and so it begins

margaritaville called and offered me the position. now i work 2 jobs for the summer. i caught a very lucky break i think.

the manager reminds me a lot of my manager from last summer. nobody liked her and she tended to ruin people's lives with scheduling and passive aggressive tendencies. we'll see if this is any different. i also had to buy two shirts that come out of my pay and now i need khakis and white shoes. i don't have khakis but i found old white adidas i can wear for now i guess. damn uniform. imax had black pants and black shoes that i had to buy with a uniform shirt/vest and now this is completely different in things i need. java joes only has black pants and uniform shirt.

i was hoping i could work set days, 3 shifts at each with a day off a week but that can't happen as java joes is rotating shifts and flexibility is key. so now both of them will have to get along in scheduling but it's mostly up to me based on what the schedule shows. if that makes any sense at all!

it all starts tuesday at java joes 3pm-9pm. wednesday margaritaville 5pm-10pm. friday margaritaville 5pm-10pm. and saturday java joes 3pm-9pm. i may also have another thursday java joes shift but not sure yet. i'll have some long weeks ahead of me but hopefully it all works out.

next week will no longer be about the frustrations of a job search but rather the frustrations of working 2 jobs. stay tuned.

the good news

the good news is that i received a call from java joes yesterday and start my first shift on tuesday.

tanya had called last night and offered me the position. a bit late on the call, but a call nonetheless. i'm pretty stoked. i'll be a barista but don't have to prepare any food (it's already made) and i look after plate presentation/beverages/cash/etc. all things i've either never done or rarely have done. it will be great to gain some more experience in that industry. i was considering just taking java joes as the only job for the summer unless i could snag another part-time job (such as calls from sport chek or margaritaville if i could get in for a part-time position).

i had the second interview with margaritaville tonight. i met with the director of operations and had a nice conversation. he wants to talk to the new people on the waiting list to be hired, which makes sense i suppose. he enjoyed talking to me (or fake-enjoyed talking to me) and spoke to me about implementing a recycling project for the restaurant as they don't recycle anything at all.... what?!

this was awesome and terrible at the same time. awesome that i can definitely help implement a recycling project that works and isn't greenwashing, but also terrible that they've been open 2 years or so in the heart of the fallsview tourist district and have yet to recycle anything at all. i feel like i could seriously change things for the better and add some fantastic fieldwork experience to my resume.

i had told the director of my problem with java joes, since i was now only able to work about 25ish hours give or take at margaritaville, but he said that it would more than likely not be a problem. he was to leave a message with the lady who interviewed me yesterday and she is supposed to call me tomorrow with a final decision on hiring.

i suppose my job hunt should be ending soon as i've at least landed one job that i will hopefully enjoy and is close to my house as well as a possible soon-to-be second job in the tourist district with a fieldwork project i can help with.

but things can always change.

more interviews

this week i had 3 interviews.

java joes called wednesday night to schedule a thursday afternoon interview. i thought things went well as we really only talked about my brother for the most part. i hoped that i would get lucky and land the job at least for the summer. she said that she would call back after 7pm thursday night. i did not get a call. and then i was bummed out.

i set up an interview with sport check for friday afternoon. the interview was supposed to take an hour. i got there early and the manager said to come back in 15 minutes. so i looked around for a bit and went back. i filled in an online questionnaire similar to those you get at future shop/starbucks/the source/petsmart/etc and then had the actual interview which ended after 5 minutes once they found out i was returning to school in september. apparently, this position was for a full-time permanent merchandiser.. as in, to start a career from. but they didn't read the first line of my resume that says i'm going back to school in september. wouldn't that be the first thing you look at in order to make a decision on calling to interview someone?

so, i asked them if they could at least interview me for a sales associate position. they decided to do that and asked 4-5 scenario questions. i thought i answered them pretty well. it felt more like a conversation than an interview. i was told that i would hear from them by june 30th if they make a decision.

the last interview i had this week so far was for jimmy buffett's margaritaville. they had called me a few times this week and i never responded until today. i set up an interview for 5pm which required 3 references that i really don't have. i met with the lady and answered all of her questions and seemingly passed the 'first round' of interviews, according to her. she said that she would pass me onto some other manager type for a second interview who makes the final decision on hiring. she called back just now when i got home to set up the second interview tomorrow night with the other dude.

i don't understand the process of second and third round interviews. it annoys the interviewee and i bet it is annoying and costly to the company running them. interviews are pretty hit and miss; you nail it and they like you or you blow it and they don't like you. it's what i've witnessed from not only this summer of my job hunt but every summer of my job hunt and every interview i've ever attended.

