Drive to Succeed

Happy Tuesday, Dear Readers.

I took my second course's final exam and passed, so that is one more thing off my plate, and a lovely new certificate to add to my resume. I am figuring out which courses to take next, so I am by no means done. I spent a large part of last week going through the research needed to figure out which staffing service I wanted to sign up with, along with applying to jobs on my own. I was able to narrow it down, and I signed up today. I was contacted by the staffing service and I have an appointment for an interview with them tomorrow morning.

I like jobs which are laid out logically, but have an element of unpredictability to them. The core of the job does not change, but the circumstances around the job can change depending on whom I interact with in order to do said job. To an extent, temporary assignments do this in spades, and depending on the type of temporary job you get, could be a stepping stone to a full-time, permanent position in which you fit.

This is how I found the last permanent job I had; I was a temp for the customer support department, and then the business was bought out by a different company, and at the end of my temp contract they hired me permanently, and after a couple years I was able to earn a promotion into a different department, where I stayed until I was laid off as the company went bankrupt.

I want to succeed and do a good job at whatever job I am handed. I want to be seen as somebody who, after almost 20 years in the workforce, is somebody people can depend upon both as a team player and an individual.

I hope that, whatever it is that drives you, Dear Readers, you are acknowledged for it. Now if you will excuse me, I have an interview to prepare for and clothes to pick out.

-A.M.W.

The Importance Of Career Consultants

Following up from my last blog about keywords, I went to the Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development Center in Fort Collins. I had been able to contact a Career Consultant there, whom I had sat down with before, and had the good fortune that somebody had cancelled an appointment with her that I was more than happy to take on. 

My Consultant has been and continues to be friendly, helpful, patient and an example of what more people need when looking for a job. She was able to go over recent job listings I had applied to and helped me better identify keywords. She then went through the couple different resumes I have when I submit to a lot of different places for the same job title, and suggested style upgrades and where to place keywords. She even read through a cover letter that I had sent and showed me what was fine and what needed work. She did this all in one hour, and she was explaining the why and how of this the entire time so I fully understood why it mattered.

So now I have a better understanding of where I need to work on my resumes and cover letters, and I've been working on the upgrades. I have a better grasp of how to identify keywords (because it turned out I wasn't as good at that as I thought), and how to better integrate them into my resumes and cover letters, which I am also working on.

Would I have been able to look all this up online and figure it out myself? Maybe. Would I have been able to look all this up online and figure it out myself in one hour? Absolutely not.

Career Consultants are working with people every day from every walk of life to do one thing: help those people get better chance at getting employed where they want to be employed. They know the trends of resumes for certain career types, and know about resources that are at their fingertips but would take you an entire day of careful googling to find. They also can make suggestions that, in your stressed state of trying to find work, would not readily come to you.

If you have gone to Career Consultants before at you county office, make sure to thank them for all their hard work. If you haven't gone there, and you are looking for a career change, or just need some help with your resume, or your cover letter, or your interview tactics, I encourage you to make an appointment. They are there to help.

Where Did Summer Go?!

True fact: If you had asked me earlier today when was the last time I'd updated this blog, I would have sworn to you that it was only two weeks ago. Instead it's been over 5 weeks, and I have no idea how the time went by without my notice. It is true that I've been busy; between trying to find a job and working my internship, plus trying to have something that resembles a personal life, I seem to use up all my time every day doing something.

I realized today that Labor Day is just around the corner, and since that is the day I always equate with Summer being officially over (mainly due to the fact that I've lived so much of my life in academia), I feel like I've lost a lot of time somewhere between July and now.

Things of note since my last post: I received my degree in the mail, so I am now officially Alice M. Weaver, M.S., and an alumni of Colorado State University's Graduate School. I have tweaked my resume several times, for all of its incarnations (Administrative Personnel, Communications Specialist and Technical Communications), and I'm still working on the resume that I use to apply for government positions.

I've finally found some good jobs on the website of the temp agency to which I am a member, so I'm hoping that one of those that I've applied for will bear fruit. I'm also still in the running for a position within the nearest hospital in town; my fingers are fervently crossed that I get an in-person interview!

