Hi everyone,
I'm back for the most part.
When checking my e-mail this morning I came across this job search tip link. It has some nifty advice. There are some good ideas in here. Many that I wish I had thought of before.
Career Advice
Back to work. Have a good day
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Mental Health
I'm sorry for the lack of posts.
I've been on a little bit of a mental vacation.
I'm still on that mental vacation. I'm hoping to be coming back soon.
Thanks for your patience
I've been on a little bit of a mental vacation.
I'm still on that mental vacation. I'm hoping to be coming back soon.
Thanks for your patience
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
If All Else Fails...
I promised this a few posts ago and forgot about it. Oops.
This is my favorite idea for a response to a rejection letter. To those who are or have been in a position were you could wallpaper your house with all of the rejection letters you've received, you will laugh.
This is from another unknown source. Enjoy. (Disclaimer: I don't actually endorse sending this to any possible employer that has rejected anyone. But if someone does send it, please let me know what happened if anything. I'd be very curious to find out).
If all else fails and you receive a rejection letter, consider this reply:
Dear (name):
Thank you for your letter of (date). After careful consideration I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me employment with your school (company). This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of candidates it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.
Despite (college's/company's) outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet with my needs at this time. Therefore, I will initiate employment with your school (company) immediately following graduation. I look forward to seeing you then.
Best of luck in rejecting future candidates.
Sincerely,
(your name here)
*rofl*
This is my favorite idea for a response to a rejection letter. To those who are or have been in a position were you could wallpaper your house with all of the rejection letters you've received, you will laugh.
This is from another unknown source. Enjoy. (Disclaimer: I don't actually endorse sending this to any possible employer that has rejected anyone. But if someone does send it, please let me know what happened if anything. I'd be very curious to find out).
If all else fails and you receive a rejection letter, consider this reply:
Dear (name):
Thank you for your letter of (date). After careful consideration I regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me employment with your school (company). This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field of candidates it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.
Despite (college's/company's) outstanding qualifications and previous experience in rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet with my needs at this time. Therefore, I will initiate employment with your school (company) immediately following graduation. I look forward to seeing you then.
Best of luck in rejecting future candidates.
Sincerely,
(your name here)
*rofl*
Monday, March 16, 2009
Odd Jobs Etc.
Hrm. Some of these jobs just seem down right silly. Other's really aren't that strange but perhaps you wouldn't give a second thought to during your day.
This is an article from Careerbuilder.com. I'm sure I mentioned the site before. It's a good search engine for jobs, especially local ones.
Here are 20 odd jobs portrayed in Rica Schiff’s books.
1. Breath odor evaluator What they do: Odor judges smell nasty morning breath or breath “insulted” with strong scents, like garlic or coffee. They rate the breath on a scale from one to nine, one being the worst. To test odor-reducing products like gum or mouthwash, they smell the breath again and assign it a new rating. (Really? Who would want to smell peoples breath all day. Although it doesn't seem like a terribly hard job. I wonder what the pay is...)
2. Diener What they do: Prepare cadavers for the pathologist before autopsies are performed in hospitals. (I would have to pass on this. No matter how much it paid.)
3. Ribbon candy puller What they do: After a heated combination of sugar, corn syrup, water and coloring agent has cooled, batches of different colors are laid out side by side. Someone then pulls the candy thin until it’s about an inch wide. The final product is a multicolored hard candy. (Wouldn't this fall under the category of candy maker? It really doesn't seem that odd to me. I'd try it though).
4. Ocularist What they do: In short, they paint artificial eyes. It sounds easier than it is, since as with real eyes, no two are exactly the same. (I've heard of this one before. I'm afraid if I painted eyes that wouldn't look quite right. Pass).
5. Flatulence smell-reduction underwear maker What they do: Create underwear that protects against bad human gas for people who suffer from gastrointestinal problems. The underwear is made with various materials and filters to help remedy hydrogen sulfide gases, the main offender in foul smells. (O_o lol who really ever would have thought about making underwear that reduces the smell of someones gas? I wonder if it actually works).
6. Beer tester What they do: Taste – and spit out – beer all day to approve new and existing flavors. (There seriously has to be more to the job than just tasting beer. Not a big fan of beer, I'm afraid I'd be terrible at this. Now if it was wine I might do alright).
7. Crack filler What they do: Using a silicone sealant, they repair the wear and tear inflicted on monumental structures, like Mount Rushmore. (Again. How about catagorizing this under "Construction").
8. Ball tester What they do: Assess basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls for air-retention, inflation, roundness, weight and reboundability. (Quality control anyone? If this didn't require any athletic skill, I could do that).
9. Video game tester What they do: For eight hours a day, five days a week, a group of males and females of all ages play video games. They repeat levels, games and characters, looking for any bugs and/or glitches in the software. (I've heard of this one before too. I've also heard it's not as fun as it sounds).
