Hello Dear Readers. I hope your week has been a good one.
Managing anxiety has become a far more pressing issue in the past couple months than usual. Anxiety hits everybody differently, but for me I can get insomnia, and/or completely lose my appetite, and/or get a headache because I've hyper-focused on something and forgot to drink water, and any combination of these things will absolutely screw me up worse if I don't take care of myself.
I have a plan written on my white board that says the following:
"If you feel like everything is going wrong, or you can't sleep, or your head hurts, or your chest is tight, or your stomach feels like lead, remember to do three things:
1) Drink water - a full glass!
2) Eat something green or lean protein
3) Take a nap, Nerd!
If you've just done 1, do 2 and then 3. If you've just done 2, do 1 and then 3. If you've just woken up from 3, do 1 and then 2. You are more than your anxiety, and you are more than what is posted on your resume. Breathe."
Living during a time of Plague and also Spring is not great for me. Spring and Fall are prime times for me to get sick, and it's usually a throat/upper respiratory cold, which makes the prospect of getting sick that much more anxiety-inducing. I would prefer to not have to play a game of "Regular Spring Cold, or Plague", just because I came home from running an errand, and then a couple days later started sneezing/coughing. I have a mask, but the amount of people blithely running about without one, so convinced of their superiority that they will be immune to Rona's pull, is irksome. I go out as little as possible in response, and manage my anxiety about going outside to run errands as best as I can when I go out to get supplies.
I hope, Dear Readers, that if you are experiencing anxiety, that you are finding healthy ways to manage it. I hope that the world acquires a new normal that is healthier for everybody, but in the meantime, remember to wash your hands and stay safe.
-A.M.W.
Showing posts with label management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label management. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Red Flags and Interviews
The interview I had today was a learning experience; namely, be wary of anyplace that sells life insurance and helps with overall investment finances, unless you already have a license to sell insurance. Also, being Better Business Bureau (BBB) Accredited apparently isn't what it's cracked up to be.
Here is a rundown of what happened. For everything that is a red flag to the situation not being as straightforward as it should be, I will put (RF#). For those of you who do not know what a red flag is, it's a point in a situation that should make your inner self say "oh really?" or "warning" or "Danger, Will Robinson!".
It started out by my walking into the building, finding the right office and then being greeted by an employee of the company. He took my resume, references and one of my new business cards (he complimented the design and color).
I was then escorted into a conference room (RF1), to wait with other potential hires before the presentation about the company began (RF2 & 3). I still have a folder full of informational material, which I read over before the presentation began, and I found three very obvious typos in a letter from one of the Executive Directors (RF4), as well as various other typos in the rest of the material, ranging from format to misuse of punctuation (RF5).
The presentation began and it all seemed to be very interesting; a go-getter attitude and a personable nature would apparently take a person a long way in this company. Then came the slide that talked about how, since this was a company that sold life insurance, we as potential hires would have to be accredited (RF6, since this was not mentioned in the placement ad on CareerBuilder). How is this done? Well, the company was willing to pay for the educational materials so we could learn what we needed before taking the exam for the insurance license, but some of the costs would have to come out of our own pocket (RF7 - This was also not mentioned in the CareerBuilder placement). The cost to us? A whopping $489 (RF8 -That much money covers about 75% of my bills for a month, and now that I don't have any money coming in from CSU, that's a lot of money to throw around).
But, the presenter assured us, that it would take us three months or less to get promoted to the next level within the company, and with that promotion we'll get a $500 bonus. So really, it wouldn't be spending $489 and never seeing it again; rather, it would just be back in our pockets at the most three-and-a-half months after we'd given it to the company, with $11 worth of interest (RF9)!
The presenter never explained how we could be promoted so quickly, or what we would have to do for those first three months (RF 10 & 11). In fact, other than promising quick promotions, she was incredibly vague about a number of things pertaining to our actual jobs (RF12).
Once the presentation was over, we were called one or two at a time for one-on-one interviews (there were three employees of the firm at the office this morning; one stayed in the conference room with us, and the other two held the one-on-one interviews). I was called relatively early, and I told the employee about the typos. She acknowledged them and agreed that they bugged her, but that looked like all she was going to do about it (though to be fair, I know that when you mass produce some literature, it's costly to go back and fix it and print everything again, and they can only do so much with what the head offices send them).
