Job search update: Settling for now, but not giving up

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Jen Simmons

It’s been a while since I’ve had time to post here. Maybe you were hoping it was because I’ve been busy learning the ropes at a new job. That’s sweet of you! And it’s true. Sorta.

Our wedding day was quickly approaching, and expenses were mounting. I tallied my bills and the wedding costs I’d be on the hook for. And… the number I came up with was bigger than the number of dollars in my bank account.

What I did next was something I hoped I wouldn’t have to do. At some time or another I may have even sworn I’d never do it.

I jumped on Craigslist to see if any restaurants were hiring.

I waited tables and bartended throughout college and for a few years after, partly for supplemental income but mostly because I enjoyed it. Eventually the long hours took a toll on me. A work “day” that lasts from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. is brutal, even if it only happens once a week.

But the restaurant business is among the few economically resilient industries. Yeah, we’re in a recession. But folks gotta eat.

So I started my job at a local “upscale casual” restaurant the Monday after the wedding.

The first week was brutal. The restaurant is understaffed, so they put me on doubles for my training shifts to get me up to speed quickly. The next week, I trained behind the bar.

I’m still adjusting a month later, mentally and physically. But here’s why it’s good for me:

I’m making money. Honestly, I’m making about as much as I was at my previous job.
Since I’m less concerned about my finances I’m going to try to do some pro bono social media work to gain experience and get my name out there.
The stress, the exhaustion and the unpredictability motivate me to keep applying for jobs in my field while I’m not at work.
Waiting tables helps sharpen communication skills. I talk to strangers all day.
There’s no place better to network than a restaurant.

4 months: My experience at an Apple hiring event

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Jen Simmons

Next week, I’ll have gone four months without a full-time job. Thanks to my tax return, some part-time and freelance work, and a very understanding fiancé, I’ve managed.

But as our wedding date approaches (13 days! Ack!) I just can’t dedicate enough time to finding a job. It’s a catch-22, because, um, weddings are expensive. I wonder: Would I have been more stressed by balancing wedding responsibilities and a full-time workload than I am by freaking out about money?

I mentioned, all the way back in January, that I’d applied for some jobs that weren’t directly related to my experience. One was a position at Apple retail. I applied on a whim because it’s something I’ve always wanted to try. I’m proud of the number of people I’ve “evangelized” to Mac over the years, and I’d probably run into a burning building to save my iPhone, Tammy 2. (Yes, that’s a Parks & Recreation reference and yes, I name all my gadgets. Including my car, Sallie.) Maybe if I’d acted on that dream in college I’d be in a different place, but better late than never, right?

I’d all but forgotten the application until a few weeks ago, when I got an email inviting me to an Apple hiring event. I RSVPed to a session and showed up 15 minutes early, dressed in business casual per the invitation. There were about 30 applicants and I assume the other two sessions had the same number of folks.

Apple Store employees from various positions — Specialist, Expert, Genius, Business, Creative, and management — hosted. We put on nametags and introduced ourselves with a “fun fact” about ourselves and a reason we want to work at Apple.

“Why do you want to work here?” is the kind of question that only works for a company like Apple. Responses ranged from fanboy to slightly absurd but there wasn’t a single person who said “Errr, ah, I just need a job,” even if I suspected that was true for some.

I talked about how much I love discovering the cool things my devices (don’t worry; I did not refer to them by their names) can do and the tasks they help me perform, and that I think it’d be fun to share those discoveries every day at work.

The hosts talked about the positions and products. Then we watched a video about the culture at Apple retail. They asked what we took from the video.

“Apple really cares about its employees!” “Everybody is happy to go to work!” I think everyone in the group raised his or her hand, except for me. I just couldn’t think of anything that hadn’t already been said. I think all the videos I watched as a trainer at Chili’s back in the day ruined me. “Great, I blew it,” I thought.

But then we split up into groups where we were each given a card with a hypothetical customer’s needs on it. We were then to say what we would recommend for that customer and why.

Pardon me for boasting, but I crushed it.

The event wrapped with a question-and-answer session, and we filled out information sheets: what products do you have, what is your availability, etc. They said they would be in touch in the next week to let us know if we’d been selected for an interview.

The whole thing lasted about an hour and 45 minutes.

