All I Want For Christmas Is An Interview!!

Watching TV one night last week, I saw one of those Capitol One commercials with the Viking invaders ; you know, the ones where they are always looking for new jobs because everyone is switching to Capitol One? Anyway, the heavyset, bald Viking who is supposed to be the leader declares that, after several scenes depicting embarrassing, holiday-themed follies on the part of his men, “All we want for Christmas is our dignity!”
Like most people, the images in the advertisement were meant to cause a bit of a chuckle on the part of the audience, and I was no exception. More so, actually, since the punch line rang with a bit of truth in my case. Looking for employment is not easy, and its hard to keep one’s chin up at times. After a meager holiday season, I’m slowly depleting my savings as I look for work. Although I’ve landed some freelance projects, all have been unpaid. Which is fine; it builds the resume. But, sooner or later, we all need money.

Which is why, next week, I’m going to most likely crack and get a job at a clothing store or something lame like that. Needless to say, I’m less than thrilled about the prospect, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do, and, until I land a “real” job, this is what I’ve got to do. So I’ll do it and do it well. But, in the back of my mind, I can’t deny the fact that I was hoping to be done with this sort of thing on the day I received my diploma. Over the course of the 8 or so jobs I’ve had, I’ve done some pretty menial tasks. I bused tables, during which I used to have to clean gum off the parking lot on slow days. I was a games operator at a zero-health standards town fair where I bilked 5-year olds out of their allowance until my conscience couldn’t stand it any longer. I burned popcorn on a disturbingly regular basis and cleaned theaters at the local movie joint in college. And I worked as a field hand on the local farm for five summers. I really liked that job -it taught me a lot about hard work and the gratification that comes with it Рbut now I want to apply such a work ethic to something I kind of…. enjoy. So sue me if I don’t care anymore whether or not you want fries with that.
Amidst all this grumbling, I can’t deny that I have started to make a little progress. I got a copy editing test for a position as a copy editor in Washington, DC. Not everyone who applied got one, so I guess it’s a good sign. Mailed that sucker out Monday. And I received a response just an hour ago from the local paper about a freelancing spot. One that pays, even. And I might have another in the works for a construction publication. So I’ve kind of moved from the “just beginning to look” phase to the “in a state of potential and perpetual transition” phase, where a million things could happen in mere seconds, but all you can is wait and try not to go nuts as you try to keep your head above water with filler work. I long for the day when I can see “salaried” on a pay stub.
Even then, all this free time I’ve had has given me an opportunity to reflect on what it is I actually want. After all, my tentative plan is do three years with a company and then take some time to do more traveling. And I just don’t really identify at all with the whole suit-and-tie image. I pride myself on being a hard worker and earning what I want, but I also know there’s more to life than a paycheck. Many of my friends are all about their careers, but I’m just not like that. This factoid might very well end up screwing me in my job search, but I hope not! Besides, I’m looking forward to applying my hard earned degree for a while. It should be, if nothing else, an interesting experience. And that’s what its really all about, isn’t it?
So while the freelance thing is fine, all I want for Christmas is an interview!