Organization & Order

Today, I feel on top of things. I worked off a lot of stress in my kitchen, between baking, cooking and cleaning. Some days I do wonder if maybe I should open a bakery, but knowing how fickle customers are when it comes to food and such, I don't think I could risk it. Plus, if my stress-reliever became my job, what would I do for stress relief when running a business inevitably becomes stressful?

Being organized is important when looking for work. Keeping a schedule, making sure all the paperwork you need is in order for interviews, checking your wardrobe to make certain that your interview clothes are nicely maintained; it all matters.

When it comes to my home life, I don't think that complete orderliness is the way to go; life is messy and complicated, and sometimes having a little corner of the house that isn't tidy is a good thing. My bookshelves in my personal three bookcase library is a mess. No Dewey Decimal System, no fiction vs. non-fiction...I don't even have things stacked/shelved by genre with any real consistency, and it's kind of a fluke if all the books by the same author are together! However, despite the supposed chaos, you better believe that I know where every single book I own is on those shelves. Order without order, in a sense.

Organization and order are good things; especially since the time is getting shorter and shorter to the time when I either have a job and stay in Fort Collins, or I will have to move back to Michigan. If I fail to get a job here, I'm sure packing up everything I own won't be too much of a bother; it might take me two days at most. Erasing the pencil art on my walls is going to be interesting; that might take a while.

Dad always told me to think of my life as playing chess, not checkers. Plan for the worst, but look for a way to acquire the best outcome.  I'm looking, and I'm going to keep looking, even up to the last day I possibly can. I was never one of those players who would let their king be toppled easily when they saw defeat laying ominous ahead of them, and I don't plan on ever being one of those players, either. I just have to get my foot in the door.

-AMW

Appearance vs. Confidence

Appearance vs. Confidence, which one matters more?

I am starting to wonder, honestly. I go in well dressed (hair tied back and up off the collar, minimal jewelry [stud earrings, no danglies, and a choker necklace, no watch, no bracelets], very light lip gloss [it's the most makeup I wear, honestly], dress shirt, black slacks, black leather shoes with dress socks, and I wear my black blazer if it is weather appropriate). I speak professionally and politely (never interrupting the person who is interviewing me). I always start and end the interview with a firm (but not hand-crippling) handshake. I smile and exude confidence in my abilities the entire time.

I am overweight, even though I've lost 35 lbs. in the past year or so (and I'm working on losing more). I wear glasses and quite frankly, I'm rather plain looking. Brown hair, hazel eyes that are far more on the brown side than the green. I'm worried that my outward appearance, despite my professional dress, is hindering my chances of getting a job.

So my question, dear readers, is when you go on an interview, what do you think is more important, exuding confidence in yourself or your overall appearance? I'm interested in your opinions; state your cases in the comments section below!

-AMW

Timelines and Obligations

I was given an ultimatum yesterday: either I get a job within the next two months, or I will be forced to move back to Michigan at the end of the year. Dad gave me the autonomy to go get a job using my own brain/resources, and I haven't landed a job yet. To say he is displeased by this is a huge understatement, right up there with saying "the sun is hot".

So now that my timelines for, well, just about everything are cut down to the end of the year. This wouldn't be a problem, except I've been averaging maybe one interview for my thesis a month, and I still have to schedule three interviews. This could go either really well (I get them all done by the end of this month), or really badly (I do my last interview, and then have to move a week later). With this new timeline I've been handed, I don't know when/if I'll ever be able to get back to CSU to defend my thesis, so in actuality, I'll have to be defended by the end of the year.

However, if I can get a job, even a part-time job that's steady, I can stay in Fort Collins for another couple of months past the end of the year, and that would help me out immensely. So even though I was sending out, on average, 30+ resumes/filled applications a week, I need to knuckle down and do twice that many.

There is still hope; two months may go by pretty quickly, but I can make the best of it and try everything I can to extend my stay in Fort Collins.

-AMW

'Tis the Season(al Help Time)

Over the past two days, I've filled out over a dozen applications for part-time and/or seasonal help. I have another two paper applications on my desk that I'm taking a break from filling out so I can get this post up (a day late, sorry, I was filling out applications all day yesterday and it slipped my mind). I also have business cards from three places, because they only take online applications.

I had been worried about how I was going to pay to get to Michigan for Christmas, so I could see my parents, but now I don't have to worry about it, because I won't be going. To my benefit, though, if I'm employed I'll at least be able to give them gifts this year.

So as we go out and start shopping for presents for our loved ones, I would like to entreat everybody to be nice to the people in the stores. Some of them may be a little slow at the cash register, or they might not know the layout of the store as well as some, but that's probably because it's their first week on the job, after being unemployed for several months. They're going to try really hard to help you, because sometimes getting in during the seasonal help time is the only chance these people have to getting a steady part-time (or possibly full-time) job. Give them a little hope by giving them a thank you and a smile; it doesn't take anything away from you and it gives them a brighter day.

Trust me when I say that the bright days are worth more than you know.

-AMW