i am really tired of the job hunt. i'm frustrated and fed up. margaritaville was interview #12 of the summer.

short-lived

due to reasons i will not disclose, i have left my position at imax.

i worked a full 7 hour shift and knew by around the third hour that this was not a job that i was entirely capable of, among other things that happened or i learned while on the job. before you hear of any ungodly rumours: i was not 'fired' or 'terminated.' i have voluntary quit the position in order to look out for my own health and well-being. and that's all i'm willing to say.

so the job search continues for the summer.

i called ardene and i was told that they hired already. it wasn't me. over the weekend, i also received a call from sport chek which i did not call back until today. i was told that they would call me back later today and they never did.

i sent out 6 emails today: jimmy buffett's margaritaville, hilton, embassy, rainforest cafe, mp paradise pools, and java joes. i walked into a job fair at the beef baron after receiving an email today about it and applying in the beginning of june. i filled in an application and met with somebody (i'm not even sure who it was) who asked me how old i was and what position i was applying for. i told him for hostess/busperson; and of course, he said they had a bunch of resumes to go through and if they thought i was qualified, they would call. my next stop was copacabana where i met with the lady for essentially 10 seconds. i handed her my resume, she wrote down something on it, and that was it.

then i hit the outlet mall. i put in another resume to java joes and handed my resume to mcgregor socks, tommy hilfiger, rocky mountain chocolate, and urban planet. at tommy hilfiger, i talked to the one sales associate for awhile who commented on my resume a ton and then i met with the manager who talked about calling me for an interview soon. java joes is where my brother worked since they opened and then they shut down. they have re-opened recently for the summer months. my dad went in to talk to the manager and put in a good word for me. hopefully i might have a chance there. clearly, my brother and i are the same person.

it could be a long time until i catch another break in the job market.

ready to start

i got the job with imax.

a little before 9pm on friday, i got the call and i was stoked. i don't know if it was because i nailed the interview questions, if it was the annoying phone call i made on friday afternoon to see if i got the job, or just a combination of the two, but i did land the job... finally.

my saturday afternoon plan was to call back and get all the details of the coming week and also let dave and buster's know that i would be taking a position elsewhere. while i'm in the middle of my breakfast, dave and buster's calls me and asks me what's up. i tell him that i've taken a job elsewhere and he seems upset. uh, sorry?

the plan for the week is to be this: three shifts this week starting tomorrow, wednesday, and saturday. both the wednesday and saturday shifts start at 7:30am. it's going to be tough but totally worth it as the latest i have to work is 10:30pm. suck it, 2am dave and buster's! however, this means that i'll be missing steve's party, a few birthdays, and the most of pride now that i've landed a job. no word on ardene yet; hoping to get that too and work both jobs turning me into zombie auto-pilot for at least a little while.

the last time i  had two jobs at the same time was a few summers back; i worked full-time at shoppers drug mart for just over a month and part-time at the library.  i worked 8am-3pm and 4pm-7pm four days a week and 8am-5pm on weekends. friday i only had to work at the library. no days off. i was dead by the end of each day and even more happy when the position at shoppers ended. i'd only like to have a second job so i can make more money since i missed out on working for a month and a half.

i've started to look into toronto apartments, so the hunt is on for the perfect apartment. i'm excited to finish out the summer while having another party in august (if you're reading this, you're likely already invited) and starting the next stage of my life in the big city. i can only hope these next 11 weeks are going to fly by.

the booty call rejection

i feel like i just got a booty call rejection.

i went to my imax interview yesterday and i wasn't sure how it went. there were lots of questions regarding teamwork, fast-paced environments, success, and motivations. i answered them all like i normally would yet i can't seem to point out or gain any feedback as to where i'm going wrong. i left the interview with high hopes. i wanted this job so that i won't have to work until 2am at dave and buster's. it just had better hours and maybe a better environment for me.

he said he would call today in order to do his hiring, so i called him instead. i actually talked to him around noon and asked if he had made a decision on hiring and he told me he had not got around to it yet. i don't normally do follow up calls/emails but i do when it's something i really want. and the majority of these follow up calls/emails are met with rejection through words or silence (usually, in most cases, no response).  i felt like i was being crazy annoying and i hated myself for following up so quickly. it was similar to the first date rule.. wait three days? wait a day? or better yet, a booty call rejection; i wanted it and he didn't. if i don't get the call sometime today, i suppose i'll have to be even more annoying and call again tomorrow.

