hiding gaps on resumes

gaps are always icky. no one likes them on a resume. mine are pretty big - and it was all my doing. after i sent in my resume, i did some research on what to keep on a resume and what to leave off. the expert, a hiring manager, said that your resume is a marketing tool and should only have things on there that will make you look good. kinda obvious. however, after looking at my resume (which had already been sent just a few minutes ago), i realized mine did not fit that description. i was horrified. the resume i had sent was written last year when i had no relevant work experience. i was applying for an internship. a year later, i now have that internship, my volunteer experience and current job (same) to list. the resume i sent was like someone wearing a tight shirt and did not have a fit body: it just shows all the lumps and bumps or with my resume, my employment gaps. oy.

for the second resume i sent out, because i decided to delete the volunteer section of my resume and combine that under the work experience section, i now have no gaps on my resume. yes, my work history only goes back to last year (?) but there are no gaps. my point is if you have a employment gap, before it gets big, go volunteer (find something relevant) while looking for work.

as for the expert i was talking about earlier, her name is alison green and she has a blog, ask a manager. it has tons of information. (maybe more suited for north americans). i love reading the comments because the other readers share their experiences and insight. it is very helpful.

what i've been waiting for

today, i decided to turn my job search in a different direction. until today, i always looked for jobs similar to what i'm doing now: entry level office work and data entry. from my online research, i looked into an area that i had not considered before. the advice was to look into the things that you do without thinking at work but isn't part of your job description (because it points to what you're good at). for me that is research. (also, i love solving problems but not technical problems or problems that need a master's degree to solve. i just like to solve problems to make things run more efficiently.) so i looked through one online job search engine. i scrolled through several pages of medical research positions and computer science-related research positions, and others that required a very technical degree or knowledge. finally, i saw something interesting. the position ended up being not a good match  but i looked up the company anyway. they are a nonprofit "research, development, and service agency, [that] works with education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve equity, and improve learning for children, youth, and adults." i can not tell you how excited i was after reading that. i currently work at a local branch of a nonprofit that deals with something very similar:  after school care and programming for k-12 students and this nonprofit is more on the research end of things.

so i look on their website. they have a branch not far from where i work now. problem is, that branch does not have a human resources department. the only way to apply is to apply online for a posted position and that would get sent to their headquarters in san francisco. there is only a postal address but i don't think sending my resume would be appropriate. there isn't an open position that pertains to me yet. luckily, i have someone to ask about this. just sent her an email.

anyhow,  i looked up their current employees. (there's a list on their website.) one person started out at the organization doing what i'm doing now (data entry). at the end of the bio it stated his degree and alma mater. his bachelors degree was in drama (mine was in studio art) and he went to the same university i did. (how bizarre). at least i know i qualify for the position i want (that it doesn't require a master's degree).

now i just have to get to work on crafting my cover letter.

update: i went to bed and realized i couldn't just send in my resume. i would have to wait for something to open. the person i asked said the same thing. still, a breakthrough in my job search.

cover letters and resumes

though i love the place i work at and the people, the hours are not enough. i've always been looking for a second job though not always actively going after it. a lot of the places i've applied to were retailers. not a place i want to go back to at all but i had no choice with my work experience.

only recently did it occur to me that i now have enough experience and something to offer to even write a cover letter. when you have very little work experience your cover letters just ends up repeating your resume which is not what you're supposed to do. that was a part of my problem in the past. so here i am. i just created a more professional email address and spent a few days trying to come up with a stand out cover letter. the cover letter itself i wrote in the body of the message.  i finally finished it. i test sent it to myself more than a few dozen times until hotmail told me i had reached my limit for emails sent in a day (never even knew there was a limit) but i fixed that by giving them my phone number which i never wanted to do (they promised not to give it away to third parties). copying and pasting from word document is a big disaster--everything becomes double spaced once it's sent! for my resume, i just sent it as an attachment.

so i just sent it in. in two weeks i will call the hiring person. also nerve wracking. then it's just waiting. hopefully something will open up in the future and i will come to mind.

i have a few more places i want to send it to, too. once all that's done, time to go back to studying for the graduate exam.

tired

This is exactly what the bottom of that receipt looks like.*

i have applied to a number of places.  a lot of the applications are the same and i'm getting tired of having to do it all over again for another store.  plus all the stupid assessment tests that comes with it.  i also don't like sending out my personal information into the world wide web even if it's been encrypted.

today i was inputting all my receipts from the last two weeks into my database.  i came across one receipt from a nearby supermarket that i had shopped at two weeks ago.  on the bottom of the receipt was a list of all the positions they are hiring for.  i couldn't believe it.  why didn't i see it earlier?  there is a position on there that i could do!  there was meat clerk, fish cleaner, butcher, and grocery stocker.  the only one i can do is the last one.  i am a squirmy kind of person when it comes to raw seafood.  although on that day, i saw a sign on the front of the store for seafood packager.  i wonder if all the other ones on my receipt has already been filled by then.  i hope not.  i seriously would not mind restocking shelves at the supermarket.  i don't want to do anymore applications.