I also told her that I wasn't going to be able to swing the $489, because of my financial situation. She asked me if I could swing $250, because that was as low as she was allowed to go to help potential hires. I told her I would have to look at my financial situation before giving her an answer, and I would call her later today. After that, she was even more guarded and edgy about the answers she gave me (RF13). I asked her to describe what a normal day at the office would be like, after she asked me a series of questions about my resume; she never answered me, but told me that was something she would get into if I was called back for a second interview (RF14 - what kind of cloak and dagger operation are you running if you can't even describe a normal day at the office? Honestly). I didn't bother asking about pay and benefits; if she wasn't going to answer a simple, fairly non-invasive question, there was no way I was going to get an answer for those type of questions.
In the end, I shook her hand, thanked her for her time, and left. I came home, looked up my finances (yep, still poor), and called the company's office, leaving a message that I wouldn't be able to come up with the money, and thanked them again for their time.
I have to say it: for a place that is BBB Accredited, their hiring practices leave quite a bit to be desired. Also, I will reiterate from above: in their placement ads on CareerBuilder, it said nothing about needing an insurance license or giving the company money as part of the hiring process.
I think I'll be sticking to advertising agencies from now on, or any other field that doesn't have to do with finance or insurance; this experience actually left a bad taste in my mouth, and I thought that was just an expression.
-AMW
Here is a rundown of what happened. For everything that is a red flag to the situation not being as straightforward as it should be, I will put (RF#). For those of you who do not know what a red flag is, it's a point in a situation that should make your inner self say "oh really?" or "warning" or "Danger, Will Robinson!".
It started out by my walking into the building, finding the right office and then being greeted by an employee of the company. He took my resume, references and one of my new business cards (he complimented the design and color).
I was then escorted into a conference room (RF1), to wait with other potential hires before the presentation about the company began (RF2 & 3). I still have a folder full of informational material, which I read over before the presentation began, and I found three very obvious typos in a letter from one of the Executive Directors (RF4), as well as various other typos in the rest of the material, ranging from format to misuse of punctuation (RF5).
The presentation began and it all seemed to be very interesting; a go-getter attitude and a personable nature would apparently take a person a long way in this company. Then came the slide that talked about how, since this was a company that sold life insurance, we as potential hires would have to be accredited (RF6, since this was not mentioned in the placement ad on CareerBuilder). How is this done? Well, the company was willing to pay for the educational materials so we could learn what we needed before taking the exam for the insurance license, but some of the costs would have to come out of our own pocket (RF7 - This was also not mentioned in the CareerBuilder placement). The cost to us? A whopping $489 (RF8 -That much money covers about 75% of my bills for a month, and now that I don't have any money coming in from CSU, that's a lot of money to throw around).
But, the presenter assured us, that it would take us three months or less to get promoted to the next level within the company, and with that promotion we'll get a $500 bonus. So really, it wouldn't be spending $489 and never seeing it again; rather, it would just be back in our pockets at the most three-and-a-half months after we'd given it to the company, with $11 worth of interest (RF9)!
The presenter never explained how we could be promoted so quickly, or what we would have to do for those first three months (RF 10 & 11). In fact, other than promising quick promotions, she was incredibly vague about a number of things pertaining to our actual jobs (RF12).
Once the presentation was over, we were called one or two at a time for one-on-one interviews (there were three employees of the firm at the office this morning; one stayed in the conference room with us, and the other two held the one-on-one interviews). I was called relatively early, and I told the employee about the typos. She acknowledged them and agreed that they bugged her, but that looked like all she was going to do about it (though to be fair, I know that when you mass produce some literature, it's costly to go back and fix it and print everything again, and they can only do so much with what the head offices send them).