ardene called me last night for an interview and i scheduled one for this afternoon. she asked very few questions about my likes and dislikes about former jobs and the retail industry; where i see myself in 5 years, and my strengths and weaknesses. of all the retail interviews i have ever had, this one felt like i was finally in. perhaps she was just being nice, but i suppose i'll find out. i'll hear back next week if i get it. it'll only be part-time, 6-20 hours depending on the week, but it's mad close to my house and maybe i can work at 2 places? here's seriously hoping.

if i don't hear from imax today, i'll have to surrender and go sign up on payroll with dave and buster's at least for a little while. but i won't be happy with that decision.

hired

i received a call from dave and buster's this afternoon and arranged for an interview.

they offered me the position on the spot of "mascot" where i get to run around in a root suit wearing laser tag equipment and be an asshole to tourists/take pictures with them to get them into dave and buster's. not sure what a root suit is? it looks like this: 

i don't know what colour the suit will be, but i'm sort of stoked. whenever i was the mascot last summer, i had so much fun being the centre of attention in the pink panther costume. granted that this suit will probably not smell as much or be as hot, but still. they said that they would train me on practically everything that there is to do at dave and buster's as well, but i'll primarily be mascot/laser tag/something else but i forget.  

the only thing i hate about it is that i'll have to work till 2am some nights. i have refused to work until 2am before but with the way the job market is to me this summer, i decided that it wouldn't be a problem... even though i know after awhile it will be. i don't enjoy that i'll have to get my parents out of bed for a ride home at 2am or cab/hitch hike/bike/friend/co-worker home but if it's only once or twice a week i might be able to handle it. i might not be awake for it but we'll see how it plays out.  

on saturday night, i received a call from imax theatre asking for an interview for wednesday. i haven't gone to payroll and signed up for dave and buster's yet and i don't plan to do that until i see what's up with the imax interview. i had an interview with this place, probably for an usher position (what i applied for this time around) twice and didn't land the job. both were during a summer and both were with different people hiring. this will be the third summer, third  position, and third person who will interview me. i don't know if this time around will be any different. i will see what the hours of operation are like and if i can get 40 hours or so; otherwise i'll be a slave to dave and buster's for the summer.  

since january, i must have sent out about 100+ resumes looking for summer or full-time jobs, depending on when i applied for the job. i tried to apply to as many as possible that had something to do with my field of study. eventually, i stopped applying to jobs in my field and tried for just a summer job that will give me money, and even that took two months.  

seven interviews over five weeks and i was finally hired somewhere with an eighth interview later in the week. although i am now officially offered a position at dave and buster's and have an interview with imax remaining, my job hunt will continue in order to see if there is anything better out there for me for this summer. although with the rate that things went over the last two months, i don't really see that happening.

interview update

i'm beginning to hate group interviews.

two of the six interviews i had in the past four weeks have been group interview style. you're essentially asked 2-3 impersonal questions that aren't very relevant to the position and you have to make an attempt to answer them in a way that they see fit. it doesn't seem to matter how much i tell them that i live within a reasonable distance or that i have an excellent attendance track record at every job i've ever had.

group interviews are a waste of time for people like me. at reitmans this morning, there were 4 of us; a girl kind of my age and two older, bigger ladies with 30 years of retail experience a piece. how can i even compete with that? my 2 months of retail means nothing compared to years of experience. there was a question about positive work environments, one about meeting people, and one dealing with communication.. or something. all 3 of which i remember nothing about how or what i answered with. i never answered first in any of the questions either and the one lady sitting next to me interrupted me once that i really didn't appreciate.

the "fun" part of the interview was choosing an outfit for the people interviewing me. both of them were bigger, fashionable ladies and i was intimidated. so i went with a classic, simple look  (of what i could find in 5 minutes in the store) for the scenario of one of them going to an interview and then going to lunch afterwards: black dress pants, a flowery, colourful top, a black cardigan, flowery white sandals and sparkly bracelets. this was okay in my head. it's what i would probably wear in that situation. but neither of the managers gave any feedback to say if my outfit was a good choice. it was also during this part of the interview that i overheard the managers commenting and judging me and the other younger girl because we were "tiny". as in, we wouldn't fit the clothes? we wouldn't fit in with the team of several older, bigger ladies? i don't know, but i think that's pretty uncalled for. it's not my fault that i'm skinny and you're not; that doesn't give you the right to potentially not offer me a job.

seriously, i hate group interviews. one-on-one interviews are the only ones i can seem to handle right now and at least they can get a pretty clear picture of who i am and what i'm like. reitmans, similar to build a bear workshop, does first round group interviews and then second round one-on-one interviews. if i qualify for a second interview, i'll know by friday of next week. but i highly doubt i'll get it.