Work at my internship has changed a bit, and I still enjoy working there. It's nice to have a little shake-up of responsibilities, as it keeps the job fresh and entertaining.

I will keep my head up and my thoughts positive and hopeful as I continue to search for work.

Cheers,
AMW

Mid-Summer Rundown

I have confirmed that I will be earning my Master of Science in Public Communications & Technology from Colorado State University at the end of this semester. So now I just have the task ahead of me of getting a job.

I am still working as an unpaid intern at Beet Street, and my writing portfolio has expanded considerably. I even had a small series of articles printed in the local newspaper (though Beet Street was credited with the writing). So things are looking far better as I look toward the end of the year compared to last year.

I am going to start taking online tutorials in CSS and Javascript, as I have come to the conclusion that my knowledge of HTML isn't enough for companies to pay attention to my resume. I may also take a few tutorials in C++ and maybe Linux or Unix, depending on how well I adapt to the language. I remember learning HTML was super-easy, and while that was almost eight years ago, I still know enough to make a webpage without having to cheat and look up codes. I will see how it goes, and if I really like it, I'll try to check out some advanced courses.

If you'd like to see what kind of writing I'm doing for Beet Street's Arts Incubtor of the Rockies (AIR) initiative now, you can go to: http://airartsincubator.org/blog.

If you'd like to read the articles that were printed in the Fort Collins Coloradoan, here are the links to the last two articles (all the others went to the archives):

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20120621/ENTERTAINMENT/306210001/Streetmosphere-showcases-work-HalfMoon-Arts-youth

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20120628/ENTERTAINMENT/306280003/Avery-House-hosts-Streetmosphere-Fourth-July

As this is Monday, I will wish you all a good week!
-AMW

The Part-Time Two-Step

I start my new part-time job on Monday, the training portion of it anyway. I will be working customer service, mostly calling to set up appointments for people. The pay is good for the work involved, and it leaves the majority of my days open because I'll be working in the evenings, so I'll still be able to work on gathering data for my thesis.

However, a part-time job, no matter how nice, is not a way to make ends meet in the long-run. Looking for full-time work in my field is the goal, and the part-time job is a stepping stone to get me closer to that goal. This doesn't mean that I will shirk any responsibility while working at the part-time job; it just means that I need to remind myself not to get comfortable, since I have a laundry-list of things to do in order to obtain my goal.

The one perk of having employment is that suddenly a lot of people see you as more employable. I already have one or two people waiting to hear from their bosses before they hire me for short gigs in contract work for proofreading and whatnot. Dad also says that companies love to poach workers from other companies as well; so being able to state that I'm currently working is a definite plus on a resume.

I'll be staying in Fort Collins for the next couple of months, at any rate, and I won't have to move back to Michigan now that I'm employed. I'm looking forward to finally working again and being in an office setting. I'll be able to stay long enough to finish my data collection, write the rest of my thesis and defend it, so I'll be graduating officially in Spring 2012. After that, I'll see where the job offers take me (and if they take me early...well, at least I'll have my data collected by the end of this year).

-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

A Reality Check for Undergrads

I have been walking around campus and hearing bits and pieces of conversation as I pass by people, as well as seeing some different students on campus, and so these notes are to them, because there are some very, very delusional undergrads out there.

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To Students In General, Looking At Your Life Post-Undergrad: A standard "Entry Level" job starts somewhere around $25K, not $40K, unless you're in a field where you need to have a very specialized skill set, or you need to have a Master's Degree (and even then, starting below $40K is the norm). Prepare to keep eating ramen noodles while you start to pay back all those lovely student loans you took out, because after you graduate, you're going to be getting a regular bill for them.

To The Students Who Think It'll Be Easy to Get Their Dream Job As Soon As They Graduate: The economy is still mostly tanked, so please understand that you are not just competing for a job against your age group in your field, you're also competing against every person who has been laid off/fired in the past year or more who needs a new job. Those people will have lots of experience that you don't have, making it much more likely that they'll be getting the job before you will. Also, do not send out your resume to just the companies you always wanted to work for; that is, quite frankly, a stupid thing to do in this economy. Getting a job is more important than getting your dream job, because bills do not magically pay themselves. Plus, any job you have can be put on your resume to show that you are willing to do a less glamorous job in your search for your dream job, which will garner you points in the long run. Quantity over quality in this case is key.

