Work Life

That interview did not work out.  I went through 3 and then got a letter stating that I was not quite the fit they were looking for.  I was almost relieved because I did not know if I wanted it or not.  That saved me the decision-making process which probably would have ended in a no.

I have since moved to the other store in my company.  It is 15 minutes from my apartment, therefore 14 minutes further to work.  I find this store difficult.  I had gotten used to the old one.  I knew the people, I knew how they worked, I knew what would make them happy or annoyed.

Now I have been in the new store for about a month (plus a day).  I still do not have a clue what makes these people tick.  They do not get my sense of humor.  I find myself uncomfortable 9/10.  It is truly no fun and I hate being quiet out of fear.  I definitely cannot be myself there because when I am I get strange looks and am avoided for the rest of the day.  It is pretty upsetting to a social creature like myself.

I cannot wait for the day when I can mostly work from home.  Of course, I have been shorted this week.  3 days.  On the bright side, the boy and I can get crunk on New Year's eve.  Pretty sure it is the only way I will make it to 12am.  Just true as I usually am at work by 720am...

Interviewing When You Have No Set Schedule

At my current job there is no such thing as a set schedule, especially if you are new, a cashier, or the scheduling manager has a grudge against you.  I am all of those things and it kind of stinks.  However, I already made the first interview at an investment firm and am about to go to the second interview today.

This seems like I have it worked out, but I actually had to cancel two previous interviews before I made the first and one before making this one.  There is also the small issue of my business attire clothes.  I don't have access, time, or money to do my laundry right now.  I had to Woolite my dress pants (the most expensive ones I own) in my bathroom sink.  I then had to allow them to dry over night and blow dry them the next morning.  I also got paint from my door on them (apparently they didn't bother to clean it off after they did it?).  They are now a little bit off-white in spots, badly ironed, and entirely linty.  I really don't see this going far.

On the other hand my resume is printed on very nice 100% linen paper.  It's lovely and I really like it.  Next I need to figure out my questions about this job because there are things I would like to know before I go any further in this process.  I almost think I want them to not call me in for a third interview.  I'm just getting tired of the process and I'm not sure I want to sell insurance anyway.  I just don't want to be at CTV any more.  I believe this all calls for a cigarette.  I just can't have one once I'm in my interview clothes is all.  I worked too hard to make them as decent as possible to mess them up with smoke and ash.

EBAY Business/ Interview Issues

Well, I'm starting to feel like I'm getting a little bit done toward my EBAY business since I moved.  I ordered some things to put in packages when I sell things so that people remember me, I'm planning to send offers to people who have bought from me before for free shipping, and I'm going to re-list some of the stuff I have for lower prices.  I may sell some things at no profit just to be rid of them.  I bought business cards as well to hand out to people if they ask for my phone number or something.  It feels a tad more professional and it has my business information on there.

I am trying to get to a second interview at a company and finding it difficult.  They worked with me and allowed me to sign up for one two weeks from the first and then my manager didn't give it to me off.  They asked me to get this Wednesday.  That's only a week notice, I can't even request it.  I'll have to ask the one girl I work with on Sunday when we get our schedules if she works Wednesday or not and if we can switch.  The owner who does schedules is so damn anal about everything, for God knows what reason.  It's absurd really...

Best Question Ever Posed to a Writer

A customer at my register today asked me, "Are you a writer, in real life?"  I almost hugged him.

A Week In the Life

They have started cutting hours at work. They have started having only 2 girls on register throughout the day. This is difficult enough, but with finishing up my Landmark courses and fitting job interviews, it is really bad. I cannot work Monday and Thursday nights as well as one full Saturday a month. While I normally have Saturdays off, I don't think they're too happy about me actually requesting them. Then there is the addition of Monday night when it was only Thursday before. The owner who does scheduling has severely cut my hours when I actually can work due to these needs.

I had an interview with a company yesterday and am going for a second on November 3rd. I am greatly looking forward to this 2nd interview as I am thinking it to be a good thing, even if they did ask everyone from the group to come to the 2nd interview. It still gives me a decent shot as it will be one-on-one and I'll prepare better for this one. I was unfortunately a little lax in preparation for this 1, which makes it a good thing that it was a group thing with only a short one-on-one at the end (meaning it didn't matter as much that I was ill-prepared).

On another note I'm trying to get things organized for my EBAY business. I have found some of the things I want to sell. If I can't get them bought separately, I'll try bulk, if I still have no luck I'll donate them for the tax write-off. I also need to do the same with the clothes I have - I'm sure some of them can be scrap material for other projects. I'm thinking of cutting some up and selling them as bolts on Amazon, EBAY, or Etsy. I also need to mend/ alter the things I have. My plate is full and I'm ready to eat.

Taking Initiative

I have been having a hard time at work. Several of my co-workers are extremely negative and one very actively bullies me. I am also stuck at a register all day long, in a very small box. I am not used to this having just come off about a year of unemployment and before that jobs that involved cashiering, stocking, assisting customers, etc. I am not used to being stuck.

This was driving me nuts one day and I felt myself getting to the breaking point. I asked my manager if I could do something else. He offered to speak to one of the owners who was not in that day and about 10 minutes later offered to allow me to go cover housewares. I was in housewares for about 30 minutes, which may seem small, but it saved me. I managed to finish out the day without a complete melt-down.

Jobs That Allow For Blogging

I'm working between 30 - 35 hours a week. However, as just a cashier, there is quite a bit of down-time. Some of us bring word games, LSAT studying, etc. I catch up on email, Facebook, etc. I just want a job where I don't have time to blog, but instead am enthralled by the job.

Week One

Working a job you never wanted is by no means fun, but very necessary in this day and age. I have no other option as my mother has made it clear, without actually saying it, that I cannot move back in with her. Working for a hardware store ought to give me time to do my own thing, including job hunt and pack for my impending move, but it really doesn't. By the time I get home from whatever hours I worked, I tend to be beat.

I have found that there are too many women at this store. Unfortunately, I tend to have issues with females and I do not know why. One already clearly dislikes me and is constantly rude to me and talks about me when she "thinks I am not listening". There is one girl who I am pretty sure likes me, another who may like me all right but is not going out of her way, which is fine with me. The other girls I have no real idea how they feel and I think I may rather just leave it at that.

Where It All Began

I graduated with a BS this May from a four year college. In the old days I would have already had a job in my field at graduation, or shortly after. Instead I found myself interning, without pay, for my stepfather in the sign/ construction business. As I was doing this I was attempting to network with people I had worked with before while reworking my resume several times and making two separate copies. Copy number one was for the "hold me over job". Copy number two was for my "dream job".

Several months later (the very tail-end of August) I finally had a successful interview. At the end the woman asked me when I could start. I couldn't have been happier. Wait a minute, I just excitedly, nay giddily, accepted a cashier job at a hardware store. Isn't that what I did for a summer job between junior and senior year? How did I manage to get stuck in that position again? Well, it's a paycheck and will be relatively regular scheduling.

Now I'm looking for my dream job, or at least the stepping stone to it.