10. Tampon tester What they do: Check all sizes of tampons for absorbency and cord strength in accordance with Food and Drug Administration standards. Most testers check up to 125 pieces per day. (Quality control...it makes sense).
11. Gold reclaimer What they do: Scour old teeth for fillings, melting the gold from them with broken gold jewelry into tiny gold pellets, which are then resold to jewelers. (er...does this mean they dig up dead people and pry their fillings out? Gross).
12. Dog sniffer What they do: Once a week, they analyze the odor of dogs' breath to test the effect of the animals' diet on their teeth. Breath is graded on a scale of zero to 10 and is categorized as sweaty, salty, musty, fungal or decaying. (From smelling human's breath to dog's breath. I wonder if they use a breathalizer like they do for DWI's).
13. Potato chip inspector What they do: Search for overcooked or clumped chips to discard as they come down the assembly line. (Discard? I could discard them right into my tummy. This would be a bad job for me).
14. Porta-potty servicer What they do: Like regular restrooms, portable toilets need maintenance, too. Once a week, service workers clean these single-stall facilities to achieve certain standards of sanitation. (Hat's off to the people who can do this and not vomit constantly. I hope you get paid well).
15. Barbie dress designer What they do: Fashion designers at Mattel Toys, the company behind Barbie, create hundreds of new styles for Barbie and her ever-expanding entourage. (Makes sense to me. Otherwise she'd be going naked).
16. Wax figure maker What they do: Mold wax to create figures, often for, but not limited to, the human form. Figures are often made in the likeness of people who have achieved historical or celebrity recognition. (Wax museums are very cool and slightly creepy).
17. Safecracker What they do: When combinations are lost or forgotten, safecrackers use their ears and fingers to open the safe. (Awesome :) This might be fun to try for a day or two).
18. Wig maker What they do: Put simply, they make wigs, but the process is anything but simple. First, wig makers create a plastic model of the wearer’s head and hairline, and then they transfer the mold onto a padded canvas similar to the client’s general head size, covering it with wig lace. Using a needle, they knot and pull thousands of hairs, one by one, through the mesh cap. Once all the hairs are in place, the wig is styled to the wearer’s preference. (This is another job that makes sense. Where else would they come from?).
19. Paper towel sniffer What they do: Paper towel manufacturers prefer their products to be odorless before, during and after their use. Naturally, paper towel sniffers ensure that once a paper towel is used, there is no noticeable scent. (Seriously? I kind of question this one).
20. Foley artist What they do: Use whatever they can find to create and record the noises used to make the sound effects in films, like heavy footsteps, rolling thunder or creaking doors. (I've seen the Foley artist accredited in the end titles, but was never sure what it was they did. This is pretty fun. I'd do this for a living).
Written by (With comments added by me): Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.
The article came from this link
This is an article from Careerbuilder.com. I'm sure I mentioned the site before. It's a good search engine for jobs, especially local ones.
Here are 20 odd jobs portrayed in Rica Schiff’s books.
1. Breath odor evaluator What they do: Odor judges smell nasty morning breath or breath “insulted” with strong scents, like garlic or coffee. They rate the breath on a scale from one to nine, one being the worst. To test odor-reducing products like gum or mouthwash, they smell the breath again and assign it a new rating. (Really? Who would want to smell peoples breath all day. Although it doesn't seem like a terribly hard job. I wonder what the pay is...)
2. Diener What they do: Prepare cadavers for the pathologist before autopsies are performed in hospitals. (I would have to pass on this. No matter how much it paid.)
3. Ribbon candy puller What they do: After a heated combination of sugar, corn syrup, water and coloring agent has cooled, batches of different colors are laid out side by side. Someone then pulls the candy thin until it’s about an inch wide. The final product is a multicolored hard candy. (Wouldn't this fall under the category of candy maker? It really doesn't seem that odd to me. I'd try it though).
4. Ocularist What they do: In short, they paint artificial eyes. It sounds easier than it is, since as with real eyes, no two are exactly the same. (I've heard of this one before. I'm afraid if I painted eyes that wouldn't look quite right. Pass).
5. Flatulence smell-reduction underwear maker What they do: Create underwear that protects against bad human gas for people who suffer from gastrointestinal problems. The underwear is made with various materials and filters to help remedy hydrogen sulfide gases, the main offender in foul smells. (O_o lol who really ever would have thought about making underwear that reduces the smell of someones gas? I wonder if it actually works).
6. Beer tester What they do: Taste – and spit out – beer all day to approve new and existing flavors. (There seriously has to be more to the job than just tasting beer. Not a big fan of beer, I'm afraid I'd be terrible at this. Now if it was wine I might do alright).
7. Crack filler What they do: Using a silicone sealant, they repair the wear and tear inflicted on monumental structures, like Mount Rushmore. (Again. How about catagorizing this under "Construction").
