Jobs: Part Two
All right. When I left off, I was facing the harsh reality that there was no way I could move to New York, especially if I was only planning to stay for six months. So I swallowed my pride and settled into my boyfriend’s apartment. By August 1st, I had been jobless for about 2 months - something I am not used to. After the first week in August, I had finished 54 applications. Then I got a call from Google (where I applied two months prior…), saying that they liked my resume, but they weren’t really sure how or where to place me based on my new grad status. So to help figure that out, I went and tested (basically logic stuff) at the Google Atlanta campus. That was two weeks ago, and I’m not expecting to hear back any time soon.
In the meantime, I found a job on craigslist in my town that actually incorporated my interests and wanted to hire me…apparently a nearly impossible combination. So after a week or so of talking to the manager, I finally got hired as a freelance photographer. But of course, the pay is low and I can only work about 4 days/month. So, though it is a fun job to have on the side, it doesn’t exactly put an end to my job hunt.
Around the same time as this, I heard back from a job I had applied to a month earlier. The founder of the company and I had discussed job possibilities for a while, but never settled on anything. Finally, we decided that I would work as an unpaid intern (naturally…), but the assignment is so fun I couldn’t say no. Are you even ready for this?
Clocky
“The patented alarm clock that runs away and hides to get you out of bed. Clocky gives you one chance to get up. But if you snooze, Clocky will jump off your nightstand and wheel around your room looking for a place to hide, beeping all the while. You’ll have to get out of bed to silence his alarm. Clocky is kind of like a misbehaving pet, only he will get up at the right time.”
How. Adorable. So now I am going to photograph Clocky for the website in some ultra-cute environments. Hopefully everything will turn out wonderfully. My Clockies (plural, eeee!) will be arriving in the mail any day now (…I hope).
Now, being that I have done my fair share of applications, I basically understand that if the employer doesn’t get back to you, they either don’t want you, or they will keep your information on file and get in touch with you when you least expect it. And I must admit that of my many job applications, I have not necessarily “wanted” or been “qualified for” all of them - there have been a lot of desperate moments of excessive application submissions. One of said jobs actually took the effort last week to type up, print out, sign, lick the stamp, and mail me a rejection letter for the position. Who does that?? I guess it’s very…polite? But come on, I don’t need that right now. I know I’m not right for the job, do you really need to put it in writing in front of my face? Ugh.
On a happy note, I got promoted! To, ahem, “super” intern, for uHAPS.com. That’s right, boys and girls. SUPER intern. But actually, it’s a pretty sweet deal. I get to work more events/month, and I get a 50% raise, after only having worked there for 3 weeks. Coming from a job where I worked 2 and a half years and never got a raise, I am kind of in love with this company right now. Whoo. Um if you ever need a local event photographed, or know of someone who does, or can think of a fun event that just happens to be taking place, please keep me in mind.
So still, my job hunt goes on. I even resorted to applying at a new bar and restaurant downtown yesterday. I mean, it seems all right. And I’m pretty desperate. They made me do logic games on my application, too. But at least this time I know that I got them both right (in your face, Google).
What is a normal amount of jobs to apply to before you find one that you like, that also likes you? Right now, I’m at about 66 job applications in, but who’s counting…
