Macbeth. III - ii

Nought's had, all's spent,
Where our desire is got without content;
'Tis safer to be that which we destroy
Than by destruction dwell in doubtful joy.

-W. Shakespeare

The Job Hunt Part Eight: Waiting

Traveling from Seattle to Redmond by bus: 1 hour 15 minutes
          + 1 mile walk to office

Add 30 minutes because of boats and using the floating bridge:











The four different people, all members of the deployment staff, that I interviewed with:

Me trying not to freak out but internally:

Waiting until they call or email me with a decision:

The Job Hunt Part Seven: The Game

In the pursuit of work, there are pieces of humble pie you have to take. Sometimes you have to take a job that pays less when you are down to your last bit of savings and dignity.

Other times, you have to accept that there are jobs that look great and pay well but are outside of your range of commute. So, when the recruiter for a company calls you, it's usually annoying when they mention that the position is for a position that takes almost 2 hours to get to by bus + walking, and you have to internally not cry at your geographical misfortune.

The other day, I had an interesting conversation with a gentleman looking for a Deployment Coordinator (a Project Coordinator for IT and Cloud Set Up Services) who sounded like he was from Mad Men. He kind of steamrolled over the conversation, saying that I had very little experience in deployment coordination, but there was one magical bit of database software that I had extensive experience with due to my last job, as a project coordinator for a structural engineering job.

I declined the interview since it was going to take me so long to get there by bus and it wasn't worth what they were pay. Less than an hour later, he calls back pushing for me to take the interview because, I'm the only one who he's spoken with who knows the most important piece of software.

For the first time in my job hunting career, I have the opportunity to haggle for higher pay. I was literally speechless. I had never had a recruiter call me trying to find my mathematical extreme, (the highest amount that I was willing to work for that they were willing to pay)

He explained that his boss was insisting he call me back and that he was "showing his hand" and "putting all his cards on the table" to try to "sweeten the pot". Seriously, was he sitting in the office with a cigar and some scotch?

I called my family and talked it over with my boyfriend, who made a list of things to include in my reasoning for asking for a $2 raise in the hourly wage. Part of the reasoning was based on the fact that I had had a 3rd interview with a company and the only this I was waiting on was an official offer. But here comes the IT company waving money at me.

The Job Hunt Part Six: Progress, Updates, and Possibilities

So I'm entering the end of Week 2 in my unemployment adventure and thankfully there is a blip of hope on the horizon!

But before I update you on the results of my interviews, 2nd interviews, phone interviews, and tons of paperwork, lets do a recap through gifs. (duh!)

First there was the lay off:

Budgeting forced the hand of the company and instead of offering me a permanent position, they had to give me the boot.






Second was the revamping of my resume:

It went through a lot of regenerations and I now have two versions, depending on the position I'm applying for.






Third was the group interview:

I tended to be the oldest of the applicants when it was entry level and that meant that I was seen as overqualified.




Fourth was the paperwork for staffing companies and applications:

Some of them were straightforward and repetitive, while others were so specific that it took some detective work just to find all the information they were requesting.





Fifth was my constant ray of sunshine aka The Boyfriend:

Even through the spikes in my mood, my depression, frustration, my snippy attitude, and my constant presence in his room (because I had nowhere else to go), he has been my rock and a great cheerleader.




Sixth, and finally (for now), is the results:

Hopeful, but still unemployed. No worries, its Thursdays and I have a 3rd interview tomorrow which will probably end up being the one that gets me back to working.




A lot of the feedback has been useful and while I have been the bridesmaid in this story, I understand why other candidates are chosen. Usually its the lack of experience. I've only been working in Admin for a year. However, I can't really apply outside of my city, since the suck that is Seattle's transit system causes interstate travel to be less appealing than Chinese water torture or a date with Ben Stein.

I have high hopes that I will be walking into a new office on Monday with a paycheck waiting for me at the end of the week.

The Road to Graphic Design Part Two: Always save a PSD

Here is a small PSA on the concept of saving a JPEG and a PSD (Photoshop).

ALWAYS SAVE A PSD OF ANY IMAGE YOU ARE ALTERING.

Thank you Sheldon.

But seriously, the layers and filters you use and might want to alter slightly layer will not be available if you only save a a JPEG of the final image. When creating my logo for this blog, I did a bunch of different versions but when I was done, I did not save a PSD to work with later, so the progress and editable layers are gone. When I decide to alter the image, I will have to be more creative and probably spend more time getting back to the current look before I can alter it.