8. Ball tester What they do: Assess basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls for air-retention, inflation, roundness, weight and reboundability. (Quality control anyone? If this didn't require any athletic skill, I could do that).
9. Video game tester What they do: For eight hours a day, five days a week, a group of males and females of all ages play video games. They repeat levels, games and characters, looking for any bugs and/or glitches in the software. (I've heard of this one before too. I've also heard it's not as fun as it sounds).
10. Tampon tester What they do: Check all sizes of tampons for absorbency and cord strength in accordance with Food and Drug Administration standards. Most testers check up to 125 pieces per day. (Quality control...it makes sense).
11. Gold reclaimer What they do: Scour old teeth for fillings, melting the gold from them with broken gold jewelry into tiny gold pellets, which are then resold to jewelers. (er...does this mean they dig up dead people and pry their fillings out? Gross).
12. Dog sniffer What they do: Once a week, they analyze the odor of dogs' breath to test the effect of the animals' diet on their teeth. Breath is graded on a scale of zero to 10 and is categorized as sweaty, salty, musty, fungal or decaying. (From smelling human's breath to dog's breath. I wonder if they use a breathalizer like they do for DWI's).
13. Potato chip inspector What they do: Search for overcooked or clumped chips to discard as they come down the assembly line. (Discard? I could discard them right into my tummy. This would be a bad job for me).
14. Porta-potty servicer What they do: Like regular restrooms, portable toilets need maintenance, too. Once a week, service workers clean these single-stall facilities to achieve certain standards of sanitation. (Hat's off to the people who can do this and not vomit constantly. I hope you get paid well).
15. Barbie dress designer What they do: Fashion designers at Mattel Toys, the company behind Barbie, create hundreds of new styles for Barbie and her ever-expanding entourage. (Makes sense to me. Otherwise she'd be going naked).
16. Wax figure maker What they do: Mold wax to create figures, often for, but not limited to, the human form. Figures are often made in the likeness of people who have achieved historical or celebrity recognition. (Wax museums are very cool and slightly creepy).
17. Safecracker What they do: When combinations are lost or forgotten, safecrackers use their ears and fingers to open the safe. (Awesome :) This might be fun to try for a day or two).
18. Wig maker What they do: Put simply, they make wigs, but the process is anything but simple. First, wig makers create a plastic model of the wearer’s head and hairline, and then they transfer the mold onto a padded canvas similar to the client’s general head size, covering it with wig lace. Using a needle, they knot and pull thousands of hairs, one by one, through the mesh cap. Once all the hairs are in place, the wig is styled to the wearer’s preference. (This is another job that makes sense. Where else would they come from?).
19. Paper towel sniffer What they do: Paper towel manufacturers prefer their products to be odorless before, during and after their use. Naturally, paper towel sniffers ensure that once a paper towel is used, there is no noticeable scent. (Seriously? I kind of question this one).
20. Foley artist What they do: Use whatever they can find to create and record the noises used to make the sound effects in films, like heavy footsteps, rolling thunder or creaking doors. (I've seen the Foley artist accredited in the end titles, but was never sure what it was they did. This is pretty fun. I'd do this for a living).
Written by (With comments added by me): Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.
The article came from this link
Friday, March 13, 2009
50 Jobs in 50 States
I thought this was pretty cool. This was shown on ABC news back in January.
A graduate student was having trouble finding a job after graduation. This video shows how he managed to land himself 50 jobs in each of the 50 states of the great old U.S of A.
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6607573
He's actually come away from some of these jobs with actual job offers.
A bit old but for those who haven't seen it, it's pretty interesting.
Good luck with your job searching.
A graduate student was having trouble finding a job after graduation. This video shows how he managed to land himself 50 jobs in each of the 50 states of the great old U.S of A.
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6607573
He's actually come away from some of these jobs with actual job offers.
A bit old but for those who haven't seen it, it's pretty interesting.
Good luck with your job searching.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Other career choices...?
In knowing that I am only working a temporary job. I was trying to think of career paths I might take if I don't puruse Admin. Assistant or Graphic Design.
I was talking to my boyfriend and for whatever reason it came up that I had been the Mime in The Fantastiks a couple years ago. So I thought, "Hey! I could look into being a Mime/Street performer."
In response my boyfriend said, "I would make fun of you mercilessly." Ok yes, being a Mime as a chosen career path after spending 4 years in college and accruing multiple loans, I would deserve to be made fun of.
The downside to that career choice, besides being made fun of, is that I have sensitive skin. If I remember correctly, just after wearing white paint plastered on my face for a couple hours for 3 nights, my skin overreacted and broke out in some kind of mild rash and acne.
Ok. Being a Mime has been crossed off the list of possibilites. For now anyway.
