May 13, 2012

iTunes, Jobs and The Beatles



Why do we feel compelled to share every detail of our lives online, usually with people we don't really know in real life, although that brings up another interesting phenomenon that I'll get to later. I found 4 Beatles stations on iTunes radio this morning! I just had to share it...but with my first instinct to jump onto Facebook and make this my new status comment, I had this thought about how ridiculous it seems to do this. I mean, who even cares that I found 4 new Beatles stations on iTunes. So instead I decided to just make it part of a blog post...my first blog post here. :)

I have another blog at PlowedClouds.com, but it's mostly political and activist oriented and I haven't felt like writing too many personal things on it, but this blog is all about my own, personal observations about life, culture, music and just things that I think are cool or interesting.

I've been so frustrated with job searching! Some of these nearly entry level jobs that I've been applying to, have over 400 other applicants! So, WTF.... it's really getting to be quite discouraging. After all, I put a lot of my time and energy into applying for each and every job. I research the company online, which I've become quite good at lately. I attach my wonderful and beautiful resume, which I designed to not look like the typical corporate, cookie-cutter boring resumes, yet still within the confines of conservative and traditional... I think. I craft an original cover letter, carefully addressed to the right person or department, if I can find that information during my research, and then I often have to endure filling out a lengthy and entirely too detailed online application, cracking the captcha security words even. Then I carefully notate, bookmark and track this job in my notebook dedicated to tracking the jobs I applied to. I do all this work and usually don't even get a simple reply. This messes with my self-confidence in a huge way, which is one of those things I've been trying to work on more lately. I haven't given up yet. I'm still joining all the job sites I can find, with the hopes of raising my exposure to increase my chances, and still applying for jobs that I seem qualified for.

I've also been looking into jobs that I can do online. I tried to become an online psychic but didn't pass their live test interview. I say it was due to all the technical difficulties with getting my mic to work, and fumbling around with that for a half hour. This wasn't conducive to letting myself tap into source. I've applied to other more conventional online jobs and so far, not much success with this either.

So now I'd like to hear your own stories and experiences about job searching, maybe creative tactics, advice and other things that you may be doing that are either helping or not. I'd love to hear them!

2 comments:

gordo said...

a year and a half u employed . i'm a chef, plumber, electrictian, carpenter, river guide, e.m.t., holistic practitioner of herbal medicine, thai massage, and aspiring yogi. in a town of 20,000 where i know everyone.

i could get any responces from any add that i responded to.

what i learned: its not about skills, experience, honesty, ethics, education.

if ignorance is bliss? which i believe. i see examples on a daily basis. all these people that appear so happy. they see nothing of whats going on around them.

so the key word is SEE.

therefore, perception is _____________?
some words i con sider putting in the blank are;
pesimism, frustration, reality...............

what i haven't learned from it yet is, what its about.
so until then i'm sticking with the hoky poky :)

for your health: kundalini yoga, st johns wort tea, breathe

peace
love
happiness

and i guess.... the hoky poky

cheers,

gordo
gordorfood@yahoo.com

Robert Pickering said...

As a guy who was on the contracting train for many years, constantly looking for the next job, I have an observation about your resume. These days people are looking for more than just a summary of your experience, they are looking for what you have to offer them. Rather than just listing your experience and skills, might I suggest that you bullet point your successes in previous positions. Just for example, I noted that you worked in accounting and in a call center. So, I would say, just as an example, that as a payroll admin, saved ABC Co. x amount of dollars by coming up with new procedures and policies for the accounting department; or as a call center rep, generated x dollars in sales for Willies Widgets. I mean these are sort of hokey examples, but I think it gets my point across. Today's hiring managers want to know specifically what you can do for them. Also, you might consider targeting each resume specifically for what job you are applying for. It's a lot of work, I know, but it's always paid off for me. Sorry for the long comment, but just my two cents from my experience.