Am I the only person who does this, or is this what every one does when looking for a new job. I find myself searching feverishly on Monster, looking up every version of what I do from writing to graphic design, and although I guess that most of these employers are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of resumes they receive, with each push of "apply Now" I find myself focusing on the company name, thinking that one day in the not too distant future I will be pushing through their heavy oak door with the brass name plate - ah, I can see it now - in my little interview outfit with a velvet headband so that I look "normal" whatever that means, but I'm convinced a velvet headband is every woman's key to being considered "ordinary" and not that awful slap in the face, "too funky" or "eccentric" or "Interesting", all of which I have had leveled at me by those who love me and those who don't but always what I want more than anything is to be just normal enough but above the mark professionally so that I look like, indeed, I am, the perfect employee that anyone in their right mind would be lucky to have.
And I believe this; I do believe that any company would be lucky to have me. God knows I am incredibly devoted, loyal to a fault (so even when I'm being screwed I have not done the screwing back; score one for corporate America, Sadi, you fool), but I just want one job where I can sink my teeth into my work, establish healthy relationships but not flirtations with my peers, and get to the business at hand and do so well that I win awards and decorate my little office or cubicle or whatever with my honors, though I'm beyond cubicle now, because of age and experience, so I see these with my other awards hanging on the otherwise blank wall and lit with fluorescent light and me leaning back in NY chair with a cup of tea and thinking how proud I am off all this - of all of this silly, corporate and so American things that I can't ever see happening in Scotland where, you can work hard, but so what - you didn't expect an award for that, did you!
Gosh, I have an enviable curriculum vitae and I know it. I have big, heavy hitting names on there, I have references from editors at the top of their field and one from the CEO of Conde Nast. I am dropping names, yes, because I I keep hearing people telling me that I should use the contacts I have to greater effect, so I say to you Saul Bellow, Steven Florio, Mike Curtis, friends at the Museum of Fine Arts, Conde Nast, Hans Koning, Jean Echenoz, Harry Mathews, David Godine, Bill Gates, and anyone who wants to listen and with whom I have crossed paths and it has been positive, why is it that I am in the same position as everybody else and that I don't have some leg up which is what one would expect.
Article comments
1 - DrPat
Your Google bombs are stale, princess. [grin]
2 - sade
me? dr. pat? je ne comprend pas... sorry, love, i'm lost... what did i do? ... email or let me know... thank as ever... S. :)
3 - HW Saxton
Sadi, I'm 99.9% sure that comment in #2
was directed at the spammer in comment
space #1.
4 - Shark
Sadi, coupla points from Shark's unemployed, over-qualified experience with the current job market (if one can call 14 million minimum wage openings a "market"):
It appears the job market doesn't want anyone over the age of 19.
One can be too smart, too effective, and too experienced to qualify for most jobs. (see above)
No one wants to hire someone that can (and probably will) eventually take their place.
I don't know anyone who ever got a job from a monster-like job web site.
(Any personal testimonials from readers hereabouts?)
Every job nowadays seems to be 'apply online only' -- which means smart, sharp folks like you and me (heh) can't be physically present to woo a potential employer with our intelligent eyes.
I've done it all in my 30 some-odd years in the business and arts worlds -- and I am at the point where I just want to clean floors or cut grass -- and not have to attend marketing & sales meetings -- or better yet -- speak to anyone.
I'm broke, but I still have my personal integrity; 50-some-odd years on planet earth have convinced me that that is most important.
Best of luck!
xxoo
Shark
PS: Gotta run! Cooking some oak bark for Sunday dinner!
5 - sade
argh ~ shark is right. i'm not sure i trust monster though i'm trying other avenues but it's tough tough tough as you know and i think you and i were in similar industries and now i'm doing high=tech content writing and software development, a good field, but highly competitive and just hard. and recruiters are hard to find anyway ~~ if anyone has a good one and a name, hey post it here or email me... or, eve better, read my articles, get to know me, hire me :) I'd be thrilled ... really...
thanks Shark ~~ always good advice. was going to pop by your site today and will. just stuck in traffic, blah blah...
rock on all ~~
s.
6 - DrPat
Yep, Sadi - I can't gather up the spam comments at a convient wall, and fire away. But I can reduce the width of the right-hand column with quick comment to replace the spam one.
The "Super-Editors" clean up the dead bodies, I just point them out.