They said they have very few openings to fill, and of course I’ve read the bit about it being easier to get in at Stanford. Cult of Mac said “During the seminar it’s helpful to raise your hand on every question and act super excited about everything Apple.” I definitely geek out when I get to talking about stuff that interests me but I don’t have a switch I can flip to just turn that on. So I didn’t expect to make it to the next round.

But I got an email informing me I and about 15 others had been selected to participate in a group interview. I’m still waiting to hear when and with whom I’ll be interviewing.

Oh, Indeed: a few jobs that caught my eye

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Jen Simmons

Quality Assurance Specialist at Hershey’s
I clicked on this one hoping “quality assurance” entailed sampling the candy as it went down the assembly line. You know, for quality assurance. Unfortunately there is no mention of chocolate in the job description.

Athlete II – Nike
“So, what do you do?”
“I’m an athlete.”
“Yeah? What do you play?”
“I work at the Nike store.”
“…”
Nike apparently calls its retail associates “athletes.”

need a m-f nanny!
Here’s why capitalization is important: I totally read this as “Need a (expletive) nanny!” I don’t know why Indeed posts so many ads for child and elder care. Some of them seem sketchy.

Teammate (Solo) at Merry Maids
I’m confused. Is this position part of a team… or a solo gig? Both, apparently. In which case, Merry Maids should change its name to “Merry Teammates.”

Freelance equals freedom

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Jen Simmons

My features professor in college was a freelance magazine writer. She was the only writing professor I had who wasn’t currently or formerly employed by the local paper.

She was really something. A sweet woman, but scatterbrained. And so, so dramatic. Freelancing is hard work, she’d say. You have to deal with a ton of rejection and hoard every cent you earn because you just don’t know when you’ll get published next! I’m sure she was just trying to help temper our romanticized notions, but it scared me into thinking “freelance” is a dirty word.

That was 2003. It amazes me how much things have changed since then. Thursday night I was chatting with an old work buddy who predicted we’ll all be freelancers pretty soon.

I prefer to call myself a “hustla,” personally. Because I get that paper where I can. Or something. Of course I’d prefer the security of a full-time gig, but the freelance life has its perks. Like an income greater than $0, for one thing.

And I get to manage my own time. I went to New Orleans two weeks ago, on a lark. I didn’t have to request time off or delegate my work to anyone. I even worked on my iPad and over the phone while I was there. If I want to work at 6 a.m., great. 6 p.m., cool. If I want to take a nap after lunch, no one will stop me. I can do wedding planning stuff at any time, not just while wolfing down a Lean Cuisine at my desk.

Am I rationalizing? Probably a little. But there’s no shame in the freelance game.

How to want a position just enough?

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Jen Simmons

At a recent interview, I decided after about five minutes that I didn’t want the job.

But I finished the interview. What else was I supposed to do? Stand up and say “Thanks for your time, but I think I’ll just remain unemployed?”

So I faked it. And I left feeling sleazy and ungrateful. But after some thought I’ve decided that “beggars can’t be choosers” is a poor philosophy for a job searcher. I’d be ashamed to waste all this searching and introspection on some job I know I’ll hate. If I wanted to be paid for misery I’d already be waiting tables. (Nothing against servers, I just burned out on that a few years ago.)

Turns out they didn’t like me either. Phew.

But having had a couple days to think about it, I’m wondering if maybe I didn’t do such a good job pretending. I’ve read one of the biggest mistakes people make in interviews is not acting like they “want it” enough. Then others act too desperate. Where’s the middle and how can I practice it?

Stages of unemployment

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Jen Simmons

Defiance/Optimism (initial reaction, lasts 1-7 days)
“I’ll make them regret the day they let go of an awesome employee like me.”
“This is for the best; now I’ll find something better.”
Panic
“Oh my God, how am I going to pay my bills?”
“What’s the blue book value on my car?”
Depression
“When was the last time I left the house? Whoooooo cares.”
Resolve
“You cannot count on anyone except yourself.”
“I refuse to be a victim!”
Optimism/Relief
“Someone finally responded to my email! There is a light!”

Stages 2 and 3 unfortunately last the longest, but I’m feeling 5 right now.

How to handle salary expectations

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Jen Simmons

My modesty diminishes with each resume I send out.

At first, I felt uncomfortable speaking so brazenly about my assets in cover letters. Now I’m your blunt old aunt who says what she wants because she doesn’t see the point in holding back anymore.

Now that I’ve come up with all sorts of classy ways to say “I’m the employee you’ve been waiting for your whole life,” it’s time to add “and my services are worth (this much money). Here’s why.”