To the Students with Their Hair in Dreadlocks, Who Talk About Getting a Corporate Job to "fight the power from the inside": Yes, employers are going to judge your hair during interviews (even though they would never admit it), and it will not be in your favor. Sorry to spoil your hopes of being the first whistle-blowing corporation killer with waist-long dreads, but it's not gonna happen. You can't fight the power from the inside unless you look like you belong in the corporation, and that means the dreads have to go. Dreadlocks, to an employer, say you're quirky and dedicated to your lifestyle, but not dedicated to the company vision.

To the Students Who Show Up to Class/Meetings with Professors/TAs in Their PJs: So far I have seen a group of you who apparently do not own actual clothes, or if you do, you prefer to look like you rolled out of bed and just wore your PJs to class. I have even seen some of you who think it's okay to wear this type of clothing when you're meeting your Professors or Teaching Assistants to discuss your classwork/grades. This is troubling, and I would like to point out that there are several very affordable second-hand stores where you can buy clothes that are appropriate to wear outside of your bedroom. Please start dressing like you're an adult instead of a bratty four-year-old that wants to keep his PJs on when he goes to daycare. How do you expect to get a letter of recommendation from a professor in the future (either for a job or for getting into graduate school) if you dress like you don't care?

Finally, to the Students Who Think They Know More than the Professor/TA Who is There to Help Educate Them: No, you really don't, and you're being disrespectful to your educators. Every Teaching Assistant on campus already has their Bachelor's Degree, which means they've already been where you are, and have succeeded where you have yet to do so. They may also have several years of job experience in the field they're teaching in, which means that they have something valuable to bring to the table. Every Professor on campus has either a Master's Degree, a Ph.D. or about 15+ years job experience in the field where they teach. That puts them lightyears of understanding ahead of you in the topics they're bringing up in class, and you need to respect them for it. Your attitude towards your Professors and TAs is indicative of how you will act with employers (subconsciously or not), and no employer likes to feel disrespected, especially after they've taken time out of their day to interview you.

Sincerely,
AMW

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P.S.: For those of you who have never seen this blog before, this advice comes from somebody who has a B.S. in Written Communications and is attaining a M.S. in Public Communications & Technology, and has worked as a TA, so take this with a grain of salt if you need to. -amw

If you can't be an Intern, you can always Volunteer

Scenario: You've done all the paperwork, sometimes months in advance, and you have sent in everything a company has asked for...but you still didn't get the internship. Getting an actual job doesn't seem to be in the works, because your resume is a little flat. So how do you fill it up so hiring managers take a good look at you?

One of the best ways to beef up a resume is through volunteer work. This is something I've been told by, well, lots of people through the years. It's a way for your resume to look current, and a lot of volunteers who do really good work can get their supervisors to write recommendations for them.

I think if I don't get a job soon, I'm going to start volunteering at a couple places in town. I know there is a cat rescue that can always use an extra pair of hands (and my previous vet experience should really work well there). There is also the LAMBDA center, which I'm going to look into a bit more before making a decision.

Hooray for backup plans!
-AMW

Nice & Reliable Transportation

I have a car; her name is Stacy. She's a 1999 Chevy Malibu, and despite being well over a decade old, runs pretty well. In a world where one of the most important questions on a pre-interview application is "Do you have reliable transportation/your own car?", I have always been glad that my car runs well.

Sure, she has a rust spot, and the back seat windows won't roll down anymore, and because I have to park outside it seems like her natural taupe color is perpetually a little darker because of the dirt, but I try to keep her nice. For the majority of the time, she looks good, and that's pretty important if a potential employer sees your ride.

However, from the driver's side, Stacy doesn't look good today. I was running errands and had the front windows down because it was finally warm enough again to have them open. When I got back home, I rolled up the windows. The passenger side window went up just fine...the driver's side did until I heard a horrid *chunk-chunk*, which I think might have been the motor for the window giving up the ghost, because the window stopped moving...an inch to inch-and-a-half before it would have closed.