Case in point, save your progress as a PSD.

The Road to Graphic Design Part One: SkillShare

In the past, I have wanted to learn more about design but going back to school isn't financially viable. So, I decided to teach myself through books (reviews to follow), online tutorials, and Skillshare. On my first go around with Skillshare, I decided to start with the basics. The most basic of them for me was "Fundamentals of Graphic Design: Making Meaning with Words and Images", where you are tasked with the concept of creating a contemporary art exhibit poster for an upcoming show.

The idea was based around "Uncommonwealth" and the play on words like "Uncommon Wealth" and "Un Commonwealth" which are meant to be about changing how we see the world, finding beauty in unconventional places or a place with unconventional values. Unlike the rest of the class, I took a more literal and typographical approach, choosing not to let one singular art piece be the focus of the poster, especially since I was using the concept of a college showcase which involves multiple artists.

The more I though about it, the more I wanted to focus on typography and images within text. I started to drift towards the idea of the eye, which is how we perceive visual information. I looked into the eye and the shape of the eye and first wanted to super impose words into an actual eye image. However, I though that it would be too confusing unless it was a very zoomed in image and then the idea of finding that image or taking the image and altering it for the project seemed too involved. Then I started focusing on the shape of the eye. I also focused on the information and text I would need to incorporate into the posted and decided on playing with the idea of repetition, rules of thirds and text.

I used the title of the exhibit "Uncommonwealth" to form the eye, even down to the iris (which is inverted and warped). It was a lot of fun and a great introduction into my creative process and the design process itself. The open ended aspect of the subject matter made it difficult to decipher if the project was successful but hopefully there will be some feedback from classmates soon.

Final Project Below:

The Job Hunt Part Five: The Résumé or the Whoring of Productivity

The Resume- a snapshot into the work history of an applicant, the source of awkward and pointed bragging, and a purchase order for selling yourself to a host of hiring managers and staffing companies. 

Hookers wear high (and sometimes clear) heels, revealing clothing and too much make up, using visuals and suggestive marketing to make there money. The entry level applicant must tempt the unsuspecting HR department by douse themselves in a pungent combination of words per minute, software proficiency, and bittersweet false smiles.

I call this fragrance Eau De Proxénétisme. (Literal Translation: Water From Pimping) 

However, I have scruples. Ok, mostly I have small shreds of integrity and dignity that stop me from lying in interviews. This goes doubly for resumes, mainly because a little check into your references (no matter how helpful they are supposed to be) will confirm any information or skill claims provided. Granted, This doesn't stop staffing managers from suggesting edits to my resume to make me seem more impressive. Mainly on the subject of my various temp positions which tend to come into question because of their duration, with most companies still thinking about job duration like we are back in the time before the Great Job Economy Suckitude. I include the words "temporary" and "contract" in my resume often in hopes that common sense will win out.

Sometimes it does, other times it just confuses them. "Why did you leave your last position?" or "Why were you only with this company for three months?", to which I generally reply with "As you will see on my resume..." (a favorite opening statement of mine) "... this was a temporary/contract position. The contract ended."

This always feels self-explanatory, especially when I am talking to a staffing company. Unfortunately, they sometimes forget themselves, and I have to explain the basic definition of temporary. It hurts my brain and faith in humanity sometimes. On the rare occasions, I run into the "Out of the box" recruiter, who suggests crafty ways of getting my resume to their manager's desk faster. They always express empathy for the difficulties in the job hunt and understand that the temp positions are reflective of the economy and market and not my worth as an employee. Then they explain that normally they would skip my resume because my track record looks "jumpy". I look inconsistent and I should alter my resume and stack like minded positions together to make them look like they lasted longer. I should list all of my temp positions under one staffing company -- even though the work was done through different staffing agencies -- so it looks like I stayed in one place longer.


That would be a lie. Plain and simple. When I bring this ethical dilemma up, they explain that their candidates might work through the company in different environments for various clients, and I should focus on listing one company instead of multiple. "But I didn't just work with this staffing company, so that's false advertisement." They might start patronizing me, like I'm looking the gift horse in the mouth, and that I don't understand the importance of the advice they are providing. They will push their version, heavily implying that their way is the only way that the resume will make it past this tier and onto their manager's desk.

