The Trials and Errors In Relocating

I’m back after a long period of changes and excitement. The wedding was gorgeous and my husband and I had a wonderful honeymoon. When we returned to my hometown in Ohio, the worry began because we weren’t sure how we were going to pull off moving 900 miles south to completely different surroundings. We stayed with some family for two weeks but in a week and a half we had secured a wonderful apartment in which to live and I got a job as a teacher at a local high school. I had to cancel my reassignment to the bookstore in Tampa because it was too far a drive for me to justify spending the gas. But I also knew I had come to Florida with a career in education in mind.

Continue Reading

The ones who give us a chance

There are some people that we are thankful for giving us a chance in hiring us because others just wont without experience. Sometimes when we least expected, our luck returned our hard work. Once we are given the chance, we feel like we can do anything in order to return the gesture. Even though, our greatest potentials are some of the time ignored. This happened to me a while ago.
Recently, I applied for a job in a place that would have been my experience in the hospitality industry. I called the manager and right away an interview was scheduled. I thought, wow, this is really happening. I went to the interview, filled out an application, and spoke to the interviewee. That day was a Friday. I was hired on the spot and wanted to start right away not only on that one place, but in another one as well, which could have been a great hospitality experience as well. I was excited that I was given the chance to finally shine as a metaphor to this happiness I felt. By completing my interview, I told the interviewee that I had three weeks before finishing my semester and then I could start full time. The interviewee said, “Okay.”
Saturday came and the interviewee called me asking if I could go to work at a specific time. I wanted to so bad but I could not due to my studies. I told him that I have three weeks left and then I will be available to work. He apologized and said again, “Okay.”
During those three weeks, exams and finals go by, and I decided to give the manager who is also my interviewee a call to see if everything was still okay with my position. I spoke to him and he said when I am available to work, to give him a call. Three weeks pass and I call him the day of my last final.
I call him and no one picks up. That was a Friday again. I called him again and when he picked up, he told me to call him in half an hour. Half an hour rolls by and I call him again, this time he doesn’t pick up and so I left a message. I call him Saturday (I believe) and he picks up the phone and says that he will call me in forty minutes. Sunday rolls by, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday comes and he calls. I speak to him and he tells me that I have to tell him right away if I want the job or not. That week I called him and called him, left messages and no call back. Finally when he picks up and asks what I intend to do, I tell him that I called Saturday and he had said to call me back in forty minutes and in the end I receive no call back. He simply says, “I got that” and asks if I want the job or not. I said no right away and he thanked me and hanged up.
Now, many of you might be asking yourselves why I said, “No” but I had my reasons. I did not want to be manipulated anymore. I called him when I said I would be available and waited by the phone for a call back. It seems that when he needed me, he called. I do not need to put down my reputation and be stepped on all the time because someone gave me a chance. I too am an individual who needs to be treated with respect as everyone else. I believe I have done the right thing, even if I blew my opportunity.

Networking

I recently went to a networking event that one of my close friends invited me to. Now that I went, I am grateful that he invited me to go. This event unlike many others I went to had many opportunities to get to know others in a more networked way. Before networking on our own throughout the room with other people like us, we were introduced to the system of networking.
Imagine a green land, surrounded with a fence and in the middle it has a big Victorian house. In front of the house is a big rock and on that rock it has a golden plate with the person’s name. Around the fence is running a dog. (Pets)
Now, the house has white Victorian windows, which looking through them one can see a family. (Family)
On top of the house is a chimney. On top of the chimney is a big white glove. On top of the glove is a plane. (Traveling, location, hobbies, etc.)
On the side of the plane are propellers, which are circling around as the plane flies by. (Opportunities, etc.)

Continue Reading

Job Search and other stuff

Hi, I’m James. I recently graduated in the Fall of 2005 from Temple university In Philadelphia. My degree is in communications, which apparently means very little. I started applying for jobs in October of my final semester. I have no idea how many times I sent my resume out, Probably around 4.6 billion Out of all the jobs I applied for I think I walked away with about four interviews.My first few were complete train wrecks.Besides looking good in a suit I brought very little to the table. I was nervous, tripping over my words, when I got asked “If I had any questions?” I replied “No”. All in All, I had no chance of getting the job but the experiences weren’t a complete waste. After my second or third horrifc interview,I knew it was time dry clean the wrinkles out of my only suit, and get some books or information on how to perform well interviews. Luckily, I was working at a book store that had a real relaxed policy with their employees receiving stuff for free. So, I picked up some books on the top answers for interview questions. After that, I pretty much developed a script of answers for the general questions you get asked in an interview. I was on point. I landed two jobs after that. I know you don’t really learn this in college but studying can really help you do significantly better with things. If you’re struggling with interviews I strongly suggest picking up a book or two to help you out. They can really help you word the information on your resume into something that sounds alot sexier to the potential employer.

How do you accept rejection?!