I just got back inside after cellophaning/taping the gap so bugs and rain (but mostly bugs) don't get into my car. Thankfully I had some heavy-duty clear packing tape (I refuse to duct-tape my car), so Stacy doesn't look too much like a reject. I probably shouldn't worry about it, because the gap is so small compared to what it could be, and from several angles looking at Stacy it doesn't even show, but I can't shake the feeling that if an employer sees Stacy as she looks now, I'm going to be judged negatively for it.

In brighter news, my writer's block is gone, I have complete outlines for both a children's book and a young-adult humor/parody book, I have conducted one more interview for my thesis, and I have a job interview this Monday with the city I live in! *crosses fingers* It's for an actual technical writing job, which makes me all sorts of happy; this could be my foot in the door to a great job for a great city.

-AMW

Obligatory Ironic Labor Day Post

Well, it's time to celebrate having a job by taking the day off again here in America, so with that in mind, I skipped my Friday post in order to post today.

What will I be doing this Labor Day? Well, since I am still unemployed, I will be filling out applications and sending in my resume for a good chunk of the day. Then I will be working on my thesis and getting it ready to go through the IRB again, since I am taking out a portion of the methods section that deals with a data collection technique that has ultimately failed to come through. The good news is that by refocusing my thesis, I should be able to look at the data I do get more closely, which will help me overall when it comes time to defend my work.

So really, I'm going to be doing more work than most people (except for those who have to go to their jobs today, of course). To the people who do actually have to go in to work today: I salute you.

-AMW

Delay Due to Multiple Prospects

So after months and months of hearing "no", or hearing nothing at all, I am suddenly faced with having people calling me for interviews or writing samples. This is why I neglected my weekly update last week (sorry to those of you who were looking forward to it).

I thought I had a good chance of working in a software company/IT firm as their office assistant, but even after the obligatory call to show interest a week after the initial interview, I have heard nothing. I still may have a shot as a receptionist at a medical center, or at a publication aimed at college students. I would love to work at either place, honestly.

As always, I am still sending out my resume with industry appropriate cover letters. I always have to remind myself that even though it may feel like I'm close to getting a job, I shouldn't count my money before I earn it. This thought keeps me humble and grounded, and motivated to find the right job for me.

In addition to all of this job hunting, I have hit a snag with my thesis, and so I have to do a major revision. I'll have less work to do in the long run when it comes to data gathering, but having to do a revision that takes out a component of the thesis is just as time consuming as adding a component.

Finally, I've been doing a bit of fiction writing. At first it was just to relieve stress from the Rambler Debacle, as I've been referring to it, but then it started to take on a life of its own. I have almost an entire book mapped out, which is good, and a few short stories as well.

That's it for the update; I will resume my once-a-week blog from here on out.
-AMW

A Little Success Goes A Long Way

I have gotten a freelance type job with a Russian company by the name of Rambler Internet Holdings. They've started corresponding more with native English speakers, and even though they've been able to translate their messages from Russian to English, they hired me to proofread and edit their emails for grammar and spelling before they're sent to the appropriate parties. The pay is good for what work there is to do, so I'm happy that I'm going to be able to earn my living again.

I'm still going to be looking for a bigger job with more hours, and I would welcome any freelance job that involves proofreading/editing. For today, however, I think I'll be happy knowing that I have a job thanks to my academic achievements in English, and work on my thesis.

-AMW

Backwards Applications Online

I have found something of an interesting trend while applying online to jobs. I posted a little snippet of what I was seeing on my Facebook, but now I want to blog about it. Online applications seem to be a bit backwards to me.

Here is an example, given in two scenarios:

Scenario One:
I apply to a really nice, full-time job; great pay and benefits, I wouldn't need to do hardly any training because I have most (if not all) of the experience necessary for the job and I can start right away. I make a cover letter and send it along with my resume, and depending on the employer, my transcripts from my graduate school as well.

This takes all of 15 to 20 minutes, and then I can go looking for another really nice, full-time job.