I'm a fairly stubborn person and I tend to hold my ground. Some of the information/suggestions are helpful, and I did end up editing my resume. I separated the work experience into "Temporary and Contract Full Time Work" and "Retail and Customer Service Work", listing the duration of my temp/contract work from start to present, and not by staffing company. It's honest, accurate, and actually looks more inviting.

Job = Not Starving

In the end, I kept my scruples and changed the packaging. I didn't list my product as being fat free when I know I just changed the butter I used, I didn't say that it was sugar free when I used honey instead of granulated sugar. I don't believe in lying to get ahead, it's a pride thing. Does that mean that some staffing companies and HR departments will overlook me because I only have contract position experience? Oh well.

I can still play the game and respect myself in the morning. Maybe I will have to hit the ground a little harder, apply to more jobs, gain some proficiency in additional software in my spare time, and practice my "elevator speech". But, I will know that when I get the job, and they expect things from me -- based on my resume and interview -- I will be able to deliver from the beginning.

Seattle Haiku

The sun is pulling,
they rise from under the grounds
of coffee with cats.

© Britny M.

The Job Hunt Part Four: Beggars can't be choosers

So, part of the process of getting laid off meant that I had to move out of my apartment. Thankfully, I have wonderful people who let me crash with them, my boyfriend included. However, there are things I have learned about myself while sharing a space with three guys (thankfully one of them is a bit of a neatfreak, which is why I adore him and he gets cuddles)

Dishes left overnight bother me (especially when there is a dishwasher):

Letting the trash overflow and not changing the bag:

Not replacing the toilet paper or paper towels when they run out:

Leaving wet laundry in the washer overnight:

An "object of affection": A moment in the list of Britny's Pet Peeves

Object: (Noun)- A material thing that can be seen and touched.
       Synonyms:  thing - aim - purpose - article - objective - goal

Subject: (Noun) - A person or thing that is being discussed, described, or dealt with.
             (Adjective) - Likely or prone to be affected by
       Synonyms: (noun)  topic - theme - matter - object - citizen
                         (adj)  subordinate - liable - dependent - dependant

Definitions courtesy of Google, Inc

The term "object of affection" popped into my head this morning, while my toast was warming and my honey was waiting. (Cause Seattle....)

As I sipped my coffee - but let's face it, its really just highly caffeinated hot chocolate- the strangeness of the term came more into focus. Objects are defined as not people, but inanimate and usually abstract ideals, goals and hopes that one will strive for. The object of someone's affection should be different than the subject of someone's affection considering that the word "person" is included in the definition and not in the other.

According to Urban Dictionary an abject of affection is:
Person that prevents concentration by the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, desire, etc

Similar tags included were obsession (the state of being obsessed  also known as mania), affliction (something that causes pain or suffering), desire (a strong feeling of wanting), and distraction (a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else).

If I were the object of someone's affection, I am no longer a person, I am a thing or goal to be achieved. This type of thinking is where I think a lot of romantic comedies and anime's begin.

 

It's no longer about the person, who they are as an individual, or what they feel or think about the pursuit. Its a mission, a victory to achieve. Add another suitor into the mix and its an awkward love triangle, complete with pointless competitions. Its no longer about the emotions stirred by the person on the receiving end of the want, but now about some type of achievement, ownership, and prize to be won.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking a feminist stand on this with the intent of bashing men for something that we all do. Before I started dating my boyfriend, there was another person in the picture who was also competing for my affections, however I held the chips and neither was really competing against the other in the literal sense. Inside my head, I was weighing the pros and cons of the two. At some point in the process, I had filtered these very different and fascinatingly complex individuals down to a list of pluses and minuses. It became a logical battle in my head about which one was more worth my time.

We all do it, we will always do it. The terminology is what annoys me mostly. Also, the idea that I could inspire emotions like obsession, affliction, or distraction, which turns our quaint little love story into the script for any horror movie.

                      

The moment we forget that the "object" - though I still prefer the word "subject"- of our affection can reject us, we spiral down into fighting for claim and not for an opportunity. Pat Benetar was right, love is a battlefield, but it's not 1 vs 1, where the subject of affection is the prize; but 1 vs 1 vs 1, where the deciding factor is dependent on who the subject chooses - if that person chooses at all - and if you come out of the war bitter, elated, naive, or victorious.