I applied for a position that requested the standard cover letter, resume and references plus salary history and expectations. I don’t like talking about money in general and would rather avoid the awkwardness so early in the process of pursuing a job. But I’m qualified for this position, and it would be a logical move to keep my career on track. So if they just gotta know…

Companies ask for salary expectations to narrow the field. Especially for competitive positions, shelving a candidate because he’s unaffordable saves time. They’re not going to tell you their salary expectations, because then applicants would lie. So it’s up to you to find out. You might learn you’re over- or under-qualified.

Here’s how:

Know how much you want to earn and how much you need to earn. Very rarely are these two numbers the same. Set your desired salary range somewhere in between.
Call or email someone you know who works at the company. Tell them your ideal range and hopefully they’ll be able to tell you whether it’s reasonable. Bonus: they may be able to put your name in the hiring manager’s ear.
If you don’t know someone at the company, try Payscale.com. Lots of sites have salary wizards, but PayScale asks more questions to give you a precise answer. And it’s pretty accurate.
Ask yourself: Are you happy with this number? Could you be? Are there other benefits the company could provide?
If the answer to the questions above is “no,” don’t apply for the job. You wouldn’t be happy, and your work would reflect it. You’d be spending all your time looking for something better. Does that really improve your employment situation?
If the answer is yes, list your salary expectation as a range that aligns with what the company can provide. If they’re less than what you’ve made elsewhere, explain why you’re willing to take a pay cut to work for them.

Thoughts from my first networking meeting

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Jen Simmons

I went to the CT Groups’orientation at Christ United Methodist Church in Memphis yesterday. It’s a support group for people in career transition, with about 18 chapters that meet throughout the city. Some specialize in certain fields such as IT or logistics, but they all emphasize networking, as that’s how 80% of jobs are obtained. I’m oversimplifying, but basically you tell someone, “My name’s so-and-so and my field is sales,” and they say “Oh, do you know so-and-so?”

Dad told me I should just jump in and start going to meetings as soon and as often as possible, but I’m glad I went to orientation first. There were a few things I really needed to hear, and now I have a better idea of what to expect as I seek out meetings to attend regularly.

Everyone was a good 20+ years older than me, and I felt like a jerk when a former teacher explained how his school had let go of everyone over 50. But they responded with a sympathetic groan when I told them my story. They didn’t have any connections in my field, but one man told me if he was my age he would have gotten his masters and gone into academia. He had no idea I have strongly considered it — or that I’m co-teaching a journalism class at UofM this semester, starting in about… 30 minutes.

The class is a multimedia news lab. I’ll be helping students, most of whom are about to graduate, boost their skillsets with social media, tech and online tools. If all goes as planned I’ll be sending them out into the world with irresistible portfolios. Hopefully I’ll be able to teach from my experiences honestly without scaring them off. Wish me luck!

Anatomy of an interview, part one

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Roy Simmons

Note: this is the first in a three-part series. Look for parts 2 and 3 soon.

The job interview can be broken down into three phases:

Preparation
Execution
Follow-up

You will spend most of your time in preparation, but that doesn’t mean that the other phases aren’t as important. Mistakes in any phase can be fatal in the quest for that dream job we all crave.

Phase One: Preparation

I like to compare interviewing to a sporting event or a musical performance.

Most of your time is spent in training, developing the skills you need to be successful. That means practicing the rudiments of the craft over and over again until they are engrained in your muscle memory. Your movements appear fluid, instinctive, and natural, though they have been developed over time and training.

For the job interview, develop stories from your experience that demonstrate how you have used the required job skills successfully in the past. Develop a strategy that highlights your strengths against your competition’s weaknesses. Minimize your own weaknesses and demonstrate your fit with the company culture.

Then practice the tactics needed to execute that strategy. You’ve developed your stories. Now practice them until they roll off your tongue naturally and effortlessly. You want to spend your interview time demonstrating your fit for the position, not searching for answers. Being well prepared will only appear disingenuous if you don’t tell the truth.

Finally, preparation means that you make mistakes in front of your coach where they can be corrected instead of in front of an audience where they can mean failure. Take every opportunity to practice. Like a scrimmage in the sports analogy, you can only measure your interview readiness with a mock interview. Ask your friends, family, or best, a networking contact in your industry to put you through your paces.

Hired

a career journey