check it again before you send it off.
3. Responsibilities over results: I got this tip somewhere online and I wrote it down but can't remember where it came from! Avoid focusing entirely on your responsibilities from your previous jobs and not taking enough time to focus on the results. Telling your responsibilities is a good thing as it gives the hiring manager an idea of what you did at your previous jobs. However, don't let it overshadow the results & the things you accomplished. This shows how valuable you were to your previous employers. Tell them about how you increased profits in your region or how you won an award or increased your subscription base by %2. This one is hard for me because I don't have alot of accomplishments that can be tracked on my resume. Make sure you keep track of these things whenever you are employed.
4. No objective/summary on your resume: I never thought this was a big deal until I started looking at other resumes from my peers. Having a clear objective or summary can tell the hiring manager what you want to do and are suited for. This clearly requires some tailoring to your resume for each job you are looking for if they are different industries or are in different fields but it will be worth it to make the extra effort. It makes you looked focus even if you really are willing to accept any job.
5. Incorrect contact info: Seems silly and obvious but make sure your email address is current and spelled right. Make sure your current number is on there.
6. Going overboard on the format: Keep it simple and don't be more concerned with how it looks over what it says! Don't use tiny fonts or different colors or a few different fonts. Make it easy on the eyes. Don't include a picture of yourself unless it's for a modeling gig. Clearly there are some jobs in industries looking for some creativity so use your discretion. Make it crisp and concise. Utilize bullets. It needs to be easy to read.
7. Don't get too personal: Do not litter your cover letter with the sob story of your life or revealing too much about your personal life. Make sure any websites or blogs you give them do not have anything inappropriate on them.
8. Forgetting those keywords: All hiring managers are looking for certain key words based on the position and industry. They are easily able to scan your resume for keywords on the computer by using databases that are searchable by key words. Welcome to technology, kiddies. The internet has made it so that the number of resumes being sent for a particular job is astronomical. More resumes means more time to read through them all. Therefore, why not weed out the ones that don't have keywords they are looking for? So, use those keywords. Here is a good article to get you thinking about those keywords.
9. Improper format: Make sure you have it saved in the proper format so that it can be opened. It depends on what they ask for but make sure it can be opened. Recently I forgot to save it to an older version of Word and sent a resume off and it couldn't be opened with my newer version of Word. Luckily, she emailed me back and told me to send it again via email or another format but you won't always be that lucky.
10. LYING: I shouldn't even have to say this but I do. DON'T LIE on your resume or cover letter! Don't exaggerate too much. You will get caught. It might not be right away or even formally but it will end up biting you in the butt at some point. Don't do it. Just don't.
I've heard it said that most employers only look at each resume for about 30 seconds so make those 30 seconds count!
Any other feedback you have gotten about resume mistakes you've made? Did I forget any?
Friday, February 5
Hire My Friend!
Some more exciting news: I got the internship!! YAY! So I guess I'm sort of part of the working world again. It's only 8 hours a week and unpaid but it is going to be a great learning experience in the marketing world!
Anyways, I don't know about you all but alot of my unemployed days consist of Facebooking. True story. I'm on Facebook like it's my job. I realized that I could use Facebook productively in my job search. So, take some time from stalking that ex-best friend/boyfriend or refreshing your news feed, and use Facebook to enhance your job search!
1. Status Updates: Update your status and tell people you are out of work! I know firsthand how effective this is. I had quite a few status updates about how much I loathed unemployment and what not and quite a few people messaged me with job leads or asking what I wanted to do. I had a really AWESOME friend who contacted everybody on her email contacts and got me so many leads! It's up to you whether or not you are indirect or direct about it but let people know you are unemployed! Ask for leads! You never know who your friends might know and, to be honest, some people really do want to help you.
2. Hire My Friend: I can't say I tried this but I stumbled upon this application while looking on Facebook. It's called Hire My Friend. I cannot vouch for this leading to success in the job search but I thought it was pretty darn creative and slightly humorous! I like the concept behind it--getting your friends to use their network to help find leads. So, grab a few of your closest friends (and ones with really good contacts) and ask them to fill it out for you!
3. Facebook Marketplace: I used to look on the Facebook Marketplace for textbooks and what not but haven't been on there in a long time. I decided to check it out again and saw how much it has expanded. There is now even a place for jobs! You just type in your zip code and distance you'd like the listings to be within. I found a few decent listings. You just have to search through some of the spammy ones.
Anybody use Facebook to get themselves a job?
Anyways, I don't know about you all but alot of my unemployed days consist of Facebooking. True story. I'm on Facebook like it's my job. I realized that I could use Facebook productively in my job search. So, take some time from stalking that ex-best friend/boyfriend or refreshing your news feed, and use Facebook to enhance your job search!
1. Status Updates: Update your status and tell people you are out of work! I know firsthand how effective this is. I had quite a few status updates about how much I loathed unemployment and what not and quite a few people messaged me with job leads or asking what I wanted to do. I had a really AWESOME friend who contacted everybody on her email contacts and got me so many leads! It's up to you whether or not you are indirect or direct about it but let people know you are unemployed! Ask for leads! You never know who your friends might know and, to be honest, some people really do want to help you.
2. Hire My Friend: I can't say I tried this but I stumbled upon this application while looking on Facebook. It's called Hire My Friend. I cannot vouch for this leading to success in the job search but I thought it was pretty darn creative and slightly humorous! I like the concept behind it--getting your friends to use their network to help find leads. So, grab a few of your closest friends (and ones with really good contacts) and ask them to fill it out for you!
3. Facebook Marketplace: I used to look on the Facebook Marketplace for textbooks and what not but haven't been on there in a long time. I decided to check it out again and saw how much it has expanded. There is now even a place for jobs! You just type in your zip code and distance you'd like the listings to be within. I found a few decent listings. You just have to search through some of the spammy ones.
Anybody use Facebook to get themselves a job?
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