Scenario Two:
I apply to a slightly-more-than-minimum-wage, full-time job; it will pay my bills until I finish my degree and/or I get that really nice, full-time job. I may need a bit of training because they have "proprietary software", but the rest of the job I could do blindfolded while simultaneously juggling flaming chainsaws with one hand [WARNING: Do NOT try this at home, even if you think you're a really, really good juggler].

I can't just send in a resume and cover letter; I must fill in an online application. So I click on the appropriate boxes and start filling things in...and filling things in...and filling things in. Usually after I've manually put in all of my work and academic experience, and listed all of my referral contacts, there is a place where I can upload my resume if I choose (this is one of the few places that it is optional to input data, rather than mandatory). My resume has all of my work and academic experience on it. Oh well, I'll upload it anyway, then click for the next page.

I have to take a competency and/or personality test next. It takes at least another 20 to 30 minutes, and if I have to do both, it will of course take twice as long. By the time I'm done, I've checked about five or six boxes confirming that I am not a felon and there are no warrants out for my arrest. I've also checked at least two or three boxes confirming that my name really is Alice Malia Weaver, and I do not have a nefarious alias under which I've worked to take over the world.

The entirety of the application takes a little over two hours, give or take 15 minutes.

[End of Scenarios]

So now that I have given these scenarios, here is my question: when did it become harder to apply for a minimum wage job than it would to apply for a really nice, higher paying job? One would think that it would be the other way around, since people should be willing to jump through more hoops of red tape to get a better paying job than a minimum wage job.

I would like to hear feedback and reader opinions on this subject. Don't be shy! I would love to talk to some people about this and their view on the subject of online applications.

Now if you all will excuse me, I have some more jobs to apply to today.

-AMW

Career Advising

I went to the Career Center at my university today. I had already had a Liberal Arts Career Counselor look over my resume, but I wanted to get a second opinion from a Business Career Counselor. The counselor was very nice and looked over my resume, noting where I could improve my resume and giving me a lot of helpful hints and advise. He even got me to laugh a couple times, which was great and improved the overall experience. He also liked my business card and said it was a good tactic to use to help my employment chances.

I had been doubting my resume's ability to grab attention because I had been getting so few calls about my applications to work in different fields, and I was right to worry. My professional profile at the top is lacking in several aspects, so I will be rewriting it, as well as replacing my "Relevant Coursework" section with something else.

I also cleaned out my box at the Graduate Teaching Assistant Office today, since I was on campus. That was a little sad, but I am looking to the future, where I will finish my thesis and finally acquire my MS in Public Communications and Technology.

I guess today has been all about looking over what I have done in order to look towards what I can accomplish, and that always puts a smile on my face.

-AMW

Time Management Blues

I think that, for the most part, I do really well with time management. I can schedule things and be on time and very rarely have I ever needed to ask a professor or boss for extra time to finish a project. In fact, I can not remember in recent history when I have had to ask for extra time to finish a project, so I would say my time management is really good.

However, I am having a bit of an issue at this point regarding my duties to finish my thesis and my need to get a job. There are several businesses who are interested in me at this point, but I wouldn't be working a nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday job with the weekends free. I would be working a job that, while a full-time 40-hours-a-week position, would be run over the course of six days a week, not five. I would have one day off a week, sometime in the middle of the week.

As for my thesis, volunteer participation has trickled to a standstill. I posted flyers all over town, and yet I did not receive one serious inquiry. Thankfully my friends have rallied and offered alternative solutions to acquiring volunteers, so I will still be able to get my thesis done the way my professors want it to be done. However, the scheduling for this makes it imperative that as long as I still need data for my thesis, I have to have the weekends open.

So now the real question is: how quickly can I get everybody together for my data collection, so that I can get in on one of these jobs and have gainful employment? Once I have the data, all I have to do is break it down and analyze it, then write the last chapters of my thesis and defend it. If I'm working, I can work on it an hour a night after my job, and then dedicate several hours to it on my one day off. I would also have to schedule my defense on my one day off from my job, which may be a bit tricky because one of the professors on my thesis panel travels a lot and he's usually only in town sporadically at best if class is not in session.

In a nutshell, scheduling far future events in the hopes that things will work out okay has been giving me problems. Also, predicting the future is not something I'm noted for, so trying to schedule aforementioned far future events is becoming very hit or miss for me, and I do not like it one bit.

