Okay, I will admit that I haven't put forth 100% towards finding a career since graduation (7 months ago *tear). I have, however, spent countless hours in front of a computer screen navigating between job sites, company websites, craigslist ads, etc, etc, reading job description and minimum requirement after minimum requirement until my eyes hurt. Only to spend countless more hours filling out the application(s) (if it's state or local government, you have to set up a profile on their website before beginning the application process), writing cover letters, and tweeking resumes, oh my! I estimate it takes on average 3-5 hours per application, everything included. And I'd say that's a lot.
Anyways, I've had an especially frustrating past couple of weeks, which is what has inspired me to vent.
The first in this series of frustrating events was the phone call from Denali Family Services. The man was calling to set up an interview for the Licensing Coordinator position I'd applied for (woo-hoo!). But when I called him back (the very next day after I got off work) he said that I had caught the tail end of the interviews and that he had to cut them off somewhere (read: no interview for me). All because I hadn't called him until after I got off work... grrrrr. There is nothing more frustrating than missing an interview opportunity because I had to work. It's a cruel irony.
The next in this recent string of unfortunate events was the lady who called me to set up an interview at Akeela as a Case Manager (Note: I only get an interview on an average of every 4th application I turn in, 4 (applications) times 5 (hours to complete application process) = 20 hours of my time per interview opportunity). We played phone tag for about a week before finally getting the opportunity to talk to her about setting up the interview. She had two openings. Both at 1 pm and both in the middle of my work day. She told me to call her again next week and that they may have more availabilities then. I did. They didn't.
The third recent frustrating event was trying to apply for a promising-looking position at "Nome Eskimo Community" as a "Family Services Coordinator." If you don't have experience with what I'm puttin' down here, then you probably don't realize that some companies have applications that require you to print the application, fill it out in pen, scan it back onto your computer, and e-mail it to them. Well, I don't have a printer, or a scanner, or patience for these types of applications. For this particular job, however, I decided I would get a library membership. Much to my dismay, you can't get a library membership if you're not a resident of Anchorage (I'm not!) without paying an annual $90.00 fee. I don't want to pay a $90.00 fee. Besides, I don't think the library has scanners. And I wouldn't be able to put my resume paper into their printers. Soooo, I decided I would (for the first time) go down to the address listed on the job posting and fill out an application in person (dun dun dun). Mind you, the very first option listed on this job opening for applying, was to apply in person. So, I left for work 1 and 1/2 whole hours early, dressed up in "appropriate attire" (as suggested in the job posting), drove around Anchorage like an idiot for about 45 minutes because the GPS wasn't working before finding the "Nome Eskimo Community" building... only to find that the lady at the desk had zero idea what I was talking about an insisted that the company had made a recent transition to electronic only application options. Then, after being sifted around between 3 different women who had as much an idea of how to apply as me, I was able to call (and leave a message for) the woman in charge of hiring for the "Family Services Coordinator" position. Woopdy dooo daaa! I'm so glad I left 1 and 1/2 whole hours early for work to accomplish that! (Side note: I got stuck in a car-accident-traffic-jam leaving here and was late for work). Anyhow, the woman in charge of hiring never returned my call, and the job posting was deleted the next day. I can only assume she didn't want to hire me.
I could probably go on and on about my frustrations (and amusements) in finding a career, how terrible it is for my already low self-esteem, how frustrating it is to put so much effort into a job that is one of the 2010 worse-paying-jobs-you-can-get-with-a-bachelor's-degree (to not even get that job), to not be sure this is a job I want to do (or have the mental capacity for), to go to work at a restaurant to earn money to pay down my student loans and the credit card debt I took out while my Mom had cancer. But most of all, I wish I could call my Mom, because I know she would have something to say that would make me feel so much better. And sometimes I try to image what that would be.
