Pivot This!

So I had a real job interview for a real company for the first time in almost a year. I think the last time I had one of these was last OCTOBER!! Geez....I was REALLY optimistic about finding a job after bschool...someone please remind me again why I went??

Anyway, the interview was over the phone and the process was pretty smooth for a phone interview, until about the point where they started asking me about Excel. Yikes! I haven't used it in a year! The woman kept pressing me about Pivot Tables! Do I understand it, do I know what it is, do I think that I can conjure one up. Well, of course I can, if I fiddle around with Excel! I mean, just cuz I'm unemployed doesn't mean I'm a moron and unemployable and completely Excel Elliterate! I mean, with stuff like that, can't you learn on the job anyway? Seriously, I don't understand why she kept pressing me over the phone to explain them to her. Maybe I'm just bitter that I didn't prepare well enough, but still....I'd like to ask her a few questions...and as a matter of fact, I did. I asked her a few questions about the company and the position, and she couldn't answer any of them!! Hello? HR?? Hello!??!!?

Well, I looked up some pivot tables online and instantaneously, it came back to me. And I realized that if that's the only thing she grilled me on then that means it's a huge part of the position and I'm not sure that would be a good fit for me anyway. That and the fact that this position doesn't have health benefits.

Can someone please just drop a fabulous job in my lap already??

Green is the Color of Monaaaay!

I keep changing the template of my blog (as if it matters because I have not told a single person about my blog and I have no page views!) but I keep changing it anyway! Anyway, today I've decided to go with green and I think I'm keeping it this way cuz green is the color of monaaay and since I'm in search of a job I think this will be the best blog "feng shui" for me.

Since we've moved up to the Bay Area, a good friend of my husband's has asked if I was looking for a job. (Maybe I should introduce him to my new blog?) Anyway, he's been really nice and asking his colleagues and friends if anyone's hiring at the moment and telling me to send my resume over if I see anything interesting on X, Y, and Z company sites. I'm starting to feel a little guilty that the guy is going out on a limb for me. When people advise you to use your whole network when job searching, is there a line that you shouldn't cross? Should you not stretch your personal contacts to the limit and just kind of hope that something perfect will just fall into their laps which will then be forwarded to you????

Do I really need money?

I think I've become a little desperate in my attempt to find meaningful work. Case in point, I recently applied to a job that offered no money and no benefits. Um...what? I even had an interview with the CEO of the company. Actually it wasn't really an interview, it was more of a phone call where the guy tried to sell me on himself and his buddy and their start up company idea. I guess it sounded pretty interesting, and both of the guys had some pretty impressive stints in their career, but really? To work without getting paid? I haven't done that since I was 19 years old and interned at Soap Opera Digest! At least back then I got to watch soaps all afternoon and then Oprah at 3pm while getting free lunch everyday!

These days, my expenses are WAY greater than when I had that unpaid internship. I mean, I just spent a shitload of money on graduate school tuition! Well, fine I borrowed it, but that's even worse because I actually have to pay that money back!! Gone are the days when the only reason to work is to get an LV bag and at the rate I'm going now, I'm lucky if I can even afford this trash bag!



Hmmmm....Ok, after much consideration, I just don't think I can do it. Sorry folks...the reality is, I need to get paid so that I can start paying back Sallie effing Mae.

House Smouse

So it's been 11 months since I've been unemployed! I've decided that I should be a little more productive and get my real estate license. My husband and I are planning on buying a house next year, and maybe this way I can save some money on agent commissions!

So my mom, who has been an agent for 20 years, suggested I go to her friend. Fine. I called her friend up, talked to him on the phone for 20 min and was like OK, that's cool and showed up at his class. His class was in CHINESE! What?? He spoke perfect English to me on the phone and didn't even ASK me if I spoke Chinese and definitely did not mention that the 6 week class was in Chinese! Anyway, I understood "Hello, class" "There's a bathroom break at 8pm" "Even if you don't speak English, you can still pass the test" and that's just about it!! Needless to say, I never went back....

Anyway, that was a few months ago, and this week I finally went online to do the classes and get my license online: http://www.californialicense.com/

I think I waited this long because I'm kind of scared that I won't pass the test!! After what that guy at the class said? "Even if you don't speak English...??" I mean, what if I don't pass?!?! Thankfully I got all my class materials at a site that says 100% money back guarantee....so this way, if I don't pass, I'll just be embarrassed but at least I'll still get my $200 bucks back...

Netflix, where is the love?

Dear Netflix,


I really like you...I get DVDs from you and even watch movies on your website. How come you don't like me back? I've applied to a few jobs at your company since my unemployment, and I've heard nothing back! Rejection is so hard! And it would be such a great relationship too since I live across a parking lot from you and all your employees come into my apartment building to use the facilities like the gym, the pool, etc.

(This is the view of the backside of Netflix from my parking spot!!)

Anyway, Netflix, if you ever want to talk, please give me a call. I'll be waiting!

Interviews!

Yay! After over a month of being up in the Bay Area, I finally got some interviews lined up!

One is a start up that I don't even know the name of. And they don't offer any salary, just stock options and they expect to go public next year. Yes, it sounds a little sketchy, but hey I'm sitting at home getting no experience and getting older and older and not getting paid anyway, why not go do some contract work for a few months? It may pay out!

The second is for a CPG firm. For products that I actually use! Well, I used to anyway when I had a job and could afford the products...these days I'm on generic brands or whatever is on sale at Target.

Anyway, I guess trolling Linkedin and Craigslist really does work....To be continued...

Oops, I Forgot I started a Blog

HA! It's August of 2009 and I forgot that I had started a blog to describe my job search and what my days are like since I'm unemployed!

I guess to make a long story short, at the beginning of February, my husband got a job offer in San Jose and we decided that we would move to the Bay Area in June of this year. So basically from Feb to the end of June, my job hunt was put on hold cuz I didn't want to actually get a job offer and move up here without my husband! LOL. Man, was I optimistic about finding a job!

Anyway, I spent Feb to Jun hanging out with my family and friends and basically taking time off. It wasn't really the time off that I had always imagined though. In my working days, I always thought that one day, I would save up some money and take a year off work to be a travel writer or whatever, just travel to exotic places and eat and relax....Um, let's just say things are different when you 1. Forgot to save 2. Got laid off right before your wedding so that anything you may have saved went to that so now you're broke and 3. Are newly married and don't want to leave your spouse. Yeah....I spent a lot of days hanging out and eating lunch specials and making food at home. Not a very fabulous adventure!

So now we have been up in San Jose for the last 6 weeks, and my job search has continued in earnest....stay tuned.....