* created with Fake Receipt font.  love this font!

things learned while looking for work on the ground.

walking around the city, hopping on and off the bus looking for a job, there are a few things that i've learned.

1.  in this economy, if you come across a store that you think is slow (i.e. floral shop; small, medical offices) and won't need help, you are probably right. however i would check hospital websites for non-medical jobs.

2.  fast food and most restaurants are hiring.  citizen or not.

3.  "are you hiring?" and "do you need help?" are two different questions.  i went into a chinese fast food restaurant and asked if they were hiring.  manager came out from kitchen and said no.  came back following week to just eat and he remembered me.  at that time in the afternoon they were pretty busy and had only one person at the front helping customers.  the manager was called out to help and when he saw me he asked if i was still looking for a job.  he asked me to write my name and number on the back of a receipt.  he may have lost that paper so i might be going in soon to ask for a job.

4.  college grads will have a harder time looking for hourly paying jobs.  it's unfair but that's how it is.

about being unemployed...
it took awhile for me to get over all the emotional abuse from my last job in customer service, if it weren't for that, i wish i had started this job hunt, on the ground, a long time ago.

update: job hunt

this past week has been crazy.  tiring, too.  here's the recap:

monday:  while heading to work (volunteering), got a call from one of the places (fast food) i applied to.  i was 5-10 minutes away from work.  interview was for that afternoon. i called work to tell them i couldn't make it; have interview. i headed back home. at the interview, the manager got worried when i told him i would be walking to and from work.  he was thinking of making me open (4:30a) and close (out at 11pm). i tell him i live in walking distance.  it's only 20 minutes.  he is still worried. at the end of the interview, he said to call him back in the evening.  i did so and he told me he was still interviewing people in the next few days and would give me a call back.  i know what that means:  sorry.  that night i set alarm to 430 to see what it looks like outside.  looked out window at 430 and saw darkness.  i don't hear any morning traffic.  it's freezing cold outside, i'm sure.  kinda relieved manager wasn't convinced.

tuesday:   continued job hunt.  uneventful day.  that evening, decided i would go back to a cafe that is hiring the next morning. i saw them last week. they told me to come back with my info (they were out of applications). i have not returned yet.

wednesday:  woke up and was ready to go to cafe.  right before i left, got a phone call from the temp agency that i had recently submitted my resume to.  they have a job that fits my skills and wanted me to come in for interview the next day.  i hesitated.  i was planning on going to the cafe.  do i go to the temp agency for this interview?  i ask my cousin and she says i should just go.  i call back agency and tell them i am coming.  she sends me skills test to do online.  i finish and went to library to print off resume.  no job hunting today.  i call work to tell them i'm not coming.  supervisor thinks i am calling to tell him i got a job.  in admin/clerical.  i sadly tell him, no it was for a restaurant.  he feels bad and tells me there is no part-time or full-time positions at the club but would i be interested in doing project-based work that the club will pay me for.  sure, i tell him.

thursday:  put on suit and small heels and walk to temp agency in the morning.  (they are only 15 min away).  had some wardrobe problems but made it to agency.  did not get job because it needed someone to do some work on a website and i have no experience with that.  how does photoshop translate to working on a website?  those are two different things.  agent tells me she will look for admin work for me.  interview over in 15 minutes.  did not go in to work.  went home and looked at job postings online.  in the evening a supervisor from work calls.  she sounds...frantic?  the club wants to pay me for the work that i am currently doing. i will work pretty much the same schedule:  twice a week, 8hr/wk.  there isn't anything that they needed done but i appreciate that they are trying to help me.  right before she called though, i was looking at a job posting online. it's at a nonprofit, 20hrs/wk, 5 days a week, starting at $13/hr.  only requirement i don't meet is the human resources exp.  i mapped out the commute (by bus):  it's 3 hours.  somehow that didn't sink in.  i was just happy that if i got this job, i would be getting out in the afternoon (meaning i wouldn't have to bug anyone at home for a ride if i got out too late in the evening).

today (friday):  still considering that job with a 3 hour commute.  went to kohls and target to find a shirt to wear to future interviews.  currently don't have proper shirt to wear.  came home with a shirt and trousers that will need hemming.  the job offer from my supervisor does not sit well with me.  if i try to fill in the rest of my week with something from retail or food places, it will get in the way.  everybody wants an open availability 7 days a week.  sigh.  i ask my cousin if the job i just found is worth the 3 hour commute.  she responds, "heck no!"

i have no idea what to do next.  way too much this week and it was all in my horoscopes.  it warned to not make any big decisions this week.  wait till next week.  guess, we'll see what happens at work.

asking for help.