I received a rejection letter today from a really good summer internship that I was in hopes to get accepted. I am not sure how to accept this rejection, as I have wanted this internship from the start. It was a big, huge competition and yet I still applied for it in hopes that I too have a chance to get accepted, but in pain when I read the rejection letter.
I just really wanted this and now I don’t know how to take it in. Do I smile and let it go? Do I accept the fact that at least I applied for it and move on? Do I think to myself that I failed? Or, do I just forget it?
What would you do if a little part of your dream let you down?

Getting your foot in

Attending business workshops has been pretty much a positive note for me so far. Many people go to various business workshops to not only learn about the company that is presenting but also to get recognition, get their foot inside the door through connections or maybe a job offer. For me, business workshops have been about the atmosphere and what I can learn from the business people as a whole. They help me out in ways of starting to think and act professionally in a kind of way. Even just by observing people, one could see how they act, how they carry themselves, what people’s impressions are from those people, and so on.
Going to business workshops also teaches you the skills that you personally might need and find very helpful once you go into the job force or even in your life. Just knowing how to carry yourself around professional people, it gives you an edge in a way of showing that you too could be that professional that people might look up to. Through workshops like these and others, the individual could and possibly should try to network themselves through with other people and that way make valuable relationships.
Even if you personally are not a student anymore, if you have friends that are or know someone who is a student, get in touch with them. Ask them what is going on around their school. Ask if any workshops are going on or if they do not know, ask them if they could bring you the school newspaper, which usually covers what the school is offering for the week or month. Go local school websites and seek what is happening. Get involved most importantly. All of these things will teach you something valuable, something you can use in the “real” world, in your life, as well as in everything that you do. Good luck.
These days people are saying: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

Dressing for an interview

How do we dress for an interview? These days it seems that a nice, black skirt is out of the question. When I go to an interview, I think of putting a skirt on but people say, “No.” Today, it’s mostly black pants and nice shirt. Do employers think something different when an interviewee wears something else?
Also, why should it matter what to wear when really skills should? I contemplate this question to ask why it matters what a person wears when really the skills should. Even though, it is a business ocassion to dress professionally and impress your interviewer by being professional and on time. I understand that but what about those that look down on you because of what you wear. Should it matter I ask? It shouldn’t in my opinion. Clothes are thread and they shouldn’t be the ones to make the person. They are just a physical impression, an image. If you are judged by the way you look, wouldn’t this be a stereotype?

Time management

Recently I went to a time management workshop and I was impressed by really how much time a person can spend on something. There were about 10 questions to answer in this one questionaire. By the time you answer them, you multiply by the number of days, and in the end subtract from 168 hours. Your result tells you how much time you spend studying a week. Some people at the workshop had a negative number, others slightly positive, and people like me had a number close to 100. I don’t know if I study close to 100 hours a week. That simply sounds insane. The most insane thing is that actually that time is not enough. I know, I know. Probably someone is asking themselves if I have a life. I do. I go out once a week to get my mind off school for a little bit. Time is really flying by. Here are the questions from the questionaire.

Continue Reading

Can I make it all happen?

One of my aspirations is to become a hotel manager, travel the world, and on the side be a writer: publish my own book. Maybe it sounds like a lot, or just a wish, a dream, some hope maybe. It really is not that. I really want it all. I am going to school now for two degrees. Taking 6 classes this semester, this internship, 3 organizations, and my life. Its busy but when you’ve got ambitions and a positive attitude, you got it all somehow. I’ve been looking for an internship or some work experience in the hospitality industry but all I’ve got is rejections. Everybody wants experience. I do not have that. I can offer only m yself in terms of hard work and making it count. I’ve been applying for hospitality jobs since 3 years ago and nothing. All I ever get is a marketing firm, or something to do with marketing. That’s all the experience I’ve got. I don’t like marketing at all but nobody else would take me. I’m not saying that this will prevent me from dreaming big. No, it won’t. This will only extend the time and my search for something more. I’ll eventually get my dream but I don’t know if it will start anytime soon. Lets hope so:)

Education or experience

A close friend of mine recently graduated Bachelors Degree with honors and is still looking for a job. She applies everyday for 5-7 jobs and nothing. Nobody calls her. Everybody wants experience in order to apply for the job. It’s like why is education important? I am asking myself: are we going to school to educate ourselves or are we going just to pass the time and work on the side? Some people can work on the side, but others who live with their parents and who are more concerned about earning that grade, to them, education is most important. Some people can juggle more than school and their life, but others can not. Is this supposed to be a judging contest? A competition of who can handle pressure? Experience comes with experience. If somebody doesn’t give it to us, where do we find it. WHy not just give us a chance?
Are we educatiing ourselves or just passing the time? If experience is so important then why go to school? Why exhaust ourselves when employers look at the experience part and not the education? I really don’t get it. Today it seems that education is just education, and experience or conncetions is what matters. What happened to equality and equal chance for everyone?