but in exciting news, i'm now officially a graduate as of yesterday with a bachelor of arts in tourism and environment! but apparently, being a graduate doesn't make finding a summer job any easier.

this week in the job hunt

on monday, i handed out 20 hard copy resumes that made me feel wickedly unsustainable. about half of the places i applied to "weren't hiring but it didn't hurt to leave a resume." i finished off with 5 emails with a nice cover letter and resume attachment. i applied for a few dishwashing, retail/sales associate, spa receptionist, serving, hostess, and the like. i refuse to apply for housekeeping or front desk, the two most seemingly popular job postings that are always available.

i went to build a bear and asked one of the ladies who interviewed me if they had made a decision on hiring. she said she wasn't the one who did the hiring but the lady who does was coming in for the afternoon shift. she wrote down my name and number and said the lady would call me back that afternoon. she didn't.

i also tried to get the job i had last summer back. i've emailed the company a bunch of times with no responses and getting my friends who already work there to try to get me back.  the supervisors/managers kept saying they were doing something in order for me to come back. so i went in to see them after one of their employees quit; obviously there was now an opening for a replacement. i asked and i was told that they had  "over hired" and nobody was getting hours. well, shit, i know that already. it's just like last season: we only got hours on the weekends if that (normally when it was slow, we were sent home) until it started to get busy around the middle of june which started full time hours. i was told the "next time they were hiring" would be july 1st. i really hope i will have found a job by that date.

i sent out 5 more cover letters/resumes yesterday and 5 more today. 2 of those 5 from today were the coveted howard johnson/embassy suites tourist information clerk positions, the ones i apply to every year. the howard johnson one i have applied to twice already earlier in my search; the embassy suites i applied to once earlier in my search. both of these places now have my resume once again. either they hate it or they never get around to seeing it.

today, i received a call from the marriott offering me an interview for a front desk position, even though i never applied for it. i did apply for a hotel information clerk with them which didn't say in the description of the job posting that you were doing any of the front desk duties and you were also helping to set up rooms for conferences/banquets. why they decided to interview me for something completely different is strange, but at least it's a phone call i suppose. i declined for the interview. front desk is not me.

the job search continues for another day.

the analogy

inspired by the terrible movie he's just not that into you, (because unemployment makes you watch a ton of terrible movies) i thought about how the job search is similar to the dating search.

in the beginning, you put yourself out there. you talk about your accomplishments and give the best version of yourself through cover letters and resumes by the hundreds through email, faxes, and walk-ins. every cover letter and resume is tailored to the specific job position and company. it's the courting process. you see something you like and you hope that it will eventually like you back.. and hopefully soon.

okay, so you've put yourself out there. every company has your cover letter and resume. and you wait. and you wait. and you wait. you wait for that phone call. the one that says you have a date. the interview. you sit by the phone day and night. it rings. it's your mom. it rings again. it's a telemarketer. you're constantly waiting for someone to get in touch.

finally, you get a call. the date is set for an interview. you get nervous, just a little bit. you think about all the great things you can say about yourself. you think of questions to ask. you try to think of all the questions they will ask you, but there's always that one that gets you -- it usually makes or breaks you. you wonder what to wear, how much makeup is too much, what shoes go with what outfit. frustrated with your closet, you go buy new clothes just for the interview hoping you'll finally land a job so you can afford the new clothes you bought.

the interview quickly approaches. you're nervous. you get there early not knowing what to expect. you've never met these people before. it's a blind date. you see several attractive people working and that almost makes you more nervous. finally, you meet the person who will be be doing the interviewing. he's not all that good looking. you're still nervous. you talk yourself up. you think that things are going smoothly. you ask the dreaded "so when will i hear from you?" question and they give you a time frame. you leave with a firm handshake, pleasantries, and if you're lucky, perhaps a number to call. on your way home, you replay every detail of the date. did you smile enough? did you answer their questions correctly? did you have something lodged in your teeth? could they sense how nervous you were? your mind runs wild and yet there is nothing you can do about what took place in the interview. it's over.

the next day, you repeat the beginning stages of the process. you hand out resumes for possible jobs and hope that the company you had an interview with will give you a call. you sit by the phone and wait. and wait. you're always waiting. it rings. it's a wrong number. it rings again. this time, to set up an interview with a different company. since you are still jobless, you take up the offer. what's the harm?