I also told her that I wasn't going to be able to swing the $489, because of my financial situation. She asked me if I could swing $250, because that was as low as she was allowed to go to help potential hires. I told her I would have to look at my financial situation before giving her an answer, and I would call her later today. After that, she was even more guarded and edgy about the answers she gave me (RF13). I asked her to describe what a normal day at the office would be like, after she asked me a series of questions about my resume; she never answered me, but told me that was something she would get into if I was called back for a second interview (RF14 - what kind of cloak and dagger operation are you running if you can't even describe a normal day at the office? Honestly). I didn't bother asking about pay and benefits; if she wasn't going to answer a simple, fairly non-invasive question, there was no way I was going to get an answer for those type of questions.
In the end, I shook her hand, thanked her for her time, and left. I came home, looked up my finances (yep, still poor), and called the company's office, leaving a message that I wouldn't be able to come up with the money, and thanked them again for their time.
I have to say it: for a place that is BBB Accredited, their hiring practices leave quite a bit to be desired. Also, I will reiterate from above: in their placement ads on CareerBuilder, it said nothing about needing an insurance license or giving the company money as part of the hiring process.
I think I'll be sticking to advertising agencies from now on, or any other field that doesn't have to do with finance or insurance; this experience actually left a bad taste in my mouth, and I thought that was just an expression.
-AMW
Monday, June 20, 2011
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
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
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Getting an Interview and Getting Ready: Fretting About Wardrobe
I have applied for every manager position I could find on CareerBuilder.com within a 25-mile radius of my town that didn't require a very specific degree or set of skills that would take me 10 years to acquire. It took about nine to 10 hours to fill out all the forms and send my resume to the appropriate businesses.
The bad news? Massive, massive eye strain (I am thankful for eye drops).
The good news? I have already had one business call me and schedule an interview for tomorrow!
Now here is the conundrum: I lack some fashion sense as a woman, especially when it comes to professional attire. I own a business suit and several nice tops that can theoretically match said suit, even though I have no idea which one I should wear tomorrow. I have a really nice pair of comfortable shoes to match as well. I do own nice, simple, elegant jewelry that will hopefully compliment what I wear. The only makeup I own is lip gloss in varying shades of pink and plum, so it is easy to both put on and remove, and in all honesty, it's the only kind of makeup that makes sense and that I can stand to have on my face.
Many people would tell me to go buy makeup. Why? For the most part my skin is unblemished, so I don't need concealer. I have a naturally rosy complexion, so I don't need rouge. I can't wear mascara without it streaking my glasses. I have issues putting pointy things near my eyes so I don't like to use eye liner (because that would be putting a pointy thing full of chemicals near my eyes), and putting eye shadow on without eye liner looks ridiculous (as I found out when I tried it). I know that there is an expectation for women to wear makeup, but I honestly don't see the point of it.
One little other thing of note is that my business cards have not come in yet, and I was hoping to hand them out at interviews. However, I'd much have the interview without the business cards than no interview at all.
-AMW
The bad news? Massive, massive eye strain (I am thankful for eye drops).
The good news? I have already had one business call me and schedule an interview for tomorrow!
Now here is the conundrum: I lack some fashion sense as a woman, especially when it comes to professional attire. I own a business suit and several nice tops that can theoretically match said suit, even though I have no idea which one I should wear tomorrow. I have a really nice pair of comfortable shoes to match as well. I do own nice, simple, elegant jewelry that will hopefully compliment what I wear. The only makeup I own is lip gloss in varying shades of pink and plum, so it is easy to both put on and remove, and in all honesty, it's the only kind of makeup that makes sense and that I can stand to have on my face.
Many people would tell me to go buy makeup. Why? For the most part my skin is unblemished, so I don't need concealer. I have a naturally rosy complexion, so I don't need rouge. I can't wear mascara without it streaking my glasses. I have issues putting pointy things near my eyes so I don't like to use eye liner (because that would be putting a pointy thing full of chemicals near my eyes), and putting eye shadow on without eye liner looks ridiculous (as I found out when I tried it). I know that there is an expectation for women to wear makeup, but I honestly don't see the point of it.
One little other thing of note is that my business cards have not come in yet, and I was hoping to hand them out at interviews. However, I'd much have the interview without the business cards than no interview at all.
-AMW
Monday, June 13, 2011
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
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
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