i have never been one to ask for help.  it's just how i am.  i like to think that i can figure things out on my own.  i should have learned from my experience in france when i was looking for work and for people to practice french with.  i would just go online on couchsurfing and different forums looking for help when people i see everyday were a more important resource.  i remember towards the end of my time, i had shared in class that i had been looking for french people to practice my french with. at the end of class, my prof told me that her cousin teaches english to french students and that they would be glad to have someone to practice their english with.  oh, how i wish i had asked my profs for help when i arrived.  now that i'm home and have been looking for work on my own to no avail, i am finally writing those emails to friends asking for help.

i have also submitted my resume to a third temp agency.  i do not have my hopes up for this one.  it may end up like the other two: nothing.  but maybe this one is different.  by far, it is a lot closer to home so if they can't help me, at least i didn't waste my time commuting over there.

mad dash.

unfortunately i'm not talking about shopping for the holidays.  i wish i were.  no, this month i have to secure a job.  any job.  maybe even at the supermarket.  just somewhere.  a year and a half has come and gone. (yes that sounds horrible but most of it was well spent:  taking computer classes and now volunteering at a nonprofit which led to me realizing my career path!)  i don't want to be unemployed for a second birthday in a row.  i guess it's a good thing my birthday is in a few months. it gives me more motivation to go out.  my cousin is on my case.  i can not let anymore time pass.  the things i wish i had done awhile ago.  so for the coming days and weeks, i will be taking the bus all over my neighborhood, its surrounding cities, and look for work.

from all this, i had this idea: i wish someone would create a website where you and the people you know can post of job leads. i wish i was a programmer, IT, whichever profession that designs web pages, programs, apps, etc.  if you were to add facebook + linkedin + all those job search sites (monster.com, indeed.com, etc), you would get what i am talking about except the jobs posted would be from your own circle of friends, family, etc so you would be more likely to land the job.  it would be the coolest thing.  you could link it to facebook and you would get real-time updates.  unfortunately no one has designed this website yet, if you want to know all this you would have to ask everyone you know :(

temp agency no. 1: merde

today i had an appointment with the temp agency.  since it was a few cities away, i had to take the bus.  it was an hours ride.  i had to wake up 3 hours before my appointment.  i could have woken up an hour later but i didn't want to be rushing into the building at 9 a.m.  (the bus would have dropped me off at 8:55).  i arrived in the vicinity at 7:55 and decided to hang at a nearby park until it was closer to my appointment time.  it was nice to have that time to contemplate my future at the park.  the name of the park is ironic:  soaring dreams park.  i felt like i was in france again as i spent some time sitting at parks.

at 8:35 i headed for the temp agency.  on the map, the streets and blocks looked a lot bigger so i thought it would take me at least 10 minutes to get there.  it was closer to 5 minutes.  i then sat on one of those cement blockades in front of the building for 10 more minutes before i went in.  at 8:50 i went in.  i sat down and the receptionist asked for my resume and two forms of i.d.  after she sees that i brought my driver's license and my old student i.d  she told me the second one needed to be a birth certificate, social security card, or passport.  gee...she could have told all new applicants this when i called to make my appointment two weeks ago.  then she looked at my resume and asked a few questions.  then she told me that all the companies that hire ask for at least one year's experience in administration.  she asked if i had any past office experience which i do not.  at that she said the temp agency couldn't help me.  merde (shit).

i will attempt a second agency.  i might get the same response.  this might all be a waste of time and i could possibly be offered a position at the club before something outside is offered to me.

oh, job hunt.

it's time.  i have to return to the job hunt.  this time, i finally have enough work experience to ask a temp agency for help.  i made an appointment with adecco.  it will be in a few weeks.  i picked them even though they are an hour bus ride to get to.  i picked them because they seemed more professional than the other places i called and they offer a good benefits package which i need.

at first i was going to make an appointment for next week but when i made that call, the time slot i wanted was already taken.  thus, i didn't want an afternoon appointment and asked for the next morning appointment.  i am glad the appointment is two weeks away.  i wasn't sure yet if i wanted a part-time or full-time job.  a part-time position will allow me to continue volunteering at the club.  i also considered a full-time position at the club since i wanted to work in the non-profit sector.  for some reason, i thought the pay would be reasonable.  that it would be more than retail.  after looking up salaries on glassdoor.com, it confirmed what i was afraid of:  low pay.  i know it's the non-profit sector but still.  it burst my bubble.  what do i do?  what if they offer me a job before i find something with the temp agency?  i surely hope i find a better job with a better pay through the agency before something comes up at the club.  unless of course, i can't find anything better through the agency, then i will take a job with the club.  i wish my choices were easier to make.

...unrelated to the job hunt, one of my supervisors gave me two tickets to the movies today as a token of her appreciation for the work i've been doing there.  it was so nice of her.  i really do like the people at this club.  everyone, the adults at least, really do care about the kids and the mission of the club.  if i do get a job somewhere else, i will surely miss this place.