days and weeks go by without any follow up phone calls. they never called, just like all those other blind dates you went on before. they told you that they would call. they didn't. you call them only to leave a message. they still never return your call. you're unemployed and lonely. you've read every book you own and are quickly running out of money.

you're constantly waiting for that phone call only to check your email and find a rejection email. your spirit is broken. yet tomorrow, you'll put yourself out there again only to spend your days waiting for the one who will hire you.

and the job search continues

sometimes i wish that job postings would be more descriptive so you know what it is exactly you'll be doing for most of the time.

when i'm in toronto for festivals or events, i normally see greenpeace booths set up with opinionated youngsters trying to change the world one person at a time. people at the festival who have the time to do so walk up the booth and ask questions. that's what i thought i applied for.

instead, i applied to be an annoying person on a street corner yelling at people to join greenpeace. and not only do these people have to hear me talk about issues; they have to give me money in order to sign up. yes, 'donations'. you donate to become a member. well, shit. on my way to the interview, i passed by two people handing out flyers or yelling at me to come talk to them about things. of course, i walked by them with no eye contact because i didn't want to be bothered. if i take the job, i'll be on the other end of this scenario and hating every minute of it. even if i do get to talk to people about the issues i care about, i know i would absolutely hate trying to get them to give me money... to give greenpeace money.. in order to become a member.

the lady who interviewed me explained what i would be doing and i was immediately turned off from the job. politely, i completed the interview that had a bunch of questions i was never asked before in any interview. one of the last deal breakers was the fact that if the weather doesn't hold (if it's raining, thunderstorming, or 40 degrees) i don't work and i won't be paid for the day. and with the way the weather has been going lately, it seems like i'd work like twice a week. if they offer me a position, i should hear back in about a week and a half.

i still have yet to hear from any of my interviews. lanark dude, who said he was going to call regardless if i got the job or not has yet to call (and he wanted me to start this coming monday). adidas still has a week or so before they make a decision. build a bear workshop was supposed to get back to me yesterday and they didn't. i have also received no calls about any other jobs recently that i have applied for.

at least toronto was a good time and i saw some friends. next friday, i officially will get my degree handed to me and will have graduated. the week after that, i have to pay my tuition to seneca. that might pose a bit of a problem when i haven't worked for the whole month of may and so far the first few days of june.

job hunt = 1; amber = 0

i've always wondered why the restaurant and retail industry are so difficult to get into. one would think with my all of my years of customer service  and well, 'serving' the public, that i would be a perfect match for any type of retail or restaurant position.

during the summer of the recession, i couldn't find a job either, similar to many canadian university students in that time period. but i applied to numerous places. i did only have one summer of work experience on my resume; but i still applied everywhere i saw a posting. hostessing, dishwashing, serving, sales associate, stocker... you name it and i probably had a resume with that company. these places, however, only tend to look at resumes that have already had experience with those positions before. and since i didn't, they probably threw out my resume.

there are two summer jobs that i apply for every summer since i moved to niagara falls. one is for a tour desk person at either embassy suites or howard johnson. with a degree in tourism and environment, you'd think a job like that would be my calling. every summer, i add to my resume about all the wonderful education i have and how i've learned about niagara region tourism blah blah blah. i talk myself up quite a lot in these cover letters when there's a job that sort of relates to my field of study. and every summer, i get no calls or no emails from either of these places.

frustrated and fed up with these two hotels, i didn't apply for this summer -- and then i found out that someone else from my program (a friend of mine!) got an interview for the job, which she turned down. thinking that i might have a small chance this summer to get in with one of those hotels, i applied. i talked about how i'm now a graduate and my education was awesome. hell, i was a tour guide now. i even worked library reception for 3 years! i had tons of tourism and customer service experience. and yet, i still received no calls.

the second job i apply for every summer is with garage clothing; sales associate. yes, i don't have any retail experience. except for when i 'volunteered' for the christmas holidays at jones new york and when i sold glow items on clifton hill sometimes last summer. i'm charismatic when it came to those glowsticks; tourists are attracted to cute girls selling glowsticks. that's a fact. needless to say, i ruled at that aspect of the job. these newer past experiences are on my resume. jones new york is like 4 stores down from garage as well in the same mall. i expected at least this summer to get a call for an interview. but that wasn't the case.

in the end, i've decided to play a game with my job search. i have applied for several hostessing, serving, and bus girl positions without any experience. recently, i've added a totally fake work experience to my resume: hostessing during a summer of high school at a restaurant in blue mountain that doesn't exist anymore. i'm curious to see if i finally get a break and receive a call for an interview in the restaurant industry.