-AMW

Interviews & Business Cards

My interview on Friday went well, and I feel really good about it. The manager was friendly and answered all of my questions, and seemed impressed with the detailed description of my past experience. The business itself seems really solid, and I look forward to another interview with their company. For privacy purposes, I've decided not to post the names of the companies with which I am interviewing on my job search; maybe at the end of the blog I'll put in a list of businesses that are really nice to their potential hires and have open information policies regarding their positions (in other words, answer all questions and don't seem to hide information from potential hires).

Today I checked the mail and my "Wordsmith for Hire" free business cards from Vistaprint were there! They actually look better in person than they did online, which I didn't think was possible. Now I can finally put my business card holder to proper use (I had been using it as a fancy wallet for when I had to dress up a bit more than usual). I can hand them out at job fairs along with my resume, or attach them to applications. I'm going to see how long it takes me to go through 250 of them, just to see how fast I can get some exposure.

Tomorrow morning I have an interview with another company for another management position. I'm hoping that this one goes just as well as the one on Friday did; I already have my outfit picked out and a copy of my resume ready. Things are looking up!

-AMW

Application Forms and the Joys of Being Labeled as Over-Qualified & Under-Experienced

I understand the need to get as much pertinent information as needed from an applicant. I do, really. However, the excessive amount of forms that everybody wants me to fill out for something as simple as a cash register position is ludicrous. Yes, I know that part of the whole application process is for legal purposes so everybody is on a level playing field. Yes, I also know that one's ability to fill out the application is also an indicator of how well an applicant can follow direction. My question against all the extraneous paperwork is this: how is it any easier on the Hiring Manager to look through a hand written application when the same information is right on my nicely typed and well formatted resume? I am annoyed by this particular set of hoops and red tape, it is true.

I have also been told by several people that I am in the interesting position of being over-qualified and under-experienced for pretty much everything I apply for, due to the fact that I am currently in the process of attaining my Master of Science degree, but my writing portfolio is not as large as it ought to be.

The above statement annoys me greatly, because I do have a great amount of experience. I have about five years worth of retail experience, over two of which I was also in a management position that handled the schedules of other people and oversaw inventory (including working with vendors and ordering supplies). Also during those two-plus years I was in charge of creating pamphlets and other advertising-type things, including a website (it was these PR type things that got me into graduate school in the first place). I also have a year-and-a-half of teaching and grading experience, which means I am willing and able to be friendly with lots of people and share information in an easy-to-understand manner, as well as being able to proofread/edit lots of paperwork (which any teaching assistant can tell you, because nobody can have 50 to 100 students per semester and then tell you s/he isn't a great editor/proofreader). So technically, I do in fact have the experience, but a lot of people do not view it as valid experience for the jobs to which I'm applying.

I have applied thus far to be everything from a manager of an EZ Loan office to a cashier at Barnes & Noble and have received no word back from any hiring entity. I have also attempted to get contract work for technical writing, but getting my foot in the door has proven to be a bit tougher than anticipated.

A foot in the door is all I need, but apparently all I have to show for trying at this point are stubbed toes. I guess now I need to invest in some (metaphorical) steel-toed boots.

-AMW

The First Post

Well here I am, creating another blog...only this time, it's to help myself gain employment.

My name is Alice Malia Weaver, and I am currently in my last steps to acquiring my Master of Science in Public Communications & Technology. The last steps include finishing my thesis, as I have already finished all my coursework. However, as my attempts to get outside input that I need for my thesis have garnered little in the way of participation, I find myself looking for a job to help me pay my bills.

I am on CareerBuilder.com, as well as a few other sites. The reason I am making this blog is because of the following:
1) It is free and I need the exposure
2) I have been given 250 free business cards, and whilst designing them, I wanted to put a website on the cards
3) A blog chronicling my adventures in job searching will help me keep my spirits up as well as keep me organized

Hopefully I will gain employment sooner rather than later, but I have found that my well of patience is deep and abiding in all things, so if I have to wait to find a good job, I will wait.

So ends the first post.
-AMW