I will be thinking about this. I'm going to do some research and see what I can find for the stupidest/craziest/weirdest jobs. There must be a list of these somewhere...
I was talking to my boyfriend and for whatever reason it came up that I had been the Mime in The Fantastiks a couple years ago. So I thought, "Hey! I could look into being a Mime/Street performer."
In response my boyfriend said, "I would make fun of you mercilessly." Ok yes, being a Mime as a chosen career path after spending 4 years in college and accruing multiple loans, I would deserve to be made fun of.
The downside to that career choice, besides being made fun of, is that I have sensitive skin. If I remember correctly, just after wearing white paint plastered on my face for a couple hours for 3 nights, my skin overreacted and broke out in some kind of mild rash and acne.
Ok. Being a Mime has been crossed off the list of possibilites. For now anyway.
I will be thinking about this. I'm going to do some research and see what I can find for the stupidest/craziest/weirdest jobs. There must be a list of these somewhere...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Down time
There's a lot of down time at work right now since it's spring break. I've been told to bring a book since there isn't much going on.
So I've got my book and I've been trolling game sites. I had no idea there was a new GROW game! It came out in January. I absolutely love these games. http://www.eyezmaze.com is the link to follow.
They're so much fun. The combinations you can get are really cool. So check them out if you're having some down time at work today too ;)
So I've got my book and I've been trolling game sites. I had no idea there was a new GROW game! It came out in January. I absolutely love these games. http://www.eyezmaze.com is the link to follow.
They're so much fun. The combinations you can get are really cool. So check them out if you're having some down time at work today too ;)
Friday, March 6, 2009
Working at a College
Working at a college gives me a split feeling. I walked by a classroom yesterday with a bunch of students taking midterms and thought "I am so glad I am all done with that." Today kids were lugging there belongings out to their cars to go home or on vacation this week for spring break and again I thought "I don't have to do that anymore. Thank goodness that's all over with."
At other times though, especially with some of my friends still in school, I get a nostalgic feeling. Wishing I was back in school, for all the fun, stupid stuff that comes along with living so close to a whole bunch of other kids.
I think the year after college is a weird one. It's so in between everything.
This morning a gave myself a mental slap for living too much in the past. Moving forward can be one of the hardest things to do. All of the wonderful times I had, in England studying abroad, my senior year, the plays I was in, etc., left me feeling pretty off this past year. I told myself "you can remember them and be happy you did all those things, but move on, because there's so much more to do."
Ok. So I'm being a little, what's the word, sappy? philosophical? mushy? I don't know you pick, but it all counts.
Of course, everyone's experience after school will be similar in some ways but different in others. Or maybe just polar opposites. Either way, it's all something to take in.
I wish I could have gotten more feedback from all the people I asked what life after college was for them. It would have been nice to post a more varying range of things, but oh well. People can leave comments.
Have a good weekend everyone.
At other times though, especially with some of my friends still in school, I get a nostalgic feeling. Wishing I was back in school, for all the fun, stupid stuff that comes along with living so close to a whole bunch of other kids.
I think the year after college is a weird one. It's so in between everything.
This morning a gave myself a mental slap for living too much in the past. Moving forward can be one of the hardest things to do. All of the wonderful times I had, in England studying abroad, my senior year, the plays I was in, etc., left me feeling pretty off this past year. I told myself "you can remember them and be happy you did all those things, but move on, because there's so much more to do."
Ok. So I'm being a little, what's the word, sappy? philosophical? mushy? I don't know you pick, but it all counts.
Of course, everyone's experience after school will be similar in some ways but different in others. Or maybe just polar opposites. Either way, it's all something to take in.
I wish I could have gotten more feedback from all the people I asked what life after college was for them. It would have been nice to post a more varying range of things, but oh well. People can leave comments.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Forget it >_<
I was talking to a woman who works in Career Services. She works with college students and gives them advice on how to manage finding a job after graduation.
We were talking and I mentioned how I was all idealistic and naive going into the job search thinking I'd have a job in 2-4 months or so after graduation. And here I am working a part-time job and mercifully temping(which I started at the end of January).
She said "From my experience and how I see things on this end, you need to be naive and idealistic or else you'll just go home at the end of the day and go to bed."
So don't read too far back and listen to my grumbling about the job search and how tough it is.
STAY NAIVE! BE IDEALISTIC!
You'll need all that untainted energy to keep you going.
We were talking and I mentioned how I was all idealistic and naive going into the job search thinking I'd have a job in 2-4 months or so after graduation. And here I am working a part-time job and mercifully temping(which I started at the end of January).
She said "From my experience and how I see things on this end, you need to be naive and idealistic or else you'll just go home at the end of the day and go to bed."
So don't read too far back and listen to my grumbling about the job search and how tough it is.
STAY NAIVE! BE IDEALISTIC!
You'll need all that untainted energy to keep you going.
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